Lawson's Chip Dip (Best Copy-cat Recipe) | Renee's Kitchen Adventures

Tuesday, August 31, 2021

Lawson's Chip Dip (Best Copy-cat Recipe)

This super easy to make, Lawson's Chip Dip is a blast from my past! Growing up in NE Ohio, this chip dip was a staple at every gathering. 

There's a whole cult following for this dip, and you can still find it in some Circle K stores around NE Ohio. However, this Copycat Lawson's Chip Dip tastes great and is easy to make right at home. The mild onion and fresh sour cream taste is unmistakable! 

Lawson's Chip Dip in bowl, garnished with chives surrounded by chips

I remember Lawson's neighborhood convenience stores quite vividly. As a kid growing up in the 1970s and 1980s, they were a Northeast Ohio corner store staple for picking up necessities. Big grocery stores existed, but kept much shorter hours and were few and far between. 

Old photo of a Lawson's store in Northeast Ohio circa 1970s
Lawson's photo courtesy of ideastream.org

The original Lawson's convenience store started right here in Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio. In 1939, James Lawson opened the store at his dairy farm to sell his milk. The store expanded into several "chains" throughout Ohio, and eventually reaching into parts of Pennsylvania.

Lawson's neighborhood convenience stores were a common sight in Ohio from the 1960s through the mid-1980s. They sold necessities like milk, bread, eggs, orange juice, and specialty items such as deli  'chipped' style ham and sour cream potato chip dips.

Through the years, the chain passed through several owners and in the mid-80s was sold to Dairy Mart. Those stores eventually became Circle K stores and that is what they are known as today. You can still find Lawson's branded chip dip at some Circle K stores in northeast Ohio. 


Image of an old Lawson's sign from NE Ohio found in an antique store in Sugarcreek, OH

Recipe for Lawson's Chip Dip

I stumbled upon this Lawson's chip dip recipe on Pinterest a few years ago. It was a pin that showed an old clipping from a newspaper, with the ingredients listed on it. It sounded like an easy chip dip so I saved it, and then forgot about it. 

That is, until I joined a nostalgic Cleveland Facebook group and members kept mentioning Lawson's French Onion Dip.  

The original Lawson's Chip Dip recipe I found called for three ingredients: 

  • Sour cream
  • Onion and Chive Cream Cheese
  • Dry Ranch Dressing Mix
Image of ingredients side by side needed to make Lawson's Chip Dip at home

How to make Lawson's Dip

To make this recipe for Lawson's Chip dip, begin by gathering the ingredients needed. You'll need sour cream, onion and chive cream cheese, dry ranch dressing mix, and if you like more onion flavor, dried onion flakes. 

The 3-ingredient chip dip tastes great, but is very mild on onion flavor. To enhance the onion flavor, I added dried minced onion. Adding dried minced onion to the chip dip enhances it, but it's entirely up to you whether you want to add them or not. I also garnished with fresh chives. Adding chopped fresh chives as a garnish is also optional. 

Once you have everything gathered, begin assembling the chip dip. You'll need a couple of hours refrigerator time to allow the flavors to meld and the dried minced onion (if using) to soften, so make sure you plan for that. 

I like to use a hand mixer to mix this sour cream and onion dip. It makes easy work of  making  sure everything is well incorporated. 

Hand mixer mixing up ingredients for homemade Lawson's Chip Dip

Once the ingredients are mixed, pour the chip dip into a serving bowl, cover, and refrigerate for at least an hour or longer. 

This sour cream chip dip is great with ridged chips, but it's also a great dip for raw veggies and spicy tortilla chips and crackers. I also love it as a spread on sandwiches! 

Homemade Lawson's Chip Dip on a chip with the bowl of dip in the background surrounded by chips

Does this chip dip taste like the iconic Lawson's Chip Dip? 

I'll let you be the judge of that. 

However, even if you've never heard of Lawson's Chip Dip, this is still a wonderful easy homemade  chip dip perfect for any occasion! 

Lawson's Chip Dip in bowl, garnished with chives surrounded by chips

Other Homemade Chip Dip Recipes:

Lawsons Chip Dip, Chip Dip, Homemade Chip Dip
Appetizer, Dip
American
Yield: 16 servings
Author: Renee Paj
Lawsons Chip Dip

Lawsons Chip Dip

Prep time: 5 MinInactive time: 1 HourTotal time: 1 H & 5 M
Creamy, lightly onion flavored copycat chip dip recipe made with real sour cream, flavored cream cheese, and dry ranch dressing.

