With the big game coming up I have been going over my parties menu and reviewing my favourite recipes including the hot caramelized onion dip which I wanted to add but I thought I would do something a little different this time. Although I am totally addicted to hot melted cheese dips, I wanted some variety so I decided to do a room temperature version inspired by the flavours of French onion soup. At the base of French onion soup is of course the caramelized onions and that means spending some time caramelizing the onions. To slowly caramelize the onions at a low temperature can take more than 3 hours but you can also do it at a higher temperature but it requires more hands on time as you have to stir the onions every couple of minutes. When you caramelize the onions at a higher temperature brown bits build up on the bottom of you pan and since you do not want them to burn it is a good idea to deglaze the pan frequently. Though I normally just use water to deglaze the pan this time I used wine and beef stock since they form the broth of French onion soup. Up next is a bit of garlic and thyme to finish off the onions. The base of the dip is made with sour cream and mayonnaise with a hit of lemon juice, Worcestershire sauce and gruyere for flavour. French onion soup is typically topped with toast, covered in cheese and then baked until the cheese is all melted and good and I incorporated that aspect into the French onion soup dip by serving it with crostini covered in melted gruyere.
I served the French onion soup dip in French onion soup bowls.
French onion soup could not get any better than this!
French Onion Soup Dip
A creamy dip with sweet caramelized onions inspired by French onion soup that goes perfectly with melted gruyere covered crostini.
ingredients
- 1 tablespoon oil
- 2 pounds onions, sliced
- 1/2 cup dry white wine or water
- 1/2 cup beef stock or water
- 1 clove garlic, chopped
- 1/2 teaspoon thyme, chopped
- 3/4 cup sour cream
- 1/2 cup mayonnaise
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1/4 cup gruyere, grated
- salt, pepper and cayenne to taste
directions
- Heat the oil in a pan over medium heat, add the onions and cook until deep brown and caramelized, about 45-60 minutes, stirring as needed and deglazing the pan as needed with 2 tablespoons of wine and stock.
- Add the garlic and thyme and cook until fragrant, about a minute.
- Mix in the remaining ingredients and enjoy with with crostini topped with melted gruyere or crackers or chips, etc.
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Kevin, the slow cooker was absolutely made for carmelizing onions. Hands free, no worries.
Kevin, you've outdone yourself! This dip sounds incredible!
I love the flavors of french onion soup and to have them in dip form sounds amazing!
Glorious! All the right flavors in one bite.
This looks fantastic! I love making homemade french onion dip but I've never made a hot version.
I love french onion soup and I can only imagine how this dip is equally as wonderful. Will be making this very soon. You have the best recipes on your blog.
Is the gruyere supposed to be mixed into the sauce or is it supposed to only be used on the crostini?
Anonymous: The gruyere is for melting on crostini.
this dip is to die for, I used fresh pumpernickel bread and melted the cheese on the dip under the broiler, thanks!
Will this make enough to serve 10 or 12 people as one of several appetizers or should I double recipe?
Anonymous: For 10-12 servings, I would triple the recipe. Enjoy!
am I correct in assuming that if put it in the fridge, it should be warmed to serve?
LisaZem: I prefer this dip warm but it is also good chilled, straight from the fridge.
Is this correct? Per serving? Sodium 3422mg?
k.cards: No, I accidentally hit the 2 twice there. Thanks for catching that!
Do you mix the remaining ingredients into the pan with the onions, garlic, and thyme? Also, what would you recommend for reheating if you make the dip a day or two before serving? Thanks!
Anonymous: Yes, you mix the remaining ingredients into the pan with the onions, garlic, and thyme. I would reheat it in the oven or in a slow cooker/crockpot on low or the microwave would also work.
Is this dip supposed to be soupy? If not I’m not sure where I went wrong.
This dip should not be soupy. By the time that you finish caramelizing the onions, there should be almost no liquid left in the pan and all that’s left is sour cream, mayonnaise and cheese. If your sour cream or mayo was soupy to begin with that might be the reason…
Some folks have allergies to commercial mayonnaise, so what might be a good substitute for it in this recipe?
You can use sour cream or greek yogurt. Enjoy!
Kevin, mine came out like soup. I followed your recipe to the “T” but with that 1/2 c of wine and 1/2 c of broth it was way too much liquid.
My onions carmelized in my slow cooker for 12 hours and then I reduced it even more so there was barely any liquid. But adding a full cup of liquid as called for in the recipe plus the mayo and sour cream made it really quite nasty!
Did you maybe typo how much liquid to add?
Lorine MS
All of the wine and broth would have cooked off cooking the onions in the pan. When cooking the onions in a slow cooker, the wine and broth should be omitted or discarded after cooking the onions. (Or transferred to a sauce pan and reduced down to a tablespoon or so.)