Add intense flavor to endless dishes using this recipe for Copycat Lipton Dried Onion Soup Mix. This Homemade Dry Onion Soup Mix is a flavorful blend of everyday spices made without added bouillon or sugar that will help elevate your meals!
Copycat Dried Onion Soup Mix
Growing up, my mom always had Lipton Onion Soup Mix in her pantry. She used it to make rice pilaf and to season things like burgers and potatoes. And I have to say, it really is a great way to add incredible flavor!
However, that pack of onion soup mix doesn't just add flavor to dishes, it also amps up the sodium and often has added preservatives, sugar, MSG, and gluten.
But you can still replicate that savory flavor using my recipe for Homemade Dried Onion Soup Mix.
By making your own Dried Onion Soup Mix, you save money AND skip all the preservatives and additives that are added to make store-bought onion soup mixes shelf-stable. And let me tell you, this homemade version still packs in a HUGE punch of flavor.
Spices Needed for Onion Soup Mix
- Onion: To pack in A LOT of onion flavor, this recipe calls for both dried onion flakes and onion powder.
- Garlic Powder: Every recipe is better with garlic powder!
- Celery Seed: This is not a commonly used spice in most homes and may not be one you typically keep on hand. However, it is necessary to achieve the same flavor found in Lipton Onion Soup Mix. It is also delicious in salad dressings and rubs, so it won't go to waste in your pantry!
- Dried Parsley: A little bit of dried parsley adds a bit of freshness to the blend.
- Salt and Pepper: Because this recipe does not call for bouillon, you need to add salt and pepper to enhance the flavors. I recommend kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper for best results.
∗ important to remember ∗
For the most flavorful spice blend, be sure your dried spices are no more than 6 months old. While certainly safe to use, they begin to lose flavor.
Storing Homemade Onion Soup Mix
Just like all my spice blends, I recommend storing this onion soup mix in an airtight container in a cool, dark space, like a spice cabinet or pantry. It will last indefinitely but is best if used within 6 months, as the flavor will begin to fade.
How To Replace Lipton Onion Soup Mix
Use ¼ cup of Homemade Onion Soup Mix in place of every packet of Lipton Onion Soup Mix.
Recipes Using Onion Soup Mix
Beyond using this blend as a replacement for Lipton Onion Soup Mix, you can also use it to enhance flavor in a variety of ways.
- Use Dried Onion Soup Mix to make the easiest Chip Dip ever!
- Add a tablespoon or two to rice while cooking for incredible flavor, or use it to make Homemade Rice Pilaf or Instant Pot Rice Pilaf.
- Add 2-3 tablespoons of the Slow Cooker Pot Roast in addition to other seasonings for an additional layer of flavor. Or make a delicious Instant Pot Mississippi Pot Roast, without seasoning packets!
- Prepare a quick and flavorful marinade for meats or vegetables by mixing 2 tablespoons of the Onion Soup Mix with ⅓ cup olive oil and ¼ cup red wine vinegar. It is my go-to marinade when preparing Vegetable Kabobs.
- Season meatloaf or burgers by adding 1-2 tablespoons of the onion soup mix to the meat mixture before cooking.
- Replace the salt in Air Fryer Potatoes, Baked Fries, or Roasted Red Potatoes for a delicious, savory spin.
Additional Homemade Spice Blends
- Homemade Taco Seasoning
- Homemade Cajun Seasoning
- Homemade Seasoned Salt
- Homemade Italian Seasoning
- Old Bay Seasoning Recipe
- Homemade Dill Seasoning
- Homemade Fajita Seasoning
If you tried out this recipe for Onion Soup Mix, I would love for you to leave a comment and review below.
Copycat Lipton Dried Onion Soup Mix - Without Bouillon
Ingredients
- ½ cup dried onion flakes
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon celery seed
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 teaspoon dried parsley
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
Instructions
- Combine the spices together in a small mixing bowl, until well combined.
- Store in an airtight container for up to 6 months in the pantry.
Kara
Perfection! This is so good!
Kristen Chidsey
I am so glad you enjoyed Kara!
Louie
Noticed your recipe says 10 grams of sugar. But sugar is not an ingredient. Does this come from the onions (on keto and avoiding sugar)?
Kristen Chidsey
Hi Louie, yes this is natural sugars that come from the dried onions. However, the entire batch actually only has 5 grams, not 10. That means for each serving you would have less than .25 grams.
Suz
Hello. Can I use celery seed instead? We love French onion dip on the weekends and I cringe every time I look at the lengthy list of ingredients on the tub! Can’t wait to try this instead! Thank you!
Kristen Chidsey
Hi Suz! The celery seed will have more texture, but the flavor works! You can also grind up the celery seed in a clean coffee bean grinder if desired. I hope you enjoy!
