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Vegan Onion Dip | Creamy Dairy-free Chip Dip

Looking for an alternative to the classic onion chip dip? This vegan onion dip gives it a serious run for its money – in fact, I’d go as far as saying it’s a vast improvement! Creamy and tangy, it’s an instant crowd pleaser!

This vegan caramelized onion dip is ultra creamy with the added bonus of being completely dairy-free and a great party dip option for anyone following a low-carb diet and lifestyle.

Vegan onion dip is a great source of healthy fats, zinc, and B12. Enjoy it any time of the day as a delicious snack or as a party appetizer alongside chips, crackers, or sliced raw veggies. 

What You’ll Need

Just a handful of simple vegan pantry staples are all that’s required to make this delicious dairy-free chip dip!

  • Cashews, soaked overnight
  • Yellow onion
  • Neutral oil
  • Garlic, minced
  • Lemon juice
  • Nutritional yeast (find substitutes here)
  • Salt
  • Ground pepper

How to Make Vegan French Onion Dip

Heat oil in a large pan over medium heat. Add onion and cook for 5 minutes until onions are translucent and soft.

Reduce heat a little and continue cooking for another 5 minutes, while stirring regularly.

Add minced garlic, and cook for another 3-5 minutes until the onions are golden.

Add 1 tbsp of water to the pan and stir to collect the browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Remove from the heat and set aside.

Drain and rinse your pre-soaked cashews. Place them in a blender with lemon juice and 2 tbsp water. Blend until mostly smooth, scraping down the sides of the blender as required.

Add in the nutritional yeast, salt & pepper, and continue blending until very smooth.

Add half the onion mixture to the cashew mix, blending until the onion is mixed through. You can add in a little more water to reach the desired consistency if need be.

Add the remaining onions and pulse lightly to mix but not chop too much.

Spoon the mixture into a bowl, cover, and chill (at least an hour) until ready to serve.

How to Store This Vegan Chip Dip Recipe

This dairy-free chip dip can be stored for up to 3 days in an airtight container in the refrigerator. 

You can serve this dip chilled or at room temperature in the days that follow. 

Can You Freeze Dairy-Free Onion Dip?

Yes! You may be happy to learn that this delicious vegan onion dip recipe can be frozen for up to 3 months when stored in an airtight container. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator and give it a good stir before serving. If you feel like the dip needs it, you could add a small amount of oil once thawed. 

While there’s always going to be the possibility of ice crystals forming on the frozen dip, if you’ve prepared and stored it correctly then you shouldn’t run into this problem. 

Can I Make this Vegan Onion Dip Recipe in Advance?

Absolutely! Vegan caramelized onion dip can be made a day or two prior to serving, stored in the refrigerator, and served chilled with your choice of dipping veggies and chips. 

What to Serve with Vegan Caramelized Onion Dip

The food items that immediately come to mind when serving this vegan french onion dip are chips, carrots (either baby carrots or sliced large carrots), and celery sticks. With that said, the options are pretty limitless and depend entirely on your personal preference. Consider the following options:

  • Other raw vegetables like sliced bell peppers and broccoli florets;
  • Gluten-free crackers and savory wafers;
  • Breadsticks – something like what you’d get from Olive Garden;
  • Bruschetta; or
  • Pretzels. 

Is this Vegan Onion Dip Low Carb?

This really depends on how much dip you plan on eating in one sitting. For example, 1 serving of cashews is roughly 7.6 grams of net carbs (total carbs minus fiber). You can see how this would easily add up quite quickly if you were snacking a lot on this dip. 

Depending on how much vegan onion dip you eat as well as your carb intake with other meals that day, this caramelized onion hummus could quite easily be factored into your overall carb limit for the day. Try to pair your dip with low-carb vegetables such as sliced celery, sliced bell peppers, cauliflower florets, and sliced cucumber. 

Tips for Making the Best Plant Based French Onion Dip

  • You can serve your onion dip at room temperature or chilled – it’s completely based on personal preference. 
  • Easily double the ingredients of this vegan onion dip if you are catering to a larger crowd.
  • Small amounts of leftover vegan French onion dip can be added to veganaise with some almond milk and used to coat pasta, or as a delicious sauce over roasted vegetables or a sandwich spread!
  • When making this vegan onion dip, it’s always best to taste and adjust the seasoning and nutritional yeast as you go along. 
  • The key to making this dip ultra creamy is by soaking the cashews overnight and using a high powered food processor to blend them until very smooth. 

Other Delicious Vegan Dips to Try:

Vegan Onion Dip

Vegan Onion Dip

Yield: 1.5 cups
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 20 minutes

Looking for an alternative to the classic onion chip dip? This vegan onion dip gives it a serious run for its money. It's creamy, tangy, and an instant crowd pleaser!

Ingredients

  • 3/4 cup (110g) cashews, pre-soaked overnight
  • 1 medium yellow onion, sliced
  • 1 tbsp (15ml) neutral vegetable oil
  • 4 cloves garlic, minced
  • 2 tbsp (30ml) lemon juice
  • 3 tbsp (12g) nutritional yeast
  • 1/2 tsp (3g) salt
  • 1/2 tsp (1g) ground pepper

Instructions

  1. Heat oil in a large pan over medium heat. Add onion and cook for 5 minutes until onions are translucent and soft.
  2. Reduce heat a little and continue cooking for another 5 minutes, while stirring regularly.
  3. Add minced garlic, and cook for another 3-5 minutes until the onions are golden.
  4. Add 1 tbsp of water to the pan and stir to collect the browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Remove from the heat and set aside.
  5. Drain and rinse your pre-soaked cashews. Place them in a blender with lemon juice and 2 tbsp water. Blend until mostly smooth, scraping down the sides of the blender as required.
  6. Add in the nutritional yeast, salt & pepper, and continue blending until very smooth.
  7. Add half the onion mixture to the cashew mix, blending until the onion is mixed through. You can add in a little more water to reach the desired consistency if need be.
  8. Add the remaining onions and pulse lightly to mix but not chop too much.
  9. Spoon the mixture into a bowl, cover, and chill (at least an hour) until ready to serve.

Notes

Can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.

Nutrition Information:
Yield: 6 Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 80Total Fat: 2gSaturated Fat: 0gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 2gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 50mgCarbohydrates: 14gFiber: 1gSugar: 10gProtein: 1g

Nutrition information should be considered as an estimation only.

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