After publishing my low FODMAP caramelised onion recipe, I was immediately thrilled by all the new recipes that could stem from it. I have a wealth of ideas in my back pocket, but let’s focus on the recipe at hand: low FODMAP French onion dip.
Low FODMAP French onion dip
This low FODMAP French onion dip uses pickled onions that have been caramelised. Monash lists pickled onions as low FODMAP in 45g serves, which gives us some delicious onion goodness for the dip.
The pickled onions are rinsed, dried and then caramelised with oil and maple syrup. After 20-30 minutes, your pickled onion will be golden brown, caramelised heaven.
Next, we add the cooled and chopped caramelised onion to a creamy lactose free dairy base. In go some chopped chives and an (optional) clove of pickled garlic and there you have it!
A delicious low FODMAP French onion dip that is full of delicious onion flavour without the FODMAP content.
FODMAP notes for your low FODMAP French onion dip
This recipe uses 1 quantity of my caramelised pickled onion recipe. This is 180g of pickled onion, designed to serve 4 at 45g each.
Chives are a low FODMAP ingredient and a great way to add a subtle background note of extra onion flavour.
Pickled garlic is low FODMAP in 3g serves and remains so in serves of up to 30g (pending your own tolerance). Monash hasn’t yet specified if pickled onion contains fructose as its FODMAP like pickled garlic does. However, the entry for cocktail onions is listed as high fructose, so one would assume larger onions are the same.
All this to say, adding pickled garlic might be fructose overkill. This is also depends on what you intend to serve with your dip. Assess your own tolerance and omit the garlic if fructose is a concern for you. This is absolutely an optional ingredient!
I have tested this recipe with a number of different lactose free dairy products – a sour cream and mayo combo, a mayo and cream cheese combo and a Greek yoghurt and mayo combo. I will go into the ins and outs of dairy options below.
In the meantime, make sure you choose lactose free products (lactose free sour cream or lactose free thick yoghurt) to keep this dip low FODMAP.
Mayonnaise is low FODMAP in 40g serves, depending on the ingredients added. Kewpie mayonnaise is low FODMAP in up to 500g serves. Normally I’d suggest this as an option, but I find that Kewpie is tangier than regular mayo. Because we are using pickled onions, we want less tang to compensate.
Notes on the mayonnaise
I actually tested this recipe using Hellman’s vegan mayonnaise, mainly because I like vegan mayo. Hellman’s doesn’t have any high FODMAP ingredients, which makes it a good option.
As discussed above, mayo is low FODMAP in 40g serves. Monash doesn’t specify an upper limit. I theorise that the 40g serve has more to do with what is deemed ‘one serve’ as opposed to any FODMAP. I suspect it would be difficult for Monash to state that ‘mayo is low FODMAP’ when so many brands contain different ingredients (some of which are high FODMAP).
Although Kewpie is low FODMAP in up to 500g serves, I don’t recommend it here. Kewpie is quite tangy, I feel, and we want to minimise tang to counteract the tanginess from the pickled onions. As such, we’re looking for a mayonnaise without too much acidity.
A quick breakdown on the dairy ratio
I wanted to discuss this quickly because I think it’s important for people who want to customise the recipe.
There is a lot of variation on the dairy used (and in what proportions) for French Onion Dip when you look at recipes online. Most of them, however, skew their ratio in favour of the dairy component as opposed to the mayonnaise.
You can experiment with the dairy you prefer (lactose free sour cream, lactose free Greek yoghurt or lactose free cream cheese) here. I do recommend keeping the mayonnaise as the lower percentage ingredient, whatever you choose.
Why? For starters, mayonnaise isn’t generally thick enough to hold a thick dip like this. More than that, though, is the fact that mayonnaise has more of a tangy flavour than sour cream or Greek yoghurt (if only by a bit). Because our pickled onions already have a bit of tang, we want to balance out the acidity with a more creamy ingredient.
Realistically, you can experiment with any sort of dairy in any component. Below are the combinations I have tried:
- Mayonnaise and Greek yoghurt (I could tell it was Greek yoghurt, but it was still nice)
- Mayonnaise and Sour cream (I used both regular and my lactose free sour cream recipe which you can find here)
- Mayonnaise and cream cheese (I liked this version, but I don’t recommend adding the garlic infused oil as it makes the creamy element prone to splitting). Another note with this option is that the cream cheese needs to be truly room temperature and I would recommend using hand beaters to combine it.
Recipe tips for the caramelised onion
- The cut of your onion will depend on whether you are making your own pickles or if they are store bought. If you make your own pickled onion, you get to slice the onion the way you like. If you buy them, you have to work with what you have.
- If you are buying pickled onion, make sure it doesn’t contain any high FODMAP ingredients.
- Whatever cut of onion you choose, I recommend chopping them for this recipe. I found that chopped onion dispersed more evenly through the dip than rings of onion. It’s also just easier to scoop up some dip without onion rings dragging you down.
- Whatever you end up with, make sure the onion pieces are thin and small. This will give maximum caramelisation and flavour.
