This easy homemade French Onion Dip recipe is tangy, creamy, and tastes just like my whole family's favorite brand (Hiland French Onion Dip). I use a technique that helps it firm up just like the store-bought stuff without needing any unnatural ingredients. This French onion dip recipe is also free of mayo, MSG, powdered soup mixes, bouillon, and other flavored soup bases (i.e. beef, chicken, vegetable) which can be delicious but isn't necessary to get that store-bought flavor we're after. If you're wondering why there are so few photos of the dip after it firms up in the fridge -- I opened the fridge for a quick taste test and I honestly couldn't stop eating it. I also couldn't believe how close it was to the real thing. As soon as we make it again, I'll be sure to update with more post-refrigeration photos (for now, there are 2 below♡.)

This dip tastes great as soon as it's been mixed, but a few hours in the fridge (or up to overnight) allow time for all the flavors to develop and for the dip to firm up to the perfect French onion dip texture you're familiar with. Grab a bag of crispy potato chips (or make your own) and start dipping. Better yet, pile this delicious dip onto homemade cheeseburgers, chicken sandwiches, and shrimp sliders for a little added oniony zip.

a glass bowl filled with homemade french onion dip with green herbs throughout and a silver spoon in the bowl

homemade fried kettle chips (in the sun)

No Need to Buy Expensive French Onion Dip -- It's Quick + Easy to Make at Home

Like so many other families, we grew up eating Hiland French Onion Dip with Classic Lay's potato chips (or occasionally Ruffles). I used to crumble the chips into a bowl, add a huge dollop of dip, stir it until it was one cohesive mass and eat it by the spoonful (just like my Mom). On the rare occasion my siblings and I are all gathered together without fail, one of us buys it, then we all talk about how good it is, we eat it all, and then repeat this cycle until we all go back home.

So, because of our deep-rooted French onion dip love, naturally, the bar was set pretty high for getting this recipe tasting as close to the original as possible. And I think we really did it with this one. Since my brother and I both live abroad, it's not possible for us to buy this dip even if we're craving it. So, if you're like us this recipe gives you the perfect reason to make your own (and make it a little healthier in the process).

(Below) Homemade French Onion Dip after Chilling in the Refrigerator.

The photos below were taken at night in artificial lighting, so they're not great, but they do show the amazing texture of this dip when it has time to chill and set up. When you first mix the dip, it feels somewhat loose, but once it's cold, it's the perfect texture. When I first tasted it after it had fully rested and all the flavors had time to properly develop, I honestly couldn't stop eating it. The dip was so good that it never made it to the following day.

a perfect consistency for homemade french onion dip — you can see the texture is full of onion and holds its shape just like the real thing.

a crispy potato chip holding a perfectly textured homemade french onion dip — homemade french onion dip after being chilled a few hours

Recreating Hiland Homemade French Onion Dip at Home

The first obvious step in recreating this dip at home was to review the list of ingredients contained in Hiland French Onion Dip (see below). Next, I had to figure out what ingredients I would use in my version that would have a similar taste and the same texture. I wanted a dip that wasn't runny or too thick -- just like the original.

Hiland French Onion Dip Ingredients (as listed on the package)

- Grade A pasteurized cultured milk and cream (sour cream), potassium sorbate, grade A whey, modified corn starch, sodium tripolyphosphate, guar gum, carrageenan, calcium sulfate, locust bean gum, salt, dehydrated onion, hydrolyzed soy and corn protein, sugar, dehydrated parsley, and monosodium glutamate (MSG).

Biting at the Bits Homemade French Onion Dip Ingredients

- sour cream (full fat), heavy cream, non-fat powdered milk, cornstarch, dried minced onion, onion powder, garlic powder, sugar, salt, parsley

French onion dip ingredients (except the sour cream) in a glass mixing bowl

the best homemade french onion dip just mixed — The dip appears a bit "loose" just after being mixed, but firms up perfectly in the fridge.

MSG-Free Homemade French Onion Dip

I'm not an MSG-basher. In fact, if you've ever eaten Doritos, Pringles, French onion dip, beef jerky, condensed soup, Chinese takeout, frozen pizza, or just about any other highly processed food, then you've eaten MSG (a flavor enhancer added to many processed foods). Since we don't really eat a lot of processed foods, I don't worry about consuming too much MSG. That said, I avoid using it as an ingredient at home, mostly because I had a negative reaction to it (when consumed in high quantities from takeout food, etc.) while living in China. The homemade French Onion Dip recipe has so much flavor that it doesn't need any additional flavor enhancers, but if you've got it, feel free to use it.

Homemade French Onion Dip Ingredients

You only need a few simple ingredients to make this creamy, tangy, French onion dip and you may already have all of them in on hand. Be sure to use spices without added salt.

1 cup full-fat sour cream (180g)
3 tablespoons heavy cream, (separated) (45g)
1 teaspoon corn starch (3g)
1 tablespoon non-fat milk powder (8g)
1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon dried onion (flakes or minced) (3g)
1 teaspoon + ⅛ teaspoon granulated onion powder (unsalted) (2g)
pinch of garlic powder (unsalted)
1 teaspoon cane sugar (or granulated sugar) (4g)
¾ teaspoon kosher salt, or more or less to taste (3g)
finely chopped (or dried) parsley, to taste

How to Make Homemade French Onion Dip in Just Minutes

This dip is so easy to make and costs way less than buying it. Fair warning, you may not be able to stop eating it though.

Make the heavy cream cornstarch slurry. Add 1 tablespoon of heavy cream to a small bowl and stir in the cornstarch. Stir the mixture together to blend until no cornstarch lumps remain.
Cook the heavy cream + cornstarch slurry. To a small saucepot, add 2 tablespoons of heavy cream and heat to a boil. Immediately whisk in the cornstarch slurry stirring constantly and continue cooking until the mixture slightly thickens and coats the back of a spoon (about 1 minute total). Remove from the heat and use a rubber spatula to transfer the slurry to a mixing bowl.
Make the dip. Add the milk powder, dried onion flakes, onion powder, garlic powder, sugar, and salt to the cornstarch slurry and whisk well to combine. Add the sour cream and whisk well to combine, adjust seasonings if needed, add a little parsley to taste, and refrigerate for at least one hour and up to overnight to allow the dip to firm up and the flavors to fully develop. Enjoy!

What to Pair with Homemade French Onion Dip

Now that you've decided to make this super easy French Onion Dip below are a few delicious ways to use it as a dipper or condiment to top your burgers and sandwiches.