This caramelized onion dip is creamy, flavorful, and easy to make.
Low and slow is the way to go with this caramelized onion dip. It takes about 40 minutes to cook the onions down, but it’ll be oh-so worth it in the end. Once you get that golden-brown color, cook them for just a little bit longer to ensure they’re dark, sweet, soft, and smell amazing. This budget-friendly, vegetarian dip is great for holiday get-togethers, summer BBQs, Super Bowl parties, etc. Trust me, your guests will be bugging you for this caramelized onion dip recipe.
It’s So Easy to Make!
The onions may take some time, but after that, all you do is mix all the ingredients together, and you’re done! Just make sure to add the Worcestershire sauce and balsamic vinegar 10 minutes before the onions are done. This will add some tangy, savory, sweet, salty, and acidic flavors to give it that umami taste. We’ve also substituted the usual cream cheese and sour cream used in this recipe for Neufchatel cheese and Greek yogurt. This brings down the milk fat percentage and the number of calories. However, if you can’t find Neufchatel, low-fat cream cheese works perfectly fine!
Caramelized Onion Mistakes
While caramelized onions aren’t too tricky to make, there are some common mistakes people make while preparing them. Here are the most common mistakes:
- Slicing onions too thin – they have a tendency to slick to the bottom of the pan and burn more easily when sliced too thin.
- Only using butter – butter has a lower smoking point. Adding olive oil brings that smoke point up so the butter doesn’t burn.
- Using a small pan – avoid crowding the pan. This will create more steam, and your onions will take much longer to caramelize.
- Sauteing the onions – you want the natural sugars to come out of the onions. This requires you to keep the burner on medium-low throughout the cooking process.
- Forgetting to deglaze – as I mentioned before, don’t skip the Worcestershire and balsamic vinegar at the end. This will lift all the tasty flavors stuck to the bottom of the pan.
- Not cooking them long enough – if you think the onions are done, give them 10 more minutes just to be sure. They should be dark and soft but not too mushy.
What to Dip in Your Caramelized Onion Dip
While caramelized onion dip is certainly deliciously addicting, it’s not the most appealing dip to the eye. But you can make it look more appealing by including the dip on a platter full of colorful dipping foods. I like to place the bowl of dip in the middle of a cutting board surrounded by sliced heirloom carrots, bell peppers, celery, radishes, cauliflower, and whole cherry tomatoes. Add in a couple of bowls of chips, crackers, pretzels, and marinated artichoke hearts, and you have a platter that’s delicious, healthy, and looks amazing. It’ll be the star of happy hour!
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1 tablespoon olive oil extra virgin
- 3 medium sweet onions sliced
- 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
- 2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar
- 6 ounces Neufchatel cheese room temperature
- 1½ cups plain greek yogurt
- salt and pepper to taste
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Heat the butter and olive oil in a large pan over medium/high heat. Add the onions to the pan, but don’t stir them just yet. After the onions start sweating, turn the heat down to low and cover the pan.
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Cook the onions until they are a deep golden brown, stirring every 10 minutes. The whole process should take about 40 minutes. During the last 10 minutes, stir in the Worcestershire and the balsamic vinegar. Remove the onions from the pan and let them cool for about 20 minutes after they are done cooking.
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In large bowl, mix the cream cheese and sour cream until smooth. Then stir in the onions and season with salt and pepper to taste. For a deeper flavor, chill the dip for at least two hours before serving. Store in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
SmartPoints (Freestyle): 3
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If you enjoyed our caramelized onion dip, you might like to try these skinny appetizer dips as well:
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