How to Slice, Dice and Mince Onions: A Step-by-Step Guide

There's no need to cry over cutting up onions — these simple steps will help you slice, dice and mince onions more quickly and evenly.

Cut the Onion in Half
Whether you plan to slice, dice or mince the onion, the first step is cutting it in half. Cut off the top of the onion and place it cut-side down. Cut the onion lengthwise, through the root end.

Peel the Onion
Peel both halves of the onion; even if you only use half, it will make for easier chopping later. Leave the root end attached so the onion will hold together as you cut it.

Slice the Onion
Place the flat side of the onion down to keep it from slipping. For even onion slices, rest your knife against the flat part of your knuckles and walk your fingers backward as you slice. The farther you move between slices, the thicker your onion slices will be.

Finished Sliced Onions
Use onion slices as salad toppings or ingredients, or saute slices to make caramelized onions.

Prep the Onion for Dicing
For diced onion, make vertical slices evenly across the onion. Don't cut through the root; it helps hold the onion together as you chop.

Dice the Onion
Turn the onion 90 degrees, then make crosswise slices. Guess what? You just diced onion. Try to make evenly sized cuts across so the diced onion is all the same size.

Finished Diced Onions
Use diced onions in pasta sauces, salsas, home fries and soups.

Mince the Onion
Mincing onions is basically chopping onions as finely as you can. Start with diced onions. Then, lay one hand flat across the tip of your knife and use a rocking motion to chop. Keep going until the onions reach an evenly sized fine dice.

Finished Minced Onions
Minced onions can add zip to burgers, meatloaf, salad dressings or dips. Rinsing minced onions with cold water makes them less potent.

Sliced, Diced and Minced Onions
Mastering this skill will make cooking easier and faster — no matter how you slice or dice it. Watch our how-to video for more.