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”
Spinach Artichoke dip and puff pastry wrapped brie with fig preserves! Could eat both all day long!!
Count me in! My favorite dip is Ina Garten’s green goddess dressing — chips, carrot sticks, and crackers are mere vehicles to bring this yummy goodness to my mouth.
spinach blue cheese dip
or a delicious triple creme brie with fig marmalade on baguette
Here in Maine, the “big game” usually falls during shrimp season (yes, there is a season for shrimp), so I make lots of things featuring those small bites of deliciousness–shrimp dip, shrimp quiche, and shrimp cocktail, for starters.
I LOVE to make cream cheese stuffed jalapenos wrapped in bacon!! They are fun to make and a HUGE hit.
My mom’s shrimp dip – cream cheese, shrimp, tomato soup, worchestershire sauce and some siracho with Ruffles.
My mom used to make a delicious appetizer. It sounds goofy, but if you make a tray of them, you’ll want to eat them all! Using a shot glass, she cut small rounds out of soft white bread. (No crusts) Spread with mayo. Sprinkle each with finely chopped onion and grated Parmesan cheese. Broil one minute until lightly brown and bubbly. Amazing! The bread melts in your mouth; it becomes almost like custard. I gotta go make some for breakfast right now! 🙂
Our absolute favorite appetizer at the moment is shrimp with homemade cocktail sauce, and we are not above using the promise of it as bait to lure guests to our Super Bowl party! 🙂
My favorite spread happens to be your Salsa di Parmigiano. The recipe looked so awsome that I forwarded it to my brother before I had even tried it. Then I made it and served with the salad course on crostini for a pre-Christmas dinner party. There wasn’t one piece of bread left. They couldn’t stop eating it. Since that time I have shared the recipe and the website with many and made the spread and taken it to numerous get togethers. The salsa even was blamed for a friends weight gain over the holidays!
Ooh I’ve never been to a superbowl party, but my mum makes the most amazing creamy spinach dip inside a hollowed out granary cottage loaf, you then chop up the bread you cut out and use that to dip – yummarama! She got the recipe from an American friend so I’m pretty sure it was a superbowl staple in their house
My favorite appetizer is always some form of melted gooey cheese!
i make a thick yet smooth blue cheese dressing, then load it up with blue crumbles. chip-dippers and wing-chompers both eat it up. the crowd has gotten bolder lately — i’m able to increase the amount of blue cheese i use each year. (i bring extra for folks to load onto bread/crackers too.) yum, i must say.
I always make guacamole!
Chips and Dip – love a good fresh salsa
That dip looks so good! I’m a huge fan of dips and layered taco dip is always a favorite!
Our Super Bowl snacks will include the classic Seven Layer Bean Dip, with lots of avocados and sliced olives.
Sounds yummy! I love heated Brie on warm french bread!
My favorite dip is Rotel sausage and velveeta.
Taco Dip or onion dip! These recipes look amazing!
Cheese Sticks for the Oscars! Toooooo good. (I have to admit…I also dip them in your blue cheese recipe…double delicious!)
My favorite all the way is clam dip with ridged chips to make sure you get the clams! I wouldn’t turn away blue cheese dip or guacamole either. Thanks for offering a great giveaway.
Does salsa count as a dip? It is the only one I make.
Our “dip” choices change by the year depending on who will be ther and what recipie has caught my eye. I will be trying your onion dip this year!
I have to make myself sit on the other side of any room that contains a dish full of hot parmesan and artichoke dip or I embarrass myself and my family, truly shameful.
I’m ashamed to admit that despite being able to roast a mean turkey and whip up fabulous souffles, I am all thumbs at caramelizing onions. Something just goes wrong, but I have more reason to try this superbowl season.
My go to dish is floured and fried wings coated in a sauce of butter, sriracha and minced garlic. It’s a seductive, delicious burn.
My mom makes a delicious white bean and rosemary dip, but i think i have to choose my brothers salsa.
My favorite is feta anything – marinated, stuffed into dates or figs, in artichoke dip, ……
I love making Atomic Buffalo Turds, which are made by slicing jalapenos in half, spreading the inside with cream cheese, putting a lil smoky in the cream-cheesed-half, wrapping it in bacon, closing it up with a toothpick, covering it in BBQ sauce, and baking or throwing it on the BBQ!!!
I discovered a cheeseball recipe on Pinterest that is absolutely divine and my family has devoured each time I’ve made it. It’s made with blue cheese, cream cheese, red and green peppers, onion, celery, and then rolled in pecans. So decadent, and so good!
UM, can THIS be my favorite Super Bowl appetizer now? Yum! Actually, I have to go with potato skins, although somehow I never make those myself, resorting to the much simpler nachos.