Homemade Onion Soup Mix
This is a deliciously easy Homemade Onion Soup Mix recipe. Control the sodium, MSG and gluten that goes into your food!
AN EASY ONION SOUP MIX RECIPE
This is a deliciously easy Homemade Onion Soup Mix recipe. Control the sodium, MSG and gluten that goes into your diet with this do-it-yourself recipe! I’ve had lots of successes with my other homemade seasonings: Ranch Seasoning Mix, Taco Seasoning Mix or Everything But the Bagel Seasoning.
IS ONION SOUP MIX GLUTEN FREE?
One of the questions I get most often is how someone can tailor a recipe to fit their dietary needs. And I’m not gonna lie y’all, I really don’t like to go there. There are just too many factors in health-specific diets that there is no possible way I can be an expert in them all, and let’s be real, I’m just a cook – not a doctor or a certified nutritionist. Many store-bought onion soup mixes are not gluten free. But this recipe is!
HOMEMADE, DELICIOUS AND TASTE TESTED!
So I set out to find a recipe that tastes like the packet kind (maybe even better!) but where I could control the sodium. And for that, I had to find sodium-free beef bouillion cubes or granules. I easily found it at Walmart. So I whipped this up and then tested it in a couple of recipes. And I gotta say, not only did it taste amazing, it worked seamlessly and I couldn’t even tell the difference between the two. It might’ve actually been a tad bit better.
INGREDIENTS NEEDED: (SEE RECIPE CARD BELOW FOR THE FULL RECIPE)
- dried onion flakes – see my ingredient photo below. This is different than onion powder that you will also use. These are actually dried flakes of onion.
- sodium-free beef bouillon granules – you can usually find this near where the beef and chicken broth is located in the store or the spice section. You can use the granules like I did or you can get the beef bouillon cubes and just crush them up. I like to use the sodium free since I think the one with sodium adds a lot of extra salt but that is totally up to you.
- onion powder – this is going to complement the onion flakes to provide taste and texture.
- parsley flakes – this is actually optional but it is included in the store-bought stuff so I included it here. This doesn’t add a ton of flavor, it does add some nice color though.
- celery seed – this might seem like a surprising ingredient but it is actually included in onion soup mix although it is not a strong flavor.
- paprika – you want the regular paprika not the smoked.
HOW TO MAKE HOMEMADE ONION SOUP MIX:
Measure all of the ingredients into a bowl or a lidded container.
Mix together well. Keep mixture in a lidded container and store in a cool dry place.
- To make soup: Place this mix into medium saucepan. Stir in 4 cups water and bring to a boil, stirring occasionally. Reduce heat and simmer uncovered, stirring occasionally, for 10 minutes. Makes about 3 1/2 cups.
- To make onion dip: Combine this mix with 1 (16 oz.) container sour cream.
- Three tablespoons of this mix will equal one packet of store-bought onion soup mix.
USE YOUR NEW HOMEMADE ONION SOUP MIX IN THESE RECIPES:
Originally published: November 2016
Updated and republished: April 2019
Homemade Dry Onion Soup Mix
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup dried onion flakes
- 2 tablespoons sodium-free beef bouillon granules
- 1/4 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/4 teaspoon parsley flakes
- 1/8 teaspoon celery seed
- 1/8 teaspoon paprika
- 1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
Instructions
- Measure all of the ingredients into a bowl or a lidded container.
- Mix together well. Stir in a lidded container in a cool dry place.
- Store for up to 6 months.
Notes
- To make soup: Place this mix into medium saucepan. Stir in 4 cups water and bring to a boil, stirring occasionally. Reduce heat and simmer uncovered, stirring occasionally, for 10 minutes. Makes about 3 1/2 cups.
- To make classic onion dip: Combine this mix with 1 (16 oz.) container sour cream.
- Double or triple this recipe to have it on hand when you need it.
- When using as a substitute for a packet of onion soup mix, you will use about 3 tablespoons of this homemade mixture.
Nutrition
Nutritional Disclaimer
“The Country Cook” is not a dietician or nutritionist, and any nutritional information shared is an estimate. If calorie count and other nutritional values are important to you, we recommend running the ingredients through whichever online nutritional calculator you prefer. Calories can vary quite a bit depending on which brands were used.
Perfect recipe! I use this for my onion Dips. I omit the bullion until I do my final mix with Sour cream. I then use 1 Tb of better than bullion into final mix. Thank you for the recipe!
Thanks so much Michael! I appreciate you taking the time to comment!!
Thank you so much for the recipe. I can finally try a bunch of new recipes without the risk of me getting a migraine.
Maybe do your homework. This brand does not. Also please see studies that they have found that MSG is not harmful.
Do you know if a packet of Herb Ox equal to 2 tbsp of granules?
