Real Sour Cream & Onion Dip
This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure policy.
The unfortunate consequence of being deprived of chips and dip as a child is that I am the girl at parties hovering over the crock pot filled with queso dip, piling more than a manageable amount of hot crab spread into my Tostitos scoops, and destroying the poor bowl filled with spinach-artichoke dip.
In addition to childhood deprivation, part of my love for these sorts of dips, I suspect, stems from the fact that I never make them.
As many of you know, so many of these most-adored party dip recipes call for opening a pack of soup mix filled mostly with dehydrated ingredients, two days worth of the recommended salt intake, MSG and a host of nitrates and preservatives. While this knowledge never seemed to prevent me from eating these dips — all willpower dissolves when confronted face to face — for many years it prevented me from making them.
With the recent success of a homemade sour cream-and-onion dip, however, I am hoping homemade queso dip along with a few other classics might be in my future, with any luck before the Super Bowl. Who knew that real sour cream-and-onion dip is astonishingly easy to prepare and far more delicious than its dried-soup variation?
While caramelizing onions takes time — time, not work — throwing together this dip couldn’t be much more difficult than opening a box of instant soup. One bite of this sweet-and-tangy dip atop a salty Ruffles potato chip allayed my fears that my Super Bowl guests, upon observing the spread — my mother’s olivata, my aunt’s whipped feta with roasted red peppers, and not a crock pot in sight — might run out the door.
If you feel like going this homemade-sour-cream-and-onion-dip route, rest assured that your guests will feel right at home watching the game. Just don’t forget the Ruffles… for some things there are no substitutes.
PS: Another favorite, easy crowd-pleasing party spread: Black Olive Tapenade
PrintReal Sour Cream & Onion Dip
- Total Time: 1 hour
- Yield: 1.25 cups
Description
Inspired by a recipe in Sally Schneider’s The Improvisational Cook
Notes: When researching recipes for this dip, I came across a ton of variations, many of which called for additional ingredients such as goat cheese, mayonnaise, dried onion powder, etc. While I thought for sure the goat cheese variation would win me over, none of the variations I tried was as good as this simple combination of equal parts caramelized onions and sour cream, some sort of member of the green onion family — scallions, chives, etc — and a little freshly squeezed lemon juice. I know how hard it is to resist trying out those flashy recipes, but I highly recommend giving this simple recipe a go first.
Ingredients
for the caramelized onions:
- 4 cups diced onion (from about 3 to 4 small to medium onions)
- 2 tablespoons butter
- kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon vinegar, anything you have on hand
- freshly ground black pepper to taste
for the dip:
- 1/2 cup sour cream
- salt and pepper to taste
- 4 scallions* or a bunch of chives, thinly sliced (to yield about 1/4 cup)
- 1/2 teaspoon (or more) freshly squeezed lemon juice
Instructions
- In a large sauté pan, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the onions, season with a pinch of salt and cover the pan. Cook covered for about 15 minutes.
- Remove the cover, and increase the heat slightly. Continue to cook for another 10 minutes, stirring occasionally to make sure the onions are not sticking. Sprinkle the sugar overtop and cook for an additional 10 to 15 minutes, stirring more frequently now, until the onions have turned a nice deep brown. Pour in the vinegar, turn off the heat, and scrape the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon or spatula to remove any browned bits. Take pan off the heat and transfer onions to a large bowl to cool.
- This mixture should yield about 1 heaping cup of onions. When the onions have cooled, stir 1/2 cup of them into the sour cream. Taste. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Fold in scallions or chives. Add the lemon juice. Taste and adjust seasoning with more salt, pepper, lemon juice or more caramelized onions if desired. Save any remaining caramelized onions to add to omelets or pasta or more sour cream-and-onion dip.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 45 minutes
- Category: Dip
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: American
This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure policy.
178 Comments on “Real Sour Cream & Onion Dip”
Chicken wings with bleu cheese dipping sauce! A must at any Superbowl party I throw. Go Niners!
I love to make mini pretzel bites with a variety of toppings. delicious!
What a nice giveaway! I have a wonderful herb dip that I adapted from a Nigella Lawson recipe that is amazing. We use it as a dip, a spread, and (when no one is looking) to eat straight out of the bowl with a spoon! 🙂
Oh man, I am a sucker for chips and dip..it is soo not pretty!
what a generous giveaway! stuffed portobellos with olives and italian sausage – yum!
