This French onion soup is easy to make with sweet caramelized onions simmered in a flavorful beef broth topped with slices of crispy baguette and plenty of melted Gruyere.
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Best Classic French Onion Soup
I loved learning how to make this French Onion Soup during a cooking class in Paris. This classic soup is made simple and delicious with a rich, savory beef broth and plenty of caramelized onions.
The incredible flavor comes from the golden-colored onions that have been cooked down and caramelized, bringing out their natural sugars. This, combined with the beef broth and gruyere, gives the soup exciting flavors, and the famous cheese pull with every spoonful!
Why This Recipe Works
- Comfort food. What makes the best French onion soup recipe so good is that, not only is it delicious, but it’s fun to eat too! Where else can you find a bowl of soup hidden by a layer of crusty bread and cheese?!
- Ready in under 1 hour. Even faster if you caramelized your onions ahead of time. Perfect for a cozy main dish or as a starter.
Recipe Ingredients
Find the full printable recipe with specific measurements below.
- Onions: Large Vidalia onions are a kind of sweet onion with a mild flavor. Peel them, slice them, and use them!
- Wine: Either dry white or dry red wine can be used. Don’t go buying anything expensive, if that’s not what you already have at home.
- Broth: I use both beef broth or stock and chicken broth. Homemade, store-bought, whatever you’ve got.
- Herbs and seasoning: Salt, pepper, fresh thyme, and a couple of bay leaves.
- For the topping: French bread, olive oil, and Gruyere cheese. If you’re up to baking a loaf from scratch, you’ve got to try my easy French baguette recipe.
- You’ll also need butter and oil to cook the onions and flour to thicken the soup base.
How to Make French Onion Soup
Melt butter and oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Brown the onions until they are soft and golden brown (not burnt), stirring occasionally. This should be about 20-30 minutes. During the last 5 minutes, sprinkle with salt and pepper.
Pour in the wine, and use a wooden spoon to scrape off the bottom bits. Let the alcohol cook off while simmering, and then whisk in the flour for another minute. Add the broth, seasoning, and herbs. Cover and cook over low heat for 20-30 minutes. Season to taste.
While the soup is simmering, brush both sides of the baguette slices with olive oil and toast in a preheated 450°F oven on a foil lined baking sheet. Keep an eye on them, as you want them to be just lightly browned.
Place oven-safe soup bowls (or stoneware crocks) on a rimmed baking sheet. Fill the bowls 2/3 of the way full and place two slices of toasted bread on top then sprinkle cheese over each bowl. Broil until the cheese is bubbly and golden.
Tips and Variations
- If the onions are browning too quickly, add 1-2 Tablespoons of water to deglaze the pan. The water will evaporate.
- Skip the wine if you prefer not to use it. It will cook off and does deliver a special depth of flavor, but it will still be a fantastic recipe for French onion soup if you replace it with more broth or beef stock and a splash of Worcestershire sauce.
- If you don’t have any oven-safe bowls, here’s a trick! Once you’ve toasted one side of the bread, flip them over, sprinkle with grated gruyere, and bake until the cheese has melted. Then, add the cheesy bread to the soup, and voila! There is no need for the broiler.
French Onion Soup Serving Suggestions
This classic soup is robust and flavorful it easily stands out as the star of the meal. It’s for this reason, you can go both ways.
Enjoy it as a main dish with a simple Caesar Salad on the side or serve it as a starter for something just as hearty.
It’s great with year round with steak in oven, chicken piccata or grilled chicken thighs.
More soup recipes to try include potato leek soup, creamy tomato tortellini soup and butternut squash soup.
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French Onion Soup Recipe
Video
Ingredients
- 5 large vidalia (or sweet) onions , thinly sliced
- 3 Tablespoons butter
- 2 Tablespoons olive oil
- 1 Tablespoon flour
- ⅓ cup dry white or red wine
- 32 ounces beef broth or stock
- 24 ounces chicken broth
- salt and pepper , to taste
- 1 Tablespoon fresh thyme , or 1/2 teaspoon dried
- 1-2 bay leaves
For topping
- 8 slices French baguette
- 1 Tablespoon olive oil , for bread
- 1 ½ cups Gruyere cheese , grated
Instructions
- Peel and slice the onions.
- In a large saucepan, melt the butter with the oil. Add the onions and brown over medium heat until they are soft and golden brown, stirring occasionally (about 20-30 minutes). If it's browning too quickly add a Tablespoon or two of water to deglaze the pan. The last 5 minutes season the onions with salt and pepper.
- Add the wine and deglaze the pan by scraping any bits off the bottom. Bring to a simmer for a few minutes allowing the alcohol to cook out and then whisk in the flour and cook an additional minute.
- Add broth, salt and pepper, thyme and bay leaves. Cover and cook over low heat covered for 20-30 minutes. Season to taste.
- Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 450°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper or foil. Lightly brush both sides of baguette slices with olive oil and toast in the oven until lightly browned.
- On a rimmed baking sheet, ladle the soup 2/3 the way full into individual oven-safe bowls or crocks. Place 2 slices of bread on top and cover each bowl with cheese. Broil until bubbly and golden. Carefully watch so it doesn't brown and then remove carefully from the oven with 2 hot pads!
- Let the bowls cool a few minutes before serving. Add fresh thyme on top if desired.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition provided is an estimate. It will vary based on specific ingredients used.
Did you make this recipe? Don’t forget to give it a star rating below!
Recipe FAQs
Yes! If Gruyere isn’t your favorite, or you happen to have another cheese on hand, try it with Swiss cheese or white cheddar instead. It won’t have the exact flavors of the traditional version, but still amazing.
When storing the soup, do it without the baguette. Otherwise, it’ll be soggy. Keep the soup in an airtight container for up to 5 days in the fridge. When you’re ready to serve it, reheat it in the microwave and prepare fresh pieces of toasted baguette as instructed.
Categorized as: Christmas, Soups, Thanksgiving, Vegetarian
Jamielyn Nye is the founder and recipe creator at I Heart Naptime. She is the author of the I Heart Naptime Cookbook and shares easy family-friendly recipes and desserts for every occasion.
The most delicious soup! Loved how easy the directions were to follow. Highly recommend.
Thanks for the review!
I can’t wait for soup season, because this is one of my favorites!! It has so much flavor & just hits the spot!!
So glad you are looking forward to making it again!
This French onion soup was unreal and so flavorful. My whole family loved it. Cannot wait to make this again!
Thanks for the review!
Yum! Everyone loved it, turned out savory and perfect.
Yes, this soup turned out great. Will be making this again in the fall! – Recipe Tester
So glad you enjoyed it!