French Onion Soup
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French Onion Soup feels fancy, but it’s made with simple ingredients and just a little patience. Sweet caramelized onions, rich broth, and bubbly cheese come together in the most comforting way. I’ll walk you through how to make a classic, cozy French onion soup that’s absolutely worth the time!
Sheila’s Recipe Snapshot for French Onion Soup
This French onion soup is a timeless classic that turns simple ingredients into something rich, cozy, and incredibly satisfying.
French onion soup is one of those classic recipes I truly believe everyone should make at least once. It’s simple at its core, but there’s something about the combination of caramelized onions, rich broth, and melted cheese that feels incredibly special.
Something I really love about this soup is that it is baked and served in individual portions. Those little oven-safe bowls topped with bubbling cheese feel extra cozy and just plain adorable on the plate!
My family always gets excited when they see those bowls on the table, and I personally don’t know one person who doesn’t like French onion soup. Even my grandkids are obsessed with it!
Ingredient Notes for Classic French Onion Soup Recipe
- Butter | Use unsalted butter to caramelize the onions. Unsalted butter is best, so you can better control the recipe’s saltiness.
- Onions | Traditionally, French onion soup is made with yellow onions. However, depending on your preference, you can also use red or white onions!
- Garlic | For added flavor to the French onion soup, use chopped garlic cloves when cooking the onions. In a pinch, substitute the fresh garlic with garlic powder.
- Fresh herbs | Bay leaves and thyme sprigs are my favorite herbs to add here. If necessary, you can swap the fresh herbs for dried ones!
- Salt and pepper | Add kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste.
- Red wine | Use red wine to deglaze the bottom of the pot when you caramelize the onions. This ingredient also brings a deeper, richer flavor to the final soup. If you don’t want to use wine, you can use more beef stock.
- Broth | Use quality chicken and beef broth as the base of the French onion soup. The stock is what lends a lot of flavor to the soup, so I recommend using high-quality stocks or broths!
- Baguette | French baguette bread is traditionally the bread that tops this delicious onion soup.
- Gruyère | I like to sprinkle my classic French onion soup with gruyère cheese, freshly grated from a block. If desired, a combination of Parmesan and Gruyère is common in French onion soup recipes, as is Gouda, Swiss, or mozzarella.
Variations and Substitutions
- Wine: Swap dry white wine or dry sherry for red wine for a lighter flavor. Alternatively, you can skip the wine and use a dash more broth.
- Broth: Use all beef broth for a deeper, richer soup or all chicken broth for something milder.
- Vegetarian: Make it vegetarian by using vegetable broth and skipping the beef and chicken broth. It won’t have the same flavor, but it will still be delicious!
How to Make the Best French Onion Soup
French onion soup is easier to make than you may think! In general, you caramelize the sweet onions, add the broth, and top with melty cheese and a crisp crouton.
CARAMELIZE THE ONIONS. Melt butter in a large pot over medium heat, then add sliced onions, garlic, bay leaves, thyme, salt, and pepper. Cook for 25 minutes or until the onions are a deep golden brown, soft, and caramelized.
ADD THE RED WINE. Then, carefully pour the red wine into the pot with the caramelized onions. Reduce the heat to a simmer and cook for about five more minutes. When the wine evaporates and the onions look almost dry, move on to the next step.
FINISH MAKING THE SOUP BROTH. Discard the bay leaves and thyme. Sprinkle flour over the onions and stir. Reduce the heat down to medium-low and cook for 10 minutes. Add the beef and chicken broths and bring to a simmer, cook for 10 minutes then season with salt and pepper, to taste.
TOAST THE BAGUETTE. Cut the baguette into slices or large croutons. Place on a baking sheet and lightly toast.
TOP WITH CHEESE, BROIL, AND SERVE. To serve, ladle soup into oven-safe bowls and top with the toasted bread. Sprinkle generously with the Gruyere and broil until bubbly and golden brown, 3 to 5 minutes.
More Recipe Success Tips
Storage and Reheating Tips
- To store: If you have leftovers, store them, without the cheesy croutons, in an airtight container in your refrigerator for up to 4 days.
- To freeze: You may also freeze French onion soup (without the bread) for up to three months.
- To reheat: When you’re ready to serve it again, allow the soup to thaw in the fridge overnight. Then, boil it on the stovetop, freshly make more baguette croutons, and top it with extra Gruyere cheese.
Frequently Asked Questions
If you prefer to make this recipe alcohol-free, you certainly can! French onion soup is still delicious without the addition of wine. Some recipes call for Worcestershire sauce to deepen the flavor and others use extra broth to deglaze the pot.
French onion soup tastes so good because it’s built on layers of slow-developed flavor. The onions are caramelized until sweet and deeply golden, then simmered in rich broth and finished with toasted bread and melted cheese, creating the perfect balance of savory, sweet, and umami in every bite.
