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French Onion Soup

French Onion Soup – caramelized onions, beef broth, crusty bread and gooey cheese make for the most decadent, delicious and comforting soup!

French Onion Soup is a huge family favorite in my house. My husband grew up loving it, and there was a local restaurant that he always wanted to go to for their soup. I was always a little intimidated to make it, but it really is easier to make than you think!

After visiting France and having this soup there I am not sure that I can compete, but this is still a must make in our house, it is just super comforting!

What Is French Onion Soup

This soup originated in France (no big surprise given the name) during the 18th century. It was brought over to the United States in the 1860’s. The base of the soup are sweet caramelized onions and are then cooked in a rich beef broth. It is topped with a crusty slice of bread, topped with cheese and then put under the broiler to make this delicious crust.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

  • This is one of those soups that takes time, but I have a little tip below that might make it a little easier (hint, cook your onions in the crockpot ahead of time). But it is so flavorful and worth the effort.
  • It freezes amazingly well! You can actually buy frozen French Onion Soup at Costco, but trust me, making your own is so much better. So even though it takes extra time, you can make even more and freezer for later.
  • This works really well at a dinner party as an appetizer or starter course. Or serve as a main with extra bread for a delicious dinner.

And if you love caramelized onions, there are so many recipes you can make with them that are just amazing! French Onion Chicken, French Onion Pork Chops and Caramelized Onion Dip are just a couple of our favorites.

french onion soup in a bowl

What You’ll Need

  • Butter
  • Olive Oil
  • Onions – you want sweet onions like a Vidalia onion or the equivalent.
  • Garlic
  • Salt
  • All-Purpose Flour
  • Beef Broth or Beef Stock – I like to use low or no sodium and adjust the salt level to taste later. Just make sure to use a good quality broth as this is a big part of the flavor profile in the soup.
  • Red Wine – any dry red wine that you like the taste of drinking works great.
  • Bay Leaf
  • Fresh Thyme
  • Black Pepper
  • Baguette or other crusty bread
  • Cheese – You can use a couple different kind here. Our favorite is Gruyere. You can mix in just a little Parmesan to round out the flavor. Or use Provolone, Swiss, Mozzarella or a very French cheese to use is Emmental.

How To Make French Onion Soup

Be sure to scroll down to the recipe card below for the FULL recipe and amounts

  1. Heat butter and oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add onions and garlic. Cook for 5 minutes, breaking up the rings.
  2. Sprinkle with salt. Reduce heat to low and cook, stirring occasionally, for 40-45 minutes, stirring frequently. You want your onions to cook down quite a bit, and be a deep brown color. Add 1 teaspoons of sugar if your onions are not caramelizing, this will help bring out the sugar and speed up the process.
  3. Stir in the flour until it is completely blended, and no white streaks remain. Cook for a minute or two.
  4. Slowly whisk in the beef broth until it is smooth.
  5. Stir in the wine, bay leaves, and thyme. Cover and let simmer for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add pepper, and additional salt if needed.
  6. Preheat broiler.
  7. Spoon soup into oven safe bowls. Top with 2 small crostini, and a little cheese. Heat under broiler until the cheese is melted and golden.
  8. Serve immediately.
french onion soup in a bowl

Make Your Caramelized Onions In The Crockpot

Sometimes caramelizing onions can be a really pain. They do take a long time, and they aren’t something you can really just walk away from. So here is my quick tip, to make them fuss free and hands off!

Add your onions to the slow cooker, making sure they are all broken apart. Drizzle the olive oil over the onions, and arrange pats of butter over the onions. Cover and cook on high for 5 hours. Give them a good stir, prop the lid open a let them cook for 2 more hours. This will get ride of all the excess moisture and you are left with perfect caramelized onions.

Recipe Tips

  • Make sure you start with sweet onions. Most stored sell Vidalia onions, or they have another one that is always labeled a sweet onion. Those work the best for caramelizing.
  • When you put your soup into bowls, make sure they are oven safe if you are putting them under the broiler. Arrange them on a baking dish to make them easier to get in and out of the oven without making a mess.
  • The onions take time to cook, you really can’t rush them. So if you are using the stovetop method, have it on a medium to medium-low heat and just let them work their magic. Keep and eye on them and stir often, but don’t raise the heat to brown them.
  • To Freeze The Soup – don’t top with the bread and cheese, just pour the soup into an airtight container and let it cool before placing it in the freezer. It will last for 4-5 months. Let it thaw in the fridge and then reheat on the stovetop before adding the crusty bread and cheese to the bowls and putting them under the broiler.
bowl of french onion soup close up

More Comforting Soup Recipes

Yield: 6

French Onion Soup

french onion soup in a bowl

A warm and comforting bowl of caramelized onions in a rich beef broth.

Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour 30 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 45 minutes

Ingredients

  • 2 Tablespoons butter
  • 1 Tablespoons olive oil
  • 3 large onions, thinly sliced
  • 3 large cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 2 Tablespoons flour
  • 6 cups low sodium beef broth
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 1/2 cup dry red wine
  • 1 teaspoon fresh thyme
  • 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
  • 12 crostini, (lightly toasted baguettes), or croutons
  • 1/2 cup Provolone or Gruyere cheese, shredded

Instructions

  1. Heat butter and oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add onions and garlic. Cook for 5 minutes, breaking up the rings.
  2. Sprinkle with salt. Reduce heat to low and cook, stirring occasionally, for 40-45 minutes, stirring frequently. You want your onions to cook down quite a bit, and be a deep brown color. Add 1 teaspoons of sugar if your onions are not caramelizing, this will help bring out the sugar and speed up the process.
  3. Stir in the flour until it is completely blended, and no white streaks remain. Cook for a minute or two.
  4. Slowly whisk in the beef broth until it is smooth.
  5. Stir in the wine, bay leaves, and thyme. Cover and let simmer for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add pepper, and additional salt if needed.
  6. Preheat broiler.
  7. Spoon soup into oven safe bowls. Top with 2 small crostini, and a little cheese. Heat under broiler until the cheese is melted and golden.
  8. Serve immediately.

Notes

See blog post for tips on making the onions in the crockpot ahead

Source: Adapted from Smells Like Brownies

Nutrition Information

Yield

6

Serving Size

1

Amount Per Serving Calories 424Total Fat 17gSaturated Fat 6gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 10gCholesterol 22mgSodium 1120mgCarbohydrates 49gFiber 2gSugar 5gProtein 15g

Nutrition Disclaimer: All information presented on this site is intended for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and any nutritional information shared on dinnersdishesanddesserts.com should only be used as a general guideline.

Did you make this recipe?

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April

Wednesday 23rd of January 2013

We featured your recipe on the Secret Recipe Club! Thanks for being a member and sharing such a delcious recipe. http://secretrecipeclub.com/french-onion-soup-dinners-dishes-and-desserts/

Erin

Wednesday 23rd of January 2013

Thanks!! I appreciate it so much!

Karen @ Karen's Kitchen Stories

Monday 21st of January 2013

Erin, I have been wanting to make French onion soup forever. I need to do this. Beautiful photography.

Magic of Spice

Saturday 19th of January 2013

One of my all time favorite soups (veggie version for me), and yours looks amazing!

Carol | a cup of mascarpone

Thursday 17th of January 2013

My favorite...and you're recipe looks absolutely wonderful, Erin!!!

Jen Laceda @ Tartine and Apron Strings

Thursday 17th of January 2013

Wish I had a kitchen to whip up a batch of these. We're only into day 4 of kitchen reno, and I am already missing home-cooked food! Add to that, I'm sick (from all the stress, I suppose), so a bowl of this would be sooooo nice!

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