Homemade French Onion Dip

Name: French Onion Dip
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 35 min
Ingredients: 2 yellow onions (halved and sliced or diced); ¼ cup vegetable oil; 4 tablespoons butter; ½ teaspoon cayenne; cracked pepper; 4 ounces cream cheese (softened); ½ cup sour cream; ½ cup mayonnaise

35 minutes

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By: Julie Blanner17 Comments
Updated: 7/25/22

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French Onion Dip is an easy crowd pleasing appetizer you can make in ahead in minutes! Caramelized onions are folded into a creamy dip for amazing flavor in every bite. This dip will make you want to ditch the mix forever.

french onion dip in bowl on platter with ruffle chips

French Onion Dip is one of my favorite appetizers for get togethers and tailgates. It is always a crowd pleaser. In fact, when I was a caterer this was one of our most frequently requested appetizers.

It’s so simple to skip the mix and make homemade French Onion Dip! It’s rich and full of flavor and almost as easy to make! Once you make it from scratch, you can’t go back!

The secret to making this dip out-of-this-world-amazing is caramelized onions. They take the dip over the top! Each bite is packed full of incredible flavor.

In the 50’s it was referred to as California Dip. By the 80’s it seemed like it was almost exclusively made with a soup mix, but I’m here to tell you, it’s worth the little extra effort!

chip dipped into bowl of french onion dip surrounded by crinkle chips

I love an amazing dip recipe! Don’t miss my incredible recipe round-up with 30+ of the BEST Dips for Parties – including my incredible healthy hummus recipe.

French Onion Dip Ingredients

Yellow Onions – Yellow onions are full of flavor and when pan fried become slightly sweet. You can mix things up by using red or sweet onions, but yellow are my favorite for this recipe.
Vegetable Oil – Makes the onion tender and moist. You can substitute canola oil, olive oil, avocado oil or butter.
Butter – Salted butter adds a little flavor to the onions.
Cayenne – Cayenne gives this dip a little heat.
Black Pepper – Thick flakes of freshly cracked black pepper add a little spice and texture.
Cream Cheese – Soften cream cheese for a luxuriously creamy dip.
Sour Cream – Sour cream is a classic dip base that adds a slight tanginess and freshness to the dip.
Mayonnaise – I prefer to use a full fat olive oil mayonnaise which is really rich in flavor, but you can use a low fat variety if you prefer.

Variations

Herbs – Fresh herbs, like chives, green onion or parsley work well with this dip.
Lighten in Up – Swap the sour cream for Greek yogurt for a richer and tangier dip that’s lower in calories.

How To Make Pan Fried Onion Dip

Prep – Slice and halve the onions.
Caramelize Onions – Don’t skip this step! It’s key in making this dip irresistible! Sauté them low and slow to achieve sweet flavor and golden color. Heat the oil and butter in a pan and add the onions, cayenne and pepper. Cook the onions down so that they are nice and soft.
Combine – Mix in the rest of the ingredients and stir until smooth.

close up of french onion dip garnished with chives

See how just how easy this recipe is by watching the video to learn how to make it, step-by-step. Get the full printable recipe card below for all the details!

Serving Suggestions

Chips – Kettle chips, classic potato chips, crinkled chips, sweet potato chips, and beet chips
Crackers – Water crackers, butter crackers, multi-grain crackers
Crostini – Homemade or store bought.
Veggies – Cauliflower, broccoli, bell peppers, snap peas, carrots, celery, cherry tomatoes, cucumber, jicama sticks

More Ideas

onion dip in white bowl on marble surface

Tips

Caramelize Low and Slow – The secret to getting the most flavors out of the onions is to cook them slowly on a medium low heat. If you cook them on a high heat, they are more likely to burn, and it also destroys the molecules that release flavor.

To Store

Refrigerate – Once you have made the dip, let it cool to room temperature and keep it covered in the fridge. It will last well for 3 to 4 days. I like to serve it at room temperature, so i take it out of the fridge about 20 minutes before serving.

If you try this French Onion Dip recipe, please come back to share using my 5 star rating in the comments below! Not only do I appreciate it, but I know readers do, too!

chip and dip platter filled with onion dip and ruffle chips

More Easy Dip Recipes

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5 from 10 votes

French Onion Dip

Author: Julie Blanner

Prep Time 5 mins

Cook Time 30 mins

Total Time 35 mins

Rich and flavorful French Onion Dip is a crowd pleasing appetizer for game day, get togethers and more! It is easy to make with simple ingredients to serve with chips and crudités. You'll love this make ahead dip!

Print Rate Recipe

Yield 12 servings

Ingredients

Instructions

In a large pan over medium heat, warm oil and butter.
Add onions, cayenne, and pepper. Sauté for 10 minutes.
Reduce heat to medium low, stirring occasionally for 20 minutes.
Meanwhile, in a medium mixing bowl, combine cream cheese, sour cream and mayonnaise until smooth.
Fold in caramelized onions until well combined.
Allow to marinate refrigerated 2+ hours. Serve at room temperature.

Tips

Substitutions

Yellow Onions – Red or white onions and shallots also work well.
Vegetable Oil – Substitute canola oil, olive oil, avocado oil or butter.
Cream Cheese – Whole fat is preferable, but low fat can be substituted.
Sour Cream – Substitute with greek yogurt or low fat sour cream.

Serving Suggestions

Chips – Kettle chips, classic potato chips, ruffled chips, sweet potato chips, and beet chips
Crackers – Water crackers, butter crackers, multi-grain crackers
Veggies – Cauliflower, broccoli, bell peppers, snap peas, carrots, celery, cherry tomatoes, cucumber, jicama sticks

To Store

Refrigerate – Once you have made the dip, let it cool to room temperature and keep it covered in the fridge. It will last well for 3 to 4 days. I like to serve it at room temperature, so i take it out of the fridge about 20 minutes before serving.

Based on Ina Garten recipe

Video

Nutrition Information

Calories: 195kcal (10%), Carbohydrates: 2g (1%), Protein: 1g (2%), Fat: 21g (32%), Saturated Fat: 10g (50%), Cholesterol: 29mg (10%), Sodium: 132mg (6%), Potassium: 53mg (2%), Fiber: 1g (4%), Sugar: 2g (2%), Vitamin A: 342IU (7%), Vitamin C: 1mg (1%), Calcium: 25mg (3%), Iron: 1mg (6%)

Estimated nutrition information is provided as a courtesy and is not guaranteed.