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This homemade gluten free onion soup mix is perfect for making onion dip, spinach dip, or marinades. Serve it with fresh vegetables or corn chips for a crowd favorite appetizer.
The best gluten free onion soup mix
Everyone should keep gluten free onion soup mix on hand — it's so versatile! You may be able to buy something similar at the store, but it's not always safely GF.
It's quick, easy, and super cheap to make your own, and of course you can customize it to your particular tastes. Plus, you don't have to worry about preservatives and other added ingredients you may not like.
Recipe Ingredients
- Onion powder – You can't have onion soup without the onions! Onion powder has the most concentrated onion flavor, so we begin with this.
- Minced dried onion – This makes up the most bulk in our homemade onion soup mix, much like it does in the packaged kind. It's an ideal way to add plenty of onion flavor and keep the mixture shelf stable.
- Garlic powder – The original mix doesn't actually have garlic, but a touch of this flavorful dried ingredient really adds so much, especially considering that you're used to tasting garlic when you taste onion.
- Beef bouillon – This provides a really delicious umami flavor that adds some complexity to the mix. HerbOx brand beef bouillon is gluten free. It comes in a box of little 4 gram packets, and is pretty readily available.
- Salt – Just a bit for that savory flavor. We don't want to add too much, though, to allow you to add more salt to taste for your gluten free spinach dip. Plus, the bouillon powder also has some salt.
- Cornstarch – This helps thicken up the mix whether you're making soup or using it as flavoring for a dip, and keeps the other ingredients from clumping together.
- Sugar – This might seem like an unexpected ingredient, but it brings out the flavor of onion and balances the flavors similarly to salt.
How to make gluten free onion soup mix
One of my favorite things about this recipe is that it's so easy — just grab these few kitchen essentials, mix, and you're done!
- Place all of the recipe ingredients in a small bowl.
- Whisk to combine well, making sure the cornstarch is evenly distributed.
- Transfer the mixture to a small bowl by spooning it into a small funnel or placing it on a piece of parchment paper that you fold in half and tip into the bowl.
- Cover and store in a cool, dry location.
Expert tips
Use fresh ingredients
I know that's a funny thing to say considering that we're using powdered ingredients, but the point is that gluten free onion soup mix isn't really the best solution for using up that onion powder that's been stuck at the back of the cabinet for months.
As the flavor of onion powder diminishes the longer it sits, try to use a brand new, fresh container when making soup mix.
Store your soup mix in individual containers
My gluten free onion soup mix recipe produces roughly the same amount of soup mix that you'd find in one packet of the store-bought stuff, so consider storing your homemade version in small zip-top bags or storage containers so that you can grab-and-go without having to measure the next time you need it.
Be sure to store in an airtight container
To maintain the flavor of your dry soup mix, be sure to use an airtight container.
If you multiply the yield in the recipe but keep it stored in individual servings, try to keep each in a sealed glass container. Or consider storing each serving in a snack-sized ziptop bag and then storing all of these smaller bags inside a larger airtight container for extra protection.
Ingredient substitution suggestions
Onion powder
If you can't find onion powder, but you do have minced dried onion, just put some minced dried onion in a small blender and grind it into a powder. For each teaspoon of onion powder, you'll need about 1 tablespoon of minced dried onion.
Garlic powder
If you have minced dried garlic, you can also grind it into a powder to use in place of garlic powder. You can also replace the garlic powder with more onion powder if you'd prefer to make this recipe without any garlic flavor.
Beef bouillon
You can make onion soup mix without a flavor enhancer like beef bouillon granules, but it has much more robust flavor with the bouillon. HerbOx brand beef bouillon is gluten free. It comes in a box of little 4 gram packets, and is pretty readily available in grocery stores.
If you are having trouble finding gluten free beef bouillon, or just want an alternative that still provides a beefy-style umami flavor, try using about 2 tablespoons gluten free miso powder, 2 tablespoons gluten free mushroom umami powder, or even 1/8 to 1/4 teaspoon gluten free monosodium glutimate (MSG) to enhance the flavor of your mix.
Cornstarch
In place of cornstarch, you can use arrowroot, potato starch, or even tapioca starch. Tapioca will create a thicker mixture when wet, so it's not my first choice, but it's a small enough amount that it will still work just fine.
Variations and uses
Gluten free onion dip
I love spinach dip, but my family also goes crazy for onion dip, which is even easier. Just combine mayonnaise, sour cream, and a batch of our gf onion soup mix. It's all described in the recipe card below.
Gluten free onion soup
In a rush? You can make a quick, simple gluten free onion soup using my mix.
Combine the powdered soup mix with 4 cups of cold water or broth in a medium saucepan. Bring the mixture to a boil, and then reduce and simmer uncovered for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Depending on your tastes, you might want to add other flavors, such as a teaspoon celery seed, a few shakes of parsley flakes, or some paprika.
Hamburgers
Add one serving of this mix in place of the seasonings in gluten free meatloaf. Or try using it in your favorite hamburger mixture. One packet is enough to add flavor to 2 pounds of ground beef made into burgers, with or without binders like gluten free bread crumbs and eggs. Either let the mixture sit until the minced dried onions soften, or hydrate the mix in 3 or 4 tablespoons of warm water before adding to the mixture.
FAQs
When I decide to make my own gf recipes, there are two primary motivators: safety and cost.
We all know how hard it is to find gluten free foods on grocery store shelves, and we've all felt the disappointment of finding gluten in something you'd never think should contain it.
