Three words, say it, and I’m yours: French. Onion. Dip. Although my girl Blair Waldorf wasn’t talking about these three words, I have a feeling that if she tried my Vegan French Onion Dip, she’d fall in love with it faster than she fell in love with Chuck Bass. Too many Gossip Girl references? No worries, you don’t need them to know that this Vegan French Onion Dip is the perfect dairy-free spin on your favorite cheesy, onion-y, soup.
You’ll want to bookmark this recipe for game days, family get-togethers, or anytime you need a crowd-pleasing appetizer. Or, just a really delicious snack. There are no rules here, and I’m not judging!
Just make sure you save this recipe. Otherwise, you know you’ll miss it. Xoxo, Kalejunkie.
Let me be honest here: I love dairy, but dairy doesn’t always love me. Like many people, I dabble in being lactose intolerant, and while I won’t let this stop me from having real cheese, butter, or even ice cream on occasion, I try to stay dairy-free as much as I possibly can. It’s gentler on my body, and generally just makes me feel better. Hence, why I’m always coming up with dairy-free versions of my favorite foods, like this French onion dip!
If you’ve never had French onion dip, then you are missing out. Period. It’s everything you love about the classic French onion soup, except blended into a dip that’s more suited for chips, rather than croutons (although if you really wanted to, you could try eating this dip with my Homemade Garlic Sourdough Croutons!) I grew up eating the infamous Lay’s French Onion Dip, but as with most processed foods, it’s full of inflammatory oils, refined sugar, and other ingredients that we don’t need to be eating day-to-day, especially when healthier recipes exist!
What you need to make this vegan French onion dip
Most of the ingredients in this recipe are pantry staples, meaning you likely will already have them on hand! It makes this recipe super easy to whip up in a pinch. You’ll thank me later for this one.
- Yellow Onions: After all, we can’t have French onion dip without the onions! I recommend using yellow onions for this recipe, and making sure they’re sliced super thin.
- Olive Oil: Olive oil, or a more neutral oil like avocado oil works well for this recipe!
- Cashews: If you know me, then you know that I love using cashews to keep my dairy-free recipes ultra-creamy.
- Water: Water is necessary to make sure that this dip doesn’t turn out too thick.
- Lemon Juice: Lemon juice and apple cider vinegar will add the acid for this recipe and cut through the creaminess of the cashew and the boldness of the onion.
- Apple Cider Vinegar: Think of the ACV in this recipe like the lemon juice’s twin sister. Both of them work beautifully together.
- Worcestershire sauce: Some people love it, some people hate it, and most people can’t say it. This is important for getting the flavor correct for this recipe, so don’t skip it!
- Onion Powder: This will help make the onion flavor just a little more pronounced!
- Salt + Pepper: Salt and pepper make everything taste better.
How to make this vegan French onion dip
This vegan French onion dip takes some time to put together, but trust me when I say that it’s worth the effort. You’ll need some time to make this one, but it’s totally worth it in the end!
- Start by caramelizing the onions; slice the onions super thin and put your olive oil in a pan over medium heat. Once the pan is hot, add the onions. It will sizzle a little bit!
- Continuously stir the onions. Once they start to soften, turn the heat to low. If it looks a bit dry, add a tablespoon or so of water. You don’t want them to dry out. It take a while for the onions to caramelize – about 40 minutes to one hour – but it will be worth it!
- Once the onions are done, remove them from the pan from the heat and allow the onions to cool. Chop the onions into smaller pieces.
- Next, prepare the dip. Get out a blender! Drain the cashews, and add them to the blender, along with the water, lemon juice, apple cider vinegar, Worstechire slice, onion powder, and salt. Blend until nice and smooth. It should be THICK 🙂
- Next, place the dip mixture into a large bowl. Add most of the caramelized onions to the mixture and stir. Taste to adjust the seasonings, maybe adding more salt or a touch of ground black pepper.
- Garnish with remaining caramelized onions and chopped chives.
- Serve with ribbed potato chips, and enjoy!
If you make this recipe, please be sure to leave a rating and a comment below – this really helps others decide whether to make this recipe as well. And since I practically live on Instagram, be sure to tag me in your creations so I can see them and repost! Enjoy!
Ingredients
- 3 Medium Yellow Onions, sliced thin
- 2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
- 2 Cups Raw Cashews, soaked for at least 3 hours (or in a pinch for 15 minutes in boiling hot water)
- ¾ Cup Water
- 3 Tablespoons Lemon Juice
- 2 Teaspoons Apple Cider Vinegar
- ¾ Teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1 Teaspoon Onion Powder
- 1 Teaspoon Sea Salt
- Black Pepper to taste
Instructions
- The first step is to caramelize the onions.
- Slice onions super thin.
- Add the olive oil to a large skillet, over medium heat.
- Once the pan is hot, add the onions. It will sizzle a little bit!
- Continuously stir the onions. Once they start to soften, turn the heat to low. If it looks a bit dry, add a tablespoon or so of water. You don’t want them to dry out.
- It take a while for the onions to caramelize – about 40 minutes to one hour – but it will be worth it!
- Once the onions are done, remove them from the pan from the heat and allow the onions to cool. Chop the onions into smaller pieces.
- Next, prepare the dip. Get out a blender! Drain the cashews, and add them to the blender, along with the water, lemon juice, apple cider vinegar, worcestershire sauce, onion powder, and salt. Blend until nice and smooth. It should be THICK.
- Next, place the dip mixture into a large bowl. Add most of the caramelized onions to the mixture and stir. Taste to adjust the seasonings, maybe adding more salt or a touch of ground black pepper.
- Garnish with remaining caramelized onions and chopped chives.
- Serve with ribbed potato chips, and enjoy!
Rate & review
SELECT A RATING and tell me what you think!
What others are saying
As soon as I saw this recipe I knew I had to try it. Minutes after reading the recipe I started making it, and I must say it is delicious! I highly recommend making this!
I made this dish twice over the July 4th weekend, and it was a hit amongst all my friends! I’m not vegan/nor are my friends, but I’m always looking for dairy free alternatives. This dip checked all the boxes and was full of so much delicious caramelized onion flavor and great texture. It doesn’t taste cashew-y at all. We dipped with with freshly baked bread, cucumbers and potato chips. Highly recommend!
That sounds delicious, Tyler! Thank you so much for your kind comment, I’m so happy you and your friends loved it so much!
Hi! This dip looks amazing! I’m excited to make it but am not used to using cashews – I know this says to drain the cashews before blending…..but how long do we soak the cashews beforehand?
Thanks so much! Can’t wait to try this!
Hi Jenna! You’ll want to soak the cashews overnight. 🙂