Say hello to this fun and festive spicy sour cream dip loaded with caramelized onions, garlic, scallions, and a crunchy tadka (spiced oil) with cumin seeds, mustard seeds, and chili powder. This dip is easy and make-ahead-friendly, perfect for your next game day or dinner party!
Chips and dip is my favorite snack category. I love the salty, flavorful, and satisfying mishmash of textures. French onion dip, specifically, has got to be one of my all-time favorite dips. And because I like to give things a twist here-and-there, I thought it would pair really well with a spicy tadka.
Tadka is a South Asian method of blooming spices to extract their essential flavors. If you've ever heard of dal tadka, it uses a similar technique. You can read more about this in my Guide to Essential Indian Spices. The creaminess of the sour cream dip, the caramelized flavors of the onions, and the bloomed spices work well together.
Why You'll Love This Recipe
- It's easy. This easy dip requires just a few simple ingredients to come together.
- It's flavor-packed. The crispy garlic and spiced tadka topping make for a great addition to a traditional French onion dip.
- It's addicting. One of my readers made this for a party and told me she had to take the bowl away from one of her guests who couldn't stop eating it!
For more dip recipes, try my spicy jalapeno artichoke dip, classic sour cream and chive dip, butter beans hummus, or whipped ricotta with honey.
Ingredient Notes
🧄 Alliums: I call for sweet onions (such as Vidalia or sweet onions), garlic, and scallions/green onions. You can also experiment with a mix of other alliums, like shallots, red onion, or chives.
🍶 Sour cream: Full-fat sour cream serves as the base for this dip, but I’ve also tested it with plain Greek yogurt, and it’s a great substitute.
🌶️ Spicy tadka: The spicy tadka (or spiced oil) features a mix of my classic pantry staples, including cumin seeds, mustard seeds, and chili powder alongside minced garlic. You can use whatever combination of whole and dry spices that you like!
TIP: For a milder dip, omit the chili powder.
For a full list of ingredients and quantities, refer to the recipe card.
Serving Suggestions
- Chips: Chips are a perfect accompaniment to this spicy dip recipe. I love pairing it with salty potato chips, like Ruffles or tortilla chips.
- Crudites: Serve alongside crisp vegetables, like carrots, celery, or peppers.
- As a side: Smear the dip on a plate and top with your favorite roasted vegetables. This would be great with charred broccoli, roasted sweet potatoes, or smashed fingerling potatoes.
How to Make This Recipe
Step 1 - Caramelize the onions: Set a large saute pan or dutch oven over medium heat and add oil. Saute the onions and garlic for 8 - 10 minutes until softened and translucent. Reduce the heat to low and cook for about 30 minutes until deeply caramelized and sweet.
Step 2 - Mix the dip: Transfer the alliums to a serving bowl and allow to cool slightly until warm but not hot. While the mixture cools, thinly slice the scallions and juice half of a lemon. Stir in the sour cream, lemon juice, and ¾ of the scallions. Season with salt and pepper, then chill for at least 30 minutes to allow the flavors to develop.
TIP: Don’t skip the chilling step! That marination time ensures that the onion flavors adequately meld with the sour cream.
Step 3 - Make the tadka: Just before serving, prepare the tadka topping. Set a small saute pan or tadka pan over medium-low heat and add the oil. Add the garlic, and cook for a minute until it begins to sizzle. Add the mustard and cumin seeds; once sizzling, remove from the heat and immediately stir in the chili powder.
Step 4 - Serve: Stir in half the tadka into the sour cream mixture. Create a few swooshes on top of the dish, drizzle the tadka oil on top, and garnish with the remaining scallions. Enjoy!
Expert Tip
Be vigilant when making the tadka, as it can burn quickly! Burnt spices taste acrid, bitter, and inedible, so you'll have to start again if that happens. When in doubt, take the pan off the stove early.
Storage and Make-Ahead Instructions
You can make the base sour cream dip up to 1 day ahead; in fact, it tastes even better the next day. Store in an airtight container in the fridge.