Ingredients

  • 8 ounces sour cream
  • 1 (7.5 ounce) container of chive and onion cream cheese spread
  • 1 heaping TBSP of dry ranch dressing mix
  • 1 heaping TBSP dry minced onion (optional)
  • 1 TBSP fresh minced chives, for garnish, (optional)

Instructions

  1. Combine all ingredients except fresh chives, in a medium bowl with a hand mixer.
  2. Pour into serving dish, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least one hour to allow flavors to combine.
  3. Garnish with fresh chives just before serving, if desired

Notes

If you like more onion flavor, add the dried minced onion to the dip, otherwise this dip has a very mild onion flavor.

Nutrition Facts

Calories

35.95

Fat (grams)

3.29 g

Sat. Fat (grams)

1.75 g

Carbs (grams)

1.22 g

Fiber (grams)

0.06 g

Net carbs

1.16 g

Sugar (grams)

0.72 g

Protein (grams)

0.60 g

Sodium (milligrams)

61.22 mg

Cholesterol (grams)

9.97 mg

Nutritional Information provided is an estimate.

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Pin Lawson's Chip Dip to your Pinterest Boards to save!


Image of Lawsons Chip Dip with chips in a pin for Pinterest

11 comments:

  1. Roll on big O! Luv that dip and fondly remember Lawsons. I'm putting those ingredients on my grocery list now. Thanks!

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  2. Update to my previous comment... it's delicious! Can't remember if it tastes like Lawsons but it sure is easy to make and yummy. I'd give it 5 stars!

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    Replies
    1. Hi Mayaruth! YES! Role on big O!! Thanks so much for your review and I'm so happy you enjoyed this recipe. If you want you really can give it a 5 star rating by clicking on the stars in the recipe card!

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  3. I googled How to roast a pork ribeye and clicked on your recipe for that and as I’m scrolling I see Lawson’s chip dip recipe!! I was so excited to see that since we moved to Virginia Beach from NE Ohio 10 years ago. We are loyal Lawson’s chip dip fans and always make sure to get some when we go up to visit! I’m super excited to try this recipe!!

    When I clicked on the pork recipe I saw that you are in Oho and I wondered what town. No one is ever from my tiny town. Then I see you’re talking about Lawson’s history and holy moly…. Cuyahoga Falls is my tiny town! I grew up in North Hill in Akron but moved to The Falls after high school and lived there until I had the opportunity to fulfill my dream of living near the ocean.
    We do go up to visit family at least once a year and we make sure to get chip dip, Snyder’s bbq chips (no Snyder’s here) and we hit Swensons as many times as we can lol.
    So just wanted to say thank you for making my day and reminding me of home!!
    I’ll be making chip dip tonight or tomorrow 🤩
    And I have your website in my favorites so I can try other recipes when I’m feeling homesick!
    Cheers!
    Mary K.

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    Replies
    1. Hi Mary! Awe...thank you so much for visiting and for this story! I'm touched that I could make your day. I have several regional recipes on my blog for food that I grew up with! City Chicken, Cottage Ham. I hope that they will help you feel less homesick! Cuyahoga Falls is such a lovely community and they've really done a great job with the riverfront over the years!

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  4. Made the chip dip it's extremely good! But it doesn't really taste/feel like the real deal. Lawson's dip is super thick. But this dip has a very similar flavor profile! It's very good! Great recipe, I'll definitely make it when I can't get the real dip! Thanks!

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  5. Made this today for the Super Bowl. It is AWESOME!!!!! If you remember Lawson’s dip, this is a perfect copy! Now if only I could find some Charley’s Chips!

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    Replies
    1. Hello and thanks so much for your review. So happy it was a hit for you! Yes, Charley's Chips in the big metal container!

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  6. Hi there, is it OK to make this a couple days in advance? Will it be OK?

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    Replies
    1. Hello! Yes, you can make it a couple of days ahead of time it will be fine. You might need to stir it well before serving but I've kept it for a few days myself without any issues. Thanks so much for your question and I hope you love it as much as we do.

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