Vidalia onion has a particularly sweet taste and juicy texture. It can be used in various dishes ranging from stir-fries to soups, stews, curries, etc. But because Vidalia onions is a seasonal plant, you may not find it all year round.
If a dish calls for Vidalia onions and you can’t find fresh-looking Vidalia onion in the stores or at home, you can use a Vidalia onions substitutes such as white onion, potato onion, shallots, garlic, and even yellow, purple, and red onion.
If you are making pickled onions, a great alternative to Vidalia onions you could use is potato onions. Interestingly, these replacement options offer a similar flavor you would get with Vidalia onions.
What is Vidalia Onion?
Vidalia onions were officially named the Georgia state official vegetable in 1990, and it is a type of sweet onion cultivated far back as the 1930s.
Vidalia onions have a mild taste; this makes them easy to incorporate into any dish and improve its taste. They have a bearable flavor, so you can add Vidalia onions to virtually any dish.
Depending on how much you love onions, start with a few onions in a dish and work your way up based on your love and tolerance for the onions.
Vidalia onions are inarguably one of the sweetest onions, and this is because of the region they are grown.
The soil of Georgia has a low amount of sulfur, and sulfur is what gives onions their tanginess; this means Vidalia onions have low exposure to sulfur which gives them a sweet and mild taste that is soothing to your taste buds.
There are different reasons you would want a Vidalia onions substitute; if your dish calls for an onion variant with a stronger and more pronounced taste profile, then Vidalia onions might not give you a great result.
They lack a strong aroma, so they might not play so well into your dish. Availability is another reason you would want a Vidalia onions to substitute; here are some replacement options you could use instead.
Vidalia Onions Substitutes
1. White Onions
White onions are an excellent substitute for Vidalia onions; they have similar characteristics with a sweet flavor and texture, making them the most effective replacement for Vidalia onions.
However, white onions contain a little less sting than Vidalia onions, but they give off a wonderful aroma that enhances the flavor of any recipe.
You can use white onions instead when making recipes that call for raw Vidalia onions, such as salads or salsas.
They have a sweet flavor that pairs well with many dishes, and when prepared correctly, you may be unable to tell the difference between the two onions.
When substituting Vidalia onions with white onions, it’s recommended to use fewer white onions due to their intense aroma.
A rule of thumb to follow is a teaspoon of white onion for every tablespoon of Vidalia onion. This means 1/3 of white onion for every whole Vidalia onion a recipe calls for.
2. Shallots
Shallots also belong to the onions family, and if you cook regularly, you probably have some in your pantry.
Shallots are smaller than onions with a slightly oval shape; their size, however, may be misleading as they are fully packed with intense flavor, and it also has a mild aroma that doesn’t alter any meal it is added to.
If you want a Vidalia onions substitute that replicates its flavor perfectly, then shallots are the right option for you. However, shallots have a different texture from Vidalia onions.
When cooked, shallots become soft and lose their crunchiness, which might affect the meal’s overall turnout. If the texture isn’t a factor in your dish, then measure out the shallot and start tasting the dish as you add it, so as not to use too much or too little.
3. Chives
Chives is a green vegetable but has a mild taste like onions. It is available in supermarkets, or you could grow some in your garden if convenient, they are very versatile and can be used in different dishes. Chives may have long green stems but they taste similar to Vidalia onions.
Their mild taste makes chives a useable replacement for Vidalia onions if that’s all you have. They can be added to a cooked or raw dish.
The slight hint of the notes of garlic makes chives more comparable to Vidalia onions, although you would need more chives as a substitute than the amount of Vidalia onions a recipe needs. Taste the dish as you add the chives till you get the right amount.
4. Spring Onions
Spring onions are also known as youthful onions because they are harvested before the bulb has a chance to expand; they are typically long and slim with green tops.
Spring onions can be added to both raw and cooked dishes; you can consume the bulb alongside the green stalks. They have a milder taste compared to Vidalia onion and can be eaten fresh because of their sweet taste.
Because spring onions have a more grounded taste, you need just half the amount for a Vidalia onion when substituting. Start with a small number of spring onions and work your way up, tasting the entire time.
5. Brown Onions
This is considered a dry onion and has a solid flavor; they contain more sulfur than white onions, giving them a stronger taste.
Brown onions add the right punch to a meal when substituted for Vidalia onions and work well in many cooked dishes. However, brown onions cannot be eaten raw and are best when fried.
You need a lesser amount of brown onions than you would with Vidalia onions which have a milder flavor; few brown onions are enough to make an impactful substitute. A common ratio is two tablespoons of brown onions for each stalk of Vidalia onions a recipe calls for.
6. Garlic
Garlic is also added in many recipes that call for onions; this makes it a good last-resort substitute for Vidalia onions. Garlic is also a part of the onion family and possesses similar onion characteristics.
Although garlic has a more intense profile, they contain the same sweet yet lightly bitter and spicy flavors, so you may need to adjust the substituting quantity.
You can not use the same amount of garlic as the recipe calls for onions. There would be way too much flavor and may not replicate Vidalia onions very well in the recipe.
It is necessary to taste the dish as you substitute onions with garlic, and they are best substituted for cooked meals rather than raw.
Garlic may not make a great addition in salads, no one wants to bite into a raw piece of garlic, but they infuse a nice aroma to a meal when sauteed.
7. Walla Walla
Walla walla is another type of sweet onion and is a wonderful substitute for Vidalia onions. Walla walla onions get their sweetness from the sulfur in the soil they grow on rather than the sugar in the onion.
They can create similar flavors as Vidalia onions but contain less spice and bitterness while having the same amount of sweetness.
When cooked, walla walla onions don’t lose their texture and are great in both cooked and raw meals, such as salads.
This onion has an appearance similar to brown onions when uncooked, so it may be easy to mix up the two onions. Their flavor is the only way to tell them apart.
You can use a one-to-one ratio when substituting walla walla onions for Vidalia onions, but they may not be easy to find. Most local supermarkets don’t distinguish regular brown onions from walla walla onions so they are all labeled the same.
8. Yellow Onions
Yellow onions have a crunchy texture and a zesty flavor; they are commonly used for many dishes. They may not necessarily be the best Vidalia onions substitute but will get the job done.
In addition, onions such as the Vidalia onions are not only sweeter in flavor but also have a higher water rate and releases moisture as it cooks; when using regular yellow onions, you would need to add as much moisture as needed to make up for the deficiency.
There is a significant difference between the sizes of the two onions. One bulb of yellow onion equals two Vidalia bulbs, so make needed adjustments when making a substitution.
9. Red Or Purple Onions
Red or purple onions are the most common type of onions you can find in most grocery stores and are spicier than the Vidalia onion.
However, these onions do have a sweet flavor, even if it is spicier; this makes it a good replacement for Vidalia onions when you need a last-minute substitute.
Reduce the spiciness of red or purple onions by soaking the peeled onions in a bowl of water up to an hour before use; then, you can use a one-to-one ratio for a proper substitution.
10. Potato Onions
Potato onions have medium-sized bulbs and are also known as underground or Egyptian onions. They have a mildly sweet taste and aren’t as pungent as garlic, making them more suitable for certain dishes.
This onion can be added to soups, salads, and different stews; they can also be used to make pickled onions.
Using a perfect one-to-one ratio, you can substitute potato onions for Vidalia onions in raw dishes. One bulb of potato onions contains fairly the same amount of flavor as one bulb of Vidalia onion.