Suz
Thank you so much for the quick response! All I could find was “minced onion” is this the same as onion flakes ? They also had chopped onion but was all sold out. No sign of onion flakes at the store I was at! Was just to looking online to see if minced onion was comparable but conflicting results. Thanks so much!
Suz
And I meant to add it’s minced onion that is dried and in a spice container not one that is contained in any liquid.
Kristen Chidsey
Yes, you can absolutely use minced onion (dried) with no change. Some brands call it minced onion 😉
Eileen
Why is there no beef flavoring? Does the packaged one have this?
Kristen Chidsey
Hi Eileen! In the original onion soup recipe, there is not beef added. They do have a "beefy" version, that is where you would add in bouillon if desired.
Jacqueline
Im wondering if Incould use celery salt ? I dont have plain cerlery powder. Thanks.
Kristen Chidsey
Hi Jacqueline! If you use celery salt, just cut the added salt in half in this recipe 🙂
Lesley
Yay! I have all the ingredients. Need this recipe to make a batch of oat burgers to taste really awesome. Thank you!
Georgiana Cave
I still after reading your replies to others, don't see where all that salt comes from just one teaspoon??
Kristen Chidsey
1 teaspoon of salt has 2,300 milligrams of sodium--so that is what people were referencing 🙂
Amy
If you want, you can add 4 Tbsp. (1/4 cup) of GF Beef Bouillon Powder to the recipe or 2 Tbsp. Better than Bouillon per recipe serving when making a recipe.
Kristen Chidsey
Great tip! Thanks for sharing!
Barbara Gehrig Havlik
Is the addition of Bouillon to make it taste more like the original recipe or for enhancement?
Thanks!
Kristen Chidsey
Hi Barbara! I have not tried adding bouillon, but I would imagine it would add a rich depth to this blend.
Colin Gottselig
We have finally got back our favourite recipe for burgers with this copycat recipe. Thank You so much for this, our grill will be full of burgers again this summer.
Kristen Chidsey
Wahoo!! I so happy this recipe will help you enjoy your burgers more Colin.
Lynn Morgan
Thanks for sharing this recipe. I don't understand where the sodium count is coming from. Please explain. Thanks again.
Lynn
Kristen Chidsey
Hi Lynn--the sodium is from the salt, but this calculator is a bit off when estimating sodium count. However the sodium is for the ENTIRE recipe, which is 2 packets--1 serving is only a tiny fraction of the entire recipe. It is SIGNIFICANTLY less than Lipton's brand. For example--most recipes use 1 packet for 8 servings which would only be 6% or 140 mg of sodium. I hope that helps! But feel free to cut salt in half if you are on a low sodium diet.
Lynn Stanley
Where does the sugar come from in nutritional facts? I thought this was suppose to be Whole 30 and Paleo approved. Am I mistaken?
Kristen Chidsey
Hi Lynn! This IS Paleo and Whole30. There is no sugar in this at all--it may be that amount of onion flakes has natural sugars in it and the nutrition facts account for the entire batch. Sorry for the confusion. I hope you enjoy!
Marian Straka
Please explain the Nutrition Facts info. I especially don't understand where the calories and sodium content come from. I'm sorry, but I'm confused.
Kristen Chidsey
Hi Marian! The nutritional information is for 1 entire recipe of the mix. So the caloric count is nil per serving 🙂
Donna
Thank you so much for posting this recipe!! I am looking forward to making this, as my family can't use any packet soup mixes because of allergies and the additives they contain. Some recipes I haven't been able to make because they contain French Onion packet soup mix.
Kristen Chidsey
YAY! Donna, that makes me so happy. And as a mom of children with food allergies, I get it!
Danelle Hills
I would want to add a little cornstarch, for thickening of sauces and gravies I might make with this dip. Wonder how much cornstarch should be added?
Kristen Chidsey
Hey Danelle, sorry it took me a couple days to respond. So if you want to use as a sauce or gravy (not in dips) add 1 teaspoon of cornstarch. Enjoy!
Missy@My Sh!tty Kitchen
I use the mix for other things than dip and it always pains me how full of bad stuff it is. Now I can feel better! Thanks for sharing.
Kristen Chidsey
You bet!! Happy to help 🙂
Rosemary
This was always one of my favourite dips, just mix it up. Living in Italy I am always looking for substitutes and thanks to you this is a great one. Love it. thanks
Kristen Chidsey
You bet Rosemary! This should help satisfy your craving for home 😉
laura@motherwouldknow
It's funny how folks like me who don't watch the Superbowl still yearn for that old fashioned dried onion soup dip when game time comes. You've got a great idea here, as no matter how much I wanted the dip, I doubt I could bring myself to buy that awful dehydrated pre-mixed stuff.
Kristen Chidsey
Laura, I hope you give this a try! My family always ate the dip during those games too and this is a great substitute!