I’ve been a big fan of Samin Nosrat since I read her book Salt Fat Acid Heat, which is a James Beard winner, and the correlating Netflix documentary. She’s really adorable, passionate, and excitable, which I thoroughly appreciate in someone who loves food! I made her Ligurian focaccia for the blog, and it’s incredible. Because of all that, I had to buy her latest book, called Good Things.
Good Things is a book I wish I’d owned when I started cooking over 40 years ago. It’s really more for novice cooks, who don’t know a lot about ingredients, and haven’t yet gotten creative with them. In spite of this, I bookmarked many recipes. When I first saw the recipe for Miso-Labne Onion Dip, I could not wait to make it. I love labne/labneh, and I’m intrigued by miso.
From Chef Nosrat: “A few small tweaks to the classic sour cream and onion number yield this truly exceptional dip, adapted from my cookbook, “Good Things: Recipes and Rituals to Share With People You Love” (Random House, 2025). A little miso paste and vinegar take caramelized onions — already rich in character — to a whole new level. The salt, sweetness, umami and acid balance out the onions’ earthiness and dark caramel notes. Labneh offers a welcome tangy counterpoint to the robustly flavorful onion mixture without sacrificing creaminess.”
The dip is sensational, and when you serve it you serve it with potato chips, which are my favorite junk food!
Miso and Labne Onion Dip
printable recipe below
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus more as needed
2 yellow onions, thinly sliced
Kosher salt
2 tablespoons white miso
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
1 1/2 cups labne
1 1/2 teaspoons onion powder
3 tablespoons minced chives, plus more for garnish
Freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon sugar (optional)
Potato chips for serving
Set a large skillet over medium heat. Once it’s hot, add the oil. When it shimmers, add the onions and season with salt. Cook, stirring the onions and scraping the pan regularly, until the onions begin to brown. After about 20 minutes, once the onions have cooked off most of their water, bare spots in the pan might cause onions to start to stick and burn. Add a splash of water as needed to loosen any bits that are cooked on. As long as they’re not burnt, you can scrape and stir them back into the onions. If they are burnt, don’t add any water and instead scrape everything but the blackened bits into a new pan and continue cooking – you may also need to add another tablespoon or so of oil.
Continue cooking and scraping regularly until the onions are very well caramelized, 45-55 minutes total. Turn off the heat and stir in the miso and vinegar. Taste and adjust the seasoning with salt and vinegar as needed.
Allow the onions to cool, then chop them finely. Transfer the onions to a large bowl and add the labneh, onion powder, chives, and a few grinds of pepper.
Taste and adjust the seasoning with salt. Add sugar if needed to balance out the salt and vinegar. Transfer to a serving bowl and garnish with more chives.
Serve with potato chips, warm pita, crudités, or crackers.
Note: I would go ahead and add the sugar, or use half of the vinegar. The resulting flavor is definitely tangy without one of those changes.
Miso and Labne Onion Dip
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus more as needed
2 yellow onions, thinly sliced
Kosher salt
2 tablespoons white miso
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
1 1/2 cups labne
1 1/2 teaspoons onion powder
3 tablespoons minced chives, plus more for garnish
Freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon sugar (optional)
Potato chips
Set a large skillet over medium heat. Once it’s hot, add the oil. When it shimmers, add the onions and season with salt. Cook, stirring the onions and scraping the pan regularly, until the onions begin to brown. After about 20 minutes, once the onions have cooked off most of their water, bare spots in the pan might cause onions to start to stick and burn. Add a splash of water as needed to loosen any bits that are cooked on. As long as they’re not burnt, you can scrape and stir them back into the onions. If they are burnt, don’t add any water and instead scrape everything but the blackened bits into a new pan and continue cooking – you may also need to add another tablespoon or so of oil.
Continue cooking and scraping regularly until the onions are very well caramelized, 45-55 minutes total. Turn off the heat and stir in the miso and vinegar. Taste and adjust the seasoning with salt and vinegar as needed.
Allow the onions to cool, then chop them finely. Transfer the onions to a large bowl and add the labneh onion powder, chives, and a few grinds of pepper.
Taste and adjust the seasoning with salt.
Add sugar if needed to balance out the salt and vinegar.
Transfer to a serving bowl and garnish with more chives.
Serve with potato chips, warm pita, crudités, or crackers.