These oven baked 5-ingredient French onion dip cups are the kind of thing that disappears from a potluck table before the lid is even off the dish. My coworker’s wife brought a pan of these to the office one Friday, and three people asked for the recipe before she even set them down. They taste like the warm, bubbly version of that classic Midwestern French onion dip we’ve all scooped with potato chips at church basements and family reunions, but tucked into little cheesy cups that you can pick up with your fingers. Everything bakes together on a foil-lined sheet pan, so cleanup is easy and the whole house smells like onions and toasted cheese.
Serve these French onion dip cups hot from the oven, still on the foil-lined baking sheet, with a little bowl of sturdy potato chips or pretzel twists nearby for extra crunch. They go nicely alongside a simple green salad, a pot of chili, or a crockpot full of cocktail sausages at a game-day spread. A platter of raw veggies—carrot sticks, celery, bell peppers—helps balance the richness, and a pitcher of iced tea or light beer fits right in with the casual, pass-around style. If you’re taking them to a potluck, keep them in the warm oven until the last minute, then bring the whole tray and let folks reach in and grab one while the cheese is still bubbling.
Oven Baked 5-Ingredient French Onion Dip CupsServings: 18
Ingredients
1 (16-ounce) tube refrigerated flaky biscuit dough (8 large biscuits)
1 (16-ounce) container sour cream
1 (10.5-ounce) can condensed French onion soup
2 cups shredded Swiss cheese, divided
1 packet (about 1 ounce) dry onion soup mix
Directions
Preheat your oven to 375°F (190°C). Line a large rimmed baking sheet completely with aluminum foil, making sure to cover the edges so any bubbling cheese is easy to lift off later.
In a medium mixing bowl, stir together the sour cream, condensed French onion soup, 1 1/2 cups of the shredded Swiss cheese, and the dry onion soup mix until everything is well combined. The mixture will look loose but will thicken as it bakes.
Open the tube of biscuit dough and separate the 8 biscuits. Using your fingers, gently press and stretch each biscuit into a rough 4-inch circle, like a little soft coaster. Don’t worry about perfect shapes; the dough will puff and form cups as it bakes.
Arrange the flattened biscuit rounds on the foil-lined baking sheet, spacing them a couple of inches apart. Gently press a shallow well into the center of each round, pushing the dough slightly up around the edges to help hold the filling.
Spoon a generous mound of the onion dip mixture into the center of each biscuit round, using all of the filling and dividing it evenly. The filling can mound up a bit; it will settle as it bakes.
Sprinkle the tops of the filled cups with the remaining 1/2 cup shredded Swiss cheese, focusing on the centers so the cheese melts into a golden cap.
Bake on the middle rack of the preheated oven for 18–22 minutes, or until the biscuits are puffed and deep golden brown around the edges and the cheese on top is bubbling and lightly browned. If the tops brown too quickly, you can tent loosely with foil for the last few minutes.
Remove the baking sheet from the oven and let the French onion dip cups rest on the pan for about 5 minutes. This helps the filling set up slightly so they’re easier to pick up.
To serve, slide a spatula under each cup and transfer to a platter, or simply leave them on the foil-lined baking sheet and let folks reach in and grab one while they’re still warm and the cheese is bubbling. Enjoy within an hour for the best texture.
Variations & Tips
You can play with the flavors while keeping the 5-ingredient spirit. For a slightly sharper taste, swap half of the Swiss cheese for shredded Gruyère or provolone. If you prefer a sturdier base, use refrigerated crescent roll dough; press the seams together and cut into 8 squares, shaping them into rough cups the same way. For a milder onion flavor, use only half the dry onion soup mix and add a small handful of finely chopped green onions on top after baking (this technically adds an ingredient, but it’s a nice fresh touch). If you need to make them ahead, you can mix the filling up to 24 hours in advance and keep it covered in the refrigerator, then assemble and bake just before serving so the biscuits stay light and not soggy. For smaller bites, cut each biscuit in half and make 16 mini cups, checking for doneness a few minutes earlier. Food safety tips: keep the sour cream and cheese refrigerated until you’re ready to mix, and don’t leave the baked cups at room temperature for more than 2 hours, especially at a warm potluck. Reheat leftovers on a foil-lined baking sheet at 350°F (175°C) for 8–10 minutes until hot in the center; avoid reheating in the microwave if you can, as it can make the biscuit base tough and the filling watery.
