This is hands-down one of my most requested appetizers/dips from friends and family. I cannot take any credit – this one hails from Queen Ina herself. Absolutely all of her recipes are perfect, whether you are making them for the first time or the hundredth time. I have said for years that if you follow her recipes, you cannot fail – they always turn out.

That being said, I feel like it takes my onions to carmelize A LOT longer than it indicates in the recipe. Not convinced I am doing anything wrong, but I keep meaning to scale back on the oil/butter and see if I can get the onion to caramelize faster. The recipe written as-is also has a lot of extra oil once the onions are cooked, which I don’t think is necessary, so I tend to drain my onions a bit before transferring them to the bowl with the creamy ingredients. The time it takes to make this dip is worth it though – it’s outstanding! I usually double it since most of the time it’s for a crowd. The store bought versions pale in comparison, unless you can find the Trader Joe’s take, which is pretty darn close in a pinch!

Serve this dip room temperature with your favorite potato chips. Ruffles ridged chips for me, please! Can make ahead and store in refrigerator for up to 3 days.

Recipe

Ingredients

• 2 large yellow onions, sliced
• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 4 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 1/2 cup mayonnaise

Instructions

1. Cut the onions in half, then slice them into 1/4-inch-thick rounds. This should yield approximately 3 cups of onions.
2. Heat the butter and oil in a large sauté pan on medium heat. Add the onions, cayenne, salt, and pepper and sauté for 10 minutes. Reduce the heat to medium-low and cook, stirring occasionally, for 20 more minutes, until the onions are browned and caramelized. This step typically takes me closer to 40 – 50 minutes total – just sayin’. Allow the onions to cool. Remove some of the extra oil from the onion mixture if you prefer.
3. Place the cream cheese, sour cream, and mayonnaise in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment and beat until smooth. Add the onions and mix well. Taste for seasonings. Serve at room temperature.