Sweet Onion Bacon Jam

Sweet and savory bacon jam is one of my favorite ways to enhance a burger, dress up a charcuterie board, or just round out a piece of good, crusty bread. Perfectly layered with flavors of bacon, caramelized onions, garlic, brown sugar, and balsamic vinegar, it’s a total show-stopper that you’ll want to serve with everything!

What Makes This Recipe So Good

• Rich, thick, sweet sauce and salty, savory, chewy bacon mixed with caramelized onion. What more do you need to know?? The flavors are deep and layered and complex and just all-around incredible.
• This jam goes well on and with so many things – burgers, pizza, crostini, hashbrown toast, grilled cheese, melted brie, French fries… I could go on and on.
• Needless to say, this is one of those simple-but-feels-fancy recipes that’s sure to wow your friends and family, especially when you tell them it’s homemade.

Ways to Use Bacon Jam

Cocktail Blini (For Caviar and More!)

The Best Ever Cranberry Brie Bites

Perfect Keto Charcuterie Board

Whole30 Burgers – Burger Joint Style (Paleo, Low Carb)

Please note that, while delicious, this bacon jam is not Whole30-compliant. I highly recommend using bacon jam on burgers, but adding it to the Burger Joint Style Burgers linked above will make your burger no longer Whole30-compatible.

Chef’s Tips

• A hearty dash of crushed red chili pepper flakes will take your bacon jam to a whole new level. If you like things with a little kick, you absolutely have to try it sometime! Just be careful not to overdo it.
• You don’t want to overcook the bacon! It should be fully cooked, yes, but you want it to still be on the chewy side rather than crunchy and crispy.
• Save the rendered bacon fat (except for the 2 tablespoons you need for the jam) in an airtight glass jar and use it later in other recipes! Leftover bacon grease is great for frying burgers, pouring on popcorn kernels before you pop them, roasting vegetables, or turning into bacon gravy.

More Bacon Recipes You’ll Love

• Creamy Whole30 Bacon Mushroom Chicken Thighs with Thyme (Paleo)
• Bacon Wrapped Asparagus with Garlic Aioli
• Hot Bacon Dressing
• Bacon Chips (Keto)
• Instant Pot Bacon

Hey – you’ve made it this far, so now we’re basically best friends! If you make this recipe, I’d love for you to give it a quick review & star rating ★ below. Make sure you follow me on Instagram, Pinterest, TikTok, and Facebook, too!

5 from 1 vote

Sweet Onion Bacon Jam

Prep:15 minutes

Cook:30 minutes

Total:45 minutes

Rich, sweet, and savory bacon jam is the simple-but-incredible condiment you'll want to serve with everything!

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8 servings

Ingredients

• ▢ 1 pound thick-cut bacon chopped into 1-inch pieces
• ▢ 2 medium sweet onions diced
• ▢ 2 cloves garlic minced
• ▢ ¼ cup balsamic vinegar
• ▢ ⅓ packed cup brown sugar or coconut sugar or Brown Swerve
• ▢ 1 tablespoons water

Equipment

• Large skillet
• Plate lined with paper towels

Instructions 

• Add chopped bacon to large skillet. Cook over medium heat, stirring frequently, until bacon is just crispy but still chewy. Be careful not to overcook!
  
• Transfer fully-cooked bacon to plate lined with paper towels. Drain all but 2 tablespoons bacon fat from skillet and discard or save for other uses.
• Add diced onions to skillet with 2 tablespoons reserved bacon fat. Stir well and cook approximately 10 minutes or until onions have caramelized.
  
• Once onions caramelize, add garlic, balsamic vinegar, brown sugar, and water. Return cooked bacon to skillet and stir well to incorporate ingredients.
• Reduce heat to low. Cook mixture approximately 10 to 15 minutes or until jam has thickened. Taste and adjust flavoring, adding brown sugar or salt as needed. Once satisfied, serve bacon jam warm or at room temperature with desired accompaniments.
  

Notes

• Make it Keto: Use 1 ½ to 2 pounds bacon and only 1 sweet onion. Replace the brown sugar with Brown Swerve.
• Make it Paleo: Make sure your bacon has no added sugar. Use coconut sugar instead of brown sugar.

Nutrition Information

Serving: 1serving, Calories: 306kcal, Carbohydrates: 18g, Protein: 8g, Fat: 23g, Saturated Fat: 8g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 4g, Monounsaturated Fat: 10g, Trans Fat: 1g, Cholesterol: 37mg, Sodium: 387mg, Potassium: 235mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 14g, Vitamin A: 22IU, Vitamin C: 4mg, Calcium: 31mg, Iron: 1mg, Net Carbs: 17g

Number of total servings shown is approximate. Actual number of servings will depend on your preferred portion sizes.

 

Nutritional values shown are general guidelines and reflect information for 1 serving using the ingredients listed, not including any optional ingredients. Actual macros may vary slightly depending on specific brands and types of ingredients used.

 

To determine the weight of one serving, prepare the recipe as instructed. Weigh the finished recipe, then divide the weight of the finished recipe (not including the weight of the container the food is in) by the desired number of servings. Result will be the weight of one serving.

© Author: Jasmine Comer