Focaccia with Caramelized Onions

This Caramelized Onion Focaccia is a simple to make homemade focaccia recipe that is vegan. The caramelized onion and rosemary topping make this bread beyond delicious. The bread is so delicious that you could eat it as a meal with your favorite salad.

If you love this authentic Italian Focaccia, be sure to also try my Caramelized Onion and Cherry Tomato Focaccia and my Easy Ligurian Focaccia Bread with Rosemary for more homemade focaccia variations.

This article contains affiliate links which support us at no extra cost to you.

This onion focaccia is soft, golden, and topped with sweet, deeply caramelized onions and fresh rosemary. The dough is airy with crisp edges, and every bite balances olive oil richness with slow-cooked onion sweetness.

If you're looking for the best caramelized onion focaccia, this recipe delivers bakery-level texture with simple ingredients. It's the kind of focaccia you'd find in an Italian panificio - rustic, fragrant, and impossible to stop eating.

You can serve it warm as an appetizer, slice it for sandwiches, or enjoy it as a side with soup. However you serve it, this focaccia with onions always disappears fast.

Why We Love This Caramelized Onion Focaccia

• The onions cook low and slow until jammy and sweet
• The dough bakes up soft inside with crispy edges
• Simple pantry ingredients
• Naturally dairy-free
• Perfect for entertaining

But one more thing about this particular bread. It is totally VEGAN! Yes, all vegan, every bite. I have so many friends that are newly vegan or dabbling in veganism. You may have a time in life where your vegan friends are coming over for dinner and you want to make them something impressive.

THIS is what you will make them. THIS bread and any veggie side dish is all you need to really WOW them. Can you tell I'm still excited about this bread???

Ingredient Notes (My Tips for the Best Onion Focaccia)

For the Dough

• Warm Water (about 43°C / 110°F)
  I always test the water with my finger. It should feel warm, not hot. If it's too hot, it will kill the yeast. Too cool, and the dough rises slowly.
• Active Dry Yeast
  One envelope is perfect. I let it sit in the warm water for a few minutes before mixing so I know it's active.
• Extra-Virgin Olive Oil
  This is not the place for bland oil. Good olive oil makes a big difference in focaccia with onions. It gives flavor and that soft, rich crumb.
• Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
  I prefer unbleached flour for better texture and flavor. It gives structure while keeping the inside airy.
• Sea Salt
  Focaccia needs proper salt. I use fine sea salt in the dough so it distributes evenly.

For the Caramelized Onion Topping

• Large Onion
  I usually use yellow onions because they caramelize beautifully. Red onions also work if you want a deeper color for red onion focaccia.
• Sugar
  Just a teaspoon helps the onions caramelize faster and brings out their natural sweetness.
• Rosemary
  Fresh rosemary only. Chop it very fine and avoid the woody stems. It turns this into a classic rosemary and onion focaccia.
• Olive Oil (for topping)
  Focaccia should feel generously brushed with oil. It creates those golden, crispy edges.
• Flaky Sea Salt
  I sprinkle a little more on top before baking. In my opinion, focaccia should lean slightly salty to balance the sweet caramelized onions.

Step-by-Step Instructions

• Step 1: Activate the Yeast Add warm water to a small bowl and sprinkle yeast on top. Whisk in 3 tablespoons olive oil and let it sit about 5 minutes until slightly foamy.
• Step 2: Mix the Dough In a large bowl, whisk together flour and salt. Pour in the yeast mixture and stir with a rubber spatula until combined. Attach the dough hook and mix on low for about 3 minutes. If the dough feels dry, add warm water 1 teaspoon at a time until soft and slightly sticky.
• Step 3: First Rise Shape the dough into a ball and place it in a lightly oiled bowl. Swish it around, then flip so it's coated in oil. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise at room temperature for 1 to 1½ hours, until doubled.
• Step 4: Caramelize the Onions While the dough rises, heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a skillet over medium-low heat. Add sliced onions and sprinkle with sugar. Cook slowly, stirring occasionally, for 10-15 minutes until tender and golden.
• Step 5: Shape the Focaccia Transfer the dough onto a parchment-lined baking sheet. Gently press and stretch it to fill the pan. If it resists, let it rest 5 minutes and continue pressing.
• Step 6: Second Rise Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let the dough rise again for 40-60 minutes, until puffy.
• Step 7: Preheat the Oven Place a rack in the lower third of the oven and preheat to 220°C (425°F).
• Step 8: Dimple and Top Remove the plastic wrap. Use your fingertips to dimple the surface all over. Brush generously with olive oil. Sprinkle sea salt, chopped rosemary, and the caramelized onions evenly on top.
• Step 9: Bake Bake for 25-30 minutes until golden brown and puffed around the edges.
• Step 10: Finish and Serve Remove from the oven and lift the focaccia out using the parchment. Brush with a little more olive oil while still warm. Slice and serve.

This focaccia is soft and it is fluffy. It is a bread that you will want to bake over and over again! For what is life without good bread?

As Julia Child once said, "How can a nation be great if its bread tastes like Kleenex?"

I promise that Julia would be proud. This does not taste like Kleenex!!

Robert Browning maybe says it even better, "If thou tasted a crust of bread, thou tasted all the stars and all the heavens."

What's the best focaccia baking tips? 

If you really want to make this focaccia and time is not in your favor, you could make the dough and leave it in the refrigerator over night. Or you could make it in the morning and put it in the refrigerator until the end of the day, when you are ready to bake it. When you are ready to bake the bread, remove the dough from the fridge and press it into your oiled pan. You have to let it rise before baking it.

