• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Recipes
  • About
  • Cookbook
  • Veganuary
  • FREE ebook
  • Shop

A Virtual Vegan

menu icon
go to homepage
  • Recipes
  • About
  • Cookbook
  • Veganuary
  • FREE ebook
  • Shop
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • YouTube
  • subscribe
    search icon
    Homepage link
    • Recipes
    • About
    • Cookbook
    • Veganuary
    • FREE ebook
    • Shop
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • YouTube
  • ×

    Home » Recipes » Sides & Appetizers

    Published: Jun 30, 2017 · Modified: Sep 30, 2022 by Melanie McDonald · This post contains affiliate links · As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. · 26 Comments

    Creamy Vegan Onion Garlic Dip

    JUMP TO RECIPE PIN
    5 from 20 votes
    onion garlic dip in a bowl

    Deliciously cool and creamy Vegan Onion Garlic Dip. It's full of sweet roasted garlic & caramelized onion flavour & perfect for your next party!

    a bowl of dip surrounded by tortilla chips

    Keep your guests (and yourself) happy by making a big bowl of deliciously Creamy Onion Garlic Dip and surround it with your favourite dippers!

    This dip uses silken tofu as the base so it is naturally nut-free, an idea I got from my easy vegan cheese sauce recipe. Because silken tofu is so mild in flavour the roasted garlic and caramelized onion flavours can really shine with no distractions and it's super creamy!

    And those flavours really do shine.☀️ We're talking garlic roasted in the oven until it's super soft and sweet and slowly, and I mean really slowly, caramelizing the onions (the best trick for amazing flavour!) , then blending them all up with the silky soft tofu, a touch of thyme (plus a few other things) until we have garlicky oniony dip heaven. A pile of crispy caramelized onions finishes it all off rather nicely.

    Hungry For More Dips?

    • Beet Hummus
    • Vegan Spinach Artichoke Dip
    • Snickerdoodle Hummus
    • Curry Hummus

    If you try this recipe, let me know how you like it by leaving a comment and rating below! And be sure to join my mailing list for more deliciousness!

    a bowl of onion garlic dip with tortilla chips

    Creamy Onion Garlic Dip

    Author: Melanie McDonald
    5 from 20 votes
    Deliciously cool and creamy Vegan Onion Garlic Dip. It's full of sweet roasted garlic & caramelized onion flavour & perfect for your next party!
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe SaveSaved!
    PREP TIME: 5 minutes
    COOK TIME: 30 minutes
    TOTAL TIME: 35 minutes
    Servings: 10 servings

    Ingredients
      

    • 1 tablespoon olive oil
    • 1 whole head garlic , not individual cloves, the whole thing
    • 2 large or about 2 heaping cups (300 grams) onion , peeled, cut in half then sliced finely
    • 2 teaspoons sugar
    • 12.3 oz (349 grams) silken tofu , pack sizes vary a bit but as long as it's pretty close to this it's fine
    • 1 tablespoon nutritional yeast
    • 2 teaspoons white miso paste , optional - can be omitted but if you have some it's worth using it
    • 1 tablespoon white wine vinegar , or lemon juice
    • ½ teaspoon fine sea salt , plus a little more to taste if necessary
    • 1 teaspoon dried thyme , you can use fresh instead if you have it and feel free to add more if you want a stronger type flavour
    • Up to ¼ cup (60 mls) plant-based milk , unsweetened & unflavoured

    RECOMMENDED EQUIPMENT

    • Blendtec Blender
    Prevent your screen from going dark

    INSTRUCTIONS
     

    • Preheat oven to 400°F (200°C).
    • Keep the garlic head all in one piece (don't break off individual cloves) and slice about ¼ inch straight off the top, exposing the inside of the cloves inside.
    • Take a square of tin foil, grease it lightly with olive oil, then put the garlic head cut side down in the middle of the foil and wrap it tightly. 
    • Bake in the oven for around 40 minutes. After this time check it. It should be really soft if you give it a squeeze. Give it another 5 minutes or so if it's not. Once completely soft remove from the oven and allow to cool in the foil. 
    • While the garlic is roasting, heat a sauté pan over a medium low heat with the olive oil. Once hot add the sliced onion. Cook slowly for around 30 minutes, stirring frequently.
    • Once the onion is really soft and starting to go golden, add the sugar (optional but recommended for a more caramelized result) and stir well then continue to cook for another 5 minutes or so until a deep golden brown, then remove from the heat and set aside.
    • Add the tofu, nutritional yeast, white miso, vinegar and salt to a blender.
    • Take the roasted garlic head and gently squeeze the garlic out of the papery skins and into the blender along with about half of the onion.
    • Blend until completely smooth. Check the consistency and add milk as needed to get a nice dip consistency.
    • Add the thyme and the rest of the onion and stir to distribute. If you prefer it completely smooth you can blend all the onion up into it. I like having some of the golden strands through mine for texture. 
    • Spoon into a serving dish and garnish more more caramelized onion or some fresh thyme leaves.

    NOTES

    Will keep for up to 1 week if refrigerated in a sealed container. 

    NUTRITION

    Serving: 53g (around ¼ cup)Calories: 55kcalCarbohydrates: 5gProtein: 3gFat: 3gSaturated Fat: 0.4gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 1gSodium: 166mgPotassium: 133mgFiber: 1gSugar: 3gVitamin A: 18IUVitamin C: 2mgCalcium: 28mgIron: 1mg

    Nutritional information is provided for convenience. The data is a computer generated estimate and should be used as a guide only.

    Tried this recipe?Rate it & leave your feedback in the comments section below, or tag @avirtualvegan on Instagram and hashtag it #avirtualvegan

    Hungry For More?

