Caramelized French Onion Dip

Course: Appetizer, mezze, Starters

Cuisine: French, North American

Keyword: appetizer, dip, onions, party food

Prep Time: 15

Cook Time: 42

Cooling and Chilling: 50

Total Time: 1 47

Servings: (about 1 1/4 ounce per person) or 4 cups

Calories: 123kcal

Caramelized French Onion Dip is a creamy appetizer with sweet and savory browned onions folded into a cream cheese and sour cream base.

Serve this with fresh vegetables, crackers, or your favorite chips. It's the ultimate starter for parties, celebrations, or holiday gatherings.

2 tablespoons (28 grams) unsalted butter
2 large yellow onions peeled and diced (6 cups or 765 grams)
2 cloves garlic minced (1 tablespoon)
1 1/2 teaspoons (9 grams) kosher salt plus more to taste
1 tablespoon (15 grams) brown sugar
1/2 cup (120 milliliters) dry white wine (Chardonnay, Pinot Grigio, or Sauvignon Blanc)
1/2 tablespoon (12 grams) beef bouillon
8 ounces (226 grams) cream cheese at room temperature
2 tablespoons, chopped (9 grams) flat leaf (Italian) parsley or 1 tablespoon (1 gram) dried parsley flakes
10 stems thyme leaves stems removed (1 tablespoon or 3 grams) or 1 1/2 teaspoons dried thyme leaves
16 ounces (454 grams) sour cream

Melt the unsalted butter over medium heat in a 12-inch skillet.
Add the diced yellow onions and garlic to the pan once the butter is melted and sauté them for 2 to 3 minutes, or until they start to sweat.
Sprinkle the kosher salt over the surface of the onions and garlic in the pan.
Continue to sauté the onions, frequently stirring, for an additional 10 minutes.
Stir the brown sugar into the onions and continue to sauté them over medium heat for 10 minutes.
The onions will have taken on a deeper yellow, almost golden, color at this point.
Add the beef bouillon and white wine to the pan. Use your spoon to deglaze the sides of the pan by scraping up the brown bits.
Stir the bouillon into the onions to break it up and melt it. Decrease the heat to medium-low and continue to cook down the onions for 20 minutes, frequently stirring the onions to avoid scorching them.

After 20 minutes of cooking, the onions will be very brown, sticky, and sweet.
Remove the pan from the stove and allow the caramelized onions to cool completely. You can do this at room temperature or transfer them to a food storage container and refrigerate them until cold.

Once the caramelized onions are completely cool, add them to a 4-quart mixing bowl.
Use an electric hand mixer set on low speed to blend them with the cream cheese, parsley, and thyme. Blend these ingredients until the mixture is chunky but well-mixed.
Scrape down the beaters and the bowl, then use a spoon or a rubber spatula to stir the sour cream into the cream cheese-onion mixture until well combined.
Refrigerate the caramelized french onion dip for at least 30 minutes to chill it completely and allow the flavors to marry.
Transfer all or half of the dip to a serving bowl, and set it out with your favorite dip accoutrements, such as: assorted fresh vegetables, chips, toasted baguette slices, or tostones.
Discard any dip that was left at room temperature for more than 3 hours.

You can replace the yellow onions in this recipe with white onions; however, avoid using red (or purple) onions, shallots, or sweet onions, like Vidalias.
You can swap the white wine with beef stock, chicken stock, or water.
Replace the beef bouillon paste with 1 cube of dried beef bouillon. Add 1 tablespoon of water to the pan with the wine.
To make a vegetarian french onion dip, replace the beef bouillon with roasted vegetable bouillon or plain vegetable bouillon.
You can swap the cream cheese in this recipe with Neufchatel or cottage cheese, but you'll need to puree the cottage cheese until smooth first.
Replace the sour cream in this recipe with plain Greek yogurt, plain yogurt, or crème fraîche.

You can caramelize the onions a day or two in advance and keep them in the fridge until you are ready to use them.
Caramelized french onion dip tastes better when it is made ahead. Preparing it at least a day before you plan to serve it is recommended.
Portion out the amount of dip you plan to serve. Discard any french onion dip that you dipped into since there's an increased risk of cross-contamination with it.
You can divide the caramelized french onion dip and serve half. Replenish the dip as needed.

You can chill the prepared dip for up to 48 hours before you serve it if you'd like.
Store caramelized french onion dip in a covered container in the fridge for up to 3 days after making it.

Freezing this dip might change the texture and decrease the oniony flavor, but it's helpful if you have a busy week.
1. Transfer the caramelized french onion dip to a freezer-safe container and freeze it for up to 3 months.
2. Thaw the frozen caramelized french onion dip in the fridge overnight.
3. Blend the dip with an electric hand mixer to blend it until smooth.