White Onion in Indian Cooking: Uses, Substitutes, and Best Recipes

When you think of white onion, a mild, crisp bulb commonly used in Indian kitchens for its clean flavor and quick-cooking properties. Also known as Spanish onion, it’s the quiet backbone of countless dishes—from biryani base layers to tangy raitas—without overpowering the spices around it. Unlike red onions, which bring color and sharpness, white onions dissolve into the oil and release a sweet, earthy depth that lets other ingredients shine. They’re not flashy, but skip them, and your curry loses its soul.

Indian cooks don’t just chop white onions—they build on them. In biryani, they’re fried slow until golden, creating the aromatic foundation that holds the whole dish together. In dal, a quick sauté of white onion before adding lentils adds body without the bitterness you get from raw red onions. Even in chutneys and pickles, white onion’s mildness lets vinegar and spices take center stage. You’ll find it in biryani, a layered rice dish where texture and layering matter more than spice, in paneer, a fresh cheese often fried or grilled with onions for balance, and in everyday dals where it’s the first thing to hit the hot oil. It’s not just an ingredient—it’s a technique.

What if you run out? Red onions can work in a pinch, but they’ll turn your dish pink and add a sharper bite. Shallots are closer in sweetness but smaller and pricier. Yellow onions are too strong unless you cook them longer. White onion is the sweet spot—mild enough for kids, clean enough for delicate curries, and sturdy enough to hold up to hours of dum cooking. It’s why every Indian household keeps a basket of them, even when other veggies sit untouched.

Below, you’ll find real stories from home cooks who fixed their biryani by switching to white onion, learned why their dosa batter didn’t crisp without properly fried onions, and discovered how a simple tweak in onion prep turned bland dal into a family favorite. No fluff. Just what works.