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This onion dip recipe is so much tastier than anything you can buy at the store, it always gets rave reviews!
Skip the prepackaged French onion soup mix or store-bought dips and make this homemade caramelized onion dip instead. Trust me, it’s really easy!
This sour cream and onion dip gets better over time, so save this recipe for when you need to prepare an appetizer ahead of time. I also love this black bean onion dip.
Key Ingredients
- Onion: I use a sweet onion when making this dip. Look for Vidalia or Walla Walla onions. Yellow onions will work in the recipe but are less sweet.
- Butter: We cook the onion with melted butter in the oven so it browns and becomes soft. I use salted butter, but unsalted is fine, you might need more salt at the end.
- Sour cream: The base of our dip! Use a high-quality, full-fat sour cream for the best flavor. Some readers have asked about substituting yogurt. While I do prefer the flavor of this recipe with sour cream, plain, thick Greek or Icelandic style yogurt work.
Find the full recipe with measurements below.
Tips for Making the Best Onion Dip
Tip 1: Caramelize your onions. For the easiest French onion dip, caramelize your onions in the oven, it keeps things easy and hassle-free. You can caramelize the onions on the stove, like when making French onion soup. If you’d prefer to use the stovetop, we’ve included how to caramelize onions in the recipe below. I use the oven because it requires less hands-on time.
To caramelize the onions, mix them with melted butter and then bake until they smell sweet and softened. Roasting takes 50 to 60 minutes, but most of this time is hands-off. You’ll want to stir them every 10 to 15 minutes to ensure they roast evenly.
Tip 2: Let your dip sit in the fridge. When your onions finish roasting, stir them into sour cream and season with salt and pepper. We don’t add mayonnaise or other ingredients. Honestly, the dip doesn’t need it. Trust me. This dip is perfect the way it is. I prefer making this dip a day before I plan to serve it. It gets so much better after a night in the fridge, and all the caramelized onion flavor leaks out into the sour cream.
Serving Suggestions
I love serving homemade onion dip with potato chips (I especially love kettle chips), but tortilla chips, pita chips, flatbread, and pretzels are all excellent. It’s also delicious with raw vegetables like carrots, celery, cucumbers, and bell peppers. You can even serve it next to some roasted vegetables. These crispy potatoes and roasted broccoli are our family’s favorites.
The Best Onion Dip
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PREP
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Skip the prepackaged French onion soup mix and make this easy homemade onion dip instead. It’s easy to make, only requires five simple ingredients (two of which are salt and pepper), and tastes much better than anything you can buy at the store. This dip gets better over time, making this the perfect make-ahead appetizer!
Makes 2 cups
Watch Us Make the Recipe
You Will Need
1 medium-to-large sweet onion like Walla Walla or Vidalia, chopped small (2 ½ cups)
3 tablespoons salted butter, melted
1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
1/8 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
1 pint (16oz or 2 cups) sour cream
Directions
1Preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C). Line a small baking sheet with parchment paper or use a large baking dish.
2Toss the chopped onions with the melted butter and spread them into a thin layer on the baking sheet.
3Roast, stirring every 10 minutes, until the onions are soft, smell sweet, and turn a light golden color, 50 to 60 minutes. Keep a closer eye towards the end of the cooking time to ensure the onions do not overbrown.
4Transfer the onions while they are still hot to a mixing bowl and scrape all the butter left in the pan into the bowl with the onions.
5Stir in the salt, pepper, and sour cream.
6Cover and refrigerate overnight, and then serve. The dip will last up to 4 days in the fridge. Stir well before serving.
Adam and Joanne’s Tips
- Storing: You can store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. In fact, it tastes better the longer it sits since the sour cream has more opportunity to absorb the flavor of the roasted onions. When you are ready to serve the dip, give it a good stir. You might notice some liquid pooled at the top from the onions. That liquid tastes amazing, so we want to stir it back into the dip.
- Freezing: Unfortunately, we do not recommend freezing your dip. Sour cream does not freeze and thaw well. While it’s okay to eat thawed frozen sour cream, the texture changes, making it less than ideal for a dip.
- Caramelize onions on the stove instead of in the oven: Slice the onions into thin half-moons. Melt the butter in a wide pot over medium heat, add the onions, cover with a lid, and cook, over medium heat, until the onions look translucent, 12 to 15 minutes. Uncover the pot, and continue to cook the onions, stirring occasionally and scraping up any stuck browned bits from the bottom and sides. The onions take 45 to 60 minutes to caramelize. Keep a close eye on them. When you notice they begin to brown, stir them more often to keep them from burning. When they are golden and smell caramelized, mix into the sour cream mixture. Watch us caramelize onions in our French onion soup video.
- Vegan alternatives: Swap the sour cream for vegan sour cream or use cashew cream. Use a plant-based butter when cooking the onions.
- The nutrition facts provided below are estimates.
Nutrition Per Serving
Serving Size
1 of 8 servings (about 1/4 cup)
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Calories
147
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Total Fat
13.6g
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Saturated Fat
7.6g
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Cholesterol
39.8mg
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Sodium
91.5mg
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Carbohydrate
5.4g
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Dietary Fiber
0.4g
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Total Sugars
3.7g
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Protein
1.6g
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