Hot Caramelized Onion Dip {Slow Cooker}
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Hot caramelized onion dip made in the slow cooker. Caramelize the onions in a pan and then let everything cook together in the slow cooker. Top it with a little shredded gruyere and the crowd will go WILD!
HOT CARAMELIZED ONION DIP comin’ attcha today. Open up wide.
Yes friends, it is possible to make the most delicious dip you’ve ever had in.the.slow.cooker. Sometimes I feel like I share a bit too much with the world, like my borderline inappropriate relationship with party foods. This recipe has been on an endless loop in my head for the last several months. I kept writing myself off saying the holidays would be the perfect time for it. And how good would this be to serve at a Christmas or New Years Eve party?
But I wanted to make us a caramelized onion dip that would cook itself in the slow cooker so it keeps the oven free for other things when your hosting a big shindig (side note: do people even say ‘shindig’ anymore?). And this is as simple as caramelizing the onions on the stove and dumping the ingredients into a slow cooker. That’s it! Now sit back while it makes the whole house smell amazing.
I served this to company last Saturday night and I kid you not, they declared this the BEST dip i’ve ever made.
I’ll be honest, last year when I posted my caramelized onion, mushroom and gruyere puff pastry bites, I wasn’t sure if you guys would feel that recipe. I mean, I LOVE caramelized onions, but maybe it’s just me? And then you guys made my puff pastry bites, and loved them. And I knew I just had to get this recipe up here. Because gruyere and caramelized onions own a piece of my heart. Is there anyone in the WORLD that doesn’t love a hot, gooey, oniony, cheesy dip? I’m thinking like maybe 1 person. Pretty sure the rest of us are on board with this thang.
I had a couple of kitchen whomp whomps the last week, but this definitely wasn’t one of them. Unlike my other attempts, this homemade caramelized onion dip is a little piece of heaven. I whipped it up last Thursday (if you follow me on Snapchat, you saw it step by step!) cooled it and popped it in the refrigerator for a dinner party on Saturday night. And man! The flavors! They were bolder, more meshed together and just INSANE. You know that moment when you take a bite of something so delicious, your brain does a little dance inside your head (tell me you know what i’m talking about)? Yes. That. Times 1000.
Let’s talk recipe for a minute here.
I caramelized the onions the same way I always do. I heat up my cast iron skillet with a little butter and olive oil add in the onions and let them sweat for a bit. Once they kind of shrink back a little, I sprinkle in some thyme, and sugar, then just babysit them for about 20-25 minute on the low heat setting until they brown, sizzle, and caramelize.
Pop the caramelized onions along with the other dip ingredients into the slow cooker. The only thing you want to hold back on is the brie and the gruyere. If the other ingredients and quantities look similar to you, it’s because I adapted them from my spicy spinach and artichoke dip. So yes, this is a blend of caramelized onions and my spinach and artichoke dip blended together – minus the actual spinach and artichokes, of course.
I add the brie cheese in small cubes about 45 minutes before the dip is done cooking. This allows it to melt nicely. The gruyere goes on about 20-30 minutes before the dip is done. Keep in mind the gruyere won’t bubble up and brown in the slow cooker. It will however melt and be stringy. If you want the top to bubble-up, I suggest transferring the dip to a buttered baking dish, topping with gruyere and allowing it to melt at 400ºF for a few minutes. Then, start the broiler for 1-2 minutes until it browns a bit. The other option – a blow torch. Which i’m sure you’ve got lying around, right? This was the first time I used one. And I was scared to death. The things I do for a good picture!
My task for you —
Make this dip.
Serve this dip.
Make everyone happy.
It’s that simple.
Hot Caramelized Onion Dip {Slow Cooker}
Hot caramelized onion dip made in the slow cooker. Caramelize the onions in a pan and then let everything cook together in the slow cooker. Top it with a little shredded gruyere and the crowd will go WILD!
Ingredients
- 2 large onions, halved and thinly sliced
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1 tablespoon canola oil
- ½ teaspoon fresh thyme (¼ teaspoon dried)
- 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
- ½ tablespoon balsamic vinegar
- 4 ounces cream cheese (not low fat or fat-free)
- ½ cup sour cream
- ½ cup full-fat mayonnaise
- 1 cup milk
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic
- ½ teaspoon red pepper flake
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- ¼ cup parmesan cheese
- ½ cup brie, diced
- 1 cup shredded gruyere (see notes)
Instructions
- Heat the oil and butter in a large cast iron skillet over medium heat. Add the onions and let sauté for 5 minutes, stirring as required. Add the thyme and sugar and continue to cook for 20-25 minutes on medium-low heat. Be sure to stir the onions every 5 minutes so they caramelize evenly. If at any point the onions are caramelizing too fast, turn down the heat to the low setting. Add the balsamic vinegar to deglaze the pan, allow the onions to soak it all in. Remove from heat.