- Currently, I would say that quick pickles are not appropriate for this recipe nor would logic suggest they are low FODMAP. If and when Monash clarifies this, I will update the post.
- I found this took about 20-30 minutes of cooking time to reach a good level of caramelisation. I also find that is helps to add water every time they start to stick. This helps create a soft and malleable textured pickled onion. We don’t want them to be dry! How much water varies – I generally use 250-500ml water of the course of 20-30 minutes.
- I recommend Spanish/brown onions here. They look lovely and golden brown and their flavour profile matches what I’m looking for in a caramelised onion. You could probably also use white onions, but I wouldn’t recommend red onion.
Recipe tips for your low FODMAP French onion dip
The most important tip for this dip (if you will) is to make it ahead of time. This gives the caramelised pickled onion enough time to infuse the creamy element of the dip with onion flavour. At least, I recommend making it a day ahead. Some versions (namely the cream cheese option) will need to come to room temperature before serving.
The more the merrier when it comes to the chives. Although only a small amount are normally added to French onion dip, they do help ramp up the onion flavour.
Other low FODMAP oniony ingredients you can consider adding to your dip include a few spring onion greens (which pack a punch) and some asafoetida power. Both will add another layer of onion flavour.
In some of my tests, I used some garlic infused oil leftover from low FODMAP making garlic chips. It added a nice extra layer of flavour. As mentioned above, though, I don’t recommend it with the cream cheese option as it made for a borderline split creamy element.
This recipe uses 45g of pickled onion, which is the only threshold Monash has provided (there are no upper or lower limits specified). You can lower the onion content and add a clove of pickled garlic, if you’re keen. Crush it thoroughly to disperse it evenly throughout the dip. You can also add it to the caramelised onions about 2-5 minutes before they finish cooking. Pickled garlic is low FODMAP in 3g and up to 30g serves, pending your own tolerance.
More low FODMAP dip and sauce recipes
- Low FODMAP aioli
- Low FODMAP garlic dip
- Low FODMAP salad dressing
- Low FODMAP tzatziki recipe
- Low FODMAP pumpkin feta dip
Low FODMAP French onion dip
Ingredients
For the dip:
- 1 batch caramelised pickled onion see notes for the recipe
- 125 g (1/2 cup)* low FODMAP mayonnaise (see notes)
- 250 g (1 cup)* lactose free sour cream, Greek yoghurt or cream cheese (see notes)
- 1-2 tablespoons finely chopped chives to taste
- Seasoning to taste
- Lemon juice to taste (only if needed)
Optional additions:
- 1 spring onion green finely chopped (optional)
- 5-10 ml (1-2 teaspoons) garlic infused oil
- 1 clove pickled garlic see notes crushed
- Pinch of asafoetida powder
- Maple syrup to taste (only if needed)
Instructions
- Make the caramelised pickled onion as per the recipe. I like to chop it prior to caramelising for this dip. Once cooked to your liking, set aside to cool.
- Combine the mayonnaise and dairy of choice, stirring or whisking until smooth. If you use the cream cheese option, you will need to ensure it is completely room temperature and use hand beaters to combine.
- Add the remaining ingredients and any of the optional ingredients to your tastes. Because the onions are pickled, you don’t always need to use the lemon juice. It depends on the dairy you choose and your tastes.
- For best results, make this dip the night before to allow the flavours to meld. Serve with crinkle cut chips or crudites.
- Leftovers keep well in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week.
Notes
- Find my recipe for caramelised pickled onion here.
- Find my recipe for lactose free sour cream here and my recipe for lactose free cream cheese here.
- To make an egg free dip, use vegan mayonnaise. I use Hellman’s vegan mayonnaise which has no high FODMAP ingredients.
- If you use regular mayonnaise, read the labels to ensure it contains no high FODMAP ingredients. It is wild what some mayonnaise varieties contain.
- If you want to make your own, you can use the base recipe for my low FODMAP garlic aioli (omit the garlic for the dip to remain low FODMAP). It will make more than you need, but it is delicious, low FODMAP and SIBO friendly.
- You can experiment with the dairy you prefer. If you’re a lifelong French onion dip fan, I am sure you will have preferences. I have found the dairy component of the dip to be pretty flexible. Personally I do think the mayonnaise adds a lovely depth to the dip, but you might prefer it a different way.
- Keep in mind that experimenting with dairy changes the flavour profile. You might need to add more or less lemon juice/seasoning etc to suit the profile of your choices.
- Caramelised pickled onions can lack a bit of the natural sweetness of regular caramelised onions. Add a dash of maple syrup to balance this out if you find it to be the case.
- This is your dip! Make it to your preferences. If you feel it needs another flavour element, add it. The only non-negotiable is to keep the onion within the threshold it is currently at.
- That said, you can experiment with adding more onion pending your tolerances and how much dip you intend to eat per serve. This recipe is designed to serve 4, which is quite generous.
- If you intend to experiment with adding some low FODMAP pickled garlic, I have a recipe here. See notes on balancing the FODMAP content.
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