TikTok creator Courtney Cook Bales has once again sparked an internet food craze. The Georgia-based English teacher, who has built an audience of 2.7 million followers, first went viral for her cheese-stuffed sweet potatoes. Now, she’s captivating viewers with an even quirkier concept: raw onion cups.
In her videos, Bales slices an onion in half and peels apart its layers to create edible “cups” that hold a variety of foods. Fillings have ranged from fried catfish and ramen to chili, French fries, and smoked salmon. She’s even shared an “onion cup flight,” a playful nod to last year’s popular egg flight trend.
Most often, the onion cups are paired with microwavable soup dumplings and topped with condiments like mayonnaise, Japanese barbecue sauce, soy sauce, crispy onions, and more.
The idea has quickly caught on across TikTok, with thousands of users posting their own takes on onion cup creations inspired by Bales’ videos. On January 19, she brought the trend to The Jennifer Hudson Show, where she served Hudson steamed soup dumplings topped with melted Muenster cheese.
Bales suggested finishing them with chili crisp, soy sauce, and mayonnaise advice that visibly unsettled the studio audience. Hudson skipped the onion cup itself but still declared, “This is so good!”
Bales began posting lunch videos in May 2025 as a way to genuinely connect with others, and she’s shared her playful interpretations of British food nearly every day since. From Ploughman’s lunches to chocolate-covered Weetabix, her content blends humor, creativity, and an unmistakable willingness to experiment—qualities that continue to keep TikTok watching (and cooking).