Right now, Lipton dry onion soup mix is not gluten free. It didn't used to be that way, but the manufacturer changed its recipe to include a gluten containing yeast extract, and now this popular food item is not allowed in my gluten free home!
Onions are gluten free, so pure onion powder is also gluten free. The same goes for garlic powder.
Where you may run into trouble is with manufacturers that use anti-caking agents in their onion powders to keep them from clumping.
To be sure you're picking up a container of gluten free onion powder, look for a gluten free label or review the ingredients list to be sure there aren't any gluten containing ingredients.
I've made this recipe with even more onion powder, but without minced dried onion flakes, and although it has a less authentic texture, the flavor is still there. I prefer to use the flakes, though, and I think you'll find that they're super useful to have in your pantry. Be sure your onion flakes are safe from gluten-containing ingredients, too, just like your onion powder.
If you only have dehydrated onion in the pantry, don't worry! You can still whip up my gluten free onion soup mix recipe.
Just pull out your food processor or blender, and grind your flakes into a powder, then measure out the right volume.
leftovers/make ahead
Storage Instructions
Just like the dry soup mix you buy at the store, this gluten free onion soup mix is shelf stable for several months.
To keep is fresh, simply store it in an airtight container in a dry, cool place like your pantry for up to 3 months.
Gluten Free Onion Soup Recipe
Ingredients
For onion soup mix
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon (4 g) granulated sugar
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 2 teaspoons (6 g) cornstarch
- 3 tablespoons minced dried onions
- 3 packets (12 g) gluten free beef bouillon granules, See Recipe Notes
For onion dip
- ½ cup (113 g) mayonnaise
- 1 ½ cups (336 g) sour cream
- 1 recipe homemade onion soup mix
Instructions
Make the dry onion soup mix.
- In a small bowl, place the onion powder, garlic powder, sugar, salt, cornstarch, minced dried onions, and beef bouillon granules.
- Whisk to combine well. Set the bowl aside or transfer to a small glass container using a small funnel or by placing the ingredients on a piece of parchment paper, rolling the paper toward the center, and letting the ingredients slide into the container.
To make onion dip
- Place the mayonnaise and sour cream in a medium-size bowl, and whisk to combine well.
- Add the dry onion soup mix ingredients, and whisk to combine well.
- Cover the bowl and place it in the refrigerator to chill for at least an hour (to allow the dried onions to soften) and up to 3 days.
- Serve in a serving bowl, with chips, celery, or carrot sticks for dipping.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Is there a brand or brands of minced dried onion flakes you can recommend? Thank you!
Hi, Becky, I trust McCormick spices (but of course always read labels for all brands in all cases), and also Badia and Simple Truth.
This looks like a great recipe. Can I use fresh spinach? Thank you.
Sure, Teri, but I don’t know exactly how much since frozen spinach is already blanched and wilted. You can try using 1 pound of fresh spinach and cooking it down, then draining it as directed in the recipe, but I haven’t tried it so I can’t promise results.
Hi Nicole, just wondering how long the dips last in the fridge and if you could freeze them.
Hi, Paulette, the dip lasts as long as the freshness date of its most perishable ingredients (here, mayonnaise and sour cream), as long as it’s well-sealed in your refrigerator. I haven’t tried freezing this particular recipe, no, and I don’t recommend it since mayonnaise does not freeze well at all. You can, however, prepare the onion soup mix and store in a cool, dry pantry, and prepare the spinach and freeze just that, then defrost before making the dip.
What could I use in place of cornstarch? My husband has a corn allergy.
You can try using arrowroot, Christine. That should work just fine!
Thanks for another great recipe! So happy to have your bread book so I can make a bread bowl to put this dip in-yippee! Can’t wait to try this recipe.
Oh Nicole I luv you! I miss spinach dip-I use to make it for get togethers as well as just to have to snack on, but stopped since I couldn’t eat it-to much torture to look at it :( I can’t wait to make this!!
Where are the canned water chestnuts?? ;)
Not in here, Donia! I know that is a common ingredient in spinach dips and as much as I actually really like water chestnuts, I just don’t care for them in spinach dip. I much prefer celery!
I don’t really care for them myself, but I do love cutting those little circle into matchsticks, and the matchsticks into squares, So peaceful. We made this all the time when I was growing up. Lots of good memories. It’s like a Throwback Thursday and a DIY Friday all in one! ;)
Wow. I guess I always thought it was GF. shoot. or maybe I was buying another one that was GF – I’m stumped but glad to know I have options here. I mean seriously – there is just no reason to go anywhere else – your blog and cookbooks have IT ALL!
It used to be GF, I think, Jennifer. And then they went and added some form of barley. P.S. You’re the best!
Yay! Onion dip, the families favorite! Love ya!
Nicole I love you! We are wanting onion dip like you would make with soup mix. I do not see any onions listed in the ingredients in your “soup mix” part of the recipe–just onion powder. Recipes I have seen for the soup mix have called for a product I cannot find here in stores.
Hi, Mare, as I discuss in the post, the commercial soup mix has dehydrated onions, but I replace those in the dry mix with just more onion powder, and in the spinach dip with sautéed onions.
Thanks. I guess I misunderstood this sentence to mean that the onions are part of the onion soup mix: “Now, for our homemade onion “soup mix,” in place of the dehydrated onions, I just minced and sautéed a small yellow onion.”
Looking forward to making this.