Homemade onion soup mix is perfect for homemade French onion dip, meatloaf, burgers, soup, and more! The best part is, there’s no weird ingredients!
Recipe Overview
Why you’ll love it: One of the main reasons I love it is that it’s salt-free.
How long it takes: 5 minutes
Equipment you’ll need: small container
Servings: makes about a quarter cup
As you guys all probably know, I’ve posted a lot of homemade spice mixes in the past (if you don’t know, feel free to check out all my homemade spice blends), but I have gotten so many requests for this recipe, from readers, to good friends (hi, Allison!), to my favorite Shipt shopper (hi, Shantell!).
You all love French onion dip (I do too!) with crispy potato chips. I have a French onion dip recipe for you that begins with this homemade onion soup mix. I lightened up the dip recipe, too, with Greek yogurt standing in for the sour cream.
It’s a good thing that my dip recipe is a little lighter, because let’s be honest, that stuff is best with lots of chips. So the calories I save in the dip, I make up for with way too many chips. Way, way, waaaaay too many. Why is it so irresistible?
About This Recipe
I researched this recipe by buying a couple boxes of the store-bought version of onion soup mix and looking at ingredients. Spoiler alert: there’s a lot of weird junk in those little packets! This homemade onion soup mix is one that you can definitely feel better about eating and feeding to your family and friends: no MSG, no hard to pronounce ingredients, just good spices and herbs.
One thing to note right off the bat is that the packets that you purchase from the store do contain a granulated beef stock/broth/bouillon. I chose to leave that ingredient out for a few reasons. The first reason is that I couldn’t find granulated beef bouillon with an ingredient list I liked from my grocery store.
The second reason was that I don’t think the dip needs the beef flavor to taste great. It’s plenty flavorful without it. It also makes this recipe more compatible to special diets like paleo and gluten-free.
If you’re going to use this onion soup mix to make soup, you can definitely go ahead and add some granulated beef bouillon to this mixture. Another choice is to pick up your favorite liquid stock or make your own beef stock. You could also add it to vegetable or chicken stock.
However, without the bouillon, this onion soup mix is great for making dip, or adding flavor to burgers, meatloaf, and so much more! It’s much more versatile without the beef bouillon added,
What’s in Homemade Onion Soup Mix?
When you’re making your own, you have the control. You can eliminate all the weird stuff found in commercial brands. Here’s what’s in this recipe:
- Dried Onion Flakes: Look for onion flakes in the spice aisle of your store. Onion flakes are simply chopped up onions that have been dehydrated.
- Dried Parsley Flakes: Parsley flakes don’t have a lot of flavor but the green flecks add visual appeal.
- Onion Powder: More concentrated than onion flakes, onion powder is made with dehydrated onions that have been ground into a fine powder. There is no salt added to onion powder.
- Garlic Powder: This fine powder is made from dried garlic cloves.
- Coconut Sugar (or granulated sugar): A bit of sweetness enhances the onion flavor and makes the blend taste a bit like caramelized onions.
- Black Pepper: A simple seasoning that is indispensable. Add more if you like.
- Paprika: Use regular paprika, not smoked. Paprika is made from dried sweet red peppers.
- Celery Seed: These tiny brown seeds add a lot of celery power.
Did you notice salt is not included in this list? This is a no-sodium blend. I want you to be able to control the salt level, and if you’re adding this to soup with a beef broth, that may add all the salty flavor you need. If you make dip, give it a taste and season as needed.
The first time I made this recipe and tried it as French onion dip, I immediately bought more onion flakes and filled up a whole jar with this mixture. I know you guys are going to do the same, too.
You can also use this onion soup mix as a handy and quick way to season recipes like homemade beef stew, vegetable soup, or pot roast.
If you’re looking for the real deal French onion soup, try my recipe for French onion soup. The caramelized onions are out-of-this world fantastic. Once you learn how to caramelize onions, you’ll be wanting to add them to everything.
Like any seasoning mix, this homemade mix can be stored in an airtight container in your pantry. A small recycled jar with a tight-fitting lid is just fine as long as it’s clean and completely dry. It will keep for up to six months.
Homemade Seasoning Mixes
Homemade Onion Soup Mix
Ingredients
- ¼ cup dried onion flakes
- 1 teaspoon dried parsley flakes
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon coconut sugar (or regular granulated sugar)
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon paprika
- ⅛ teaspoon celery seed
Instructions
- In a bowl or a small jar, mix all ingredients together. Use wherever you like to use onion soup mix.
Notes
- Use as substitute for a 1-ounce envelope of store-bought onion soup mix.
- Optional: Add 2 tablespoons beef bouillon granules.
Video
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Did You Make This?Share a comment and rating below! I love hearing what you think!
How much of the mix do you use in a 16 oz container of sour cream, to make dip?
I use two tablespoons (or a touch more) in my recipe for homemade french onion dip (it uses yogurt + mayo). For 16 ounces of sour cream, I’d start with 3 tablespoons and then add more to taste. The flavors are best if you let it sit in the fridge overnight.
This a wonderful recipe for me because I can’t have salt
Perfect! I’m so glad it was helpful!
The dry onion soup mix I buy (store brand) has no beef bullion in it. Thank you so much for this recipe without it. I use dry soup mix often and I cook for some vegan folks so this is going to save me $$$.
So glad to hear that! I hope you love this recipe!
What if i dont have celery seed or onion flakes?
This recipe will not work without the onion flakes. They’re a key ingredient and worth purchasing if you’re going to make this. You could get by without the celery seed, but I love the subtle flavor it adds.
Do you recommend whole or ground celery seed?
I use whole celery seed. If you used ground, I’d recommend halving the amount as it will likely be more potent (I’ve actually never used ground celery seed for anything).
Thanks for this recipe, I’m so glad to find a version without that MSG! It will definitely come in handy. =)
SO happy to hear that! I hope you love this recipe!
I’m forever grateful to you for this delicious recipe❤️
I’m forever grateful for YOU! And I’m happy you gave me the push to develop this one because it’s one of my favorites!
thank you for this recipe. I was diagnosed last year with Meniere’s disease and i have to be on a low sodium lifestyle for the rest of my life, 1500 mg is what I’m allowed to have daily, This will work great!
Hi Kim! So happy this recipe makes your life a little easier! Thanks for leaving a comment! :)
You could use some of this mix to add extra flavor to almost anything cooked: meatloaf, meatballs, burgers, any kind of soup or stew, rice, etc.
Thanks for coming up with a healthy version!
For sure! It’s a very versatile spice mix! It would be really tasty in rice!
Would you substitute turbinado for granulated sugar?
I think I might still add a tiny bit of beef bullion granules, but I understand why you wouldn’t.
I’ve made a similar mix in a pinch.