The BEST Easy Liver and Onions Recipe

This liver and onions recipe is a classic dish that is packed full of incredible flavor. It combines veal liver with sautéed onions, garlic powder, and smoked paprika to make one of the most delicious meals ever. Plus, it's so simple to put together. In fact, just 25 minutes is all it takes to make it from start to finish!

Ingredients You'll Need

One of my favorite things about this liver and onions recipe is that it's made with only 6 ingredients. And, honestly, if you have liver then I can almost guarantee that you'll have most - if not all - of them at your house already.

Anyway, here's everything you'll need:

• 1 lb. veal liver, thinly sliced
• ½ teaspoon garlic powder
• ½ teaspoon smoked paprika
• Salt and pepper, to taste
• 1 onion, thinly sliced
• 2 tablespoon olive oil, divided

Simple stuff, right?

By the way, if you have any smoked paprika and onions left over, you can use them to make this amazing fried potatoes and onions recipe. It goes great as a side dish for this beef liver recipe.

How To Make Liver and Onions

I know I said this before, but I'll say it again - making this beef liver and onions recipe is about as easy as it gets. I mean, it's hard to beat a recipe that requires only a few steps and is mostly passive cooking, right?

Anyway, let's not waste any more time and get to it!

Step 1: Prepare The Liver

To get started, you'll want to prepare the liver by slicing it into super thin pieces. Once that's done, you can place your liver slices on a baking tray or plate and pat them dry with paper towels to remove any extra moisture.

Next, you can sprinkle the liver slices with salt, pepper, garlic powder, and smoked paprika. And make sure to coat both sides of the liver with those incredible spices!

Step 2: Cook Onions

Now it's time to caramelize the onions. First, you'll need to slice the onions into as thin of slices as you want. It's really up to you whether you want to do long slices or onion rings but make sure they are nice and thin, so the onions cook better.

Anyway, once that's done, you can heat a nonstick skillet over medium heat and add a little oil to it. A large skillet is best because it will give you plenty of room to move your onions around while they cook.

Next, you can add a pinch of salt and black pepper to the skillet and add the onions to it. Then you'll want to cook the onions for 7-8 minutes, stirring continuously, until they're crisp and golden brown.

Once they're good to go, you can remove the onions with a slotted spoon and transfer them to a bowl to stay warm for later.

Step 3: Cook The Liver

Now it's time to cook the real star of the show, the liver!

First, you'll want to start by wiping the skillet that you just cooked the onions in clean with kitchen towels. Then you can add the remaining oil to the skillet and heat it up.

Once the oil is hot, you can add the coated liver to the pan and sear it for about 2-3 minutes on each side. You want to make sure that you don't cook it for much longer, as the liver will become chewy if it's overcooked.

Step 4: Serve

Finally, as soon as the liver is cooked to perfection, you can serve it on a plate with warm caramelized onions and anything else you want, like some mashed potatoes.

Enjoy!

How to Store The Liver and Onions

This recipe for liver and onions will make about 4 servings. If you aren't able to finish it all in one sitting, you can store your leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge. Stored this way, the liver and onions will stay good for about 3-4 days.

However, if you want to store everything for even longer, you can transfer the leftovers to freezer bags or a freezer-safe container and freeze 'em for up to 4 months.

How to Reheat The Liver and Onions

Whenever you're ready to enjoy your leftovers again, they're definitely best reheated.

So, to warm them back up I recommend adding a little butter - or oil - to a skillet and set it over medium-high heat. Then, once you've got that skillet hot you can add the beef liver and onions to it and cook 'em together for a few minutes - or until they're completely reheated.

FAQs About This Liver and Onions Recipe

Do you rinse the liver before soaking it in milk?

Yes, you will want to rinse the liver before soaking it in milk. Just run the liver under cold water and then make sure to pat it completely dry with paper towels before soaking it in milk.

Why do you soak liver in milk before cooking?

The reason for soaking liver in milk before cooking is to get rid of the natural metallic liver taste. So if you don't want it to have a strong liver flavor and take on the taste of the seasonings, you can soak the raw liver in milk for a few hours in the fridge before cooking.

How long is liver supposed to be cooked?

If you're cooking liver in a pan like in this recipe, it's best to cook it for just a few minutes on each side. About 2-3 minutes typically does the trick to cook liver, and it's important not to overcook the liver since it will cause it to get tough and chewy.

My Final Thoughts

Well, that's how to make pan fried liver and onions!

I don't know if it's the tender liver, the sweetness of the caramelized onions, or the delicious blend of flavors from the spices, but this recipe sure does make for a tasty dinner!

I know I'm biased, but I really think this is the best way to cook liver.

Anyway, I hope you and your family enjoy this delicious, simple recipe as much as I do.

If you give it a try, leave a comment below and let me know your thoughts.

More Meaty Recipes

If you're looking for some more deliciously meaty recipes, we have a ton on the blog that you can check out next!

Here are some of my favorites:

• Flat iron steak
• Chicken gizzards
• Chicken hearts
• Beef shank
• Cube steak

Oh, and as always, make sure to check us out on TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube! We post new recipes on them every day.