My Sweet Vidalia Onion Pie is a highlight of Vidalia season (April through early September.) It’s so easy to throw together and it keeps well in the fridge. We love it with a salad on the side and a glass of wine, it’s effortlessly elegant!
have you tasted a Vidalia onion? have you had a Vidalia onion pie?
If not, scroll on, dear reader!
- My favorite onion is this sweet variety only grown in certain parts of Georgia where the soil so low in sulfur it produces an extra mild and sweet onion. Vidalia onions are famous for being so sweet you can eat them like an apple!
- First discovered in the 1930s, Vidalia onions are becoming more popular and more available than ever. Look for them next to the regular onions in your supermarket. You can also order them online, just search Vidalia onions on google.
- My pie, which is based on a classic Southern dish, highlights these sweet onions like nothing else…they’re piled high inside a crust and baked up in a cheesy custard filling. So good.
- If you can’t find Vidalia onions, go with a generic sweet onion, that will work too!
shopping list for Vidalia onion pie
- Vidalia onions ~ you’ll need one medium to large onion (but I never buy just one Vidalia, I stock up on these gems!) If you can’t find Vidalia onions, use another sweet variety like Washington State Walla Wallas, Hawaiian Maui, or a generic sweet onion.
- a frozen pie crust ~ choose your favorite deep dish style.
- eggs
- whole milk or a mixture of milk and cream
- shredded sharp cheddar cheese ~ I prefer a sharp cheese, but something like a jalapeño jack would work well, too. Note: if you’re looking for a ‘zippy’ flavor, be sure to use an extra sharp cheese.
- onion salt
- black pepper
there’s no shame in a store bought crust
I love to use good quality frozen pie crusts when I make simple quiches and savory pies because they save so much effort and time. I often transfer the frozen crust out of its tin and into one of my own pie plates, not to fool anybody, but because it looks so much nicer.
You could also do a crumb crust for this pie, made with Ritz crackers: mix 1 1/2 cups Ritz crumbs with 4 tablespoons melted butter and pat it into your pie plate. Some like to pre bake the crust for a few minutes to set it. Be aware that this crust will be crumbly and not as structured (more of a free form experience,) but just as delicious.
how to keep your crust from sticking to the pie plate
- If you are transferring a store bought frozen crust from its tin into your own pie plate, butter your plate first, it will prevent it from sticking and allow you to lift out slices with ease.
- This trick works with homemade pie crusts as well.
to freeze your onion pie
Let your pie cool completely, then wrap it carefully in foil. Wrap it again in plastic or, if I have them around, I’ll slide it into a jumbo zip lock freezer bag.
Let it thaw in the refrigerator overnight.
how to store Vidalia onions ~ this is a surprise!
- Vidalia onions are unique in that you can store them in the crisper drawer of your refrigerator (don’t try this with regular onions.) Wrap them in plastic first, and they’ll keep for several months or more.
- You can freeze Vidalias, too. I like to peel and thinly slice them, then I lay them flat on a cookie sheet, and put in the freezer until frozen solid, about an hour. Then I’ll transfer to heavy duty freezer bags. They’ll last up to a year, so this way you can make my hot Vidalia Onion Dip for the holidays!
this savory onion pie is a staple in our house during Vidalia season.
It’s easy to make and always comes out perfectly. If you love a good quiche, then definitely try it. And don’t be afraid of the heavy onion presence…Vidalias and other sweet onions are super mild, they don’t contain the same level of bothersome sulfur compounds that other onions do, and won’t cause the same gastric issues in people sensitive to onions.
we’re loving on Vidalias…
- Quick Pickled Vidalia Onions
- Sweet Vidalia Onion Dip
- Creamy Vidalia Onion Dip
- Sweet Vidalia Onion Slaw
- Vidalia Onion Strings
- Vidalia Onion and Ham Quiche
Vidalia Onion Pie
Ingredients
- 1 deep dish frozen pie crust, do not thaw
- 1 medium Vidalia onion (substitute another sweet onion variety)
- 5 large eggs
- 1/2 cup whole milk
- 1/2 cup cream (omit the cream and use more milk if you prefer)
- 1 tsp onion salt
- 1/2 tsp fresh cracked black pepper
- 1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese, preferably white. I heap my measuring cup with the cheese.
