This caramelized onion dip is a total crowd pleaser! Serve with chips, pita or bagel crisps, or on sandwiches and burgers. YUM.
Caramelized Onion Dip
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This recipe is delicious!! Love the additions of wine, Worcestershire and soy sauce. Be patient with the onions, it’s worth the time.
Kendra Gabriel
Can you guys learn to love this caramelized onion dip even if it is not a) healthy, or b) particularly beautiful?
Can you look past outward appearances to the soul of the caramelized onion dip which is, above all else, extremely luscious, totally delicious, and wonderful to share with friends? Can you envision a future for this caramelized onion dip that includes appetizers, burgers, sandwich spreads, and maybe even a little something to help you get extra with your eggs?
I knew you could. I knew you had that in you.
How To Make Caramelized Onion Dip
Step 1: Cut a few onions.
Step 2: Caramelize those onions in a pan.
Step 3: Mix them up with everything else in a bowl and EAT.
The caramelization here is obviously key, and as with most of life, wine helps, but water can also soften things up for you if you’d rather not with the wine. What matters most here is TIME. They just need time. A good nonstick pan, a knob of butter, some gentle heat, and lots of patient time. We are looking for that deep golden brown color – my rule of thumb is that once I think they look pretty good, I give them another ten minutes just to be safe, and I’m always glad I did. We want deep, dark, sweet, soft, and fragrant.
After that, things get pretty basic: cream cheese, sour cream, a dash of this and a sprinkle of that… boom.
Grab a chip and DIVE TO THE BOTTOM OF THAT GOLD MINE.
Let’s Talk About Caramelizing Onions
Okay, so this is where you’ll spend approximately 90% of your time in this recipe. Caramelized onions take some time but they are WORTH IT. Oh so worth it.
Slow and low is the long game here – we don’t want those onions to burn, but we do want that delicious golden-brown caramelized goodness. Caramelized onions can take up to 30-40 minutes, so please please please be patient here.
And how do you know when your onions are *officially* caramelized? They’ll be golden brown, very soft, and sticky/ jammy.
What To Serve with Caramelized Onion Dip
Chips are a good dipping option (says the food blogger obsessed with all kinds of chips). I am partial to sour cream and cheddar ruffle-cut chips here, but plain potato chips are fine as well. I can also vouch for bagel chips, pita chips, pretzel crisps (especially Parmesan Garlic! why dey so good) and if you need to go the veggie route then FINE, yes, snap peas and red peppers and cherry tomatoes are also nice.
If you are making this recipe to eat between two people, I’d suggest cutting it in half. It will give you A LOT of dip. It is ideal for a big holiday party, like 10-15 people.
GOOD NEWS is that it will keep well in the fridge for 3-4 days so you can relive the joy on all your future eats. I have yet to find a savory breakfast, lunch, or dinner that did not benefit from a spoon-plop of caramelized onion dip on top.
Tools For Cutting Onions
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Caramelized Onion Dip: Frequently Asked Questions
Can you use any type of onions?
Yes! Yellow onions, white onions, red onions, shallots, or a mix of all of them – this is a very, very forgiving recipe. Need inspiration? Check out our guide to everything onion.
How long does this last in the fridge?
This should last for 3-4 days, so you can eat beyond the party or make it a day ahead.
How should I serve this dip?
The most obvious way: with chips and other dippers (potato chips, pita chips, tortilla chips, veggies if you must). BUT it also makes for a delicious burger or sandwich spread if you find that you have some extra to use up.
Are there any shortcuts for caramelizing the onions?
If you don’t want to stand over your stove, you have options. You can caramelize your onions in the oven, or dump them in the Instant Pot for an even more hands-off option.
Prefer To Watch Instead Of Read?
Caramelized Onion Dip
- Total Time: 55 minutes
- Yield: 12+ (perfect amount for a party) 1x
Description
This caramelized onion dip is a total crowd pleaser! Serve with chips, pita or bagel crisps, or on sandwiches and burgers. YUM.
Ingredients
Units
Scale
- 3 medium size yellow onions
- 2 tablespoons salted butter
- 2 teaspoons each salt and sugar
- 1/4 cup dry white wine
- 12 ounces sour cream
- 8 ounces cream cheese, softened
- 1 clove fresh garlic, grated (optional)
- fresh flat-leaf parsley, minced, to taste
- a few dashes of Worcestershire sauce or soy sauce (!!) to taste
Instructions
- Prep: Peel the onions and slice them very thinly. I always use a mandoline. (affiliate link)
- Sauté: Heat the butter in a nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add the onions, sprinkle with salt and sugar, and saute for 10-15 minutes, stirring every few minutes. Pour a little bit of wine in and let it sizzle out. Stir, add wine, sizzle, etc. After about 30 minutes, your onions should be deeply golden brown and fragrant.
- Chop the onions: Transfer onions to a cutting board and chop coarsely into small pieces – or just use a kitchen scissors and snip them up right in the pan.
- Mix: In a separate bowl, mix the cream cheese and sour cream with a hand mixer or a spoon (depending on how soft the cream cheese is). Stir in the onions and a handful of fresh parsley. Taste and season – if you want just a little sumthin extra, add a small splash (like, a tablespoon or less) of soy sauce and/or Worcestershire, or a clove of freshly grated garlic. YUM. Creamy and so flavorful! You can serve this warm-ish or cold – I love it both ways!
