Forego the store-bought package of Onion Soup Mix and make yours at home next time you need it with a few simple ingredients and 5 minutes of time.
Have you ever looked at the ingredients in some of the common food seasonings? Half the time I can’t pronounce quite a few of them. I don’t like feeding my family unknown substances. I’m sure some of them are harmless, but I don’t have time to look it all up. Instead, I try to make them from home when I can. And the most recent seasoning mix I needed was onion soup mix.
Admittedly, the store-bought onion soup mix isn’t too bad when you look at the information. Most of the high-level ingredients, meaning those that have the most in it, are standard. It’s those last few in the ingredient list that I’m not as sure about. Maltodextrin. High Oleic Sunflower Oil. Disodium Guanylate. Disodium Inosinate. Not to mention we are trying to avoid corn syrup. And look at that sodium content!
The largest difference is in the amount of sodium. Since the envelope of dry onion soup mix has to last a long time between packaging, shipping, and sitting on shelves at the grocery store, it has more preservatives. Those preservatives are what usually drive up the sodium.
I’ve used the onion soup mix in sour cream for a quick cracker dip as suggested on the box. I also use it for French Onion Steaks.
This recipe makes enough to substitute for one packet of Lipton onion soup mix. I make it just before using it and don’t typically store extra. If you would like to have it on hand, make a few servings and store it in an airtight container. Stir it up again well before using it. One packet is equivalent to about 1/2 cup of mix.
Serving Suggestions & Tips
- You can add many flavors and other seasonings to your homemade onion soup mix recipe such as more dry onion flakes, parsley flakes, celery seed, or garlic powder.Â
- Only use dry ingredients to make your own mix, but combine it with wet ingredients, such as soy sauce, if you are making French Onion Soup mix.Â
- If you can’t find yeast extract, nutritional yeast will work in its place.Â
- Use the onion soup mix for everything from seasoning steak or ground beef to French onion dip to flavoring a slow cooker pot roast. This would also be great seasoning for vegetables like green beans and broccoli.Â
Onion Soup Mix Step by Step
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup minced onion
- 1 cube beef bouillon
- 1/4 tsp onion powder
- 1/4 tsp parsley
- 1/8 tsp celery flakes
- 1/8 tsp paprika
- 1/8 tsp black pepper
- 1/8 tsp yeast extract
Preparation
Crush the beef bouillon cube. Mine has been in the pantry for too long, so they were not as easy to crush. They ended up as clumps, but the flavor was still there. In a small mixing bowl, whisk together all of the ingredients.
Use this in place of one packet of Onion Soup mix.
Onion Soup Mix Leftovers
Storage: Place the extra soup mix in an airtight container and store it at room temperature in your spice cabinet for up to one month. A small mason jar works well for this.
Recipe
Originally Published On: October 21, 2019
Last Updated On: February 17, 2025
Onion Soup Mix
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup minced onion
- 1 cube beef bouillon
- 1/4 tsp onion powder
- 1/4 tsp parsley
- 1/8 tsp celery flakes
- 1/8 tsp paprika
- 1/8 tsp black pepper
- 1/8 tsp yeast extract
Recommended Equipment
Instructions
- Crush the beef bouillon cube
- Whisk all ingredients in a small mixing bowl
- Use immediately or store in an air-tight container
Notes
All nutritional information is based on third-party calculations and should be considered estimates. Actual nutrition content will vary based on brands used, measuring methods, portion sizes, and more.
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I love finding healthier options to family favorites! This recipe definitely fits that description. Looks great!
Me too! And having a few of these recipes in your back pocket is great for when you thought you had some in the pantry and find out you don’t
This is awesome. I have always been curious to make my own for the exact same reasons. Definitely going to try!
It’s fun to try to come up with alternatives. I’ve made a few now, and we really like the flavor plus having good ingredients.
Ooh I LOVE This idea!!! Am going to add this to my homemade gift ideas board – a great consumable gift the girls could make!
Awesome! Homemade food is always a great gift. Especially something like this that’s different than the typical plate of sweet/desserts.
– glad to be reminded of this as a fun cooking project for the days/weeks ahead. I LOVE onion soup (as does my whole family), and we use the mix in lots of other recipes too, so whipping up some DIY mix will be fun!
I have a feeling we will be needing a lot of DIY things like this in the coming weeks/months! And hey, cooking is a great math and home-ec lesson for the kiddos!
I need to make this asap! I love onion soup. Putting onion soup mix on steak is such a genius idea. Definitely going to try that!
I do too, but only have a few recipes that use it. It’s delicious on the steak, especially covered in cheese!
I use onion soup in a ton of recipes of mine. Never thought about making it from scratch! Might just have to give this a try!
I didn’t really either until I was out one day and needed it! The ingredients are all ones I keep in the pantry, so it was easy to put together.
Oh this is awesome. I always buy onion soup ix because I use it as seasoning in a lot of dishes. I have never thought of making it myself!
It’s not too hard to make yourself, especially since things are hard to find at the stores here right now!
I have never tried this before, would love to give your recipe a try ☺
It’s a great way to make it from home, especially if you don’t have the regular seasoning on hand.
Ooohhhh….this must be nice! I don’t think I have had onion soup before. I want to give it a try.
I’ve never seen a recipe like this made out of onions. This is interesting and would love to try it. Thank you for sharing!
I haven’t tried making something like this consider making it from scratch! I will take note of this and try to bookmark it so I can make one!
The yield at the top of the recipe says 8 tablespoons and at the end it says the whole recipe yields one packet of onion soup mix, but when I search online I see most sites say that a packet of onion soup mix has about 3 tablespoons. Any thoughts on this volume discrepancy? Thanks.
I see what you mean. When you make the recipe, it will make about 8 tbsp of the onion soup mix. I am not at home to test the amounts again but I will soon and get it updated with a final number. But 1/4 cup is already about 4 tbsp so the 1/4 cup of minced onion puts it over the 3 tbsp in a normal packet of onion soup mix. Since the amounts are already small, it may be hard to cut it down, so you can always make this amount and store it in a glass jar to use later. Just make sure to give it a shake or stir before using to mix it up again.