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400F If you are transferring a frozen crust to your own pie plate, butter your pie plate first, then gently pry the frozen crust out of its tin.
- Peel and slice the onion 1/8 inch thick. I like to so with with a mandoline slicer to get them nice and thin. Cut most of the rings into halves or quarters, while leaving a few whole for topping the pie.
- Gently whisk the eggs to break them up, and whisk in the milk and cream. Season with onion salt and pepper.
- Spread the cheese out onto the pie crust, and then follow with most of the onions, reserving a few rings for the top.
- Pour the egg and cream mixture into the pie crust, it should just fill it to the top. Arrange a few whole onion slices over the top of the pie. Put the pie on a baking sheet, this makes it easier to transfer to the oven, and bake for about 55-60 minutes or until the pie is risen and golden brown. If your oven bakes unevenly, rotate the pie halfway through.
- I like to let the pie cool slightly and serve it nice and warm, but you can also enjoy it at room temperature. Cover and refrigerate any leftovers, it reheats well in a low oven or in the microwave and makes a great breakfast 😉
Nutrition
I just put it in the oven! I did add some sweet red pepper to it, an hour seems like a long time to wait…lol. I’m going to rotate it since I don’t trust my oven.
I took it out of the oven, let it cool and I just sampled, it’s fabulous, out of this world too!
This is the recipe I originally came in here to find today, nust got sidetracked?. I am really looking forward to making this and so happy I read your tips on storing large sweet onions. In the Caribbean, we don’t get vidalia’s or very rare, but we get large sweet onions, and I didn’t know to store them in the fridge. That’s probably why we have had them rotten in the center from leaving them in a basket in the kitchen., although even small ones have had a bit of that lately. Unusual.
I just made this and it was worth every little struggle I had making an einkorn pie crust in a hot kitchen! This is just delicious, and will definitely be something we’ll have often.
my aunt made onion pie years ago. I have searched high and low for the recipe that tasted like hers. I found this on Pinterest and oh my goodness I was so happy because THIS IS IT! I can’t begin to say how much we love this dish, it is so delicious. My aunt always made hers with a cracker crust, with saltine crackers which is delicious too. I made mine with Ritz crackers, it is the best imho, we seem to like that better than pie crust. I have made this recipe three times in three weeks since I found it! I’m making it again right now LOL thank you again for sharing this!
We loved this recipe! Also followed directions exactly, but with a pinch more salt. Might play around with the type of cheese in the future, but will definitely be on frequent rotation for dinner. Very easy and quick to assemble using a good quality store bought crust (thanks for the tip Sue).
I was happy to try this recipe and found it very easy a quick to make. However I found it very bland and intend to make it again with my own twist. I’m not sure yet what I’ll add but I have lots of ideas. It’s a good basic quiche recipe to build on.
Absolutely delicious! I used Half and Half since I had some I needed to use. Otherwise, followed directions exactly. Will make this again and again.
Thank you for mentioning that you used Half n half! ..I guess reading the recipe it would seem absolutely obvious that it’s O.K…but..being rather a Nervous Nellie in the kitchen, I worry if I’m not following a recipe to the letter!
This was delicious. I made it with an Emmantaler swiss and a tsp of fresh thyme and it came out beautifully. Looking forward to leftovers for lunch! Thanks for another wonderful recipe.
Loved this recipe! Thank you for sharing. I’ve shared the recipe with friends. So Good!!
My husband has been making Vidalia onion pie for years. We originally bought the onions mail order from Georgia, and they came with a Vidalia onion cookbook. His recipe has 4 onions, and sour cream instead of milk or cream and 3 eggs. It is absolutely delicious! I appreciate your tip about storage!
Thanks, Sue! This looks wonderful. Can’t wait to try it. And thanks for the info about storing and freezing Vadalias. I had no idea!