This restaurant-worthy easy French onion soup recipe will be your new favorite. It’s got a rich savory beef broth, caramelized onions, flavorful baguette croutons topped with melted cheese.
Making classic French onion soup at home is easier than you think. It uses simple ingredients, yellow or white onions, beef broth, dry white wine, fresh thyme and Gruyere, Swiss or Gouda.
French onion soup is one of my favorite comfort foods, along with beef chili, potato soup, New England clam chowder, and scalloped potatoes.
This classic French dish is topped with bread and cheese, then gratinéed under the broiler. Or brown the cheese with a food torch. French onion soup is traditionally served in a ramekin or soup crock.
Why this recipe works
- Simple ingredients – Simple pantry ingredients, onions, dry white wine,
- Easy to make – Onions cooked over low heat to caramelize in a Dutch oven. Just give them an occasional stir as they cook.
- Iconic French bistro dish – French onion soup is a classic comfort food, served as a starter, main dish or light lunch.
- Homemade – It’s healthier and less expensive made at home. You can control the salt, no preservatives and feed a crowd for less.
What you’ll need
- Onions – Use white or yellow onions. They offer the best flavor and slow cook and caramelize.
- Butter and oil – Using a high-quality brand, such as Vital Farms or Kerry Gold will achieve the best results. Used to caramelize the onions. The oil prevents the butter from burning.
- White or red wine – To deglaze the pan. Either dry white wine or red will work. Though often, white wine is preferred in making onion soup.
- Beef stock – Use a high-quality beef or vegetable stock. Or better yet, homemade.
- Dry sherry – Adds a wonderful depth of flavor. Purchase anywhere you’d buy wine.
- Fresh thyme – Find fresh herbs in the produce section of your favorite supermarket.
- Cheese – Gruyere, Swiss or Gouda are top choices. We love the mixture of all three!
- Bread – Use whatever type of bread you prefer. Either a crusty baguette or sourdough bread is great! (You can also use large croutons if needed)
How to make Easy French onion soup
- Make the croutons – Slice the baguette on a slight angle, about ¾-inch thick. Place on a baking pan, brush with butter & oil mixture and toast in the oven.
- Caramelize the onions – Cooking the onions over low-medium heat, properly caramelizing the onions is a must. Stirring occasionally, cook onions until they are dark golden browned. This process will take 35-40 minutes.
- Simmer the soup – Add the wine and cook down until reduced. Add the beef stock, season with salt & pepper to taste. Simmer over medium heat, 10-15 minutes.
- Top with croutons & cheese – Divide soup into oven safe crocks or soup bowls. Top with French baguette croutons, top generously with grated cheese.
- Broil – Place soup crocks on half sheet pan, place under a hot broiler until cheese is browned and bubbly. Serve immediately.
While this recipe takes a bit of time, there’s nothing quite like a bowl of French onion soup with rich beef broth, sweet caramelized onions with melted Gruyere cheese over a toasted baguette.
It can be prepped ahead in a large batch, refrigerated for a day or two. Then warmed and added to soup crocks for serving. There’s a debate over whether to use dry white wine or red wine when making onion soup. Honestly, either will work!
Be sure and try our favorite bread recipes, including sourdough bread, sourdough sandwich bread, oatmeal bread and white sandwich bread.
These soup crocks work great for beef stew, boeuf bourguignon, beef chili and potato soup.
Tips on making the best French onion soup
- Best cheese – Gruyere is the best cheese, as it melts wonderfully and offers a nutty, earthy flavor. Other great options are Swiss, Gouda or mozzarella.
- Best wine – A good splash of dry white wine is best for French onion soup. Though dry red wine is also a good choice. It’s a personal preference.
- Slice onions thinly – Use a sharp chefs knife to slice the onions thinly and uniformly. This will help them cook more evenly.
- Brown the onions – French onion soup gets it’s signature flavor from caramelized onions. Be sure and cook them on low-medium heat for long enough.
- Make extra croutons – Cut enough baguette slices and make a few extra croutons, so there’s plenty. Crusty French bread or baguettes have a sturdy interior and firm crust preventing it from immediately getting soggy in soup.
More family favorite cozy meals
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French Onion Soup
Ingredients
Croutons
- 4 tablespoons butter melted
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 French Baguette Bread (¾-inch thick slices)
- 2 tablespoons fresh parsley finely chopped
- Salt and black pepper to taste
Onion Soup
- 3 tablespoons butter
- 2 tablespoons vegetable or canola oil (or another neutral oil)
- 3 pounds white or yellow onions peeled and thinly sliced
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 ½ tablespoons granulated sugar
- ½ cup dry white wine (or dry red wine)
- 5 cups beef or vegetable stock (hot)
- Salt and black pepper to taste
- 3-4 tablespoons dry sherry
- 3-4 sprigs fresh thyme
- 1 ½ cups grated cheese Gruyere, Swiss or Gouda
Instructions
Croutons
- Preheat the oven to 375-degrees F.
- In a small bowl or glass measuring cup, combine melted butter and olive oil.
- Place the bread on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and brush both sides of each piece with butter/oil mixture. Sprinkle one side of each bread slice with fresh parsley, and season with salt and pepper.
- Toast in the oven until lightly browned and very crisp, about 8-10 minutes; set aside until needed.
Onion Soup
- In a large pot or Dutch oven over low-medium heat, add the oil and butter. Once the butter is melted and there are some bubbles, add the onions and season with a pinch of salt. Cook the onions until they are tender, about 10 minutes. Stir occasionally with a wooden spoon or heat-resistant spoon. (adding the Dutch oven lid will help them cook more quickly)
- Increase the heat to medium, add the sugar and continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions are meltingly soft and dark golden brown (caramelized), about 20-25 minutes.
- Add the wine, and cook until the liquid is reduced by half. Add the hot stock to the onion mixture, and season with salt and black pepper to taste. Simmer over medium heat for 10-15 minutes. Remove from the heat, and add sherry.
- Place the ovenproof soup bowls or crocks onto a sheet pan lined with aluminum foil or parchment paper. Evenly divide the soup amongst the bowls, being careful to distribute the onions. Float a crouton on top of each serving, and sprinkle with grated cheese.
- Place the soup bowls under a hot broiler, and broil until the cheese is browned and cheese bubbly. Serve immediately.
Recipe Notes
Nutrition
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