15 Onion Varieties: Pungency, Flavor and Storage

It’s a well-known fact that onions can make you cry because they release irritating compounds when chopped.

However, some onions are gentle and won’t irritate your eyes much.

This difference in potency is linked to the sulfur content of the onion.

The more sulfur compounds in onion, the more likely it’s to make you cry.

Here are 15 onion varieties and types, with notes on flavor and storage. No variety is guaranteed to make every person cry.

15 Onion Varieties: Pungency and Storage

The pungency of onion depends on the variety and the growing conditions, like soil composition, rain, and sunlight.

Pungency is measured on the pyruvate scale.

Pyruvate measurements help assess pungency, but this list is not a laboratory ranking of these cultivars. Cutting releases an eye-irritating compound; growing conditions and individual sensitivity also affect the experience.

1. Bridger Onions

Bridger onions have thick and smooth yellow skin and a flat shape.

Bridger is used for overwintering and early spring-sown crops. Harvest timing depends on location and sowing date.

Check the seed supplier’s named resistance claims rather than assuming broad disease resistance.

It’s crisp and moist making it a good onion for grilling and roasting.

Johnny’s describes properly cured Bridger bulbs as storing for about three to four months under suitable conditions.

2. Copra Onions

Copra onions are long-storage yellow onions with firm flesh. These onions are of medium size.

They’re versatile and can be used in various dishes. They have a creamy, yellow color.

These onions grow very well in abundant sunlight and moist soil conditions.

Despite its delicious flavors and hardiness, this onion variety is soon being replaced by the Patterson onions with similar physical traits and flavor.

3. Ebenezer Onions

Ebenezer is a type of white onion. It’s medium-sized, with a diameter of 2 to 3 inches, with a flat shape and strong onion flavor.

White Ebenezer is a white onion; other Ebenezer-labeled sets may differ, so check the named variety.

Storage depends on the cultivar, curing and conditions, not sulfur content alone.

It’s crisp, delicious, and good for cooking.

4. Creole Onions

Red Creole is a red onion with a pungent flavor.

The skin is dark red on the outside.

Meanwhile, the flesh is thick and firm with a granex shape. It’s also very moist and crisp.

Cutting into it releases a strong and unmistakable oniony aroma. It’s a very pungent variety of onion.

Proper curing and cool, dry, ventilated storage help preserve sound bulbs.

It tastes good in salads and salsa, and can also be used for cooking.

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5. Red Wethersfield Onions

Red Wethersfield onions are iconic heirloom onions.

They’re named after Wethersfield in Connecticut where they were first grown.

These onions have a rich and deep purple color, with a plump and flat shape.

They have a strong savory aroma and are very pungent.

These onions are crunchy. They keep for a long time in storage.

They taste great in salads and sandwiches and are also good for cooking.

6. Australian Brown Onions

Australian Brown onions are Spanish onions with a nice round shape and medium size.

They have beautiful white and creamy flesh, and the skin is a rich and deep brown color.

Australian Brown is grown as a storage onion; sound bulbs still need proper curing and storage.

The onions can be easily identified by their bulb-like shape and thick brown papery skin.

Their strong flavors work well in a variety of recipes.

They’re good for cooking.

They may irritate your eyes when cut, but the effect varies.

7. Yellow Bermuda Onions

Bermuda-type onions are generally described as mild.

Even a milder onion may irritate your eyes when chopped.

They’re large and flat with yellow skin. They’re succulent and juicy on the inside.

Bermuda onions are highly preferred for grilling.

They also taste good in sandwiches and burgers. You can also cook with them.

Bermuda-type onions are generally mild and are not a substitute for long-storage varieties; use them relatively promptly.

8. Brigham Yellow Globe Onions

Brigham Yellow Globe onions aren’t as pungent as Creole or Ebenezer onions.

Eye irritation varies from person to person and bulb to bulb.

These onions are yellow and globe-shaped. They have light yellow or brownish skin.

These onions are very flavorful and good for cooking or eating raw.

9. Red Bull Onions

Red Bull onions are very flavorful dark red onions.

They’re a premium onion variety, renowned for their deep color and crispy bite.

These onions are large and hard. They add a spicy note and crunch to any dish.

You can eat red bull onions raw. However, they also hold their shape during cooking.

One of the biggest advantages of red bull onions is that they hold up well and keep much longer than most other onion varieties.

10. Talon Onions

Talon onions are large onions with dark brown skin and white flesh.

You can easily identify them by their bronze-brown smooth skin.

These are excellent storage onions with a strong pungency.

Talon is sold as a storage onion with good cooking flavor; its name does not establish a fixed sweetness-to-pungency progression.

They’re good for dishes where the onions should hold their shape.

Although they turn translucent, these onions don’t become mushy.

11. Cortland Onions

Cortland is a yellow storage onion; pungency does not guarantee tears for every cook.

Provide water according to local onion-growing guidance. Deliberate drought is not a reliable way to improve flavor or bulb yield.

They have tough outer skin and hold up well in storage. The outside of the onion is thick and copper-colored.

12. Red Wing Onions

Red wing onions are a popular crop in the Northern areas.

They’re moderately pungent red onions and some of the best onions for long-term storage.

They have very firm flesh and a delicious bite.

The strong and hard bulbs hold up well in storage and keep longer than other varieties when stored well.

They look very attractive with their bright purplish-red color skin and firm round shape.

13. Ruby Red Onions

Ruby Red onions are very hardy burgundy-color onions.

Ruby Red is sold as a red storage onion.

The bulbs are globe-shaped with firm flesh. They grow to medium size.

These long-day storage onions will keep well in storage.

They’re very pungent and hold their shape during cooking.

Hence, they’re a good choice for various dishes.

These onions infuse dishes with complex flavors even while holding their texture and not turning into mush.

14. Pontiac Onions

Pontiac onions are some of the best storage onions. They’re yellow onions.

These onions grow to a large size and have thick bronze-colored skin.

The neck region of these onions dries down very quickly.

Pontiacs survive well when the storage conditions are right and are suitable for long-term use.

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15. Stuttgarter Onions

Stuttgarter onions are a variety of yellow onions. They’re widely available and very versatile.

These onions are medium to large-size and flat-shaped with firm skin.

They’re hardy and hold up well in storage for a long time.

Stuttgarter onions are spicy but can be eaten raw.

Cooking usually softens raw onion pungency and can bring out sweetness; the method and cooking time shape the result.