The Caramelized Onion Dip You Need To Make This Weekend!
Okay, get ready to eat this caramelized onion dip with a spoon.
I’m not REALLY joking. Okay, maybe a bit. But it is that good – you will be tempted to lick said spoon.
Now you may be asking WHY oh WHY am I sharing a caramelized onion dip recipe when I already have two similar recipes on the site. I know, I get it. I considered not sharing it.
But.
This one is the best. I am not exaggerating, not being dramatic.
IT IS THE BEST.
A few months ago, we got pizza from one of our local favorites, Ironborn. In a moment of starving weakness, I ordered the homemade chips to go with it (we looooove homemade chips) and when we got home, I broke into them right away.
The dip stunned me. I assumed it was ranch or blue cheese. It wasn’t. It was an onion dip – but clearly a caramelized onion dip. I could actually TASTE the caramel from the caramelized onions. No joke. And then I almost ate all the chips and Eddie was jealous. OOPS.
We couldn’t stop thinking about the dip. It was on another level. I looked on their website and sure enough, it was a caramelized onion dip. How this had evaded me before ordering, I don’t know. The hunger just took over.
So I made it!
First up, the glaring different between this and my very first onion dip? Um, I caramelize FOUR whole onions here for this dip. Yes, four. You know how much they cook down, and all the extra caramelization, the better. I knew four would be better, given my recent obsession with french onion everything. And it was!
Second, the first dip was much more yogurt based as flavor. This one is more onion based. If that makes sense.
The rest of this dip is simple. Just sour cream or greek yogurt. I honestly can rarely tell a difference when I swap them, however I do buy 2% or 5% plain greek yogurt, not nonfat. That helps. I use whichever one I have on hand. Plus, I still add a bit of mayo for some richness. It definitely makes a difference and I highly suggest keeping it in there if you can.
Then just salt, pepper and garlic.
Yes. That is it.
MAYBE some herbs on top or mixed in if you’re feeling it.
P.S. you can even caramelize the onions ahead of time. I’ve done this multiple times now. Caramelize them ahead, store them in the fridge, reheat in the microwave (just to soften the solids) and make the dip. It’s fantastic.
I love how creamy this dip is. My original french onion dip uses cream cheese and it’s definitely a thicker consistency. It also uses a bunch of onions, but more goes into it and the dip isn’t as silky or thin. It’s almost tricky to dip a thin chip into my original french onion dip.
Speaking of chips! I tried (and failed) about ten times to make you the perfect air fryer chips to go with this dip. They were a total fail every time – not thin enough, or too brown on half of the chips and just not worth it at all. I have made homemade chips before which we love, but if you’re going to do the work for this dip and make the onions, I suggest just buying some of your favorite chips!
Now PLEASE make this for the weekend.
It’s a dream!
Caramelized Onion Dip
Caramelized Onion Dip
Ingredients
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 4 sweet onions, chopped
- kosher salt and pepper (at least 1/2 teaspoon of each, probably more)
- 1 cup sour cream or plain greek yogurt
- ½ cup mayonnaise
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- fresh herbs, like parsley, for topping
Instructions
- Heat the butter in a large skillet or pot over medium heat. Once melted, stir in the onions with a big pinch of salt and pepper. Cook for 5 minutes, just until the onions begin to soften. Turn the heat down to low (or medium-low, if low isn’t cooking them), and cook, stirring often, until the onions are dark brown and caramely, anywhere from 30 to 60 minutes, depending on how much you want to babysit them. This will take a while, but the onions are in smaller pieces, so are also more apt to burn. Keep an eye on them and stir often, reducing the heat when needed. Add a splash of water to the pan if it gets dry at any time.
- Let the onions cool slightly before adding them to the dip. Alternately, you can also caramelize the onions a day or two ahead of time! I will caramelize them and store them in a container in the fridge. I do reheat them on low heat (either in a pan or microwave) just to warm the solids up a bit.
- Whisk together the sour cream, mayo, garlic powder and a big pinch of salt and pepper. Once the onions are caramelized, stir them in. Continue to stir until everything is combined - it will come together. Taste the dip and if you need more salt, add it in.
- This stays great in the fridge if you make it ahead of time - it will thicken up a bit. It is also great served immediately. Serve with chips, crackers, pretzels, veggies - anything!
- This stays great in the fridge for a few days! It will thicken up a bit, but will slightly loosen up once it gets back to room temperature.
Did you make this recipe?
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I appreciate you so much!
This.is.so.delish.
