If onion soup mix has turned up in a recipe or caught your eye at the store, here's what you need to use it with confidence and how to choose it, cook it, store it, what to substitute, and 210 recipes to try it in.

What is onion soup mix?

Onion soup mix is a dry seasoning packet built mostly from dehydrated onion and beef bouillon, thickened with a little cornstarch and rounded out with salt and sugar. Lipton's is the original and most cooks still call it by that name.

One envelope is built to make a bowl of onion soup with water, but almost nobody uses it that way. Its real life is as an all-in-one flavor base.

A single packet drops dried onion plus savory, salty bouillon into a dish in one move, which is why it has anchored American casseroles and pot roasts since the 1950s.

How to Use Onion Soup Mix

Think of one envelope as a seasoning shortcut, not a soup. It carries a lot of salt and concentrated onion, so it seasons the whole dish on its own; taste before you add any more salt.

The most famous use is the dip. Stir one envelope into a 16-ounce tub of sour cream, then chill it at least an hour so the dried onion rehydrates and softens.

That rest is the difference between a gritty dip and a smooth one, and it is the secret behind a classic California Dip Bread.

Roasts and braises are where it earns its keep. Sprinkle a packet over a chuck roast or chicken before the liquid goes in, where the long, moist cooking dissolves the onion and bouillon into instant gravy, as in No Peeky Beef Casserole or a Pressure Cooker Beef Stew.

It also seasons from the inside. Mix a packet into ground beef for burgers or meatloaf, fold it through a rice or vegetable casserole, or toss it with oil and potatoes before roasting.

Pairing and Common Mistakes

Onion soup mix belongs with beef, chicken, pork, mushrooms, potatoes, and sour cream. It naturally suits anything braised or slow-cooked, where time lets the dried onion bloom.

The biggest mistake is doubling up on salt. People add a packet and then salt the dish out of habit, and it comes out too salty to fix. Season at the end, after the mix has done its work.

The second mistake is adding it to something quick and dry, like a fast saute. With no liquid and no time, the onion stays hard and the bouillon tastes raw and powdery. This is a seasoning for things that cook with moisture.

Substitutes

Out of packets? One envelope is easy to fake. Combine three tablespoons dried minced onion with two tablespoons beef bouillon powder, then add a half teaspoon each of onion powder and garlic powder.

A small pinch of celery seed plus a little sugar and pepper finishes it. That roughly equals one store packet.

If you keep no dried onion, two tablespoons beef bouillon plus a tablespoon of onion powder gets you most of the savory, oniony backbone, though without the soft bits of rehydrated onion.

For a dip in a hurry, sauteed fresh onion stirred into sour cream with salt and a little Worcestershire is better than the packet anyway.

Buying and Storing

Packets are cheap and shelf-stable, so the main thing is to check the date and keep them dry. The dehydrated onion is the part that goes off, turning stale and flat long before the packet looks any different.

Store unopened envelopes in a cool, dry cupboard, where they hold their flavor well past a year.

Once you open one and do not use it all, fold it shut and drop it in an airtight jar, because the onion pulls moisture from the air and clumps.

Homemade mix keeps the same way: store it airtight and use it within a few months while the onion is still aromatic.

Nutrition

Quick facts

Where to find onion soup mix: Onion soup mix is usually found in the soups section or aisle of the grocery store or supermarket.

Food group: Onion soup mix is a member of the Soups, Sauces, and Gravies US Department of Agriculture nutritional food group.

In Chinese

洋葱汤混

British (UK) term

Onion soup mix

en français

séchée soupe à l'oignon

en español

mezcla de sopa de cebolla

How much does onion soup mix weigh?

Amount	Weight
1 packet	39 grams
1 packet (6 fl oz prepared)	7 grams

Related

Soups, Sauces, and Gravies

Recipes using onion soup mix

There are 210 recipes that contain this ingredient.

All 210 recipes

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