Creamy French Onion Dip

I love making French onion dip. Our recipe is easy to make and can be made in advance, making this the perfect party appetizer. You are only looking at five simple ingredients, and two of those are salt and pepper! Our recipe calls for caramelizing the onions in the oven, which keeps things easy! No hovering over a pot with this recipe.

Watch the Video

French Onion Dip Recipe Video

⭐️ We also love this easy crab dip! You can serve it hot or cold.

How to Make French Onion Dip

Skip the prepackaged French onion soup mix and make this homemade caramelized onion dip instead. I promise our recipe tastes much better than anything you can buy at the store.

Bonus: this sour cream and onion dip gets better over time. So save this recipe for when you need to prepare an appetizer ahead of time. I’m definitely making this dip for Thanksgiving this year.

Making our onion dip with caramelized onions is easy! Here’s what you’ll need to do:

  1. Cook onions with melted butter until soft and sweet
  2. Stir the onions into sour cream along with salt and pepper
  3. Refrigerate the dip overnight so the flavors bloom

We roast our onions in the oven, it keeps things easy and hassle-free. You can caramelize the onions on the stove, like when making French onion soup. If you’d prefer to use the stovetop, we’ve included how to caramelize onions in the recipe below. I use the oven because it requires less hands-on time.

To roast the onions, mix them with melted butter and then bake until they smell sweet and softened. Roasting takes 50 to 60 minutes, but most of this time is hands-off. You’ll want to stir them every 10 to 15 minutes to ensure they roast evenly.

Caramelizing onions in the oven for onion dip

When your onions finish roasting, stir them into sour cream and season with salt and pepper. We don’t add mayonnaise or other ingredients. Honestly, the dip doesn’t need it. Trust me. This dip is perfect the way it is. Oh, and if you’d prefer yogurt over sour cream, I once forgot the sour cream for my French onion dip, so I used plain Greek yogurt instead, and it turned out great!

How to Serve French Onion Dip

I love serving homemade onion dip with potato chips (I especially love kettle chips), but tortilla chips, pita chips, flatbread, and pretzels are all excellent. It’s also delicious with raw vegetables like carrots, celery, cucumbers, and bell peppers. You can even serve it next to some roasted vegetables. These crispy potatoes and roasted broccoli are our family’s favorites.

I am so excited for you to try this recipe! It’s one of my favorites from this year. It’s another recipe from Chef Richard Hattaway, and he nailed it. Try it soon. You are going to love it! For another easy dip recipe, take a look at our smoked salmon dip. It’s delicious.

French Onion Dip with Chips

Frequently Asked Questions

  • Can I use yogurt instead of sour cream? Yes, we love the creamy, rich flavor of sour cream, but I’ve swapped it for plain Greek yogurt, which was delicious.
  • How Long Does Onion Dip Last in the Fridge? You can store onion dip in the fridge for up to four days. In fact, it tastes better the longer it sits since the sour cream has more opportunity to absorb the flavor of the roasted onions. When you are ready to serve the dip, give it a good stir — you might notice some liquid pooled at the top from the onions. That liquid tastes amazing, so we want to stir it back into the dip.
  • Can Onion Dip be Frozen? Unfortunately, we do not recommend freezing sour cream and onion dip. Sour cream does not freeze and thaw well. While it’s okay to eat thawed frozen sour cream, the texture changes, making it less than ideal for a dip.
French Onion Dip

Creamy French Onion Dip

  • PREP
  • COOK
  • TOTAL

Skip the prepackaged French onion soup mix and make this easy French onion dip with sour cream instead. It’s easy to make, only requires five simple ingredients (two of which are salt and pepper), and tastes much better than anything you can buy at the store. Sour cream and onion dip gets better over time, making this the perfect make-ahead appetizer!

Makes 2 cups

Watch Us Make the Recipe

You Will Need

1 medium-to-large sweet onion like Walla Walla or Vidalia, chopped small (2 ½ cups)

3 tablespoons butter, melted

1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt

1/8 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper

1 pint (16 ounces or 2 cups) sour cream

Directions

    1Heat oven to 375° Fahrenheit (190°C).

    2Toss chopped onions with the melted butter and spread them into a thin layer on a quarter sheet pan lined with parchment paper or use a 13-inch by 9-inch baking dish.

    3Roast, stirring every 10 minutes, until the onions are soft, smell sweet, and begin to turn a light golden color; 50 to 60 minutes. Keep a closer eye towards the end of the cooking time to ensure the onions do not overbrown.

    4Transfer the onions while they are still hot to a mixing bowl and scrape all the butter left in the pan into the bowl with the onions.

    5Stir in the salt, pepper, and sour cream.

    6Cover and refrigerate overnight, and then serve. The dip will last in the fridge for up to four days.

