That's an excellent question. We need recipes for dip mix and also for those other dry seasoning and soup mixes which, it seems to me, are overpriced. The per pound cost is atrocious.

Jim

I don't think they're that expensive. I like the Knorr vegetable soup for spinach dip. I believe a box is about $1.50
or so. I don't have any easy, cheap source for all those dried
vegetables but if I did I might make my own.

I love Penzey's Buttermilk Ranch Dressing mix. Very inexpensive really. I use it alot of ways.
I had a recipe once for a "ranch" mix..it had crushed saltines in it..I think they were used as a thickener....

I just do it as I go....but I suppose you could make the stuff up ahead of time and just dump it in.
I make a curry dip....
I add curry powder, ginger and lime juice to mayo.
Mix 2 T curry powder....and realize that they all vary a bit in taste, so pick one you like and add i tsp ground ginger. Add a rounded teaspoon to a cup of mayo and the juice of a lime...like 4 teaspoons of lime, serve with veggies.
Then there's the "dip in a rush"...when you have nothing to make dip out of! Put a cup of cream style cottage cheese in a blender, add 1/2 tsp garlic powder, 1/2 tsp ground pepper,1 Tablespoon of dried parsley and a generous dask of worchestershire, and about 1 1/2 T. lemon juice...for this I use bottled.. Blend until smooth....
Good with chips or veggies.
And there's always the jar of cheeze whiz and a can of rotel, heated ands erve with chips...
Most of the dips I make don't involve dry stuff...I add things like chopped olives, blue cheese, chopped onion, sun dried tomatoes.
Sorry to say I'm not much on jarred spice mixes....I prefer to have the individual spices and mix myself as I go.
Linda c

I sometimes mix the Mrs. Dash blends (Table Blend, Tomato Basil, or Herb Garlic. I like the Southwest one, too.) with sour cream or cream cheese or chevre for a quickie dip or celery filling or cracker topper. Easy. Add a bit of sliced tomato or a few capers or olive slice.

The recipe books "Make a Mix" and "More Make a Mix" are really good and have many different dry mixes you can make yourself to have on hand.
Here are a few I found on the WWW.

Bacon-flavoured dip mix (DRY MIX RECIPE)

Bacon flavoured dip mix

2 tb instant bacon bits
1 ts instant beef bouillon
1 tb instant minced onion
1/8 ts minced garlic

Combine all ingredients in a small bowl; blend well. Spoon mixture onto a 6-inch square of aluminum foil and foil to
make airtight (or zip-lock). Label as bacon-flavoured dip mix. Store in a cool, dry place and use within 6 months.

Makes one package (about 3 T) of mix.

Bacon flavoured dip: Combine 1 cup of sour cream and 1 package of mix. Chill at least 1 hour before serving.

Makes about 1 cup of dip.

VARIATIONS: substitute 1 cup yogurt, 1 cup cottage cheese, or 1 (8 oz)package of softened cream cheese for sour
cream.

You can do a beautiful label with all instructions. It'S a good gift!

marika

Onion soup MIX

3/4 cup instant (dry) minced onions
1/3 cup beef-flavor instant bouillon
4 teaspoon onion powder
1/4 teaspoon celery seeds, crushed
1/4 teaspoon sugar

Combine all ingredients and keep in an airtight container. The same flavour than the onion soup from the grocery, but
really cheap!

marika

sesame-cheese Dip mix -Dry mix RECIPE-

1 T grated parmesan cheese
1/2 t salt
1 dash pepper
2 t toasted sesame seeds
1/2 t celery seed
1/8 t garlic powder

Combine all ingredients in a small bowl, blend well. Spoon mixture onto a little bag. Label, store in a cool, dry place, and use within 4 months.

Makes 1 package (about 2 T) of mix.

Combine 1 cup of sour cream and 1 package of mix. Chill at least 1 hour before serving. (the taste is better if you do it 24 h before you serve it, and this is the same for all dips mixes)

marika
Super salad Seasoning mix -DRY MIX RECIPE-

Super salad seasoning mix
2 c. grated parmesan cheese
1/2 c. sesame seed
1 T. Instant minced onions
1/2 t. dried dill seed
3 T. celery seeds
1/2 t. freshly ground pepper
2 t. salt
1/2 t. garlic salt
2 T. Parsley flakes
2 T. poppy seeds
2 t. paprika

Combine all ingredients. Put in a quart airtight container and label. Store and use within 3 to 4 months.
Makes about 3 cups of mix.

Use Super salad seasoning mix on the following: sprinkled topping over tossed green salads, baked potatoes and buttered French bread or rolls before toasting, as a garnish for potatoe salads, macaroni or egg salads and as sour cream dip made with 2 T. of mix to 1 cup of sour cream.

