If you want a homemade bread machine mix that actually earns its jar space, this Bread Machine Onion Bread Mix does the job. It turns out a savory white loaf with mellow onion flavor, and the dry mix comes together in just a few minutes so you can keep it on hand for busy days or tuck it into a gift basket.
The mix itself stays simple: flour, sugar, powdered milk, salt, dehydrated onion flakes, and yeast. When you’re ready to bake, just add warm water and vegetable oil, then let the bread machine handle the heavy lifting. Homemade bread is lovely. Homemade bread that doesn’t require you to think before coffee is better.
Ingredients
You’ll assemble the dry mix in layers, then keep the onion flakes and yeast separate until you’re ready to decorate the jar or bake the loaf.
- 1/4 cup dehydrated onion flakes
- 3 1/3 cups flour
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- 1 tablespoon powdered milk
- 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
- 2 3/4 teaspoons active dry yeast
To prepare the loaf, add:
- 1 1/8 cups warm water, about 110 degrees F
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
Instructions
To make the giftable mix, keep the onions and yeast out of direct contact with the rest of the dry ingredients. That helps preserve texture and makes the jar look tidy instead of like a flour blizzard.
- Place the dehydrated onion flakes in a small zip bag and set aside.
- Place the active dry yeast in a separate small zip bag, or set aside one prepackaged envelope of yeast.
- Mix the flour, sugar, powdered milk, and salt together, then transfer the mixture to a quart-size jar.
- Lay the onion bag and yeast bag on top of the dry mix and seal the jar with a lid.
- If you’re giving it as a gift, cut a 9-inch circle of fabric, center it over the lid, secure it with a rubber band, and tie a bow over the band.
- When ready to bake, add the warm water and vegetable oil to the bread pan in the order recommended by your bread machine manufacturer.
- Add the dry mix to the bread pan, then add the onion flakes and yeast as directed for your machine.
- Insert the pan into the bread machine and choose the white bread setting, your preferred crust color, and the rapid or normal cycle with the appropriate loaf size.
- Use the delay option if desired, then press Start and bake until the cycle is complete.
If you’d like more make-ahead ideas, take a look at Homemade Bread Machine Mixes or try the savory cousin to this loaf, Bread Machine Garlic Bread Mix.
Tips for Success
Use water that’s close to 110 degrees F, not hot enough to make you rethink your life choices. Water that’s too cool can slow the rise, and water that’s too hot can damage the yeast.
Measure the flour carefully so the loaf doesn’t bake up dense. Spoon the flour into the measuring cup and level it off rather than scooping straight from the bag.
If your machine has a separate yeast dispenser, use it. Otherwise, keep the yeast away from the warm water until the cycle starts, especially if you’re using the delay feature.
For the best texture after baking, remove the loaf from the pan as soon as the cycle ends and cool it on a rack. According to Virginia Cooperative Extension’s home food storage guide, homemade bread keeps best for a short time at room temperature, so don’t park it on the counter for a week and hope for miracles.
Variations
For a slightly richer loaf, use bread flour instead of all-purpose flour if that’s what you normally keep on hand. Bread flour can give you a bit more chew and a taller rise.
If you like a stronger onion flavor, choose larger onion flakes rather than onion powder. Powder blends in fast, but flakes hold their flavor better in the finished loaf and give you a more noticeable savory bite.
You can also pair this mix with dinner the same way you would plain white bread, but it especially shines next to soups, roast chicken, meatloaf, or anything that benefits from a little onion in the background without dragging an actual onion onto the cutting board.
Storage
Dry mix: Store the sealed jar in a cool, dry place away from heat and direct sunlight. A conservative shelf life estimate is up to 6 months for best quality, since the shortest-lived ingredients here are the dried onion and opened dry yeast once packaged for pantry storage.
Baked bread: Store the cooled loaf tightly wrapped at room temperature for 3 to 5 days. For longer storage, freeze it well wrapped for up to 3 months. Slice before freezing if you want to grab a piece or two at a time instead of sawing through a frozen loaf like a lumberjack.
Serving Suggestions
Serve this onion bread warm with butter alongside soup, stew, or a simple salad. It also makes a solid sandwich loaf for ham, turkey, roast beef, or grilled cheese because the onion flavor is noticeable without trying to run the whole meal.
If you’re building out a bread machine mix collection, this one fits nicely beside Honey Nut Oatmeal Bread Machine Mix when you want something sweet, or French Honey Bread Bread Machine Mix for an everyday loaf.
💸 Budget101® Price Breakdown: Bread Machine Onion Bread Mix
Ingredient |
Walmart Item |
Pkg Price |
Amount Used |
Cost Used |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Dehydrated onion flakes |
$2.44 |
1/4 C. ≈ 1 count ≈ 0.55 cup(s) |
$0.28 |
|
Flour |
$2.96 |
3 1/3 C. |
$0.52 |
|
Sugar |
$2.98 |
2 T. |
$0.04 |
|
Powdered milk |
$9.28 |
1 T. |
$0.05 |
|
Salt |
$0.62 |
1 1/2 t. |
$0.01 |
|
Active dry yeast |
$5.24 |
2 3/4 t. |
$0.38 |
|
Warm water |
– |
1 1/8 C. |
$0.01 |
|
Vegetable oil |
$3.97 |
1 T. |
$0.04 |
💸 |
Cost |
|---|---|
🧾 Total Batch Cost |
$1.33 |
👨👩👧👦 Cost Per Serving |
$0.11 |
📅 Walmart prices last verified August 26, 2026. Prices may vary by location and are subject to change. Learn how to calculate the cost of a recipe on your own!
