Sour cream and onion dip is so easy to make from scratch! With a sneakily lightened-up base, this homemade sour cream and onion dip is bursting with caramelized onion and has the classic flavor you know and love. Perfect for Game Day.
The secret to some people's sour cream and onion dip is using a box of dried soup mix. The secret to mine is that it's half Greek yogurt.
I considered naming this recipe "healthy sour cream and onion dip", but I don't even think it needs that modifier. You won't even know the Greek yogurt is in there, and that's coming from someone who's pretty cautious with subbing plain yogurt in recipes because I feel like I can always taste it.
In the absence of soup mix we have lots of onion flavor coming from not only two diced-and-caramelized onions (see how to caramelize onions for the classic sliced way) but dried onion flakes, as well. Combined with other pantry staples, this flavorful French onion dip makes a great appetizer for watching the game or any time!
Reasons to Love This Recipe
- This sour cream and onion dip recipe tastes JUST like the soup-mix shortcut version (delicious!), except it's made with fresh onion and less-processed ingredients.
- As it's best when the flavors have time to meld, this is a great option to make ahead of time for a party.
- Subbing in Greek yogurt for half of the sour cream reduces the fat and increases the protein content for a better-for-you dip (see also cottage cheese ranch dip!).
Recipe Ingredients
- Onions: Either white or yellow onions work.
- Butter/olive oil: Using a blend to caramelize the onion means you can enjoy the advantages of both: delicious flavor (from the butter) with a lower likelihood to burn (from the oil).
- Sugar: The tiniest bit amplifies the sweetness of the caramelized onions.
- Soy sauce: It may look out of place, but I peeped the ingredients in the dried soup mix and there it is. It adds a background umami note that ties the flavors together.
- Dried onion: Found in the spice aisle, this can also be called dehydrated minced or chopped onion. It's an easy way to add an extra dimension of onion flavor.
- Chives: A great sour cream accompaniment, these also provide a pop of color.
- Sour cream: Classic! Since it's cut with Greek yogurt I prefer to use full-fat sour cream, but light can work if it's your preference to reduce the fat even further. I would not use fat-free sour cream.
- Greek yogurt: I go with whole milk (around 5% milkfat) or low-fat (2%-ish), depending on what I have on hand.
Step-by-Step Instructions
- Dice up the onions. Heat the butter and olive oil in a large pan over medium heat, then stir in the onions. Season with sugar, salt, and pepper.
- Reduce the heat to low and cook until deep golden to golden-brown, around 45 minutes to one hour. Stir them up now and then throughout the cook time.
- Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the dried onion and garlic powder. Let everything cool down.
- Add the sour cream and Greek yogurt to a bowl, then whisk in the soy sauce. Stir in the onion mixture and chives. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for several hours until chilled and ready to serve.
Recipe Tips and Tricks
- While there would be nothing wrong with eating this sour cream and onion dip shortly after it's chilled, letting the flavors meld for several hours or overnight is recommended for the best flavor.
- If you'd rather, you can absolutely use all sour cream instead of half sour cream/half Greek yogurt. I have not tested this French onion dip with all Greek yogurt, but it would probably work just fine if that's to your taste.
- It can be tempting to crank the stovetop heat to speed up the onions cooking, but try not to do that. They need low (heat) and slow (timing) in order to properly caramelize, otherwise they'll end up more like sautéed onions with crisp edges.
- Dairy-free variation: Use all olive oil for caramelizing the onions (or replace the butter with refined coconut oil), then use dairy-free alternatives for the sour cream and yogurt.
- Gluten-free variation: Replace the soy sauce with tamari or liquid aminos.
Recipe FAQs
This dip is best made the day before you'd like to serve it, though it's totally fine to eat earlier once it's chilled. Extra time allows the flavors to meld even better.
Ruffled potato chips are a classic onion dip pairing, but vegetables such as baby carrots, celery sticks, cucumber rounds, and bell pepper strips are also good options.
This dip will stay for around 3-4 days (kept refrigerated). The onions may release a bit of moisture, so give leftover portions a nice stir before serving. Because it's dairy-based, this dip is not a good candidate for freezing.
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Homemade Sour Cream and Onion Dip
Ingredients
- 10 ounces (320g) diced onion amount from 2 medium onions
- 1 Tablespoon olive oil
- 1 Tablespoon unsalted butter
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon granulated sugar
- Pinch of ground black pepper
- 1 Tablespoon dried minced onion
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 cup (8 ounces) sour cream
- 1 cup (8 ounces) plain Greek yogurt
- 1 ½ teaspoons reduced-sodium soy sauce
- 1 Tablespoon finely-diced chives
Instructions
- Dice onions, then add olive oil and butter to a large pan set over medium heat. Swirl the pan around as the butter melts. Once heated, add the diced onion. Season with the salt, sugar, and black pepper and give everything a big stir. Reduce the heat to low.
- Cook the onion, stirring periodically, until it reduces significantly and turns a deep golden to golden-brown color. This can take between 45 minutes and one hour.
- Once the onion has caramelized, remove the pan from the heat and stir in the dried minced onion and garlic powder. Let the onion cool to near room temperature.
- Add sour cream and Greek yogurt to a bowl and whisk in the soy sauce. Stir in the cooled onion mixture and diced chives until well combined, then cover the dip with plastic wrap. Refrigerate for at least several hours, ideally overnight to allow the flavors time to meld.
- Serve with ruffled potato chips and/or veggies such as baby carrots, cucumber rounds, bell pepper strips, and celery sticks.
Notes
- Sour Cream: Full-fat is recommended, but light will also work. I would not use fat-free as this dip is already lower-fat from the yogurt.
- Greek Yogurt: Whole milk (around 5% milkfat) or low-fat (around 2%) are good options.
- Storage Instructions: Kept refrigerated, this dip will stay for 3-4 days. Stir up leftover portions to reintegrate any water released from the onions.
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