Lawson's Chip Dip (Best Copy-cat Recipe) (2024)

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!

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.

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.

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

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.

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!

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!

Other Homemade Chip Dip Recipes:

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