Never hosted a SB party, but love these unusual quesadillas–caramelized onion (sweet and with red wine), gorgonzola, and toasted walnuts. I could eat the whole plate!
As terrible as it is, I really like making/eating those tiny smoked sausages in sweet BBQ sauce.
My favorite go-to app is definitely bacon wrapped dates stuffed with manchego and an almond (sometimes I class it up with prosciutto instead of bacon).
Guac. All the way. Preferably made with my mortar and pestle.
I can’t wait to try this dip! Love onion dip and am thrilled to see it made without a soup packet! We make buffalo chicken dip for almost all football games… Cream cheese in any appetizer makes it great!
I like to make vegetarian frito pie: fritos, a can of vegetarian chili, cheese, sour cream, and a little avocado on top!
I can relate about being deprived of chips as a child… The sad thing is that I do the same to my kids!
White queso
1lb white American
1/2 c milk
Pickled jalapeños and its juice.
I like to make a pizza dip!
I love my goat cheese and sun dried tomato pesto dip…. Served with a good crusty baguette but also tastes amazing on triscuits!!!!
I love making a ‘dip’ of baked feta cheese, or classic mexican bean. The sour cream and onion dip seems like a winner too, though!
My favorite appetizer is buffalo wings with blue cheese dip!
I made crab fried wontons with spicy plum sauce; they’ve sort of become my signature appetizer!
I love making twice baked potatoes with fingerling potatoes and curried deviled eggs.
My absolute favorite dip is a Lower-fat Chunky Spinach & Artichoke Dip that I created. Doesn’t matter what vehicle brings it to my mouth….I could eat the whole dish….but then I guess it wouldn’t be lowfat!
6 oz. Organic Light Cream Cheese (Neufchâtel)
1/3 c Light Miracle Whip, or choice of vegan salad dressing
4 oz Organic Freshly Grated Parmesan Cheese
1-14 oz can Artichoke Hearts – quartered, 1/3 c. brine from can-Organic if available
1-10 oz package of frozen Organic Chopped Spinach
1 Tb .Organic Minced Garlic
Cracked Pepper to taste.
Squeeze excess water from spinach add to a mixing bowl large enough to fit all ingredients. Put the rest of the ingredients into the bowl and mix thoroughly, breaking up the artichokes as you go using a gloved hand. Place in a covered backing dish. Bake at 350 degrees for approx. 1-1 1/2 hours or until mixture is bubbling and browning around the edge of the dish.
Serve with Wasa Bread (no fat), Tortilla Chips, Crackers, etc
This dip is not as “wet” as most, just enough to dip. Refrigerate leftovers, Makes a great spread when lightly warmed and spread on ciabatta rolls, or bagels the next day.
We love eating jalapeno poppers! Greasy but so good
great giveaway, alexandra! i like to bring spicy bean salad to the super bowl party–it has beans and kick, which the guys like, but isn’t super sinful or heavy, which makes the gals happy. 🙂
I love making chili bacon wrapped chicken bites. They are a super crowd pleaser. Last fall I actually made a very similar onion dip from 101 Cookbooks and it was fantastic! Thanks for sharing!
I make a Maui onion dip that is outta this world. It’s always the first thing gobbled up. Thanks for a chance at this giveaway!
homemade guacamole!
I can’t stop making (and eating) blue cheese stuffed dates, wrapped in bacon. Amazing appetizer for parties! Thank you for this great giveaway!
Totally weird, but I am really into a recipe I found (linked from elsewhere) on PETA’s website for buffalo cauliflower “wings.” I am not a vegetarian, nor do I only eat healthy things or anything ridiculous like that. I just tried making them on a whim one day, and they were a hit!
Baked Brie topped with chopped cherries and thyme and wrapped in puff pastry. A crowd pleaser.
Jalapeno Bacon dip. Yummm. I mean, you seriously can’t go with bacon:)
chicken wings or pigs in a blanket!
I like to make our Shrek dip – once you add madras curry powder to cream cheese it turns bright green – then you layer jalapeno jelly, mango chutney, toasted pine nuts, dried cranberries and green onions – everyone wants the recipe and cannot stop eating!! Thank you so much for the generous giveaway!!!