- Spray the inside of your slow cooker with cooking spray so the dip doesn't stick to the sides. Add the caramelized onions, cream cheese, sour cream, mayonnaise, milk, garlic, red pepper flakes, black pepper, and parmesan. Allow the dip to cook, covered for 2 - 2 ½ hours on the high heat setting. Check and stir as required.
- When 40 minutes remain in the cooking time, add the diced brie cheese and stir to combine.
- When 20-25 minutes remaining, add the shredded gruyere on top. Keep in mind the gruyere will NOT brown and bubble in the slow cooker. It will however melt and become stringy.For a bubbly top, transfer the dip to a buttered baking dish, then top with gruyere and allow the cheese to melt under the broiler for a few minutes.
- Serve warm with toasted baguette slices or crackers.
Notes
- Depending on the type of brie you use, it may cause oil to pool at the top when the brie cheese is done melting. If this happens, use a large spoon to remove as much oil from the top of the dip as possible.
- The recipe can easily be doubled or tripled in a larger slow cooker. Cooking time will vary. You'll need to watch for doneness. Be sure to cook the onions in a larger skillet or in batches. You don't want them to steam.
- CARAMELIZED ONIONS: you can caramelize the onions up to 48 hours in advance and assemble the dip in the slow cooker when ready. Just be sure to zap the onions in the microwave for 30 seconds or so to allow it to come back to room temp.
- GRUYERE: can be replaced with shredded white cheddar or provolone for a more economical option.
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16 Comments on “Hot Caramelized Onion Dip {Slow Cooker}”
Hi Marzia,
I’m doing a test run of your Hot Caramelized Onion Dip for Super Bowl Sunday, and if it turns out okay (and I don’t eat it all…) I was thinking about just reheating it instead of making it from scratch again. So I have two questions: 1) do you think it will reheat well? 2) how would you do it? I was thinking about heating it in the crock pot, but I defer to you!
Thanks so much!
Preston
Hey Preston! Glad you’re giving the dip a try. It reheats really well, I’ve made it ahead and reheated it on several occasions. I usually let it sit at room temperature for roughly 45 minutes before reheating. When I reheat this dip, I transfer it to a baking dish sprayed with nonstick cooking spray and then top it with cheese (either I don’t put the gruyere on the day before or I just add a bit more.) Then just pop it into a 325F preheated oven for 25-35 minutes or until it’s heated through and bubbly on top! You can cover it with a piece of foil if it starts to brown too quickly. I think you could use a slow cooker to reheat as well (low heat setting) but I’m unsure about the timing as I usually go with the oven method. Hope you enjoy the dip!
i didn’t have thyme on hand but i used the cento Italian seasoning instead and it was so good. Every time i’m invited to a party people request i bring this dip!
Surprised my wife and made this dish tonight. She LOVED it. She’s replacing her previous favorite onion dip with this one. The instructions worked perfectly. Thank you for sharing!
-Jon
How many does this feed??
Hi Joanne, the recipe makes about 10 servings
I would like to make this dip recipe. Do you have instructions for carmelizing onions if you don’t have a cast iron skillet. Thanks Lisa
You can also caramelize them in a stainless steel pan and it shouldn’t change the cooking time by more than a couple of minutes! 🙂
Do you remove the rind from the Brie?
You can remove it or cut the brie into extra thin slices and then it kind of all just blends in to the dip!
Not everyone can get guyere cheese because of availability and expense; therefore, would you recommend a good swiss cheese for a sub?
If you check the notes section of the recipe you’ll see I’ve suggested a few different options to replace the Gruyere with! Hope that helps!
This looks awesome and I’m definitely making it! Quick question about the tablespoon of minced garlic. Since you called it a “tablespoon” and not a quantity of cloves, can I assume it’s dried and not fresh?
Glad to hear you’ll be making the dip! I used 1 tablespoon of fresh garlic for this recipe.
This sounds wonderful! Thinking about making it for a party this weekend. I’m looking for recipes that I can make ahead and/or use my slow cooker so that I can free up my oven as much as possible. You mentioned making it on Thursday and serving on Saturday. How many of the steps did you do ahead of Saturday? Or did you complete the entire recipe and just reheated it on Saturday?
I usually just make the caramelized onion portion in advance and store it in an airtight container until the day of but I do think you could prepare the dip up to 1 day in advance and refrigerate. The day of your event, you’d allow it to come to room temperature (at least 2 hours if it’s cold where you live), top with the shredded gruyere and allow it to just heat through in a 450-degree oven (it shouldn’t need more than 10-15 minutes). You can turn the broiler on during the last 1-2 minutes if you’d like the cheese to have a nicely browned crust!