🛒 Walmart Grocery List
- Minced Onion, 2.35 oz
- All-Purpose Flour, 5 lb
- Granulated Sugar, 4 lb
- Instant Nonfat Dry Milk, 25.6 oz
- Iodized Salt, 26 oz
- Active Dry Yeast, 4 oz
- Distilled Water, 1 gallon
- Vegetable Oil, 48 fl oz
Not sure exactly what this batch costs you per serving? Here’s how to break down the real cost of any recipe so you know before you shop.
Frequently Asked Questions about Bread Machine Onion Bread Mix
Yes, you can. Bread flour usually gives you a slightly chewier loaf with a bit more lift because it has more protein than all-purpose flour. Use the same measured amount and keep an eye on the dough during the first few minutes in case your machine needs a tiny splash more water.
You can swap it in using the same amount in most bread machine recipes, but check your machine manual first if it calls for a specific yeast type. Instant yeast works a little faster, so it usually performs best on the standard bread machine cycle rather than anything already pushing the speed limit.
No, not for this mix. The onion flakes hydrate as the dough mixes and rises, which keeps the prep simple and the onion flavor distributed through the loaf. If your flakes are very large or extra dry, you can soften them in a spoonful or two of the warm water for a few minutes first.
Most dense loaves come from too much flour, expired yeast, or water that was too hot or too cool. Measure the flour carefully, use water close to 110 degrees F, and make sure your yeast still smells fresh and active. If the dough looks stiff and dry in the first mixing minutes, add water 1 teaspoon at a time.
You can, but the loaf may bake up a little less tender and slightly less rich. Powdered milk helps with flavor, softness, and browning in enriched bread machine loaves. If you leave it out, keep the rest of the formula the same and expect a plainer crumb.
This is best treated as a 1 1/2-pound style loaf for most bread machines. The ingredient amounts line up with a medium everyday sandwich loaf, which usually gives you about 12 slices depending on how thick you cut them.
Yes, as long as your machine supports it and you keep the yeast separate from the liquid until the cycle starts. That’s one reason this mix packs the yeast in its own bag. Just skip the delay if your kitchen runs very warm, because heat and waiting are not always a charming pair.
Let it cool completely first, then wrap it tightly or store it in an airtight bag at room temperature. Trapped steam makes the crust soggy, so don’t bag it while it’s still warm. If you won’t finish it within a few days, freeze it instead of letting it limp along on the counter.
Only if your machine is rated for a much larger loaf. Doubling a bread machine formula can cause the dough to overfill the pan, bake unevenly, or collapse over the sides. It’s usually smarter to make two separate jars than one oversized bread machine experiment.
Use it anywhere you’d want a savory sandwich bread with a little extra flavor. It’s especially good with soups, stews, roast beef, deli ham, grilled cheese, and toasted slices with butter alongside eggs. Onion bread does a lot of work without making a fuss about it.
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Did you make this recipe? Tell me how your loaf turned out in the comments and whether you baked it for dinner, sandwiches, or straight-to-toast duty.
🖨️ Print-Friendly Bread Machine Onion Bread Mix
Bread Machine Onion Bread Mix
Ingredients
- ¼ cup dehydrated onion flakes
- 3 ⅓ cups flour
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- 1 tablespoon powdered milk
- 1 ½ teaspoons salt
- 2 ¾ teaspoons active dry yeast
- 1 ⅛ cups warm water 110 degrees F
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
Equipment
Instructions
- Place the dehydrated onion flakes in a small zip bag and set aside.
- Place the active dry yeast in a separate small zip bag, or set aside one prepackaged envelope of yeast.
- Mix the flour, sugar, powdered milk, and salt together and transfer the mixture to a quart-size jar.
- Lay the onion bag and yeast bag on top of the dry mix and seal the jar.
- If desired, cover the lid with a 9-inch circle of fabric and secure it with a rubber band and ribbon.
- To bake, add the warm water and vegetable oil to the bread pan in the order recommended by your bread machine manufacturer.
- Add the dry mix, then the onion flakes and yeast as directed for your machine.
- Select the white bread setting, desired crust color, rapid or normal cycle, and appropriate loaf size. Use delay if desired and press Start.
Recipe Size Alteration
💡 If you altered the ingredients above by doubling or tripling the recipe, you may also need to change the pan/dish size and adjust the cook time.
Notes
Prep time is an estimate for assembling the mix and packaging it.
Cook time is listed as 0 minutes because the bread machine handles the baking cycle and no fixed cycle time was provided.
Estimated dry mix shelf life: up to 6 months in a cool, dry place.
Store baked bread tightly wrapped at room temperature for 3 to 5 days or freeze for up to 3 months.
i believe my sister and i would both really enjoy this bread. i’m going to try it asap.
thanks for the nice recipes. love this site!