I believe each packet contains about a teaspoon which equals one beef bouillon cube. 🙂
So how many packets of Herb Ox did you use to equal 2 tablespoons of beef bouillon granules?
I believe there is one teaspoon of beef bouillon in a packet and there are 3 teaspoons in a tablespoon so that should mean you’d need about 6 packets. Hope that helps!
Can you substitute the beef granules for chicken?
Thank you for posting! How much salt would you add to this if using Sodium-Free granules?
I made this last night and it was very flavorful. I used it as a rub on a pork loin and the family, six members, all thought it was great! As suggested, I also put it in the mashed potatoes. Again, they were a hit too. Unfortunately, in a pinch I did not have any celery seed, so next time I make it I’m sure it will be even better.
thank you for this recipe. I’m excited to try it. I make a venison roast that calls for onion soup mix and the kind you buy in the store is so salty and has additives in it that I can’t have. thank you again.
forgot to rate it!
Thank you for this recipe. I come back to it often as I never buy dry onion soup mix and seem to always pick a recipe that calls for it, so I make my own thanks to you!
The father of my daughters friend just had heart surgery and is home recuperating. He desires onion soup mix meatloaf which has a lot of sodium. I’m going to make a meatloaf using your recipe. I hope he enjoys it.
for onion flakes do you use the larger dehydrated onion flakes, or the dried minced onion?
Carmen, I would use the dried minced onion but if all you have are the larger onion flakes, just pop them in a Ziplock bag and crush them down a bit. 🙂
Bless you, my daughter and granddaughter have gluten- issues and I have been looking for a onion dry mix. Found yours and love it. And thank you for the printable labels what I need idea.
Would you have a recipe for Chili Con Carne seasoning? I am presently buying mine from Penzey’s , but would love to make a BIG batch.
Hi Barbara! No I don’t. I’ll have to work on it!
Thank you so much! This recipe comes with glowing praise from members of my nutrition group for those of us on a sodium-restricted diet due to Cirrhosis. I look forward to using it in my Shepherd’s Pie, and my favourite chicken & rice dish, Chicken Tremendous!
Hi Janet! Thanks so much for taking the time to come back and let me know! It really is an easy but super tasty recipe that can be used for all kinds of recipes!
Hello my lupus sister! I am on this journey of living as naturally as possible to combat lupus. One way is making all my own seasonings with food I grow in my garden. Thank you for this recipe and many more. Hope your journey is a good one too!
I ran out of Lipton onion soup mix and I need it for a recipe now!!! I am going to make your substitute recipe . Thank you for being a life saver!!
Woo hoo!! So happy this helped you in a pinch!!
I just wanted to thank you for this great onion soup mix recipe. I am allergic to yeast extract which is in most canned and dry soup mixes. I need it for a chicken stroganoff recipe for the crockpot. This is a tremendous help!
For people that have kidney problems they must be careful as this brand add calcium products that aren’t good for them. I use to take care of a neighbor that was on dialysis and they told me not to use that product as it will do more damage to the kidneys. I can understand the salt sensitive people as I am one of them.. I too like making my own mixes because of all of the extras the company’s put in them
On the onion soup mix if I make a larger batch how much do I measure out of a recipe. I know it is one ounce packs.
Hi Pat! Just make sure you shake it up really well then measure out about 1/4 cup. Hope that helps!
You’re such a sweetie. Thank You. Thanks also for ALL the other great recipes you provide for us
Thank you Brandie! I pinned this one. Don’t you just love Cris, Mikey and Miss Add at Recipes That Crock!? I have joined the Crock Posse! I hope you have a very Merry Christmas season!
Hi Brandie….how did you get the beef bouiillon grounded? Most of the times, I only see these in little cubes, never found granules…
Hi Cynthia! I found it sold that way at Wal-Mart. You can of course ground up the cubes also to make it into a powder. Hope that helps! 🙂
I don’t see any directions on how to make this into the soup. How much water do I use to make soup?
Hi Roberta! Place this mix into medium saucepan. Stir in 4 cups water and bring to a boil, stirring occasionally. Reduce heat and simmer uncovered, stirring occasionally, for 10 minutes. Makes about 3 1/2 cups. Hope that helps!
Thank you sooooo much Brandie that does help.
You are welcome Roberta! 🙂
You’re such a good woman! Thanks for sharing this. No doubt I’ll be making it!!
Thanks so much Mrs. B!!
Thank you, thank you! This mix is terrific for salt-sensitive people like me. I never use a recipe calling for Onion Soup Mix. Finding the Salt-free bouiillon granules at Walmart is truly wonderful. I can use this in so many recipes as well as ones calling for Onion Soup Mix. I’m a happy cook here! Phyllis C.
Woo hoo! Absolutely LOVE hearing that Phyllis! This recipe is for you then – so happy this will be helpful 🙂