youtube pinterest twitter facebook instagram vimeo whatsapp Bookmark Entries BURGER NEW Chevron Down Chevron Left Chevron Right Basket Speech Comment Search Video Play Icon Premium Nigella Lawson Vegan Vegetarian Member Speech Recipe Email Bookmark Comment Camera Scales Quantity List Reorder Remove Open book
Menu Signed In
More answers

Size Of An Onion

Asked by Lazygirl. Answered on 6th July 2017

Full question

What is the weight of a large onion (or medium, or small)? Some of Nigella's recipes refer to produce in terms of size. Is there a standardized chart for the weight of fruits and vegetables?

NIGELLA CHRISTMAS UK book cover
Beetroot and Ginger Chutney
By Nigella
  • 14
  • 2

Our answer

When a recipe gives the size of an onion as "medium" or "large" it will mean that the recipe does not need an exact amount of onion and it will work within a range of weights, which is usually as the size of produce can vary between seasons and different markets. In many cases Nigella doesn't specify the size of the onion and you can use whatever size you have to hand. If the amount of onion is large and important to a recipe, such as for a chutney, then Nigella will also give guidance as to the weight required.

We are not aware of any standard sizes or charts for produce, but from Nigella's previous recipes we would consider a large onion to be in the region of 225-275g (8-9 ounces). A medium onion would be smaller than this and around 150-170g (about 6 ounces) and a small onion around 125g (4 1/2 ounces) or below. However we would emphasise that these sizes are only approximate and the vast majority recipes will work with a range of weights of onion.

Tell us what you think