This gluten-free & vegan french onion dip features homemade caramelized onions and dairy-free sour cream. It's creamy, tangy, and delicious! Whether it's for a game day party or just the family, this appetizer is sure to be a fan favourite.
This Gluten-Free & Vegan French Onion Dip recipe is the perfect game day party appetizer. It's creamy, tangy, onion-y, and addictive. Seriously, my family crushes this bowl every time.
A sour cream and mayonnaise base is flavoured with spices, some lemon juice, and of course caramelized onions. This Heluva Good! Dip copycat recipe is homemade from scratch, allowing you to customize the ingredients to your dietary preferences. If you're vegan and dairy-free, feel free to use dairy-free products. If you're just gluten-free or lactose-free, feel free to use the real deal dairy products.
Gluten-free and vegan french onion dip / Heluva Good! Dip copycat / dairy-free onion dip / dairy-free chip dip—whatever you want to call it, this recipe is a hell of a good dip. Keep reading to learn how to make it.
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Looking for more gluten-free appetizers? Check these out:
Gluten-Free Mozzarella Sticks, Dairy-Free Spinach & Artichoke Dip, Vegan Buffalo Cauliflower Wings, Gluten-Free Air Fryer Fried Pickles, Gluten-Free Onion Rings
Why You'll Love This Recipe
- Easy make-ahead app. This french onion dip actually gets better the longer it sits, making this the ideal appetizer to make the day before a party.
- Customizable and allergy-friendly. You get to choose how you make this dip! It's easily gluten-free, dairy-free, vegan, nut-free, and more.
- Better than store bought. Since you get to control the ingredients, you can rest assured this dip is somewhat healthier for you with no funky ingredients.
Ingredients Needed
Here is everything you'll need to make this gluten-free and vegan french onion dip:
- Caramelized onions: These are the backbone of this dip's flavour! Nothing beats homemade, low & slow cooked caramelized onions. In this recipe, I recommend white onions diced finely so the dip is easy to eat. Cook them down for an hour with a little bit of avocado oil, salt, and sugar, and you're good! Maybe make some extra to snack on... they're that delicious.
- Sour cream: This is the base of the dip's texture. I use the Earth Island vegan sour cream (known as Follow Your Heart in the USA). I've also used Tofutti - although that one is a little thicker and may need a touch of water to thin the dip out. If you don't need to be dairy-free, use regular sour cream.
- Mayonnaise: I also use the Earth Island vegan mayonnaise (known as Follow Your Heart in the USA). A small amount of mayo helps the consistency and flavour of the dip. Use regular mayonnaise if you are not dairy-free.
- White vinegar & lemon juice: These are super important! When I was recipe testing, I kept feeling like there was a lack of "tang" to the dip when I compared it to my memory of store-bought alternatives. Both vinegar and lemon juice add a depth of flavour that are critical to that "tang". They especially intensify the flavours as the dip chills.
- Onion powder: Because you can't have too much onion in french onion dip! Believe it or not, the caramelized onions actually don't add as much flavour as they do texture to the dip, so onion powder is important to obtain the flavour.
- Garlic powder: Adds a lil somethin' somethin' in addition to the onion powder. Feel free to add more if you like it garlicky.
- Salt & pepper: It's important to season the dip to your liking!
Step-by-Step Instructions
Be sure to read the recipe card below for the full ingredient list and instructions.
To make the caramelized onions
(1) Begin by heating avocado oil in a large skillet over medium heat. I've found that a stainless steel skillet produces the best results. While that's heating up, finely dice the 2 onions.
(2) Add the onions to the skillet and sauté for 2-3 minutes so they can start to sweat. Then turn the heat to medium-low and stir in ½ teaspoon salt.
Cook for 30 minutes, stirring every 2-3 minutes. Add the sugar and continue cooking for another 20-30 minutes, stirring every 2-3 minutes until brown and caramelized. If the onions ever get too dry, you can add 1-2 tablespoon water at a time to rehydrate and help caramelize.
(3) Remove from the heat and allow to cool completely, about 30 minutes. This part could also be done the night before and stored in the fridge.
To assemble the dip
(4) In a medium-sized bowl, combine the sour cream, mayonnaise, vinegar, lemon juice, onion powder, garlic powder, salt & pepper. Stir in the caramelized onions. Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours, ideally overnight.
(5) Remove from the fridge just before you are ready to serve. Enjoy!
How to Serve French Onion Dip
There are so many ways to eat this gluten-free and vegan french onion dip.
Serve with crinkle cut potato chips (I love to serve this french onion dip with Ruffles chips), crackers, carrots, cucumber, celery, you name it. This vegan french onion dip will make anything taste good.