Adam and Joanne's Tips

  • When you are ready to serve the dip, give it a good stir — you might notice some liquid pooled at the top from the onions. That liquid tastes amazing, so we want to stir it back into the dip.
  • Caramelize onions on the stove instead of in the oven: Slice the onions into thin half-moons. Melt the butter in a wide pot over medium heat, add the onions, cover with a lid, and cook, over medium heat, until the onions look translucent, 12 to 15 minutes. Uncover the pot, and continue to cook the onions, stirring occasionally and scraping up any stuck browned bits from the bottom and sides. The onions take 45 to 60 minutes to caramelize. Keep a close eye on them. When you notice they begin to brown, stir them more often to keep them from burning. When they are golden and smell caramelized, mix into the sour cream mixture. Watch us caramelize onions in our French onion soup video.
  • Vegan alternatives: Swap the sour cream for vegan sour cream or use cashew cream. Use a plant-based butter when cooking the onions.
  • Nutrition facts: The nutrition facts provided below are estimates. We have used the USDA database to calculate approximate values.

If you make this recipe, snap a photo and hashtag it #inspiredtaste — We love to see your creations on Instagram and Facebook! Find us: @inspiredtaste

Nutrition Per Serving Serving Size 1 of 8 servings (about 1/4 cup) / Calories 147 / Total Fat 13.6g / Saturated Fat 7.6g / Cholesterol 39.8mg / Sodium 91.5mg / Carbohydrate 5.4g / Dietary Fiber 0.4g / Total Sugars 3.7g / Protein 1.6g
AUTHOR:  Adam and Joanne Gallagher
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15 comments… Leave a Review
  • Hilda R February 11, 2024, 6:40 pm

    This dip was easy, but my family and I found it to be too sweet. When I make it again I will use yellow onion instead of sweet onion.

    Reply
    • Joanne February 14, 2024, 3:40 pm

      Thanks for the feedback! It’s great that you’re already planning to tweak the sweetness level to suit your preferences.

      Reply
  • Bex January 26, 2024, 8:56 pm

    Oh my word, how good is this dip?! I admit, I was sceptical when I saw how simple the recipe was, but I had some sweet onions that needed to be utilised, so I thought I’d give it a go. I am so glad I did. I used to be a fan of the packet mix, but there is no going back now. This recipe is too easy and too good. I can’t wait to bring it to our next shared morning tea at work. Thanks for the excellent recipe.

    Reply
  • ZiiNoN December 29, 2023, 8:42 pm

    I have made this dip twice now. Both times have turned out excellent and everyone loves it! It’s been added to my recipe box of favorites!!

    Reply
  • Neomi Sarmiento December 29, 2023, 6:44 pm

    This French Onion dip is amazing! My husband loves onions and this by far has been his favorite onion dip. I can’t get over at how simple it was to make and with little ingredients. Thank you for the recipe we will never ever go back to packaged French onion dips.

    Reply
  • Karmen November 12, 2023, 9:30 pm

    My only regret is that I didn’t double this recipe! I made it for card club and everyone LOVED it! There was only about a quarter cup leftover for me to bring home. I liked it best the first day but the second day it was also amazing. My house smelled yummy from the baked buttered onions!!!

    Reply
    • Adam November 13, 2023, 5:13 pm

      We love the smell of the baked buttered onions. Almost as good as the dip 🙂 So glad you loved it!

      Reply
  • Elizabeth November 9, 2023, 8:50 pm

    Wow!!!! This was amazing. I made it on a Wednesday evening and my party was Friday evening. The flavors married to perfection. Follow the recipe exactly as stated. As simple as it sounds the flavors are big. Everyone wanted the recipe. I loved it immensely. No more packets for me. Thanks so much for sharing this fabulous recipe.

    Reply
    • Joanne February 14, 2024, 3:42 pm

      That’s amazing! So happy to hear you and your guests loved it. Thanks for letting us know how well it went!

      Reply
  • Colette October 25, 2023, 1:48 pm

    I’m excited to make this. Would it still be same amount of onion if I double the sour cream? Also would adding chives be good or overpowering?

    Reply
    • Joanne February 14, 2024, 3:41 pm

      I’d double the entire recipe. Chives are lovely. I don’t think they would be overpowering at all.

      Reply
  • Lynda May 13, 2023, 11:18 am

    Would this recipe work in the air fryer? It’s very hot here and hate to turn on my oven. I’m excited to try this recipe. Thanks a bunch, Lynda

    Reply
    • Joanne May 16, 2023, 5:48 pm

      Hello Lynda! Absolutely, you can roast the onions in an air fryer. Generally, they should take around 10 to 12 minutes at a temperature of 350F. Remember to check on them halfway through cooking and consider giving them a stir to ensure even cooking.

      Reply
  • Harper May 9, 2023, 1:51 pm

    Wow, so nice to finally see a great recipe that uses fresh Walla Walla Sweet onions. Can’t wait till summer when I can pick the new crop of them in my garden. But for now, I had to buy some onions at the store. Such a great recipe. Thanks so much.

    Reply
    • Joanne May 16, 2023, 5:50 pm

      Hello Harper! We can’t wait for summer when Walla Walla onions are back in season! We’re delighted to hear that you know about them too because they truly are the best!

      Reply

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