The most important tip is to let it do its 2nd rise in the pan you will bake it in. My kids love the square pieces, so I usually bake it in the baking sheet. I sometimes bake it in a round pan. Either way, you can't go wrong.

The last tip I can give you I touched on in the first tip, make SURE you brush the pan or the parchment paper with olive oil. And when the bread is finished, brush on another layer of olive oil. Trust me, all of this olive oil makes for the most delectable bread!

I mention in the recipe title that this focaccia is vegan. Many Italian restaurants are vegan. So it really would not normally be described as vegan as you're traveling around Italy. But I wanted to point out that it is vegan for my vegan readers and friends who want to make a completely outrageous Italian bread and not worry if it has eggs or any sort of dairy. Now if you want to make this not vegan, go ahead and melt some cheese on top! (you could also use a non dairy cheese!!).

Did you make this and love it? Please RATE THE RECIPE below:)

I would LOVE IT if you can leave me a star rating and a review down below and let me know your thoughts! It means the world to me to hear how you liked it.

Please Subscribe and give a follow on Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest, and TikTok xx

Print Recipe Pin Recipe Rate this Recipe

5 from 2 votes

Caramelized Onion Focaccia (with Rosemary)

A simple to make homemade focaccia recipe that is vegan. The caramelized onion and rosemary topping make this bread beyond delicious. The bread is so delicious you could eat it as a meal with your favorite salad. Bake the bread on a 11" x 17" jellyroll pan or a cookie sheet.

Prep Time2 hours hrs 30 minutes mins

Cook Time30 minutes mins

Total Time3 hours hrs

Course: Bread

Cuisine: Italian

Keyword: focaccia, Italian bread

Servings: 1 large focaccia

Calories: 2491kcal

Author: Lora

Ingredients

dough

• 1 ⅓ cups warm tap water about 110 degrees
• 2 ½ teaspoons 1 envelope active dry yeast
• 4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 3 ¼ cups unbleached all-purpose flour
• 3 teaspoons sea salt

topping

• 3-4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• caramelized onion
• 1-3 teaspoons sea salt or kosher salt
• to caramelize onion
• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 1 large onion peeled and sliced thin
• 1 Tbsp rosemary chopped fine (not the stems)

Instructions

Dough

• In a small bowl, add the water and sprinkle the yeast on top of the water. Add 3 tablespoons of the oil and whisk together. Set aside.
• In large mixing bowl, add the flour and 3 teaspoons of salt; whisk together or mix together on low speed in your mixer.
• Add the yeast mixture and about half of the flour mixture. Stir with a rubber spatula until it is combined. Attach the dough hook to your mixer and add the remaining flour. Mix on low speed for about three minutes. If the dough seems to be too dry, add warm water a teaspoon at a time until you obtain a softer dough.
• Form the dough into a ball and place into an oiled bowl (when I put the dough in the bowl I swish the dough around the bottom of the bowl and then flip it over so all of the dough is covered in a light film of oil). Cover with plastic wrap and let it rise at room temperature until doubled in size (about 1-1 ½ hours).
• While the dough is rising, caramelize the onion if using it for topping.

Topping

• In a large skillet, heat 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive- oil over medium-low heat. Add the onions to the skillet and sprinkle 1 teaspoon of sugar over it. Stir occasionally and cook until tender (takes about 10-15 minutes
• until golden).
• Place the dough on a parchment lined baking sheet. Pat and press the dough gently until the dough fills the pan completely. If the dough resists, let it rest for a few minutes before continuing (sometimes the dough can be moody). Cover the dough with a piece of plastic wrap and let it rise again until doubled in size (about 40-60 minutes).
• Set a rack in the lower third of the oven and preheat to 425 F.
• When the dough has doubled in size, remove the plastic wrap. Dimple the surface of the risen focaccia using your fingertips.
• Brush on the remaining olive oil to the surface of the dough. Sprinkle on the sea salt (add the amount of salt you prefer. We like it a little saltier. Sprinkle on the chopped rosemary and caramelized onions.
• Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until golden brown and puffed around the edges.
• Remove from oven. Lift the focaccia from the pan with the parchment paper edges onto a cutting board. You're supposed to let it cool a little on a rack before serving. That never happens over here. Brush on a little olive oil (the last tablespoon from the 4 tablespoons in the ingredient list) on the hot focaccia. Cut and serve.

Nutrition Disclaimer

Please keep in mind that the nutritional information presented below is an approximation and may vary depending on the exact ingredients used.

Notes

1. Don't rush the rise
If your kitchen is cool, the dough may take longer than 1½ hours. That's normal. A slow rise builds better flavor and gives you that airy focaccia texture.

2. Keep the dough slightly sticky
Resist the urge to add too much flour. A slightly sticky dough creates a softer interior and those classic airy pockets.

3. Caramelize onions low and slow
Medium-low heat is key. If they brown too quickly, they’ll taste sharp instead of sweet. You want them soft, golden, and jammy.

4. Oil generously
Focaccia isn’t shy about olive oil. A generous brush before baking gives you crisp edges and that golden top.

5. Dimple deeply
Press your fingertips firmly into the dough before baking. This helps the oil pool slightly in the indentations and gives authentic texture.

Nutrition

Calories: 2491kcal | Carbohydrates: 315g | Protein: 42g | Fat: 116g | Saturated Fat: 16g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 13g | Monounsaturated Fat: 82g | Sodium: 6988mg | Potassium: 456mg | Fiber: 12g | Sugar: 5g | Vitamin A: 71IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 92mg | Iron: 20mg

Tried this recipe?Mention @savoringitaly or tag #savoringitaly!