caramelize

verb

car·​a·​mel·​ize ˈkär-mə-ˌlīz 

ˈker-ə-mə-,

ˈka-rə-mə-

caramelized; caramelizing

1

transitive : to subject (sugar or the sugar content of a food) to caramelization : to change into caramel (see caramel sense 1) by heating at high temperature

… flan bathed in caramelized sugar and topped with whipped cream …

—Penelope Casas

At a restaurant, some unlucky prep cook gets to peel, slice, and caramelize bags of onions in the morning.

—Stephanie Alleyne

2

intransitive : to change to caramel

Fructose begins to rapidly caramelize at around 200 degrees …

—Matthew Card

: to undergo caramelization

These sweet potatoes caramelize slightly in the oven, which gives them a sweet crunch as their flesh remains creamy.

—Lesley Porcelli

Examples of caramelize in a Sentence

The onions will take five minutes to caramelize.

Caramelize two cups of sugar.

Continue stirring until the sugar caramelizes.

Recent Examples on the Web

Joly recounts a bar where caramelized onion, roasted garlic and oyster shell extracts were once considered radical. —Rachel King, Forbes.com, 11 Apr. 2025

The nose features caramelized sugars, crème brûlée, and molasses aromas intertwined with dark red fruit notes of cherry and cranberry. —Joseph V Micallef, Forbes, 20 Mar. 2025

Biting into a round, crackly with butter and caramelized from honey on the outside, reveals the pleasant, familiar creaminess of oatmeal in the center. —The New York Times News Service Syndicate, San Diego Union-Tribune, 19 Mar. 2025

The family subsequently founded and later sold Smashburger, which improved on the fast-food hamburger just a bit by caramelizing its beef. —Brendan Coffey, Sportico.com, 3 Apr. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1837, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for caramelize

• actualize
• antagonize
• apologise
• apologize
• capitalize
• categorize
• characterize
• commercialize
• conceptualize
• contrariwise
• criminalize
• decentralize