Gluten-Free and Vegan French Onion Dip will taste great on an appetizer table among Vegan Buffalo Cauliflower, Gluten-Free Air Fryer Mozzarella Sticks, Gluten-Free Fried Pickles, and more.
Storage Instructions
Leftover french onion dip (if any) can be stored in the fridge, covered, for 2 days. Freezing is not recommended.
Substitutions
While this recipe was developed with optimal ingredient pairings, here are a few substitution suggestions if required:
- Dairy: As mentioned, feel free to use the type of mayonnaise and sour cream that work best for you. If you are just gluten-free, use the dairy version. If you are dairy-free or vegan, use your favourite brand of dairy-free products.
- Onion type: I like to caramelize white onions. My next suggestion would be to use yellow or "cooking" onions. Red onions may change the taste of the dip.
- Acid: If you don't have white vinegar or lemon juice, just substitute one for another. If you don't have vinegar, use the same amount of lemon juice (which would be 1 whole teaspoon of lemon juice total!)
Tips for Success
- Be patient. Low and slow wins. Caramelizing onions is a process that takes time. If you take them off the heat too soon, you'll be missing out on the sweet caramelization in your dip.
- Use a stainless steel pan for caramelizing onions. You actually want the onions to stick to the pan a little and create a bit of "fond" (which is basically the crusty flavour on the bottom of the pan). A non-stick pan would, well, not stick. This could cause your onions to not break down and caramelize properly, plus it will take way longer.
- Caramelize the onions then night before. You want them to fully cool before mixing into the dip. Plus this breaks the prep down into smaller steps.
- Let the dip sit overnight. TRUST ME! It's hard to wait, but the dip tastes 1000x better the next day. This lets the flavours mingle and come together into one homogenous dip.
Frequently Asked Questions
While there are no gluten-containing ingredients in Heluva Good! french onion dip (that I read), it is not a certified gluten-free product. Consume at your own risk. When we make this recipe at home though, you can rest assured it's gluten-free!
Traditionally, french onion dip contains some combination of sour cream, mayonnaise, and even yogurt—all of which contain dairy. This recipe can easily be made vegan, though!
This is a relative question. If you eat it every day, probably not. Everything is okay in moderation. But when we make a dip recipe at home and have control over the ingredients, we can ensure it feels good for us.
Stainless steel is my favourite pan for caramelizing onions. You actually want the onions to stick to the pan a little and create a bit of "fond" (which is basically the crusty flavour on the bottom of the pan). A non-stick pan would, well, not stick. This could cause your onions to not break down and caramelize properly, plus it will take way longer.
Freezing this dip is not recommended. The texture would become unpleasant.
This gluten free and vegan french onion dip is sure to be a fan favourite at your next game day feast. It's perfect for anyone and everyone to enjoy!
Have you made this vegan french onion dip recipe? I'd love it if you leave a 5-star rating below, and show me on instagram @livglutenfree!
More Gluten-Free Appetizers
Recipe
Gluten-Free and Vegan French Onion Dip (Heluva Good! Dip Copycat)
Ingredients
Caramelized Onions
- 2 tablespoon avocado oil
- 2 medium-large white onions diced
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon sugar
Dip
- 1½ cups sour cream, use dairy-free if preferred
- ¼ cup mayonnaise , use dairy-free if preferred
- ½ teaspoon white vinegar
- ½ teaspoon lemon juice
- 1¼ teaspoon onion powder
- ⅛ teaspoon garlic powder
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- few cracks black pepper
Instructions
Caramelized Onions
- Begin by heating avocado oil in a large skillet over medium heat. A stainless steel skillet will likely produce the best results. While that's heating up, finely dice the 2 onions.
- Add the onions to the skillet and sauté for 2-3 minutes so they can start to sweat. Then turn the heat to medium-low and stir in ½ teaspoon salt.
- Cook for 30 minutes, stirring every 2-3 minutes. Add the sugar and continue cooking for another 20-30 minutes, stirring every 2-3 minutes until brown and caramelized. If the onions ever get too dry, you can add 1-2 tablespoon water at a time to rehydrate and help caramelize.
- Remove from the heat and allow to cool completely, about 30 minutes. This part could also be done the night before and stored in the fridge.
Dip Assembly
- In a medium-sized bowl, combine the sour cream, mayonnaise, vinegar, lemon juice, onion powder, garlic powder, salt & pepper. Stir in the caramelized onions. Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours, ideally overnight.
- Remove from the fridge just before you are ready. Serve with crinkle cut potato chips, crackers, carrots, cucumber, celery, you name it! This vegan french onion dip will make anything taste good. Leftovers (if any) can be stored in the fridge for 2 days. Enjoy!
Let us know what you think!