I don't remember where I got these - it might've been here. I'd love to give credit to the poster, so if they're yours, please let me know!

Habañero Spice Blend: Stir together 1/3 cup onion powder, 3 Tblsp. salt, 4 tsp. dried oregano, 4 tsp. dry mustard, 4 tsp. sugar, 2 tsp. habañero powder, 2 tsp. garlic powder, and 2 tsp. ground cumin. Makes about 1 cup.

Chipotle Spice Blend: Stir together 1/3 cup onion powder, 3 Tblsp. salt, 4 tsp. sugar, 4 tsp. smoked jalapeño flakes, 4 tsp. ground cumin, 4 tsp. dried thyme, and 2 tsp. ground coriander. Makes about 1 cup.

Jalapeño Spice Blend: Stir together 1/3 cup onion powder, 3 Tblsp. salt, 4 tsp. sugar, 4 tsp. jalapeño flakes, 2 tsp. ground coriander, and 2 tsp. dried oregano. Makes about 3/4 cup.

Curry Spice Blend: Stir together 1/3 cup onion powder, 3 Tblsp. salt, 3 Tblsp. curry powder, 3 Tblsp. ground cumin, 4 tsp. dried thyme, 2 tsp. freshly ground pepper. Makes about 1 cup.

To make dip:
1 8 oz. container dairy sour cream
2 Tblsp. mayonnaise
1 Tblsp. desired spice blend (from above)

Here's a dip that a friend of my mom's gave me years and years ago. I was in HS so I didn't even think to write her name on the recipe!

Veg. Dip
1/3 cup sour cream
1/3 cup mayo or salad dressing, depending on the sweetness level you like
1 tsp. minced onion (I think this means dried onions, although you can sub fresh ones or a scallion or shallot if you don't have the dried)
1 tsp. parsley (again, I think dried, and I have tons of dried, but you can sub some chopped fresh if you prefer)
1 tsp. Beau Monde seasoning (This was an old McCormick spice blend, lol! You can sub any kind of seasoning salt, the kind that is a mix of salt, pepper, sugar, garlic and usually some other thing like lemon peel. I use Morton's "Nature's Seasonings.")
1 tsp. dill weed--yummy!! Again, you can sub fresh if you have it, but use more.

You can thin this with milk or water to make a salad dresing too.

I love cream cheese pineapple dip.
1 block cream cheese, 1 small can crushed pineapple drained, smoked chopped almonds or toasted nuts to taste. -about 3/4 cup.
You can also add diced onion, garlic, green pepper, etc, but I like it as is.

I've got to remember that pineapple dip. I used to make a pineapple cheese ball with those items, but the dip sounds easier. In fact, I think I'm gonna try it this weekend.

I know it seems dated, but the Lipton onion soup mix is really one of the best (if not the best) dip mixes you can use, IMO. I've tried specialty store mixes --like red pepper, roasted garlic, even other versions of onion and I always go back to Lipton. Plus, if you end up not using it for a dip, you can always throw it on a roast or add to hamburgers, etc.

Another thing you may want to try is just to get some dry dill weed and make a dip with that and some onion flakes and garlic salt (or any kind of combination). I love dill dips.

Here are the ingredients, but not amounts, of two 'green' mixes that my kid likes and I would like to replicate since I can't find or haven't looked hard enough for equivalents out here. I have most of these ingredients already. I dont' see any other use for dried parsely, LOL, I usually use fresh italian. If someone loves me they will try to make up proportions (puppy eyes). Yeah I know I can do it myself I'm lazy.

Boaters' Dip from Saugatuck Spice Merchants
Dill Weed
Onion
Salt
Chives
Celery seed
Garlic
Pepper
Arrowroot
Shallots
Sugar
Mustard

From Southern Seasons, visited during Paney Camp:

Cherchies Lem'n Dill Seasoning
Dehydrated onion and garlic
salt
dill weed
parsley
citric acid
sugar
celery
dill seed
natural lemon flavor

Thanks everyone - some great ideas here. I will probably try and experiment - though I'm not sure about this weekend. I have friends coming to visit from Germany - a family of five - so I am going to be busy. I had to take an extra day off work to get ready. This all reminds me that my mom used to make chip dip that was just cream cheese & garlic salt thinned down with milk or cream. Not too imaginative but I can remember I really liked that stuff with Old Dutch ripple potato chips. Probably when I first developed a taste for salt........

Do a search for "homemade dip mix" too.
Pour a cup of coffee (tea, soda, whatever) and plan to read awhile!! There are lots out there. Just look for seasoning ingredients you like.

Deanna

It's a little on the salty side, but I enjoy the spinach cream cheese dip on the back of the Spring Vegetable Lipton soup box.