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Caramelized onion dip fills a blue and white speckled bowl for serving. The onion dip is garnished with freshly snipped chives and ground black pepper. The bowl sits atop a creamy white textured surface with a small white pinch bowl filled with freshly snipped chives, a gray and white linen napkin, and loose ruffle potato chips surrounding the bowl of dip at center.

Brandied Caramelized Onion Dip

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  • Author: Jess Larson
  • Prep Time: 20 minutes
  • Inactive Onion Prep: 15 minutes
  • Cook Time: 30 minutes
  • Total Time: 1 hour
  • Yield: serves 6-8 1x
  • Category: Appetizers, Snacks
  • Method: Stovetop
  • Cuisine: American
  • Diet: Gluten Free

Description

As a born & raised Midwesterner, there are few snacks that make my food-loving heart happier than good ol’ onion dip, the snack table mainstay of practically every potluck, game day, or weekend at the lake throughout my childhood.

This particular Brandied Caramelized Onion Dip is our take on the ultimate onion dip. Thanks to a carefully crafted ingredients list, it’s creamy, perfectly savory-sweet, & created with maximum dippability in mind. 

3 quick notes before you get started:

  • Caramelized onions take time, but with patience comes major pay-off! Plus, you can speed things up by tossing the onions in a little baking soda & salt prior to cooking. Doing so draws out the onions’ moisture much faster, so you’ll notice quite a bit of liquid in the skillet – simply drain it off & discard. 
  • The use of brandy in this particular recipe is inspired by my Wisconsin roots. ICYMI, brandy is absolutely iconic in Wisconsin & I love how its sweetness enhances that of the caramelized onions. If you don’t keep brandy on hand, check the Recipe Notes, below, for some quick substitutes. 
  • This dip really benefits from chilling overnight before serving, which allows all of its flavors to meld & develop. Prep it the day before you’d like to serve & leftovers will keep for up to 1 week in the fridge. 

Refer to the blog post, above, for some easy & fun recipe variations, as well as some delicious serving suggestions. Happy dipping! ♡

Ingredients

Scale
  • 3 large Vidalia onions or sweet onions of choice, thinly sliced
  • 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 2 tablespoons brandy (see Recipe Notes)
  • 2 tablespoons water
  • 4 ounces cream cheese, softened
  • 1 cup sour cream, at room temperature
  • 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce (see Recipe Notes)
  • 1 tablespoon sriracha or hot sauce of choice
  • 1 teaspoon ground mustard powder
  • kosher salt & white pepper, for seasoning
  • for serving, as desired: finely chopped chives, kettle chips or ruffled potato chips of choice, crudité-style veggies, etc. 

Instructions

  1. Prep the onions: Place the thinly sliced Vidalia onions in a large bowl with the baking soda & 1 teaspoon kosher salt. Toss to combine well. Set aside to rest for 15 minutes. How to make caramelized onion dip, step 1: Prep the onions. Thinly sliced Vidalia onions in a large glass mixing bowl are tossed with baking soda and kosher salt to prep for caramelization. The mixing bowl sits atop a creamy white textured surface with a ceramic bowl filled with kosher salt resting alongside. A wooden spoon rests inside of the mixing bowl for tossing the onions.
  2. Soften the onions: Add the butter & oil to a large skillet over medium heat. Once the butter is melted, add the sliced onions, stirring to coat. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 7-10 minutes until softened. (The onions shouldn’t require too much attention at this point!) As they soften, the onions may lose their shape a bit and they will let out a lot of moisture thanks to the salt & baking soda – use a spoon to remove excess liquid & discard.A close up shot of how to make vidalia onion dip, step 2: Soften the onions. Thinly sliced vidalia onions, butter, and olive oil are added to a gray Staub cast iron skillet. A wooden spoon rests inside the skillet for mixing. The skillet sits atop a creamy white textured surface.
  3. Caramelize the onions: Continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until tender, fragrant, & deeply browned, 15-20 minutes more. Helpful hints: Be sure to adjust heat as needed to allow the onions to caramelize slowly & prevent burning. The closer the onions get to reaching caramelization, the more often you will want to stir to promote even browning & prevent burning. Once caramelized, deglaze the skillet with the brandy & water, using a wooden spoon to scrape up any browned bits formed on the bottom of the pan. Increase the heat to medium-high & cook for 3-4 minutes until brandy is evaporated. Transfer the caramelized onions to a large plate & set aside to cool slightly.How to make onion dip, step 3: Caramelize the onions. Caramelized Vidalia onions rest inside of a Staub cast iron skillet. A wooden spoon used for stirring rests inside of the skillet and the skillet sits atop a creamy white textured surface.
  4. Mix the caramelized onion dip: Add the cream cheese & sour cream to a medium bowl. Using a hand mixer, blend until the mixture is completely smooth & creamy. Blend in the Worcestershire sauce, sriracha, & mustard powder, seasoning with 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt & ground black pepper as desired. Mix to combine well. Add the brandied caramelized onions to the bowl, using a spatula to gently fold them into the dip, just until combined. Ingredients to make caramelized onion dip are added to a large glass mixing bowl including blended cream cheese, sour cream, Worcestershire sauce, sriracha, mustard powder, kosher salt, and ground black pepper as the base with caramelized Vidalia onions on top. The bowl sits atop a creamy white textured surface with a wooden handle spatula resting inside. Two small ceramic pinch bowls filled with kosher salt and ground black pepper and a gray and white striped linen napkin surround the mixing bowl at center.
  5. Serving: Time permitting, this caramelized onion dip really benefits from resting overnight, which allows all of its flavors to meld together. Transfer the caramelized onion dip to a serving bowl, cover, & store in the refrigerator overnight. Whenever you’d like to serve it, simply remove from the refrigerator & top with finely chopped chives or fresh herbs as desired. Serve with chips or crudité-style veggies. Enjoy! Caramelized onion dip fills a blue and white speckled bowl for serving. The onion dip is garnished with freshly snipped chives and ground black pepper. The bowl sits atop a creamy white textured surface with a small white pinch bowl filled with freshly snipped chives, a gray and white linen napkin, and loose ruffle potato chips surrounding the bowl of dip at center.

Equipment

Notes

  • Ingredient Notes:
    • Brandy is a spirit produced by distilling wine. While it’s aged in oak barrels like most whiskeys, brandy is much smoother & sweeter than whiskey. I like adding a splash into my caramelized onions since brandy is an incredibly popular spirit in Wisconsin, where I am from & where my love of caramelized onion dip was first born. Its sweetness complements the sweet Vidalia onions beautifully! If you do not keep brandy on hand, dry sherry, dry vermouth, or dry white wine are great substitutes. If you prefer not to cook with alcohol, substitute with a splash of balsamic vinegar or chicken stock.
    • Worcestershire sauce adds amazing depth of flavor. To keep your caramelized onion dip completely vegetarian-friendly, be sure to use vegan worcestershire. Annie’s Worcestershire Sauce is my favorite vegan & organic option. 
  • Storage: Caramelized onion dip will keep, stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator, for up to 1 week. Make it ahead of time, or enjoy the leftovers later!
  • 10-Minute Meal Prep: Nearly all of the active prep work for this caramelized onion dip comes from prepping the onions. Take care of this in advance – it takes 10 minutes, tops – & you can jump straight into cooking whenever you’d like to throw together your onion dip. Simply peel & thinly slice 3 large sweet onions. Transfer to an airtight container & store in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. (>10 minutes active)

Find it online: https://playswellwithbutter.com/caramelized-onion-dip/