French Onion Dip (Printable version)
Creamy dip with sweet caramelized onions, ideal for serving with chips or crudités at gatherings.
# What you need:
→ Vegetables and Aromatics
01 - 2 large yellow onions, finely chopped
02 - 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
03 - 1 tablespoon olive oil
04 - 1 clove garlic, minced
→ Dairy
05 - 1 cup sour cream
06 - 1/2 cup mayonnaise
07 - 4 oz cream cheese, softened
→ Seasonings
08 - 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
09 - 1/2 teaspoon salt
10 - 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
11 - 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
12 - 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
13 - 2 tablespoons fresh chives or green onions, finely chopped (for garnish)
# How to make it:
01 - In a large skillet, melt the butter with olive oil over medium heat. Add the finely chopped onions along with a pinch of salt. Cook, stirring frequently, until the onions turn a deep golden brown and are fully caramelized, approximately 25 to 30 minutes. During the last 2 minutes, stir in the minced garlic. Remove from heat and let the mixture cool completely.
02 - In a large mixing bowl, combine the sour cream, mayonnaise, softened cream cheese, Worcestershire sauce, onion powder, garlic powder, salt, and black pepper. Stir until the mixture is completely smooth and all ingredients are well incorporated.
03 - Gently fold the cooled caramelized onion mixture into the cream base. Mix thoroughly to ensure even distribution throughout the dip.
04 - Cover the bowl tightly and refrigerate for at least 1 hour to allow the flavors to meld together. For the best results, refrigerate overnight.
05 - Before serving, give the dip a good stir. Transfer to a serving bowl and garnish with freshly chopped chives or green onions. Serve chilled with potato chips, pretzels, or an assortment of fresh vegetable sticks.
# Expert tips:
01 -
- The caramelized onions taste like they took all day but really just need about half an hour of patient stirring.
- It blows any store bought version out of the water with almost no extra effort.
02 -
- Rushing the caramelization by turning up the heat will give you bitter onions instead of sweet ones, so keep the flame at medium and be patient.
- The dip tastes dramatically better on day two because the flavors have time to fully marry in the fridge.
03 -
- If your onions start to look dry or stick to the pan, splash in a tablespoon of water and keep stirring to scrape up all those flavorful browned bits.
- Use a wooden spoon rather than a metal spatula for caramelizing, since it is gentler on the pan and gives you better control over the stirring.