Tennessee onions are thick slices of sweet onions baked in butter, garlic, and loads of cheese.
The onions are served soft, tender, cheesy, and delicious.
This vegetable side dish pairs perfectly with steak, burgers, grilled chicken, and pork chops.
Try it with your next dinner; the whole family will love it.

Onions are used as a topping for salad, sandwiches, and burgers. Why not eat them as a side?
Onions are a vegetable. They are packed with nutrients.
If you cook them in loads of butter and cheese, they are absolutely delicious!
Watch how to make
Ingredients
You will need the following ingredients to make Tennessee Onions.
- Sweet Onions-Use Vidalia onions if you can get your hands on them. Otherwise any sweet onion will do. I do not recommend yellow onions.
- Butter-Do not substitute with margarine or oil.
- garlic powder or garlic salt
- Oregano-dried or fresh
- salt and pepper to taste
- sharp cheddar cheese
- mozzarella- You can substitute with the Italian blend cheese.
- Parmesan cheese
*Full recipe with measurements is located at the bottom of the post in the recipe card.
Tip
Tip: Cheddar, mozzarella, and Parmesan cheese are the traditional cheese combination for Tennessee onions. However, you can swap out any of these and substitute with Gouda, Swiss, Asiagio, or Monterrey Jack cheese. If I have Gouda on hand, I like to use cheddar, Gouda, and Parmesan cheese when making this dish.
How to make Tennessee Onions
Follow these simple steps to make Tennessee Onions.
- Slice sweet onions into ¼ in thick slices. Seperate the onion rings and spread in a greased 9x13in baking dish.
- Sprinkle onion rings with salt, garlic powder, and oregano.
- Thinly slice butter and arrange evenly over the onions.
- Evenly layer cheddar, mozzarella, and parmesan cheese over the onions.
- Bake onions uncovered at 350 degrees for 35-40 minutes. Serve.
What is a sweet onion?
Sweet onions are lower in sulfur and less pungent than other onions. Because they are lower in sulfer, you are able to taste the natural sugars, giving them a sweeter flavor.
Sweet onions also will not make you cry when cutting them.
Popular sweet onion varieties include the Vidalia, Walla Walla, Texas Sweet, and Maui Sweet. The Mattamuskeet Sweets are grown in my current hometown, Beaufort, NC.
The Vidalia onion is the ideal onion for this recipe, but any sweet onion will do.
When are Vidalia Onions in season?
Vidalia onions are in season in the summer time.
However, Tennessee onions are a great dish to eat year long. If Vidalia onions are not in season, choose any sweet onion variety.
Please leave me a comment below if you make Tennessee Onions and tell me what you think. I would love to hear back, and so would my readers.
Also post your picture of your onions on Instagram or Facebook, and tag @aforkstale with #aforkstale hashtags! I will share with my followers! xoxo!
Recipe
Tennessee Onions Recipe
Ingredients
- 4 sweet onions Use Vidalia onions if you can. Otherwise any sweet onion will do.
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon oregano
- 4 tablespoons butter
- 1 cup sharp cheddar cheese shredded
- 1 cup mozzarella shredded
- ½ cup Parmesan
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Slice sweet onions into ¼ in thick slices. Seperate the onion rings and spread in a greased 9x13in baking dish.4 sweet onions
- Sprinkle onion rings with salt, garlic powder, and oregano.1 teaspoon garlic powder, ½ teaspoon oregano, salt and pepper to taste
- Thinly slice butter and arrange evenly over the onions.4 tablespoons butter
- Evenly layer cheddar, mozzarella, and parmesan cheese over the onions.1 cup sharp cheddar cheese, 1 cup mozzarella, ½ cup Parmesan
- Bake onions uncovered at 350 degrees for 35-40 minutes. Serve.
Video
Notes
- Cheddar, mozzarella, and Parmesan cheese are the traditional cheese combination for Tennessee onions. However, you can swap out any of these and substitute with Italian blend, Gouda, Swiss, Asiagio, or Monterrey Jack cheese. If I have Gouda on hand, I like to use cheddar, Gouda, and Parmesan cheese when making this dish.