    • Caramelized Brussels Sprouts
    • Stovetop Candied Pecans
    • Vegan Candied Nuts
    • Vegan Sweet Potato Casserole
    5.3K shares

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

      Leave a comment Cancel reply

      Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

      Recipe Rating




    1. Marcy says

      November 13, 2022 at 5:12 pm

      5 stars
      the recipe calls for silken tofu. I have to order it because no stores here in the desert SW carry it. When I look online, there is Silken Firm, Xtra firm etc. . . . If your recipe doesn't specify which one, does it mean the softest possible?

      Reply
      • Melanie McDonald says

        November 13, 2022 at 5:46 pm

        Any silken tofu is fine. I've actually made it with regular soft tofu too if that helps.

        Reply
    2. Gloria Piroso says

      April 05, 2021 at 10:46 pm

      5 stars
      Up up up, good

      Reply
    3. Michael says

      July 27, 2020 at 11:04 pm

      5 stars
      Love this recipe!!!

      Reply
    4. Kim Turner says

      May 24, 2020 at 1:28 pm

      5 stars
      I tried this recipe and it was really good.

      Reply
    5. Antisocial Vegan says

      October 13, 2019 at 3:06 am

      Could I just mix together pureed Onion and Garlic into ready made Vegan Mayo?

      Reply
    6. Stacey says

      September 17, 2019 at 7:50 pm

      5 stars
      Thanks for the great recipe. We just loved it. I’ll be making it regularly now.

      Reply
      • Melanie McDonald says

        September 17, 2019 at 8:54 pm

        I'm really pleased you enjoyed it Stacey!

        Reply
    7. Alexa says

      December 22, 2018 at 9:33 am

      Looks amazing! Making it right now :) Have you tried baking this and serving it warm? Wondering how that would turn out.

      Reply
      • A Virtual Vegan says

        December 23, 2018 at 4:13 pm

        I haven't tried baking it.

        Reply
    8. Liz says

      October 03, 2018 at 12:29 pm

      5 stars
      This is DELICIOUS!

      Reply
      • Susan says

        November 23, 2019 at 9:16 am

        5 stars
        Loved it!

        Reply
    9. Mary says

      May 17, 2018 at 1:55 pm

      Do you have to use the nutritional yeast? I don't have any right now. Thanks

      Reply
      • A Virtual Vegan says

        May 17, 2018 at 8:25 pm

        You don't have to. It will still be nice, it just won't have exactly the same depth of flavour.

        Reply
        • Mary says

          May 17, 2018 at 8:57 pm

          5 stars
          Thanks. I did make it and it turned out very good!

          Reply
    10. Sheila L Gray says

      December 25, 2017 at 12:24 pm

      5 stars
      Absolutely delicious! I love it. It could have used more lemon juice because it was not as tangy as sour cream, but I love it exactly the way it is. Great!

      Reply
      • A Virtual Vegan says

        December 26, 2017 at 4:32 pm

        So glad you enjoyed it Sheila!

        Reply
    11. Rachel says

      November 13, 2017 at 2:10 pm

      Hi, I'm really excited to try this recipe!

      Did you use soft silken tofu or firm?

      Thanks!

      Reply
      • A Virtual Vegan says

        November 13, 2017 at 2:13 pm

        As long as it's silken any firmness will be ok. Hope you enjoy it!

        Reply
    12. Lisa says

      July 28, 2017 at 9:12 pm

      5 stars
      Wow I love it! We have made it twice now. Thank you for the recipe!

      Reply
      • A Virtual Vegan says

        July 29, 2017 at 1:35 pm

        So glad you enjoyed it!

        Reply
    13. Sarah Peters says

      July 11, 2017 at 11:46 pm

      Onions are so yummy when they are caramelized! This was absolutely delish!

      Reply
      • A Virtual Vegan says

        July 12, 2017 at 12:40 pm

        Thank you! You just can't beat caramelized onions. And the smell when they are cooking is so good!

        Reply
    14. Nikki says

      July 09, 2017 at 4:11 pm

      Is there something to use instaed of tofu for people who Can't have soy????

      Reply
    15. Sarah McMinn says

      July 05, 2017 at 8:00 pm

      5 stars
      This is a great onion dip! Thanks for the recipe.

      Reply
    16. Amy says

      July 03, 2017 at 1:13 pm

      5 stars
      This is one amazing onion dip!

      Reply

    Primary Sidebar

    Melanie McDonald

    I'm Melanie McDonald (but you can call me Mel), best-selling cookbook author and creator of A Virtual Vegan. I share well-tested, flavour-packed vegan recipes with clear, step-by-step instructions. My goal is to give you the confidence to cook amazing vegan food from scratch.

    More about me →

    Trending now!

    • Perfect Vegan Yorkshire Puddings
    • Lentil Shepherd's Pie
    • Cinnamon Roll in a Mug
    • Vegan Potato Soup
    • Vegan Butter
    • Vegan Banana Pancakes

    ❊ GET MY COOKBOOK ❊

    Vegan Comfort Cooking Melanie McDonald

    Amazon / Book Depository / Books-A-Million / Barnes & Noble / Indigo

    "Meaty' Vegan Recipes

    • Vegan Ham
    • Vegan Chicken Breasts
    • Vegan Sausage Recipe
    • Vegan Beef
    • Vegan Roast
    • Gluten-Free Seitan Roast

    See more →

    Footer

    ↑ back to top


    About Me
    My Cookbook
    Privacy

    Subscribe
    Contact me
    Work With Me

    Accessibility
    Nutrition
    Media

    Copyright © 2023 A Virtual Vegan- All Rights Reserved.