Just before serving, make the spicy tadka topping. Once you’ve made the full dip (sour cream and the topping), it can technically last an additional 3 days in the refrigerator, but I find that it tastes freshest up to 36 hours after adding the tadka.
Other recipes you might like:
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Spicy Sour Cream Dip
Ingredients
For the sour cream base
- 2 tablespoons canola oil, or other neutral oil
- 1 medium onion, finely chopped to yield 1 ½ cups
- 3 garlic cloves, minced to yield 4 teaspoons
- Salt and black pepper
- ½ teaspoon granulated white sugar
- 1 large scallion
- ½ lemon
- 1 cup full-fat sour cream, or plain Greek yogurt
For the spicy tadka
- 1 tablespoon canola oil, or other neutral oil
- 1 small clove garlic, finely minced
- ½ teaspoon brown or black mustard seeds
- ½ teaspoon cumin seeds
- ½ teaspoon kashmiri chili powder, optional, yields a pretty mild heat | for a bit of a kick, double the amount of chili powder
Instructions
For the sour cream base:
- Saute the aromatics: Set a heavy, medium-sized cast-iron pan or skillet over medium heat and add 2 tablespoons canola oil. Once hot, add 1 medium onion, finely chopped, and 3 garlic cloves, minced. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 8 - 10 minutes, until the onions are soft and translucent. Season with salt and pepper, and stir in ½ teaspoon granulated white sugar.Note: During this initial cooking, very mild, golden-brown edges are okay, but if you notice anything deeper in color, lower the heat. You can also add a splash of water to the pan to immediately reduce the heat if needed.
- Caramelize the onions: Reduce the heat to low, and cook the onions and garlic for 30 minutes. Stir occasionally, and adjust the heat as needed to prevent any burning. At the end of the 30 minutes, onions should be deep-golden brown in color (but not burnt) and taste quite sweet.
- Cool the mixture: Remove the mixture from the heat and transfer to a serving bowl. Let cool until mixture feels just slightly lukewarm, about 5 minutes.
- Prep the scallions and lemon: While the mixture cools, thinly slice the scallions. Juice half of the lemon (you should have about 1 tablespoon of juice).
- Mix the base: Stir in 1 cup full-fat sour cream, lemon juice, and most of the sliced scallions (save about a tablespoon for garnish) into the onion mixture. Season with salt and pepper.
- Chill the base: Place the serving bowl, covered, into the refrigerator for 30 minutes (and up to 1 day) to allow the flavors to develop. When ready to serve, take the dip out of the fridge and taste a spoonful. At this point, you can season again with salt and pepper. Note: If the dip tastes slightly too "sweet", you probably need to add a little bit more salt or lemon juice, depending on your preference. I find those little adjustments make a huge difference in the flavor.
For the spicy tadka:
- Just before serving, make the spicy tadka. This process happens really quickly, so to prevent burning, try to be attentive and don't walk away at any point here.Set a small saute pan or tadka pan over medium-low heat and add 1 tablespoon canola oil. Add 1 small clove garlic, finely minced, and cook for 1 - 2 minutes until it begins to sizzle.
- Immediately add ½ teaspoon brown or black mustard seeds and ½ teaspoon cumin seeds, and swirl the pan to ensure even distribution.
- Once the seeds are sizzling, immediately remove the pan from the heat and stir in ½ teaspoon kashmiri chili powder.
- Immediately, pour half of the hot, sizzling tadka over the sour cream, and mix to combine thoroughly. Create a few swooshes at the top of the dip, and drizzle the remaining tadka on top.
- Garnish with the reserved scallions, and enjoy!
Video
Notes
Nutrition
The nutritional information on this website is only an estimate and is provided for convenience and as a courtesy only. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Karishma, this looks tasty and very easy to make spicy dip. I will try it tonight!
Thanks so much - let me know how you like it!
Perfect start to any meal. This was so easy to make but the tadka really elevates it and makes it seem like a very fancy dish when served. I liked pairing this with pretzel thins, crackers, broccoli, and baby carrots!