Over the past year or so it has become impossible to find my husband's favorite green onion dip in grocery stores. At first it was just his preferred brand that was hard to find, but now it's all brands.
So he won't have to do without, we've been experimenting with making our own. After scanning the ingredients list on a tub of the commercial stuff, we're better off for it.
This recipe is the best one we've made so far. It's simple enough, you may even have all of the ingredients on hand.
It's creamy, fresh and flavorful. I think it's even better than the commercial kind. Joe likes it with ridged potato chips, a combo that is quite good. But I prefer dipping with fresh vegetables — baby-cut carrots, red bell pepper, sugar snap peas, celery and radishes. Cucumbers are good, too.
Soaking the onion in cold water isn't absolutely essential, but it will reduce some of the onion's sharpness.
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Green Onion Dip
- 3 green onions, roots trimmed
- 4 ounces cream cheese, divided use
- 1 (5.3-ounce) container plain 2% or 5% milkfat Greek-style yogurt (about ¾ cup)
- 1 teaspoon freeze-dried chives (can substitute fresh)
- ½ teaspoon garlic paste OR ¼ teaspoon garlic powder (I don't recommend fresh)
- ¼ teaspoon salt, plus more to taste
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper, plus more to taste
- Lime juice, optional
Cut the white and light green parts of the onion into 1-inch pieces. Finely slice the remaining green tops. Set the green tops aside. Soak the 1-inch chunks in cold water for about 15 minutes. Drain and pat dry.
In a food processor, combine half of the cream cheese, all of the yogurt, the drained and dried onion, the chives, garlic, salt and pepper. Process until smooth. Taste and add as much of the remaining cream cheese as desired to create desired texture and flavor. Season with additional salt and pepper. Process until completely smooth. Stir in at least half of the reserved green onion tops. Taste again. If dip tastes a little flat or a little sharp, add a squeeze of lime juice.
Serve with desired dippers such as cut vegetables, crackers or potato chips.
Makes 1 generous cup dip.