37 Comments on “The Caramelized Onion Dip You Need To Make This Weekend!”
will be making this soon can i use vegan butter mayo and coconut cream as am a vegan perfect for my snacks will dm you if i make this and let you know how it goes Thanks Ramya
Any thoughts on substituting Greek yogurt for either the mayo or sour cream??
yes def! i use both interchangeably. it’s in the post!
Have you made it with no Mayo and just used Greek Yogurt and sour cream? Sadly, I have an egg allergy.
Or use a vegan Mayo?
Any recipe that says it takes less than an hour to properly caramelize onions is being a little too optimistic.
these are small diced onions. they can definitely caramelize in 45 minutes. i basically caramelize onions for a living, haha. larger slices will need more time, yes.
I agree, but I generally don’t caramelize them in diced form, it does go a bit faster that way, but not by much. It’s a nice way to just hang out in the kitchen with a glass of wine and the smell is glorious!
This looks delicious, I can’t wait to try it. Jessica, you mentioned in another post a grapefruit drink that you got from target? I can’t find the post and really want to try it. Can you remind me what it was? Thanks so much.
Do you stir the onions, still hot, straight from the pan, right into the sour cream etc mix or cool the onions first?
i have done both!! both ways work – if the onions are still warm, the sour cream/yogurt mixture may look a bit curdled for a minute but it ends up coming together as you stir. i will include a note about this in the recipe!
You gotta try this with shallots. Add a pinch of sugar to the shallots as they carmelize. Insane!!!
Ooooo, that does sound good. Did you caramelize them similarly to the onions?
Yes, just sliced, not diced.
Do you have any suggestions for making this more healthful? Seems too rich for me with the butter, cream, and chips. Thanks!
i don’t. this is not a dip that is meant to be healthful.
The dip looks great, and that pizza place looks incredible! I wish I lived nearby.
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Besides maybe caramelizing the onions in olive oil, is there a way to make this without dairy?
Maybe all mayo?
i have made this dip with all mayo in the past. It is amazing.
Made this for Mother’s Day — made the onions on Saturday so I would NOT be cooking on Sunday — and to say it was a hit would be an understatement. It’s addicting, heavenly, and I think if it doesn’t make an appearance at every gathering this summer I will be in trouble. It’s seriously AMAZING!!! Thank you Jessica!
Where did you get the blue bowl in the photo? I love the shape of it.
its a few years old – from the chrissy teighen line at target.
Does caramel icing work in a non-stick pan? Or is it better to use stainless steel?
How many servings do you think this is?
Awesome, and so easy. Everyone loved it and wanted the recipe.
this is soooo easy and delicious!! all you have to do is caramelize the onions and throw everything together!!
Would love to know how many servings this makes? Looking to make it for our Christmas potluck dinner. Ty for sharing
Hey there! I’m wondering if you know the approximate amount of onions once they are caramelized? I made a batch and froze them but not sure how many I have, and wanted to make this recipe using them. Would be helpful to know the amount or weight of the onions after caramelizing, if possible. Thanks!
Made this for football today and oh my gosh just pass me a spoon. SO flavorful and delicious! And easy to make!
Came here for the recipe… had to comment since I was also looking for a recipe modeled after Ironborn! (I don’t know you or where you are from, but I lived in Shaler for 6 years!)
Ironborn pizza (and their chips/dip) are the best!
I just made this and omfg, this was delish!!
Hi. How many servings is this?
This is the most amazingly delicious dip I’ve made or had. Making it for a road trip for hotel night snack!
Thank you!!
I make a caramelized onion dip, but like my French onion soup recipe, I add some sherry and toward the end of the onion caramelization process, cook that off. The I add a few shakes of Worcestershire sauce, to taste…for me that’s a pretty decent amount. Then I proceed with my sour cream..no mayo. It’s always a hit and it’s got no prepackaged stuff in..win win
Delicious thank you 🙏. Perfect for a party as you can caramelized onions in advance. I used yogurt in mine.
This dip is freaking crack!! I used massive hatch sweet onions cooked down in lots of butter. Put in the fridge overnight and then warmed up, added to the sour cream & mayo and then topped it all off with crunchy fried shallots from the asian market. Dipped regular lays potato chips in. Fantastic! Will be making this weekly!
Absolutely delicious! I made it with the sour cream, no yogurt and followed the recipe as written. Only exception was that I used caramelized onions that I made and had in the freezer. Thawed in the microwave, put in a pan to add just a bit more color and then into the bowl with everything else. Everyone LOVED it!
I’m thinking of mixing some of it into slightly caramelized mushrooms and spooning over a steak. Doesn’t THAT sound good!?