The Perfect French Onion Soup

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Love French Onion Soup? Here's how to make the perfect bowl, every time. This soup is easy to make and always a hit with family and friends. Plus, it's a great way to use up leftover onions. Enjoy!

Is there anything more relaxing than a quiet night in, a big pot of French Onion Soup, a giant cheesy piece of toast on top and a movie? Sounds like a recipe for success if you ask me 🙂

Four copper plated ramekins of french onion soup topped with gruyère toasts.


 

Why I Love This Recipe

I've been a French Onion Soup lover for a long time. My mom was obsessed, so naturally I am too!

I've ordered French Onion Soup in just about every restaurant under the sun and have a LOT of thoughts.

  • The best french onion soup recipe doesn't skimp on the onions. (I've had some before that go easy on the onions and I just don't understand the point. It's called French ONION Soup for a reason!)
  • It must have a touch of red wine to give it some extra depth and flavor.
  • And then it's topped with these majorly delicious toasts that are loaded with Gruyère cheese and a few thyme leaves. It's perfection and it's exactly what we need this time of year when it's getting a bit brisk and all you want to do is cuddle up on the couch with a big bowl of soup and a glass of red wine!!
Closeup shot of four copper plated ramekins of french onion soup topped with gruyère toasts.

If you're about to embark on the soup train for the foreseeable future like me - here are a few more of my all time favorite soups- chicken tortilla soup and ribollita, just to name two.

Ingredients & Substitutions

Mise en place of all the ingredients to make french onion soup.
  • Unsalted Butter
  • Yellow Onions
  • Garlic
  • Bay Leaves
  • Fresh Thyme
  • Kosher Salt
  • Black Pepper freshly ground
  • Red Wine
  • All-purpose Flour
  • Beef Broth
  • Baguette sliced
  • Gruyère

*For a full list of ingredients and instructions please see recipe card below.

How to Make French Onion Soup

A pot with butter melting in it.

Step 1: Melt the butter in a large pot over medium heat.

A pot with thinly sliced onions, garlic, bay leaves, thyme, and salt and pepper.

Step 2: Add the onions, garlic, bay leaves, thyme, and salt and pepper and cook until the onions are very soft and caramelized, about 25 minutes.

A pot with caramelized onions and wine just added.

Step 3: Add the wine, bring to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer until the wine has evaporated and the onions are dry, about 5 minutes.

A pot with french onion soup being prepared, with flour just added to a caramelized onion reduction in wine, with bay leaves and thyme sprigs removed from the pot and placed next to it.

Step 4: Discard the bay leaves and thyme sprigs. Dust the onions with flour and give them a stir. Turn the heat down to medium low so the flour doesn't burn, and cook for 10 minutes to cook out the raw flour taste.

A pot with french onion soup being prepared, with beef broth just added.

Step 5: Next, add the beef broth, bring the soup back to a simmer, and cook for 10 minutes. Season, to taste, with salt and pepper.

A parchment-lined baking sheet with baguette slices topped with shredded gruyère cheese, placed in a 7 x 2 grid, ready to be baked.

Step 6: Once the soup is done, preheat the broiler. Arrange the baguette slices on a baking sheet in a single layer. Top the toasts with the Gruyère.

A parchment-lined baking sheet with baguette slices broiled with gruyère cheese on top, placed in a 7 x 2 grid, fresh out of the oven.

Step 7: Broil until bubbly and golden brown, 3 to 5 minutes.

Two ramekins with french onion soup topped with baked gruyère toasts.

Step 8: Ladle the soup in bowls and float the Gruyère toasts on top.

How to Store French Onion Soup

You can store the french onion soup in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 4-5 days. You can reheat on stove/microwave. I recommend making the Gruyère toasts fresh and topping the soup with them when its time to eat.

How to Freeze French Onion Soup

You can freeze this soup in the freezer for 3 months. Consider portioning into meal-size portions so you do not have to thaw more than you need.

