Quick Look at this Smoked French Onion Dip
- Ready In: 1 1/2 hours
- Serves: 12
- Main Ingredients: smoked onion slices, sour cream, mayo, cream cheese, fresh herbs and spices.
- Dietary Info: gluten free and vegetarian
- Make Ahead Friendly: it’s recommended to make ahead, the flavor gets even better after chilling overnight.
- Best For: entertaining a crowd at parties, game days, holidays or cookouts.
Share and summarize this recipe:
Why Makes This Dip So Good?
- Real onion flavor – no packet mixes here, just real Traeger smoked onions!
- Smoking adds some extra time but the smoked flavor is WORTH IT!
- Make Ahead → convenient and preferred for the depth of flavor.
- Easy to customize – adjust to your smoke level, seasonings, or dietary preferences.
- Perfect for gatherings – a real crowd-pleaser!
Key Ingredients + Substitutions
Be sure to see the recipe card below for a full listing of ingredients, instructions, and estimated nutritional information.
- Sliced Onions – for best results, make smoked onion slices before caramelizing. The dip can be made without smoking the onions but the flavor is SO GOOD when they are smoked.
- Sour Cream – use a regular sour cream or make our dairy-free sour cream.
- Smoked Onion Powder and Liquid Smoke – great ways to add a smoky flavor, if you don’t smoke the onions. Start with a small amount of liquid smoke and increase, if needed.
How To Make Smoked Onion Dip
Step 1 – Cut onions into thin slices while the smoker heats.
Step 2 – Smoke onion slices for 45-60 minutes.
Step 2 – Bring a skillet to medium heat, add butter to melt, and the smoked onions.
Step 3 – Move around the onion to caramelize for 15-30 minutes.
Pro Tip – Texture
For a dip that has a more chunky texture, leave the caramelized onions as-is in the dip. For a smoother restaruant-style texture, chop the caramelized onions before adding to the dip.
Step 4 – Put the rest of the dip ingredients in a bowl and mix.
Step 5 – Add the caramelized onions, mix again, and chill.
Pro Tip
We highly recommend that you make this dip ahead of time and store in the fridge overnight for the flavors to fully combine. Set out the dip several minutes before serving, for it to return to room temperature and become scoopable!
Best Ways To Serve French Onion Dip
This is one of our all-time favorite dip recipes and we love to scoop it up with some thick kettle chips, ridged potato chips, bagel chips, crackers, pita chips, crudités, or cut-up vegetables. It is a nice, cool dip that will really hit the spot on those hot summer days or on a Sunday game day. Perfect for enjoying at your next backyard barbecue, picnic, or family reunion!
Erin’s Testing Tips: What We Learned
- This recipe has been tested with smoked onions and without smoked onions. Both are delicious, but smoking the onions provided a deeper savory flavor and were definitely preferred.
- Chill Overnight – makes serving even easier and it provides a greater depth of flavor. Just be sure to let the dip sit at room temperature for 20-30 minutes before serving for the best texture and flavor.
Smoked Onion Dip FAQs
Yellow onions or Vidalia onions work best for the caramelization process in this dip.
Keep in an airtight container in the fridge and it will last up to 5 days.
No, freezing is not recommended due to the cream texture getting grainy after thawing.
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Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 yellow onions, thinly sliced*
- olive oil
- kosher salt
- 2-3 tablespoons butter
- 2 teaspoons garlic, minced
- 1 ¼ cups sour cream
- ⅓ cup mayo
- 3 tablespoons cream cheese, softened
- 1-2 tablespoons fresh chives, minced
- 1 tablespoon fresh parsley, minced
- 1 teaspoon smoked onion powder, regular onion powder works
- 1 teaspoon worcestershire sauce
- ½ teaspoon white vinegar
- ¼ teaspoon liquid smoke
- ⅛ teaspoon lemon zest
- pinch kosher salt and ground black pepper
Instructions
- Prep: Preheat the smoker to 225℉.
- Smoke Onions: Brush both sides of the onion slices with olive oil and sprinkle with kosher salt. Place the slices directly on the smoker grates, close the lid and cook for 45-60 minutes. Remove and set aside.
- Caramelize Onions: Bring a large cast iron skillet to medium-high heat. Add 2-3 tablespoons butter and move it around so that the entire pan is thinly coated. Add the smoked onions and sprinkle with a little salt and pepper. Move onions around the pan and bring heat down to medium once onions start to cook down. Continue cooking onions 15-30 minutes, turning heat down as necessary, until they start to turn golden brown. Once onions are golden brown add in the 2 teaspoons garlic, stir to combine and let the garlic become fragrant. Then turn off the heat and let them cool a bit.
- Combine Dip Ingredients: In a medium-sized bowl, combine 1 ¼ cups sour cream, ⅓ cup mayo, 3 tablespoons cream cheese, 1-2 tablespoons fresh chives, 1 tablespoon fresh parsley, 1 teaspoon smoked onion powder, 1 teaspoon worcestershire sauce, ½ teaspoon white vinegar, ¼ teaspoon liquid smoke, ⅛ teaspoon lemon zest and pinch kosher salt and ground black pepper. Stir to combine. Add caramelized onions and stir again.
- Taste: Taste and feel free to add a tiny bit more liquid smoke or salt, as needed (taste again after it sits overnight and adjust the flavor again).
- Let Sit: this is one of those recipes that just tastes better after it gets a chance to sit in the refrigerator overnight! But, it will thicken quite a bit so let it return to room temperature on the counter before serving, so it is soft and scoopable!
Notes
- *Onions: The smoking step can be skipped, but we HIGHLY recommend making smoked onion slices for this recipe and then caramelizing them! Really adds a smoky punch!
- Overnight Flavor Develops: after testing we discovered this is one of those recipes that tastes better the next day, after it gets a chance to sit in the refrigerator overnight! But, it will thicken quite a bit so let it sit at room temperature on the counter before serving, so it is soft and scoopable!
- Storage: store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
- Serving: serve with your favorite crackers (regular or gluten-free) or chips!
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