A family recipe updated with fresh ingredients and real onions to make the yummiest gluten-free vegetarian Spinach Caramelized Onion Dip! Served warm or room temp, it's perfect as a holiday appetizer, Game Day Eat or anytime snacking. A total crowd-pleaser!
So excited for you to try this gluten-free Spinach Caramelized Onion Dip!
And we have a cooking video on this page so you can see how easy it is to make! (if you’re new to this website, there is a printable recipe with exact measurements and directions at the bottom of the page.)
It’s a family recipe updated with fresh ingredients and real onions, caramelized to give the best flavor!
We love it warm, served with gluten-free crackers or even carrot or celery sticks. But it is equally good as it comes to room temperature.
A little background…
We love snack-y foods and who doesn’t love a great spinach onion dip? It’s a classic, right?
But many spinach onion dips are made with dehydrated onion soup mixes which aren’t gluten-free. We’ve seen a few gluten-free soup mixes online but not in stores.
The family recipe we adapted this from didn’t use an onion soup mix but is made with bacon, and as many of you know, I am a long time vegetarian, so we needed another way to get the great flavor.
Caramelized onions were the perfect way!
This dip is super creamy, has a great onion flavor (plus lots of pieces of real onion!) and is sooooo good!
So let’s make it!
Here’s what you’ll need:
olive oil
onions
kosher salt
frozen spinach
cream cheese or dairy-free cream cheese
light mayo or vegan mayo
pecorino romano
scallions
fresh parsley
lemon juice
And it’s a simple recipe… the only cooking required is caramelizing the onions. Then you mix all the ingredients together in a large bowl and bake!
The first thing you need to do is get the caramelized onions started because lots of the flavor comes from caramelized onions and that’s the only real cooking involved.
There are lots of ways to caramelize onions but the key is to not rush the cooking, let them cook up slowly.
Onions are naturally high in sugars and when they cook, they soften and get tender, releasing sugars which give them that yummy caramelized flavor as they continue to cook up and brown when you cook them slowly over a medium low heat for about 15-20 minutes.
Because the onions are getting mixed up into the dip, I cut them thin and used the full circles if the onion was small but cut the onion in half if the onion slice is too big. Otherwise, you’ll have big piece of caramelized onion in the dip.
You cook them over medium low heat with some olive oil and a sprinkle of salt, stirring frequently, until caramelized, golden and just starting to get crispy.
Meanwhile, when the onions are just about done, mix together cream cheese, mayo, pecorino, parsley, lemon juice and scallions.
Then add the caramelized onions and spinach and mix until well combined.
Transfer to a baking dish and bake for 15-20 minutes or until warm.
When it comes out of the oven, the top will be a touch golden, so let sit a minute then give a stir if desired.
After, stirring, serve with chips, crackers or even carrot and celery sticks.
Hope you love it as much as we do!
PIN it!
Scroll down for recipe and leave a comment if you make it.
A family recipe updated with fresh ingredients and real onions to make the yummiest gluten-free vegetarian Spinach Caramelized Onion Dip! Served warm or room temp, it's perfect as a holiday appetizer, Game Day Eat or anytime snacking. A total crowd-pleaser! Prep time includes caramelizing the onions.
10ozpackage frozen spinachde-thawed and drained of water
8ozcream cheese or dairy-free cream cheesesoftened
1/4cuplight mayo or vegan mayo
1/2cuppecorino romano
3scallionschopped (white and green parts)
1tablespoonchopped fresh parsley
2teaspoonslemon juice
Instructions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and gently oil a baking dish.
If you haven't already, dethaw frozen spinach by placing it in a fine strainer and running hot water over it. Let sit and drain of water. Before adding to dip, gently squeeze out excess water.
Meanwhile, in a medium saucepan, heat 1-2 tablespoon olive oil over medium heat until shimmering, not burning, then add onions and gently stir. Sprinkle with salt. After they start to sizzle, reduce heat to low and let cook, stirring frequently until golden and caramelized.
When onions are almost done, in a mixing bowl, combine cream cheese, mayo, pecorino, parsley, lemon juice and scallions. Mix until well combined and smooth.
Add caramelized onions and spinach and mix until well combined.
Transfer to the prepared baking dish.
Bake for 15-20 minutes until warm.
Give a stir if desired and serve with your favorite gluten-free crackers, chips or carrot and celery sticks. Enjoy!
Hi! My name is Karen, and I’m the mom in our Healthy Gluten-Free Family. My posts and pictures here and on Instagram, Pinterest, Facebook and Twitter are labors of love that allow me to share a very personal journey with you, one our family has taken together — learning, experimenting and sharing how to raise a healthy happy gluten-free family. Read more ...
This recipe was so easy and so good!!
Better than the traditional spinach dip recipe by far!!!
Love it!!
So happy you love it! Thank you!