French Onion Dip
Real caramelized onions folded into a tangy sour cream base. It’s deeper and sweeter than packet dip, with no cornstarch or sugar.
Nutrition per serving
¼ cup- Net carbs
- 3g
- Calories
- 137kcal
- Protein
- 1g
- Fat
- 14g
- Total carbs
- 3.3 g
- Fiber
- 0.3 g
Calculated from USDA FoodData Central values for each ingredient (optional ingredients excluded). Brands vary — check your labels if you track closely.
Ingredients
Bacon & onion: The onions caramelize in bacon fat and crumbled bacon goes into the dip, for a smoky, salty version.
- Cook the bacon first, keep 2 tablespoons of the fat in the skillet and caramelize the onions in it. Stir most of the bacon into the dip and sprinkle the rest on top.
Egg-free: Cream cheese replaces the mayonnaise for an egg-free dip that’s a little thicker and tangier.
- Beat the cream cheese until smooth before whisking in the sour cream and seasonings, then fold in the onions.
Dairy-free: Olive oil for the onions and a mayonnaise base brightened with lemon give a creamy dip with no dairy.
- Caramelize the onions in olive oil. Whisk all the mayonnaise with the lemon juice (it gives the tang that sour cream usually brings) and the seasonings, then fold in the onions.
- Nice to have (optional)
- Also add
- Nice to have (optional)
- Nice to have (optional)
- Also add
- Nice to have (optional)
Estimated cost $2.33 for 8 servings ($0.29 each) · how we estimate
Instructions
-
Melt the butter in a skillet over medium-low heat. Add the onion and a pinch of the salt and cook 25–30 minutes, stirring every few minutes, until deep golden-brown and jammy. When the bottom of the pan browns, add a splash of water and scrape it up.
-
Spread the onions on a plate and cool completely, about 15 minutes. Warm onions thin the dip.
-
Whisk the sour cream, mayonnaise, Worcestershire, garlic powder, pepper and remaining salt, then stir in the onions.
-
Chill at least 1 hour (overnight is even better) so the flavors deepen. Top with chives and serve with celery, radishes, cucumber, pork rinds or kale chips.
Tips for success
-
Patience is the whole recipe. Low heat and time turn onions sweet without any added sugar; high heat just scorches them. - Dice the onion finely so every scoop gets some; long slices make the dip hard to scoop.
- Packet onion soup mix is mostly dried onion, starch, salt and sugar. Caramelized onions taste far better and the carbs stay modest per serving.
Storage & meal prepMeal-prep friendly
- Keeps 5 days in the fridge
- Doesn’t freeze well
Reheat: Serve cold
Prep tip: Caramelize a double batch of onions and freeze half for up to 3 months — the next batch of dip then takes 5 minutes.
Refrigerate up to 5 days.
Variations
3 variations, each with its own ingredients and macrosBacon & onion
FlavorThe onions caramelize in bacon fat and crumbled bacon goes into the dip, for a smoky, salty version.
- butter → bacon fat (from cooking the bacon)
- + 4 slices cooked bacon
3 g net · 165 kcal · 2.7 g protein · 16 g fat · ≈$0.36 per serving (same net carbs as the original)
Egg-free
DietCream cheese replaces the mayonnaise for an egg-free dip that’s a little thicker and tangier.
- mayonnaise → cream cheese
3.3 g net · 115 kcal · 1.4 g protein · 11 g fat · ≈$0.33 per serving (+0.3 g net carbs vs the original)
Dairy-free
DietOlive oil for the onions and a mayonnaise base brightened with lemon give a creamy dip with no dairy.
- butter → olive oil
- sour cream → more mayonnaise
- + 1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
1.9 g net · 226 kcal · 0.5 g protein · 24 g fat · ≈$0.30 per serving (−1.1 g net carbs vs the original)
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