This site uses affiliate links and I may earn a commission at no extra cost to you.
Perfect for game day, this from-scratch vegan French onion dip is just as yummy as the classic party dip. While it’s traditionally made with dairy-based sour cream and boxed onion soup mix, this recipe using the healthy power of cashews for creaminess, and the flavor of… yep, you guessed it, delicious sweet onions!
Want to save this recipe?
Enter your email & get this sent to your inbox! Plus you’ll get great new recipes from us every week!
Why You’ll Love this Vegan French Onion Dip Recipe!
If you love a rich, creamy dip with the bold flavor of onion shining through, this homemade onion dip recipe is for you! Even better, it’s a hit with all types of eaters. When I bring it to potlucks and parties, it gets gobbled up! Keep it classic with homemade potato chips or these healthy cheesy zucchini chips. But it also works great with crispy crackers, toasted pita bread, and veggie sticks.
This easy vegan French onion dip makes a great staple for parties or game day. It also doubles as an amazing sandwich spread! Hint: make a large batch so you have extras to use throughout the week. It’s a no-brainer with the simple, wholesome ingredients.
If you’re looking for more dishes to serve for events, check out this collection of vegan appetizer recipes. For the holidays, serve it with my veggie tray for Thanksgiving.
Ingredients for French Onion Cashew Dip
All you need to make for this French onion dip vegan are five simple ingredients plus some water and salt. It’s so easy! Here’s an overview of the main ingredients with the full list and quantities (along with a grocery list!) in the recipe card.
- Cashews: Use raw cashews and make sure they’re soaked overnight for the best results.
- Yellow onion: This vegan onion dip uses fresh onions instead of an onion soup mix. Feel free to experiment with sweet onions, especially if you prefer a sweeter flavor.
- Garlic powder: This pantry staple works great and often is already in your cabinet!
- Apple cider vinegar: The sweet, tangy flavor is perfect for the dip. However, you can also use white vinegar but it will have a slightly sharper flavor.
How To Make French Onion Dip Vegan
Preparation Steps
- Soak the cashews. Place the raw cashews in a small bowl and cover with water by about 2-3 inches. Place in the refrigerator to soak overnight.
- Drain the cashews and rinse them with cool fresh water in a colander. Let them drain and set aside.
HINT: If short on time, simply cover cashews with boiling water and let them soak as long as possible. The ideal soak time is 8 hours, the minimum is 2 hours.
Step 1: Heat the oil in a medium skillet and add the onion. Then cook on low heat, covered for 15 minutes. After that, remove the lid and cook an additional 5 minutes until golden brown.
Step 2: Combine all the ingredients in a food processor and process for 3 to 4 minutes on high until rich and creamy. If needed, add more water to reach desired consistency and scrape down the sides as needed. Finally, chill in the refrigerator for 1 to 2 hours before serving!
FAQs for Vegan French Onion Dip
The traditional recipe isn’t vegan, as it’s made with some combination of dairy-based sour cream, milk, and/or mayonnaise. But it’s easy enough to make the dip vegan by swapping out the non-vegan ingredients with vegan alternatives. My recipe uses blended, soaked cashews to give the vegan version the perfect amount of creaminess.
If you are storing this homemade onion dip, it is likely missing all the preservatives found in the store-bought brands so it will last significantly less time. For best results, store it in an airtight container or jar for up to one week.
Toni’s Recipe Tips
- Adjust the seasonings. Feel free to tweak the salt, sweetener, and vinegar as you see fit. Additionally, you can even double the onion amount if you’re an onion fan, like I am.
- No time to chill? It’s ok – you can serve it immediately but the flavors do meld together more over time.
- Forget to soak the cashews? You can use a quick method and pour hot water over them. Then let them sit as long as possible, but 1-2 hours minimum is required. The recipe will still work, you may just lose a little creaminess.
How to Serve Vegan French Onion Dip
- Spread it on your favorite sandwiches! Such as a mushroom sandwich or a roasted red pepper wrap.
- French fry dipper. Serve it up on the side to dip sweet potato fries or potato wedges.
- Dip board for parties. Add it to a large grazing board along with homemade hummus, vegan spinach dip, curry white bean dip, and pinto bean dip.
- Store-bought or homemade crackers. If you’ve got the time, try making vegan cheese crackers or rosemary vegan crackers.
More Yummy Vegan Dip Recipes
Vegan Appetizers
Vegan Curried White Bean Dip
Vegan Appetizers
Vegan Spinach Dip
Vegan Appetizers
Cold White Bean Dip with Chives
Vegan Appetizers
Lentil Dip (Red Lentil Hummus)
If you tried this vegan French onion dip recipe or any other recipe on my blog, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it went in the 📝 comments below. Thanks!
If you’re loving my recipes and would like a more comprehensive resource, check out my cookbooks!
Vegan French Onion Dip
Want to save this recipe?
Enter your email & get this sent to your inbox! Plus you’ll get great new recipes from us every week!
Ingredients
- 1 cup of raw cashews soaked overnight
- 1 ½ cups of yellow onion finely chopped
- 1 teaspoon of oil medium-high heat
- 1 ½ teaspoons of salt (or more to taste)
- ½ teaspoon of garlic powder
- ⅓ cup of water
- 1 Tablespoon of apple cider vinegar (or white vinegar)
Instructions
- Place raw cashews in a bowl and cover with water by about 2-3 inches. Place in refrigerator and let soak overnight. If short on time, simply cover cashews with boiling water and let them soak as long as possible. The ideal soak time is 8 hours, the minimum is 2 hours.
- Drain cashews and rinse in a colander. Set aside.
- In a skillet, saute finely chopped onion in 1 teaspoon of medium heat oil. Cook on low heat, covered for 15 minutes, then remove the cover and cook an additional 5 minutes until golden brown.
- In a food processor, combine all ingredients and process for 3 to 4 minutes on high until rich and creamy. Add more water and scrape down the sides as needed. Ideally, chill for 1 to 2 hours before serving (but you can eat it immediately as well).
Notes
- Adjust the seasonings. Feel free to tweak the salt, sweetener, and vinegar as you see fit. You can even double the onion amount if you’re an onion fan like I am.
- No time to chill? It’s ok – you can serve it immediately but the flavors do meld together more over time.
- Forget to soak the cashews? You can use a quick method and pour hot water over them. Let them sit as long as possible but 1-2 hours minimum is required. The recipe will still work, you may just lose a little creaminess.
i need everyone to understand this is quite possibly the best thing i’ve ever eaten! it’s so simple, but there is also no way in hell i could have ever come up with this on my own. my entire family of picky-eaters were feasting on my bowl and i had to slap their hands away.
Wow! That says a lot! Thanks so much for sharing this. Toni has the absolute best recipes on her blog! 🙂
Delicious and healthy! Perfect combination!
It’s quite the delicious combo for a dip!
Love French onion dip great to have a plant-based version
This vegan version is the best! So good!
Obsessed with this dip!!
You and me both!
This dish is so flavorful, so good!
Agreed! Definitely my kind of dip!
So so delicious! Especially with thick potato chips or toasted pita bread slices. YUM!
Agreed! Such a great dip!
This dip is so flavorful! And love the simple ingredient list!
Same! So simple and delicious!
Such a great flavorful party dip!