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The 2-Ingredient Sour Cream Dip I’ll Never Stop Making (No, It’s Not French Onion)

Andrea Rivera Wawrzyn
Andrea Rivera WawrzynAssociate Food Editor at The Kitchn
I've worked in food for more than 15 years as a private chef, caterer, recipe developer, test cook, writer, and editor (among other things!). Prior to joining The Kitchn team, I was an Associate Editor at America's Test Kitchen, where I contributed recipes to many well-researched, engaging cookbooks for children and families as well as to ATK's website. I was a contributing writer and performer on Mystery Recipe, an ingredient-themed podcast for families uncovering the fascinating world of food. I have also been a contributor to Serious Eats, and have worked on cookbooks for Ten Speed Press, Rebel Girls, and Clarkson Potter. I’m passionate about helping the home cook be successful in the kitchen, whether through well-written recipes, thoughtful explainers, or useful guides. (I'm also passionate about clogs and burritos, but that's neither here nor there.)
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published Aug 25, 2024
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Potato chips surround 2 ingredient ramen dip.
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Credit: Andrea Rivera Wawrzyn

I’m a fussy snacker. Unlike those with simple snacking tastes, I am unsatisfied by eating an apple or munching a handful of nuts. I crave something more substantial. The problem with this is that I also want a snack-size portion of my “substantial” snack, which is a tall order (if anyone has a line on three-bite burritos, hit me up). Sometimes I’ll find myself eating two bites of leftovers as a snack, which is both strange and not really what I wanted in the first place. 

One of my all-time favorite MVP snacks is classic French onion dip with plain potato chips. The problem is, to have a snackable amount of dip, you have to make the whole batch, which requires a full pound of sour cream for one packet of French onion soup seasoning. That’s simply too much dip outside of a party setting. Recently however, in the throes of a real craving, I stumbled upon a life-changing snack time hack that has upped my game forever: leftover ramen packets.

I regularly buy dried instant ramen noodles at the supermarket to use in recipes that don’t require the seasoning packet. I feel wasteful just throwing the little packet away, however, which has led to me housing an increasingly overflowing container full of them on a high shelf in my kitchen. I never quite knew what to do with them, so they just sat there. That is, until I found myself really craving French onion dip and super frustrated that I had the sour cream and the chips, but no Lipton packets. 

Years ago I spent a lot of time developing a recipe for homemade French onion dip, so I have a deep knowledge of what it takes to re-create it, and the truth is I couldn’t get that round MSG umami from anything other than beef bouillon. Do you know what’s close to bouillon and comes in a convenient, single-serving packet? Ramen seasoning, and I had a ton. 

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Why Ramen Seasoning Makes the Perfect 2-Ingredient Dip

  • It’s packed with flavor. Think of a ramen seasoning packet as a souped-up (see what I did there?) bouillon cube. Bouillon is meant to be the base of soup, traditional broth in powder form. Ramen packets take that idea to the next level by adding even more punchy, flavorful ingredients to the mix. It’s meant to add ALL of the flavor to a soup, just like French onion soup mix. That also means it can bring all of that flavor to a dip.
  • It’s single-serving. You can make enough dip just for one person to snack on! Huzzah! Because a packet of ramen is meant to serve one, the seasoning packet is tiny, so you don’t need to mix it with a full pound of sour cream. You can get out a small bowl and mix it with a cup of sour cream instead. Success.

Tips for Making Dip with Ramen Seasoning Packets

  • Adjust the amount of sour cream to your liking. After some experimenting I found that I generally like 1 cup of sour cream for 1/2 to 3/4 of a seasoning packet, but that ratio depends on the flavor of ramen seasoning; some are more intense than others. Speaking of which …
  • Experiment with different flavors. There are so many flavors of ramen packets! The one that I think comes the closest to classic French onion dip is the beef flavor, but there are so many good ones to choose from. The soy sauce flavor is another favorite of mine.
  • Add dried onion flakes. If you have them on hand, a few dried onion flakes will really scratch the French onion dip itch.

This post originally appeared on The Kitchn. See it there: The 2-Ingredient Sour Cream Dip I’ll Never Stop Making (No, It’s Not French Onion)

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