I’ve been making this Caramelized Onion Dip for years and recently a friend of mine couldn’t find the copy I had given her, so I sent her here to Our Best Bites to look up the recipe. After some searching I realized I had never posted it here, so here we are: One of my favorite dips! Caramelizing onions takes a little effort, but the flip side is that this dip really needs to chill overnight to reach its full potential (and who would want to deny a dip its full potential??) so you can take the time one day and eat easy the next, which is always a win in my book!
Ingredients Needed
This is just a preview of ingredients and method, keep scrolling for full printable recipe.
- Sweet onions – Yellow onions or a specific variety like Maui or Walla Walla are bred to have a milder, sweeter flavor and less of a bite than a white onion. The higher sugar content helps them caramelize nice and golden brown.
- Butter – Real butter is going to give you the best flavor here. The recipe calls for a mixture of butter and olive oil. If you’re in a pinch, you could use all olive oil.
- Olive oil – Olive oil raises the heat tolerance of the butter so it doesn’t scorch while the onions are caramelizing. Use a light tasting olive oil for best results.
- Low-fat cream cheese- Since there are a lot of heavy ingredients going into this dip, I prefer the lighter versions of cream cheese, sour cream, and mayonnaise. Full fat works well, too, if that’s what you prefer!
- Low-fat sour cream – Full fat works, too.
- Low-fat mayonnaise – Full fat, works, too.
- Worcestershire sauce – Adds flavor complexity and lightens up an otherwise pretty thick dip base.
- Kosher salt
- Dried thyme
- Garlic powder
How to Make Caramelized Onion Dip
- Caramelize the onions: Although time consuming, this method of caramelizing onions is pretty hands off! You’ll toss them in a mixture of melted butter and olive oil, then cover and pop in the oven. You just need to check in every 15-20 minutes or so and give them a stir. After about 90 minutes they should be nice and golden brown.
- Mix up your dip: For the dip, you’ll combine some softened cream cheese, sour cream, mayo, Worcestershire, salt, thyme, and garlic. Then you’ll fold in those caramelized onions.
- Chill: The finished dip goes into the fridge overnight to allow flavors to blend and develop, then it’s ready to enjoy! Serve with potato chips, crackers, crostini, pretzels, pita chips, fresh veggies, or whatever your heart desires.
Storing and Other Tips
- Store your finished dip in an airtight container in the fridge and enjoy within about 4 days for best results.
- Because of the dairy content, this dip will not freeze well.
Frequently Asked Questions
Definitely. This dip is best when allowed to chill overnight. Make it the day before and serve when you’re ready!
No. Because of the high dairy content, this dip will not freeze and thaw well. It’s likely to separate and curdle.
You can if you’d like, but if you’re looking for a warm version, I’d recommend this hot and cheesy French Onion Dip!
Caramelized Sweet Onion Dip
Ingredients
- 4 cups chopped onion 2 large sweet onions should do it
- ½ tablespoon butter melted
- ½ tablespoon olive oil
- 3 tablespoons low-fat cream cheese
- 4 tablespoons low fat sour cream
- 3 tablespoons low fat mayo
- ½ teaspoons Worcestershire
- ⅛ teaspoon kosher salt
- ⅛ teaspoon dried thyme
- ⅛ teaspoon garlic powder
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400℉. Place onion in a heavy Dutch oven and toss with butter and olive oil. Cover pot and cook for 1-1 ½ hours, stirring every 20 minutes, until a caramel brown color. Tip: You might want to decrease oven temperature after about 45-60 minutes to 350℉, and start stirring every 15 minutes to avoid burnt edge bits. Remove from oven and set aside to cool.
- Place cream cheese in a microwave-safe mixing bowl and heat for 15-ish seconds until warmed enough to be easily stir-able. Add sour cream, mayo, Worcestershire, salt, thyme, and garlic. Stir to combine and then mix in caramelized onions. Chill overnight before serving. Yields about 1 ¼ cups dip.
Questions & Reviews
I just wanna say thank you for your printables. Ya’ll, along with a small handfull of other blogs, have such clean uncluttered recipe print outs. So many out there are junky, too small to read, and difficult to get to. Ya’ll do a great job. THANKS!
Thanks for sharing this wonderful post, It is awesome.
Love the balsamic vinegar hint! But I also use a dash of Frank’s hot sauce or Tabasco along with a fresh minced garlic clove and fresh thyme from my garden in place of the dried thyme. And I like the regular cream cheese, sour cream and mayonnaise, not the fat-free stuff. This is such a treat and is usually made for a crowd — so you don’t eat so much of it that you need to delete all the good-tasting fat! And thanks for the hint about over-night — the flavors “marry” so much that it is twice as good the next day!
I hate onions yet I am tempted by this recipe. Maybe I can convince my mom to make it in case I still cat get over the onions 🙂 that way it wouldn’t be wasted.
Also that is one freaky ad you have over on the side…the doctors have banned this diet one.
Yumm! My mom has been making Ina Garten’s version of this for years, and it is my absolute favorite! I never make it because the onions take for-e-ver! I can’t wait to try your version in my dutch oven!
I want to thank you again for including nutritional info. It makes it so much easier for people like me to figure out when or whether or not a treat fits into a day’s calorie intake. Now that I’m in my late 40s I can no longer eat whatever I want without budgeting it. This really helps.
This looks yummy, and I really need to try out caramelizing in the oven. I do a similar one, only I use goat cheese in it and throw some good balsamic in with the onion at the end of caramelizing. Another yummy for the tummy!
Yes! I love balsamic in there too!
You can carmelize your onions in the Crock Pot and not have to fuss with stirring them. Cook them on low all day long until they are as dark as you like them (about 8-10 hours).
I love the slow cooker method! I did a whole bag of onions that way and they were incredibly delicious. I used only onions and butter – no liquid or seasoning was necessary. Next time I will do it so that my crock pot runs all night instead of during the day and be ready to remove and refrigerate them when I wake up. That way I’ll have my cooker ready to use again as soon as I wash it. I am going to buy a second slow cooker soon, too, because I love this way of cooking so much, and having something done for you while you do something else is just plain wonderful!
Yep, if you’ve got all day you can do that method. I do prefer in the oven though because I get a little more crisping and caramelizing.
Looks perfect to me, thanks for sharing! 🙂
This sounds AMAZING! Is there a way to still do the onions in your oven if you don’t have a dutch oven? I really want to make this!
Any oven-safe heavy bottomed pot with a lid will do 🙂