Notes
I also like this with a mayo base, so sometimes I’ll swap half of the sour cream or cream cheese for an equal amount of mayo!
I used Sauvignon Blanc for the wine. If you don’t have wine or don’t want to use it, water works fine, too. The goal is to deglaze the pan as you go and keep the onions from getting overly dried and browned. The liquid helps them stay juicy and caramely. If you use water, you might find that you want to add a squeeze of lemon juice at the end to get a little bit of acidity in there.
- Prep Time: 10 mins
- Cook Time: 45 mins
- Category: Dip
- Cuisine: American
Keywords: caramelized onion dip, onion dip, party onion dip
More Appetizers For The Win
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- Elote Queso (a grill + app favorite all bubbled up in one skillet)
- Crispy Salted Tostones (golden brown, crispy, salty tostones – yes)
One More Thing!
This recipe is part of our collection of best dip recipes. Check it out!
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November 17, 2021
Nice to meet you!
I’m Lindsay and I ♡ FOOD. I used to be a teacher, and now making food and writing about it online is my full-time job. I love talking with people about food, and I'm so glad you're here.
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Yes! I can definitely get on board with this dip – I’m a fan of sour cream chips too 😉 oh and don’t forget the salt and vinegar.
I think you reached into the depths of my childhood to bring forth this amazing recipe! Sour cream ruffles were the chip of choice in my house growing up, and though my mom never made this onion-y dip by hand we always had some in the fridge from some holiday event the month before. I think I know what I’m bringing to Thanksgiving this year!
Also, that close up of beautifully caramelized onions nearly brought tears to my eyes it looks so good! I’m just never patient enough to get them truly caramelized.
“not particularly beautiful”??? Girl this is the most beautiful thing I’ve seen all morning😍😍
I find the BEST caramelized onions come from my cast iron skillet. Skillets take work to maintain but the results are WORTH IT! I actually just made caramelized onions in a reg ole non-stick last night and it was just not comparable!! Definitely trying this recipe for Friday night 🙂
Great idea! Will try that.
YUMMMMM!!!! I am so trying that this tonight. Also, thanks for the tip on carmelizing the onions. I’m assuming it’s ok to substitute Greek Yogurt for sour cream. I can’t remember the last time I’ve actually bought sour cream since I’ve found Greek Yogurt.
The recipe says it makes 12 servings. This suggests that one might SHARE this deliciousness. Have you considered that the 12 servings means 12 times you can consume it in a day all by yourself? I am going with that.
lol this is the best
What a great idea! And beautiful photography! You managed to make the dip look pretty which is not an easy endeavor!
Yum! Onion dip is so one of my favorites!
Kari
http://sweetteasweetie.com
This dip is like a French onion dream come true. Caramelised onions all fall long. 💥🍂
mhhhh sounds delicious 🙂
yum caramelised onion anything = love. This looks so good am super tempted to recreate a vegan version – yum! How can i cook food all week long, yet still find all your stuff so inspiring? Yep – you do that for me lindsay. Foodie awesomeness x
Totally unrecipe related…what tool do you use to compile vertical videos? I can’t seem to find anything on my phone that works!
This looks great, I don’t know why you say it’s not so pretty 🙂 I make something similar sometimes, it’s mayo/sour cream based and baked in the oven until it’s all bubbly and golden on top. I love to eat it hot on slices of baguette. My hips not so much though.
I would personally buy this from you if you made it and sold it in a store, just to say I support your food blogs. 🙂
love the idea of this on a burger, even a grilled chicken sandwich and an inspired recipe, at least to me since my dips usually come from the store, thank you!
This looks absolutely fabulous! I’ll probably try it as is (and eat store brand French onion while I make it), but for those who really need it healthier or vegan I’d sub a block of soft tofu soaked in salt water and lemon juice for half an hour blended with a few tablespoons coconut oil for the sour cream and cream cheese. Thanks for the lovely recipe!
This recipe had my mouthwatering for days until I tried it. And when I finally did, it was 100% well worth the wait!
I love me some onion dip, it’s very retro. I’m thinking of making a double batch of those carmelized onions and using half to make a vegetarian onion soup.
So yummy!! Can switch it up and add a roasted head of garlic and bacon!!!
You make me nostalgic.
The onion with cream is yamm.
Tried the recipe, came out excellent. Its a keeper!! 🙂 Thanks for sharing
I make a dip almost exactly like this but I also add a little beef broth and sherry vinegar. It is to die for! I made it for the 4th of July and served it with Terra sweet potato chips for a grown up Ruffles and onion dip and everyone went nuts.
Yum! Sounds amazing, Jenny!
Share you receipe with your ingredients too. The more the merrier! LOL I am definitely going to try this receipe since it has such raves.
If I had to choose one thing to eat everyday for the rest of my life, it would be chips and dip. This dip looks amazing!
So true! Hope you enjoy it!
Best chip dip I’ve EVER eaten!
Thank you for this inspiring recipe! My husband and I are in Europe for six months and have so many foods from home we miss, namely, onion dip! We followed your lead using ingredients we could access. We used Greek yogurt instead of sour cream, whiskey instead of wine and it was amazing!! I am sure your original recipe is better and can’t wait to try it again when I can. Thanks for sharing this super comforting and delicious recipe!
So glad to hear that, Caitlin!
Whiskey? Yum!
I am crossing my fingers that this will work with white onions as yellow are rarely available where I live