McDonald’s uses real onions in many of its menu items. However, they may not always use fresh sliced onions and often rely on rehydrated onion products to maintain consistency across their thousands of restaurants.
Does McDonald’s Use Real Onions in Burgers?
Yes, McDonald’s does use real onions in their burger patties and on burgers as toppings. McDonald’s states on their website that their burgers are made with 100% real beef and seasoning including real onions.
For burger patties, McDonald’s uses rehydrated onion powder which is made from real dehydrated onions. The onions are diced, dehydrated, and then turned into powder. This allows McDonald’s to have consistent flavor and texture in their burger patties across all restaurants.
For toppings like onion slices on burgers, McDonald’s uses rehydrated onion slices. These are real onion slices that are dehydrated and then rehydrated before serving. McDonald’s pre-slices and processes the onions to maintain consistency in shape and size.
Does McDonald’s Use Real Onions in Other Menu Items?
Yes, McDonald’s uses real onions prepared in different ways across their menu:
- Onion powder is used in sauces, dressings, and shakes for flavor.
- Dehydrated minced onions are used in Hash Browns.
- Rehydrated onion slices are used on sandwiches and in salads.
- Caramelized onions are used in some premium burgers and sandwiches.
However, fresh raw onion slices are not commonly used as toppings at McDonald’s. The pre-processed onion products allow them to maintain consistent flavor and texture across their global restaurants.
Why Doesn’t McDonald’s Use Fresh Sliced Onions?
There are a few reasons why McDonald’s does not use fresh sliced onions as toppings in their restaurants:
- Consistency – Using dehydrated, processed onion products allows McDonald’s to achieve consistent size, flavor and texture across thousands of locations globally.
- Food safety – Fresh cut onions are more prone to contamination from handling. Dehydrated and processed onions have a longer shelf life.
- Supply chain – It would be challenging for McDonald’s to source, store, and prepare fresh onions in the quantities needed at all restaurants daily.
- Cost – Using dehydrated and processed onion products is more cost-effective for McDonald’s high production volumes.
While not as fresh, McDonald’s onion products allow them to still deliver real onion flavor to customers consistently and safely across their huge network of restaurants.
Onion Preparation at McDonald’s
Here is a summary of how McDonald’s prepares and uses onions in their menu items:
| Onion Type | Preparation | Uses |
|---|---|---|
| Onion powder | Diced, dehydrated, ground into powder | Burger patties, sauces, shakes |
| Dehydrated minced onions | Minced, dehydrated | Hash browns |
| Rehydrated onion slices | Sliced, dehydrated, rehydrated | Sandwiches, salads, toppings |
| Caramelized onions | Sliced, sauteed | Premium burgers, sandwiches |
Conclusion
In summary, McDonald’s does use real onions in their menu items rather than artificial flavors. However, they rely more on dehydrated, processed and rehydrated onion products rather than fresh onions. This allows McDonald’s to deliver consistent flavor and quality across their thousands of restaurants while controlling costs and maintaining food safety.
So next time you enjoy the great taste of onions in a McDonald’s burger or side, know that you are tasting real onions! They just may not be freshly sliced.