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

Back to Blueberry: a waffle sandwich with basque cheesecake, blueberry compote, caramelized bananas, Fruity Pebbles and powered sugar. —Joseph Hernandez, Kansas City Star, 25 Mar. 2025

Baby carrots are caramelized on the edges and cooked until perfectly tender. —Kimberly Holland, Southern Living, 10 Mar. 2025

The finish is medium, with lingering notes of vanilla, caramelized sugar, and spicy oak. —Joseph V Micallef, Forbes, 1 Mar. 2025

Finish off with winter citrus pavlova—olive oil cake with yuzu pastry cream, mandarin pate de fruit, and caramelized pistachios. —Tori Latham, Robb Report, 11 Feb. 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