Creamy Onion Dip with Sour Cream and Chives

Name: Creamy Onion Dip with Sour Cream and Chives
Prep time: 10 min
Total time: 10 min
Yield: 8 servings
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 3 tablespoons (15 g) dried minced onion; 2 teaspoons (10 ml) Worcestershire sauce; 2 teaspoons (10 ml) fresh lemon juice; 1 cup (240 g) full-fat sour cream, cold from the fridge; ½ cup (110 g) mayonnaise; ½ teaspoon (1½ g) garlic powder; ½ teaspoon (1½ g) onion powder; ½ teaspoon (2 g) kosher salt, plus more to taste; ¼ teaspoon (½ g) black pepper, freshly ground; 4 tablespoons (12 g) fresh chives, thinly sliced (⅛-inch / 3 mm rounds); 3 tablespoons for the dip, 1 tablespoon for garnish

From the MyKitchenBank Kitchen

A cool, tangy, no-cook onion dip made with sour cream and mayonnaise, seasoned with Worcestershire, garlic and plenty of fresh chives. It takes ten minutes of work and tastes better after a rest in the fridge.

Prep: 10 min
Cook: —
Wait: 1 hr 10 min
Total: 1 hr 20 min
Makes: About 1¾ cups (420 g) dip, serves 8 as an appetizer

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Steps

Before you start

Use full-fat sour cream and real mayonnaise for the creamiest, thickest dip; low-fat versions turn watery.
Plan on at least 1 hour of chilling. The dried onion needs time to soften and the flavors need time to blend.
Keep the sour cream in the fridge until you start; cold sour cream keeps the dip thick and easy to stir without splitting.
Have chips, crackers or cut vegetables ready for serving.

1
Soften the onion
- In the small bowl, stir together the dried minced onion, Worcestershire sauce and lemon juice.
- Let it sit for 10 minutes so the onion absorbs the liquid and loses its hard, crunchy texture.
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Ready when: The onion pieces look plump and moist, with no dry, hard centers; most of the liquid is absorbed.
Tip: Don't skip this step. Dried onion added straight to the dip stays gritty and pulls moisture out of it slowly.
2
Slice the chives
- Rinse the chives and pat them completely dry.
- Gather them into a tight bundle and slice into thin ⅛-inch (3 mm) rounds with a sharp knife, or snip them with kitchen scissors.
- Measure 3 tablespoons for the dip and set 1 tablespoon aside for garnish.
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Ready when: Chives are uniformly fine and dry, with no wet clumps.
Tip: A dull knife bruises chives and turns them mushy, so use a sharp one or scissors.
3
Mix the creamy base
- In the medium bowl, combine the sour cream, mayonnaise, garlic powder, onion powder, kosher salt and black pepper.
- Stir with the spatula for about 30 seconds, scraping the bottom and sides, until completely smooth with no streaks of mayonnaise or pockets of spice.
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Ready when: The base is uniformly pale and smooth, with no visible streaks or specks of spice.
Tip: Stir gently rather than whisking vigorously; overworking sour cream can thin it out.
4
Fold in onion and chives
- Scrape the softened onion and all of its liquid into the base.
- Add the 3 tablespoons of chives.
- Fold with the spatula for about 15 seconds until evenly distributed.
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Ready when: Onion and green flecks are evenly spread throughout, and the dip is thick enough to hold a soft peak on the spatula.
5
Chill to blend
- Cover the bowl tightly with plastic wrap or transfer to an airtight container.
- Refrigerate for at least 1 hour, or up to 24 hours, so the onion flavor mellows and the dip thickens slightly.
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Ready when: Dip is fully cold and noticeably thicker, with a rounded onion aroma.
Tip: The dip tastes noticeably flat straight after mixing; the chill time is what brings it together.
6
Taste, garnish and serve
- Stir the chilled dip once and taste it.
- Add a pinch more salt if the flavor seems flat, or a few drops more lemon juice if you want it tangier.
- Spoon into a serving bowl, sprinkle with the reserved 1 tablespoon chives, and serve with chips, crackers or raw vegetables.
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Ready when: The dip tastes savory, tangy and well seasoned, and is thick enough to scoop without dripping.
Tip: Salt in small pinches; chips are salty too, so the dip should be seasoned but not heavy.

Good to know

Tips

Pat the chives dry after washing; water on them thins the dip and makes it weep in the fridge.
If the dip is too thick for your dippers, stir in 1 teaspoon of milk at a time until it reaches the consistency you like.
Serve with sturdy dippers like ridged potato chips, pretzel crisps, celery, carrots or bell pepper strips.
Season after chilling, not before, since flavors change as the dip rests.

Make ahead

Make the dip up to 24 hours ahead and keep it covered in the fridge. Add the garnish chives just before serving so they stay bright green.

Storage & reheating

Room temperature: no more than 2 hours while serving (1 hour if above 90°F / 32°C). Refrigerator: airtight for up to 4 days; stir before serving and pour off any small amount of liquid on top. Freezer: not recommended, as the dip separates and turns grainy when thawed.

Substitutions

full-fat sour cream → full-fat plain Greek yogurt. Gives a slightly tangier, thicker dip; add an extra ¼ teaspoon salt.
dried minced onion → ½ cup (about 100 g) finely grated or minced fresh yellow onion (about 1 small onion), drained. Dried onion swells to roughly 3–4 times its volume, so you need much more fresh. Press the grated onion in a fine sieve to remove excess juice. Skip the soaking step: stir the Worcestershire sauce and lemon juice straight into the sour cream base in step 3, then fold in the drained onion with the chives. Fresh onion is sharper, but the bite mellows after chilling.
fresh chives → thinly sliced green onion tops. Slightly stronger flavor; use the same amount.
Worcestershire sauce → soy sauce. Use the same amount for a similar savory depth; the dip will lose the slight tang, so keep the lemon juice.