How to Make French Onion Dip

Serve with good ol' potato chips or veggie sticks!

If my dad has potato chips, he insists on having French onion dip. I remember him going to the store and selecting a certain brand—it had to be that specific brand or it was no good. If the store didn't carry it, it was pretty much the end of the world.

When I was a teenager and beginning to take a serious interest in cooking and nutrition, I thought to myself that there must be a way to make my dad's beloved French onion dip more healthy. The ingredient list on the store-bought version was long and complicated. My dad insisted that, to make the party dip at home, you had to buy dried onion soup mix. The mix was filled with just as many unpronounceable ingredients as the dip itself, so I thought it was a hopeless business. I tried my hand at making caramelized sweet onion dips. They were delicious, but a completely different flavor than the dip my dad loved. Then, I decided to simplify things and just throw some herbs and spices into sour cream (or your substitute for sour cream). To my surprise, it tasted very close to the pre-packaged dip. My dad even commented on how good it was.

True, this dip isn't an exact replica of store-bought French onion dip. But mine doesn't contain MSG. And it's quite similar, in my opinion. Plus, it's super, super easy to mix up.

Making your own French onion dip is a lot simpler than you think. Simply stir some dried herbs and spices into sour cream, and you have a delicious, addicting healthy snack.

What is French onion dip made of?

The store-bought kind? There's too many ingredients to list. But this version keeps things simple. The base is sour cream, but it's the dried onion, onion powder, garlic powder, salt, and parsley that give it that heavenly onion flavor.

Can French onion dip be made ahead of time?

Of course! In fact, it needs to sit for at least an hour for the dried onion to soften and for all of the flavors to come together. It stays fresh for 5 to 7 days in the fridge, so feel free to stir it together a few days before serving.

What do you serve with French onion dip?

The obvious answer is good, salty potato chips! But any sort of cracker or sliced veggie would be tasty too. Sliced peppers, cucumbers, or carrots would pair well for a healthy snack!

sour cream

dried chopped onion

onion powder

pinch garlic powder

kosher salt

finely chopped fresh parsley, or 1 teaspoon dried parsley

The base for this dip is lovely, creamy, tangy, full-fat sour cream. I like to buy sour cream that has one or two ingredients.

Here's where most of the magic happens: dehydrated chopped onions! You only need about a tablespoon.

To boost the onion flavor and distribute it more evenly throughout the dip, add a teaspoon of onion powder.

You'll also want to add just a bit of garlic powder for a little kick.

Of course, you need salt. French onion dip is quite salty!

Lastly, some finely chopped parsley adds a little freshness. You can use dried parsley as well.

Mix it together very well. You don't want pockets of un-mixed salt or garlic powder.

Give it a taste and adjust the seasonings if necessary. Make sure to taste it with a chip. Most chips are pretty salty, so you'll need less salt than you think than if you taste the dip plain.

This is a great dip to liven up plain potato chips. If you choose chips that are organic and fried in olive, coconut, or avocado oil, this can be a pretty healthy snack. Or at least it's not horribly unhealthy. Which means the same thing, right? Right?

Erica is the creator and writer of the blog Buttered Side Up where she shares from-scratch recipes with a healthy touch. She has enjoyed being in the kitchen as far back as she can remember. She was so proud to be allowed to knead bread when she was 8. Her mom would allow her in the kitchen to concoct deviled egg recipes with zero supervision.

As a teenager, she became interested in the nutritional aspect of food and began experimenting with adapting recipes to make them healthier. When she was 18, she started a recipe blog to share her successful creations with the world. She's been blogging about her love of food ever since!

Erica lives in northern Minnesota (land of lakes and mosquitoes) with her husband and three kids. She's a believer that just about everything is better with butter. Her other long-standing food obsessions include matcha, sourdough, and late-night cold cereal (with loads of cream).

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