French onion dip belongs on every party’s finger food spread. We’ve all had it, but usually from a store-bought container with a peel-off top. I don’t mean to jab the classic french onion dip, it’s awfully tasty, but it contains a ton of unhealthy ingredients that we could do without.
Luckily, making this dip is super painless and requires minimal effort. You won’t want to settle for a pre-made dip again once you see how quick this is to whip up. If it’s any indication, this is always the first dip on the buffet to get gobbled up completely.
How To Make French Onion Dip
There are a few ways to approach this dip. Both methods taste fabulous, but one is more hands-on than the other. Choose whichever better suits your schedule, but if you’re already making a homemade dip, go big or go home!
One method involves caramelizing onions. It takes a while but produces a much more present flavor similar to that of french onion soup. The second method is effortless and also great-tasting, but the flavor is slightly weaker.
Method One: Caramelized Onions
First, heat the butter in a medium-sized pan. Toss in two diced onions, sauteeing on medium heat for five minutes. Add the garlic and spices, and turn the heat to low for about 20 minutes until the onions are sweet and brown. Remove from the heat. Once that has cooled, mix it together with your sour cream and mayonnaise.
Method Two: Dried Onions
In a bowl, mix sour cream, mayonnaise, spices, and dried onion flakes. That’s pretty much it, folks! Since this is a one-step method, don’t be afraid to add more seasonings than we suggest. No one wants a bland dip!
No matter the method you go for, here’s what we’ll be cooking with:
- Onions: Sweet, fragrant, caramelized onions give this dip its identity. Who doesn’t love some perfectly golden onions cooked low and slow? Yellow onions caramelize the best and will turn nice and sweet if you cook them slow enough.
- Sour cream: Any sour cream will do, but I recommend regular as opposed to low-fat or light. In a pinch, you can substitute with Greek yogurt or even cream cheese.
- Mayonnaise: This makes up the other part of your dip’s base. Feel free to add more to your liking.
- Spices: We’re using chives, parsley, garlic powder, and pepper. I highly recommend chopping your own fresh chives and parsley if you want a more flavorful dip. The same way you can smell fresh herbs, you can also taste them so much more. If you decide to caramelize the onions rather than use dried ones, go ahead and throw in sauteed garlic instead of garlic powder. The more fresh ingredients, the better your dip will taste.
French Onion Dip Recipe
Course: AppetizersCuisine: FrenchDifficulty: Easy3
servings5
minutes20
minutes60
kcalLooking for the perfect appetizer to bring to your next gathering? Check out our creamy, homemade french onions dip recipe here.
Ingredients
2 tablespoons 2 butter
2 2 yellow onions, diced OR 1 tablespoon dried chopped onion
Pepper to taste
2 2 garlic cloves OR 1 tablespoon of garlic powder
1 tablespoon 1 parsley
2 cups 2 sour cream
¼ cup mayonnaise
1 tablespoon 1 chives, finely chopped
Directions
- Directions using Caramelized Onions
- In a medium-sized frying pan, melt the butter on medium to low heat.
- Add onions and saute on medium heat for 5 minutes. Add pepper, garlic, and parsley. Turn heat to low and saute for about 20 minutes or until onions are brown, soft, and fragrant. Remove from heat and cool for 5 minutes.
- In a small mixing bowl, add sour cream, mayonnaise, and cooked onions. Stir until fully combined.
- Refrigerate until cold. Sprinkle with chives. Serve with crinkle-cut potato chips.
- Directions using Dried Onions
- In a small bowl, add dried onion, pepper, garlic powder, parsley, sour cream, and mayonnaise. Mix until well combined.
- Sprinkle with chives and refrigerate until ready to serve.
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Tips & Tricks
- When caramelizing onions, use a slow and steady technique. Keep the heat as low as possible in order to brown the onions and get the sweet flavor you’re looking for. Rushing the process will burn your onions and leave them lacking flavor.
- Turn this dip vegan-friendly by swapping butter, sour cream, and mayonnaise for olive oil and vegan sour cream. Vegan greek yogurt will also do the trick.
- Make the dip a day in advance to give the flavors more time to combine. Your dip will be richer and tastier this way!
- You can serve this with a variety of scooper options. Carrots, celery, cucumbers, and pita chips also work well with this recipe.
- Need a faster solution? You can make french onion dip the old-fashioned way by pouring french onion soup mix into some sour cream. Though this will taste great and probably bring up some nostalgic feelings, it’s pretty high in sodium and contains some questionable ingredients.
Frequently Asked Questions
What chips go best with french onion dip?
Without a doubt, crinkle-cut potato chips are the best pairing for french onion dip. The crinkle-cut chips are sturdier than regular potato chips, so they don’t break off into your dip so easily. They go together like cookies and milk!
What is the best store-bought french onion dip?
All party dip connoisseurs have an opinion on this topic. You’ll likely get a different answer depending on who you ask. I recommend the Heluva Good Dip (obviously) but recently tried the Trader Joe’s version and was quite dazzled.
Which type of onions is best in french onion dip?
All onions are not created equal. You’ll want to use yellow onions for this dip, but white will work, too. Red onions aren’t used for caramelizing and don’t get nice and sweet like yellow onions.
Other Dip Recipes
Conclusion
We hope this recipe shows you how easy it is to make your own, healthier version of store-bought dips. This dip will satisfy any game day craving with sweet caramelized onions and tart sour cream.
It is positively flavorful and creamy while containing none of those harmful ingredients that you can’t even pronounce. As they say, everything tastes better when you make it yourself, right?
