This post may contain affiliate links. Read disclosure policy
This caramelized onion dip is the perfect blend of sweet, jammy onions and creamy dippable goodness. Perfect for dipping chips, crackers, or veggies!
Sounds fancy, is actually pretty easy.
Does This Dip Make Me Look Fancy?
No culinary degree? No problem. This caramelized onion dip is going to make you look like a kitchen rockstar, but I promise it’s simple to whip up.
Here’s the thing about caramelized onions: they sound intimidating, but they’re basically just onions that got really patient with themselves. You throw them in a pan, let them do their slow-cooking magic, stir ’em around every now and then to let them know you’re watching, and suddenly you’re the person who “makes everything from scratch.”
Meanwhile, you were probably folding laundry or helping with homework for half the cooking time.
This Caramelized Onion Dip is a major favorite with it’s creamy base made of cream cheese and sour cream and the rich flavor thanks to the Worcestershire sauce and beef bouillon. Of course, the star is the caramelized onions.
We LOVE dips in our house – everything from Rotel Dip to 7 Layer Dip to (you knew it was coming…) Pumpkin Pie Dip!
3 Reasons You’ll Love This Recipe:
- It tastes way fancier than it is. Those golden, caramelized onions give this dip a rich, sweet-savory flavor that makes store-bought onion dip pale in comparison.
- Perfect make-ahead appetizer. You can prep this caramelized onion dip hours (or even a day) ahead of time. It actually gets better as it sits and the flavors meld together. Which means you can look totally put-together while secretly having made it yesterday in your pajamas.
- Works for any occasion. Fancy enough for dinner parties, casual enough for game day.
Ingredient Notes:
Onions – We’re using yellow onions, but any variety will work well. They cook down quite a bit, so don’t skimp.
Dip Base – We’re using a combo of cream cheese and sour cream to make an ultra rich and creamy dip.
Flavor – Turning this isn’t a flavor bomb by adding Worcestershire sauce, beef bouillon granules, and a bit of onion powder. This makes for a deep, savory flavor.
Helpful Tools:
Mandolin Slicer – This handy tool will make slicing veggies so much simpler! It’s safer and it is the best way to get perfectly thin slices of onion for this caramelized onion dip.
My Favorite Skillet!
Cast iron skillets are my favorite! They heat so evenly, get piping hot for searing, and nothing is better than bacon fried in a cast iron skillet.
How to Make Caramelized Onion Dip:
Slice: Use a sharp knife or a mandolin to slice the onion into thin half moon pieces. You could also dice the onion if you’d prefer chunks in your dip instead of strips of onion.
Caramelize: Melt the butter in a heavy bottomed skillet and add the onions. Cook these down over medium heat for 10 minutes and then sprinkle on the sugar and salt. Be sure to stir every now and then.
The onions will need to cook for 30 to 40 minutes with stirring every 5 minutes or so. You want these to slowly brown from the sugar in the onions caramelizing – you don’t want them to brown because your heat is too high.
They should look like this when done:
Dip: Add the cream cheese, sour cream, beef bouillon, Worcestershire, and onion powder to a bowl. If you’ve got an electric hand mixer it’ll work perfectly for mixing this dip. Beat until the dip is creamy and smooth!
Onions: When the caramelized onions have cooled you can stir them into the cream cheese dip by hand until it’s all well combined. All that’s left now is to cover and refrigerate for 1 to 2 hours before it’s ready for dipping!
What To Serve With Caramelized Onion Dip:
From chips, to veggies, to crackers, this one is going to be a hit. Here are some good suggestions:
- Kettle Cooked Potato Chips
- Crostini Bread
- Keto Crackers
- Ritz Crackers
- Pretzel Crisps
- Pita Chips
Storage:
The dip actually tastes better the next day as flavors develop.
Store covered in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
Let come to room temperature for 15 minutes before serving for best flavor.
FAQs:
Any variety of onion can be used in this recipe. We use yellow onions most often.
If you’ve never made caramelized onions before, you might be surprised how long you actually cook them for. It takes a long time to get them perfectly caramelized, so you’ll need to cook them low and slow to avoid burning them. You’ll continue cooking until the onions reach a soft, jammy texture and are no longer crunchy.
More Dip Recipes:
Caramelized Onion Dip
Ingredients
- 3 medium yellow onions
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 16 ounces sour cream
- 8 ounces cream cheese room temperature
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1 teaspoon beef bouillon granules
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
Instructions
- Thinly slice the onions.
- Add the butter to a large, heavy bottomed skillet over medium low heat and melt. Add the onions and cook for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Add the sugar and salt to the onions and stir to combine. Continue cooking over medium low heat, stirring often enough to keep the onions from burning but letting them brown a bit before stirring. Continue cooking for 30 to 40 minutes or until caramelized to your liking. Add splashes of water if needed to keep the onions from drying out during cooking.
- Remove the onions from the heat and let cool for 15 minutes.
- Add the sour cream, cream cheese, Worcestershire sauce, beef bouillon, and onion powder to a mixing bowl and beat with an electric mixer until smooth and creamy.
- Stir in the cooled onions by hand until well combined.
- Cover and refrigerate for 1-2 hours to let the flavors meld.
- Serve with potato chips, for dipping.
Leave a Review