Cottage Cheese Onion Dip is a lower-fat, higher-protein version of classic onion dip - perfect for dipping crackers, chips, and vegetables.
My family is not much of a chips and dip family. We usually eat our chips plain. But we recently spent a couple of weeks staying with my parents, and they happened to have some chips and onion dip, and we realized that we were missing out!
While eating said chips and dip, we were chatting about how to make homemade onion dip, and what to use as a base. I mentioned the usual suspects (sour cream, yogurt, mayonnaise), but it crossed my mind that I could use the same tricks I used in my Cottage Cheese Tiramisu to puree the cottage cheese and use it as a base for Cottage Cheese Onion Dip, and if that was a success, possibly other cottage cheese-based dip flavors in the future.
I got to testing the recipe shortly after arriving home from the trip. I bought a container of my favorite brand of cottage cheese for cooking with (it's a little lower in salt than other brands, but not specifically labeled as reduced-sodium) and started researching onion dip recipes.
I knew I wanted the dip to be super fast and easy to make, which meant no actual caramelized onions (they take a long time to make and are known to burn if you don't keep an eye on them). I stuck with dried spices because they're easy to work with, and I decided to use both onion powder and dried minced onion.
I also knew that there would need to be a slightly sour component (which was confirmed after tasting the dip without adding anything sour), but I found the addition of a little lemon juice off-putting. So I swapped some of the cottage cheese for Greek yogurt.
I was left with a flavorful, savory dip that's easy to make, healthy, and versatile. You can dip chips, crackers, or vegetables in it.
How to make Cottage Cheese Onion Dip
Although it needs some time for the flavors to meld before eating it, this savory onion dip is absolutely easy to make and takes only about 10 minutes of active prep time. No cooking is required!
You will, however, need some equipment to get your cottage cheese perfectly smooth and creamy. I used an immersion blender and it worked great. However, if you don't have one, you can also use a mini food processor or small blender.
Once the cottage cheese is smooth, add the remaining ingredients, except for the salt. Taste your dip, focusing on the saltiness. I used a cottage cheese that wasn't very salty, so I found that I needed to add extra salt (I used ¼ teaspoon of MSG-salt to enhance the savory flavors in the dip.) If your cottage cheese is saltier, you may need less (or none at all) salt.
Since the majority of the seasonings in this dip are dried, it will need a bit of time for everything to rehydrate and for the flavors to meld. Let the dip sit in the fridge in an airtight container for at least an hour before serving. Store the leftovers in a container for up to a week.
Cottage Cheese Onion Dip Ingredients
- Cottage cheese - any fat percentage will work, but note that cottage cheese can vary in the amount of sodium it contains, so if yours is particularly salty (or not salty), it may affect the amount of salt you want to add to your dip (see note in the recipe).
- Plain Greek yogurt - any milkfat percentage will work
- Dried minced onion - find this in the spice aisle
- Onion powder - find this in the spice aisle
- Concentrated beef bouillon - or if you want your dip to be vegetarian, you can use the vegan "No Beef" version. Find it in the aisle with the canned soups.
- Worcestershire sauce - note that many Worcestershire sauces contain anchovies and may not be gluten-free. Make sure to buy a vegan version if needed, and check for gluten-containing ingredients.
- Garlic powder
- Ground black pepper
- MSG-salt or kosher salt - note that using MSG-salt will enhance the savory flavors of this dip, but it is not required to make this dip taste delicious.
Want more dip recipes?
Cottage Cheese Onion Dip Nutrition Notes
The nutrition information in the recipe below is for 2 Tablespoons of dip (the recipe makes about 1 cup of dip), but does not include whatever you're dipping in it.
To make this dip gluten-free, check the label of the Worcestershire sauce that you plan to use, as some contain gluten.
To make this recipe vegetarian, use a vegan beef-flavored bouillon and check the Worcestershire sauce label, as some contain fish.
Cottage Cheese Onion Dip
Equipment
- Immersion blender or use a mini food processor or small blender
Ingredients
- ¾ cup cottage cheese
- ¼ cup plain Greek yogurt
- 1 Tablespoon dried minced onion
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- ½ teaspoon concentrated beef bouillon or use vegan "No Beef" bouillon
- ½ teaspoon worcestershire sauce
- ⅛ teaspoon garlic powder
- ⅛ teaspoon ground black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon MSG-salt or kosher salt (see note)
Instructions
- Place the cottage cheese in a 2-cup measuring cup (or other vessel that fits your immersion blender) or into a mini-food processor or small blender. Blend until smooth.
- Add ¼ cup plain Greek yogurt, 1 Tablespoon dried minced onion, 1 teaspoon onion powder, ½ teaspoon concentrated beef bouillon, ⅛ teaspoon garlic powder, ⅛ teaspoon ground black pepper, and ⅛ teaspoon ground black pepper. Blend until the ingredients are mixed.
- Taste the dip, specifically for saltiness. Add up to ¼ teaspoon MSG-salt or kosher salt and mix again. Taste again. If you think it still needs more salt, add in very small amounts until it tastes how you want. Cover the dip with plastic wrap or transfer to an airtight container or jar. Refrigerate for at least an hour before serving to allow the flavors to meld. Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week.
Notes
Nutrition
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