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

Slowly caramelize yellow onions before mixing with other ingredients to make this hit. —Lisa Cericola, Southern Living, 15 Feb. 2026

The oven broiler handles the rest, caramelizing the sauce while the salmon cooks. —Ashia Aubourg, Outside, 10 Feb. 2026

Little by little the crust acquiesces to the Maillard (browning) reaction, and the fat and honey will join forces to act upon the cheese, turning it a golden orange; some of it will seep out and caramelize. —Literary Hub, 4 Feb. 2026

Season with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until the fennel and onion are completely softened and start to caramelize a bit, 10 to 12 minutes. —Holly Riordan, Better Homes & Gardens, 3 Feb. 2026

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