Prep Time: 30 min.
This creamy caramelized onion dip is packed with flavor and always a huge hit! It's the perfect party food and delicious served with crostini, crackers, potato chips, or veggies.
The onions will take some time to caramelize, but I promise you it's worth the wait! Once cool, mix the browned onions with sour cream, cream cheese, fresh chives, and season. You'll love it so much you'll want to eat it straight out of the bowl.
Serve the dip as a snack, top it onto your next omelet, or enjoy it as an appetizer at your next BBQ, game day, or dinner party! It would also be a delicious addition to my Greek salad wrap or dolloped on top of my carpaccio salad.
Ingredients You'll Need
Please be sure to scroll down to the recipe card below for the complete details!
• Onions - I use yellow onions, but white onions, red onions, or shallots will work too.
• Butter - I always fry onions in salted butter, but you can swap for ghee or olive oil.
• Sour cream - Sour cream makes the dip creamy and light. Swap for creme fraiche or Greek yogurt.
• Cream cheese - Adds richness.
• Maple syrup - Maple syrup brings out the caramelized onion flavor. You can omit it.
• Fresh chives - Chives add a fresh, garlicky flavor, as well as a pop of green.
• Seasoning - You'll need sea salt, pepper, and onion powder.
How to Make Caramelized Onion Dip
1. Fry the onions in a large skillet with butter for 5-10 minutes over medium-high heat.
2. Once the onions have browned slightly, turn the heat down to medium and fry for 20-25 minutes, until golden brown.
3. Allow to cool.
4. Mix all the ingredients in a bowl.
5. Season to taste.
6. Serve.
Tips for Success
• Use room-temperature cream cheese for easy mixing.
• Take your time to brown the onions. You want them to be a deep golden brown. If the onions are still very light golden after the time indicated in the recipe, turn up the heat for 5-10 minutes (stirring in between to prevent burning) to further caramelize them.
• You don't want the onions to burn at any time, so if they are headed in that direction, turn down the heat slightly and keep stirring.
• Serve at room temperature.
Possible Variations
Some tasty variations include:
• Add balsamic vinegar to your browned onions for a balance of acidity and sweetness.
• Swap cream cheese with mascarpone, Greek yogurt, or whipped cottage cheese.
• Add garlic - Mince in a garlic clove or two.
• Toppings - Top the dip with crispy diced pancetta, spring onions, crushed potato chips, toasted breadcrumbs, balsamic glaze, fresh-grated lemon peel, or chili oil.
• Bake the dip - Add the onion dip to a bakeproof dish. Top with grated cheddar cheese and broil in the oven for a few minutes to create a cheesy, baked, caramelized onion dip. So good!
FAQs
Can I make the onion dip ahead of time?
Absolutely! You can make the dip a day or two in advance. Keep it covered in the fridge, and take it out 30 minutes before serving.
How long will the onion dip last?
2-3 days refrigerated.
What should I serve the onion dip with?
Chunky potato chips, crackers, veggies, crostini, baguette, breadsticks, or pretzels. You can even use it as a sandwich spread or top it onto salads or burgers.
Other Delicious Dips
Ingredients
- 25 grams butter
- 2 large onions (chopped)
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- half a teaspoon maple syrup
- 200 grams sour cream
- 150 grams cream cheese (plain)
- 2 tablespoons fresh chives (chopped)
- sea salt
- pepper
Instructions
Serves 4.
1. Heat the butter in a pan on medium-high heat.
2. Add the chopped onions and brown on medium-high for 5-10 minutes. Keep stirring to avoid burning.
3. Turn the heat down to medium-low and brown for 20-25 minutes, until golden brown.
4. Season with sea salt to taste.
5. Allow the caramelized onions to cool.
6. Mix onions, onion powder, sour cream, cream cheese, one tablespoon finely chopped chives, and maple syrup.
7. Add sea salt and pepper to taste.
8. Spoon into a serving bowl.
9. Sprinkle with fresh chopped chives.
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