The original French Onion Dip is neither French nor has any real onions. It was developed by an American chef in the 50s who dumped an envelope of Lipton Recipe Secrets Onion Soup Mix into sour cream. This is still the classic way to make French Onion Dip. It’s stupid easy and doesn’t require any work. But, if you’re looking to impress your guests and bring the flavor profile up a notch, this Caramelized French Onion Dip is the way to go.
You should make this Caramelized French Onion Dip if you’re already spending time in the kitchen prepping other dishes for a party. Caramelizing onions is a labor of love. It takes anywhere from 45 minutes to an hour but it’s what makes this dip so irresistible. You can add your onions to a pan on low heat and check on it every couple of minutes while you’re preparing another dish or setting the table.
Tip: To stop your eyes from watering while cutting onions, add a wet paper towel to your cutting board. The moisture in the paper towel will capture the acid from the onions, making it more bearable.
Many Caramelized French Onion Dip recipes call for the addition of mayo or cream cheese. We keep it simple with just a 16 oz tub of sour cream. Lemon and chives add brightness to the dip, making it less heavy. Save a spoonful of caramelized onions and chives to top your dip with to zhuzh up your presentation. Serve with Ruffles or a similar ridged potato chip and try not the eat the whole tub in one sitting.
Speaking of servings, two onions and a 16 oz tub of sour cream will be plenty to feed a large party. Unless you’re serving more than 20 people, you shouldn’t need to double the recipe.
Caramelized French Onion Dip
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp unsalted butter
- 2 large yellow or white onions thinly sliced
- 16 oz sour cream
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 2 tsp Kosher salt
- 1/2 lemon juiced
- chives
Instructions
- Thinly slice 2 large yellow or white onions. For easy slicing, cut an onion in half, and in half again to slice it in fourths, creating crescents or half rings.
- Heat a large pan over medium heat and add 2 tbsp unsalted butter.
- Melt the butter and add all the sliced onion.
- Turn the heat down to medium-low and add 1 tsp of salt to onions.
- Cook onions for 45 minutes to an hour, stirring every couple minutes until they are caramelized. When brown bits (known as fond) start to form and stick to the bottom of your pan, deglaze it by adding 1/4 a cup of water to scrape up the brown bits. That's where all the flavor is.
- After your onions are completely softened and turn a brown caramel color, remove them from heat and transfer to a bowl to cool. For faster cooling, you can place your bowl with onions into the fridge for 10 to 15 minutes. For plating, reserve a spoonful of onions in a small bowl or plate.
- Once your onions have cooled, add 16 oz sour cream into the bowl with the onions and mix to combine.
- Add 1/2 tsp garlic powder, 1 tsp of Kosher salt, the juice of 1/2 lemon, and chopped chives.
- Mix all together. Taste to see if it needs more chives or extra seasoning.
- Top with reserved caramelized onions and more chives. Serve with ridged potato chips.
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