Caramelizing onions can feel a little tricky at first, but once you get the hang of it, it becomes second nature. Slice the onions about ⅛-inch thick and use a large pot so they have enough space to cook evenly without overcrowding. I recommend stirring them often so that they don’t burn. Most importantly, keep the heat low and take your time, slow cooking is the key to rich, soft, deeply caramelized onions!
Looking for More Comforting Soup Recipes?
Try creamy and cheesy recipes like this Chicken Florentine Soup, my classic Potato Broccoli Cheese Soup, or this savory and flavorful Sausage Tortellini Soup — YUM!
What to Serve With French Onion Soup
Make it a soup-and-salad combo by serving your savory French onion soup with a refreshing salad, like this Grilled Steak Salad with French Vinaigrette, a classic Wedge Salad with Crispy Fried Shallots, or my healthy Chicken Kale Caesar Salad.
Or make a heartier meal by serving your soup with a tasty sandwich, like my Flank Steak Mediterranean Sandwich or this Turkey Melt Sandwich.
Beyond the Recipe
This classic soup originated in Paris in the 18th century but became popular in the U.S. in the 1960s thanks to the endearing TV chef Julia Child.
If you know little about this incredible woman, I highly encourage you to research her.
Julia Child’s story is truly inspirational. She grew up in a wealthy family and studied history at Smith College. Child experienced a variety of careers before finding her passion and claim to fame—cooking!
She began with a short-lived secretarial job, then volunteered with the American Red Cross to aid in the country’s preparation for war. Soon after, she became the senior typist for the OSS, a precursor to today’s CIA.
Working in India, she met her husband, Paul Child. The couple packed their bags for Paris when Paul was assigned to another job. It was here that she finally began cooking seriously and attended the famous cooking school, Le Cordon Bleu. And the rest is history!
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Classic French Onion Soup Recipe
Ingredients
- ½ cup unsalted butter
- 4 large onions sliced
- 2 garlic cloves chopped
- 2 bay leaves
- 2 fresh thyme sprigs
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 1 cup red wine
- 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour heaping
- 1 qt. beef broth
- 1 qt. chicken broth
- 1 baguette sliced
- 5 ounces grated Gruyere
Instructions
- Melt butter in a large pot over medium heat, then add sliced onions, garlic, bay leaves, thyme, and salt and and pepper. Cook for 25 minutes or until the onions are golden, soft, and caramelized.
- Add the red wine and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 5 more minutes, until the wine has evaporated and the onions are mostly dry.
- Discard the bay leaves and thyme. Sprinkle flour over the onions and stir. Reduce heat down to medium low and cook for 10 minutes. Add the beef and chicken broths and bring to a simmer, Cook for 10 minutes then season with salt and pepper, to taste.
- Cut the baguette into slices or large croutons. Place on a baking sheet and lightly toast.
- To serve, ladle soup into oven-safe bowls and top with the toasted bread. Sprinkle generously with the Gruyere and broil until bubbly and golden brown, 3 to 5 minutes.
Notes
- Take your time with the onions. Proper caramelization of onions is the foundation of great French onion soup, and it simply can’t be rushed. Cook them low and slow until they’re deeply golden, soft, and sweet for the best flavor.
- Stir frequently as the onions cook. Continuous stirring helps prevent the onions from sticking to the bottom of the pot or burning as they caramelize.
- Deglaze the pot thoroughly. When you add the wine, be sure to scrape up all the browned bits from the bottom of the pot. Those bits are packed with flavor!
- Be generous with the cheese. When topping the soup before broiling, add plenty of shredded Gruyère so the surface is almost completely covered. This creates that signature gooey, golden crust that makes French onion soup so irresistible!
- Use caution when broiling and serving. Oven-safe bowls get extremely hot, so carefully remove them from the oven and allow the soup to cool for a couple of minutes before serving.
- To store: If you have leftovers, store them, without the cheesy croutons, in an airtight container in your refrigerator for up to 4 days.
- To freeze: You may also freeze French onion soup (without the bread) for up to three months.
- To reheat: When you’re ready to serve it again, allow the soup to thaw in the fridge overnight. Then, boil it on the stovetop, freshly make more baguette croutons, and top it with extra Gruyere cheese.
Nutrition
Life Love and Good Food does not claim to be a registered dietician or nutritionist. Nutritional information shared on this site is only an estimate. We recommend running the ingredients through an online nutritional calculator if you need to verify any information.
I made your French Onion soup recipe for my hubby an my Valentine’s Day meal. It was so good and rich. We loved it and I wont wait for a special occasion to make it the next time.
My favorite soup!! This recipe is super good!
The flavors in this French Onion Soup are incredible, and the addition of red wine makes all the difference. Thanks for the caramelizing onion tips, too!
This soup is so comforting and flavorful! Perfect for a chilly night like tonight.
I have tried plenty of French onion soups because it’s one of my all time faves and I have to say that your broth is the best! Some I have had were so thin tasting but this soup was rich and decadent!
Amazing French onion soup recipe! Everyone loved it! I cannot wait to make it again.