Classic Lipton's Onion Soup Dip - Frugal Hausfrau (2024)

46 Comments February 3, 2017 FrugalHausfrau

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Did you grow up with this Classic Lipton’s Onion Soup Dip made from Lipton’s Onion Soup Mix and Sour Cream? I did, and we considered it a real treat at our house.

French Onion Dip made with Home-Made Lipton’s Onion Soup Mix

It’s been years, decades even, since I’ve made or even tasted this Classic Lipton’s Onion Soup Dip. I couldn’t resist trying it out with my homemade version of Lipton’s Onion Soup Mix. When I couldn’t easily find the original recipe, I decided this had to be a post.

About Classic Lipton’s Onion Soup Dip:

I grew up in the 60s and 70s and we rarely had any food around that was considered “snack food.” Usually, items like that were reserved for when there was a special occasion. (Not that us kids didn’t figure out how to raid the kitchen and snack on any random things we could find.)

When company came (remember, this was way prior to “entertaining”), it was a whole different story. People pulled out all the stops, and this was one of the things Mom mixed up. It was served with Lay’s Potato Chips, the ridged ones. Or maybe it WAS Ruffles, as Kathryn pointed out below.

It doesn’t matter, coz you can serve your Classic Lipton’s Onion Soup Dip with either or with a knockoff these days. Or it can be served with other thing. Maybe some veggies? Seems like heresy, so I dunno, do whatever you want but gimme my chips!

The Verdict:

I remember this dip being kind of a revelation when I was a kid. There was nothing like it that could be bought from the grocery store and it caught on like wildfire. Everyone knew about it and everyone made it! It seems Lipton’s advertised it heavily, according to Fully Belly Files.

Then there was heavy competition from the producers of premade dips from the grocery store and recipes for all kinds of dips and spreads were more available. I got into making scratch Onion Dips, like this Classic French Onion Dip or this Skinny Version. And this fabulous Caramelized Onion Dip with Bacon.

When I made this for my folks (I’m down at their house helping them out) it elicited an enthusiastic little moan from my 86 year old Dad. I’ll take that as a “yes” vote. And my Stepmom liked it, too. And me? I was like, “Dang. It really IS good.”

Yeah, food snob me was surprised that something so old school, something so easy to make, could be so good.

Homemade Onion Soup Mix

Making Classic Lipton’s Onion Soup Dip:

There is nothing to making your Classic Lipton’s Onion Soup Dip. Just mix it up and let it sit for a while in the fridge for a half an hour to an hour. If you can stand to wait. That softens up those onion flakes a bit and melds all the flavors together.

Do you live in one of those areas of the country where the only sour cream you can buy is the thinner sort? That used to be the case here in Minnesota, so I don’t know if that’s a thing where you live. If it is or if you don’t want to shell out the big bucks for a premium brand of sour cream, line a strainer with a paper towel or cheesecloth and strain it in the fridge for an hour or more until the consistency of your sour cream is nice and thick. You’ll need a little bit more sour cream if you do this, to compensate for any liquid that is drained off.

I’m not sure if it was my homemade Lipton’s Onion Soup Mix that gave this dip a bit of an edge, but I’d like to think so!That homemade Soup Mix is a super easy recipe. It’s just a matter of having the ingredients on hand, so you’ll want to check that you do if you go this route.

Update: I recently made this dip twice, once with the store-bought Lipton’s Onion Soup Mix and once with my Homemade Onion Soup Mix. Both were great, and they were very close but I actually liked the one made with my own mix just slightly more. I thought it tasted just a bit fresher. The dip made with the Lipton’s was a little darker, and it was pricier, too. Keep reading!

Saving Money on Classic Lipton’s Onion Soup Dip:

First of all, Classic Lipton’s Onion Soup Dip beat the pants off any store-bought dip I’ve had from the refrigerator section. It was also cheaper, made more and was tastier than any I’ve bought. The markup on a store-bought dip is incredible.

Watch for sour cream on sale, usually before every holiday. Sour cream keeps for weeks and stays fresher once opened if it is stored upside down. When stored upside down, it’s messier when the carton is opened, but try it and see what you think. Do make sure the carton doesn’t leak (I have found some of the cheaper brands do) and if it does, put a small bowl under it.

As far as the soup mix for this dip, the homemade mix is a game changer as far as price. Lipton’s doesn’t look that pricey at the store because you’re just buying small amounts when a box is picked up. It works out to be $12.00 a pound! My homemade version is pennies!

In Conclusion:

Classic Lipton’s Onion Soup Dip could never beat out any of my dips made with slowly cooked caramelized onions, but it has a definite place in my repertoire of Onion Dips! I know that just because of the time and effort to make those dips from scratch I’ll be serving this one a lot more often! It’s so non-effort and doable.