Tips & Tricks

Make sure you have soup bowls, ramekins, or mini crocks that are oven safe. That way you can do the best part of this recipe - broiling the cheese on top!

FAQs

Can this be made vegetarian?

Just swap the beef broth with vegetarian broth and you are all set!!

Any advice for caramelizing the onions?

Patience! Slice the onions thin, and cook it low and slow.

Similar Recipes

If you tried this recipe, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it goes in the 📝 comments below. Thanks for visiting today

French Onion Soup from www.whatsgabycooking.com (@whatsgabycookin)

French Onion Soup

Author: Gaby Dalkin
4.9 from 14 votes
Hands down the best and only French Onion Soup recipe you'll ever need
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 50 minutes
Total Time 1 hour
Course Soup
Cuisine French
Servings 4 People

Ingredients
  

  • ¼ cup unsalted butter
  • 5 yellow onions thinly sliced
  • 4 cloves garlic finely chopped
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 3-4 fresh thyme sprigs
  • Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • 1 cup red wine
  • 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
  • 2 quarts beef broth
  • 1 baguette sliced
  • ½ pound grated Gruyère

Instructions
 

  • Melt the butter in a large pot over medium heat. Add the onions, garlic, bay leaves, thyme, and salt and pepper and cook until the onions are very soft and caramelized, about 25 minutes.
  • Add the wine, bring to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer until the wine has evaporated and the onions are dry, about 5 minutes. Discard the bay leaves and thyme sprigs.
  • Dust the onions with flour and give them a stir. Turn the heat down to medium low so the flour doesn't burn, and cook for 10 minutes to cook out the raw flour taste.
  • Next, add the beef broth, bring the soup back to a simmer, and cook for 10 minutes. Season, to taste, with salt and pepper.
  • Once the soup is done, preheat the broiler. Arrange the baguette slices on a baking sheet in a single layer. Top the toasts with the Gruyère and broil until bubbly and golden brown, 3 to 5 minutes.
  • Ladle the soup in bowls and float the Gruyère toasts on top.

Notes

Make sure you have soup bowls, ramekins, or mini crocks that are oven safe. That way you can do the best part of this recipe - broiling the cheese on top!

Nutrition Information

Calories: 663kcal | Carbohydrates: 50g | Protein: 31g | Fat: 33g | Saturated Fat: 19g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 9g | Trans Fat: 0.5g | Cholesterol: 93mg | Sodium: 2561mg | Potassium: 682mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 9g | Vitamin A: 935IU | Vitamin C: 12mg | Calcium: 716mg | Iron: 4mg
Tried this Recipe? Tag me Today!Mention @WhatsGabyCookin or tag #whatsgabycooking!
Adapted from Tyler Florence

52 Comments

  1. Made this today……..turned out great! A great warm meal for cooler weather.
    We live in Florida but we are having cooler weather right now! Thanks Ga.

  2. 5 stars
    Easy recipe with little effort. It’s so much easier this way to put the cheese on the bread and broil instead of putting into the soup and under the broiler. I made an extra batch for freezer. Only thing I changed was adding a little Parmesan.

  3. 5 stars
    Made this soup tonight. I'll admit I have ever had French Onion Soup, let alone made it but it's all moody and rainy here in Seattle, this felt right. It was an incredibly easy recipe. We have a mandolin so I killed those onions in record time. The only thing...5 onions is a ton of onions. We split the garlic, onions, bay leaves, and butter into two pots to help since it was so much in one. After the caramelizing we added everything to one and then moved on with the recipe. Again, so easy. We followed put our soup in my new cutie crocks and put it under the broiler that way. I've pinned this and will definitely make it again. Great recipe!

  4. 5 stars
    This was SO good. Everyone loved it. The onions took a bit longer for me than 25 but it was worth the wait. This will definitely be made again at our house!

  5. This is incredible. I used Bone broth instead cause i had it on hand. Wasnt as oily as the resturants serve and soooo tasty. Thank you again Gaby you kill it every time for me.

4.86 from 14 votes (7 ratings without comment)

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