Best French Onion Soup Recipe

32 Comments | Jill Winger | Last Updated: June 13, 2023

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Is it possible to be addicted to soup?

Cause I think I am.

It’s pretty much all I want to eat right now, and I’m blazing through my stash of home canned broth as I ravenously feed my addiction.

I can’t help it.

My first attempts making french onion soup were pretty dismal; it tasted like limp onions floating in wallpaper paste. My husband was soooo impressed, as you can imagine.

But my unquenchable soup addictionhas propelled me forward, and I’ve happened upon just the right blend of flavors that makes this french onion soup recipe quite possibly one of the best things I’ve ever put into my mouth.

I like to use a mixture of yellow onions and purple onions, although if yellow is all you have, they’lltotally work too. I have to quell a bit of an unforgiving spiritevery time I reach into my pantry for my store-bought onions, sinceour lovely turkey demolished our entire homegrown crop this year… Forgiveness is hard.

Oh! You will NEED some crusty bread to go with your french onion soup, so plan on making my French bread recipe or grabbing a baguette from the local bakery or farmer’s market.

1/2 cup butter
4-5 medium to large onions (I prefer using several varieties for the best flavor)
1 teaspoon dry thyme (or two sprigs fresh thyme)
2 bay leaves
4 cloves minced garlic
3/4 cup red wine
4 cups chicken stock
2 cups beef stock (how to make your own beef stock)
3 tablespoons flour
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
Salt/pepper to taste (I like this salt)
Cheese for garnish (see note below)
Crusty bread

Thinly slice the onions. I recommend using the slicing blade of a food processor for this. Otherwise, you’ll be crying your eyes out.

Melt the butter in a large stock pot, and add the onions, thyme, bay leaves, and garlic. Cook and stir over medium heat until the onions are very soft and a lovely shade of golden brown. This should take 30-40 minutes.

Add the red wine all at once, and continuing cooking and stirring until the onions are dry and the wine has cooked out.

Remove the bay leaves and thyme springs (if you were using fresh).

Sprinkle the flour on top, and allow it to cook for another 5 minutes, or until it has browned.

Pour in the stock and balsamic vinegar and allow the soup to simmer and thicken for around 20 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Place the soup into oven-safe bowls or ramekins. Top with a slice of crusty bread and a generous handful of grated cheese.

Pop into the oven and broil until the cheese is bubbly and brown.

(If you don’t want to place your bread on top, you can serve it alongside as well. I give you my full permission.)

Kitchen Notes

The caramelization of the onions is the most important part of the entire recipe– don’t rush it. (And keep your eye on them to make sure they don’t burn!)
The quality of beef stock and chicken stock you use will either make or break this French onion soup recipe. I HIGHLY recommend you use homemade broth for this– here’s how to make it and can it yourself.
If you don’t want to use wine, you can substitute an extra cup of broth instead. However, the wine really brings a beautiful depth of flavor to this recipe, so I highly recommend it.
I have made this recipe without using flour, and it will still work. The addition of the flour just provides a slightly creamier texture, in my opinion.
French onion soup purists always use Gruyere cheese in their recipes. I love Gruyere, but it’s pretty expensive and I never seem to have it on hand. Therefore, I usually opt for swiss, Parmesan, or mozzarella instead. (Here’s how to make your own mozzarella)
I used these cute lil biscuit cutters(affiliate link) to cut little rounds of bread. They fit perfectly on top of my ramekins.
French onion soup gets even better the second day. If you have leftovers, that is.And that’s highly unlikely.

French Onion Soup

Author: The Prairie Homestead
Category: Main Dish

Ingredients

1/2 cup butter
4–5 medium to large onions (I prefer using several varieties for the best flavor)
1 teaspoon dry thyme (or two sprigs fresh thyme)
2 bay leaves
4 cloves minced garlic
3/4 cup red wine
4 cups chicken stock
2 cups beef stock
3 tablespoons flour
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
Salt/pepper to taste (I use this salt)
Cheese for garnish (see note below)
Crusty bread

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Instructions

Thinly slice the onions. I recommend using the slicing blade of a food processor for this.
Melt the butter in a large stock pot, and add the onions, thyme, bay leaves, and garlic. Cook and stir over medium heat until the onions are very soft and a lovely shade of golden brown. This should take 30-40 minutes.
Add the red wine all at once, and continuing cooking and stirring until the onions are dry and the wine has cooked out.
Remove the bay leaves and thyme springs (if you were using fresh).
Sprinkle the flour on top, and allow it to cook for another 5 minutes, or until it has browned.
Pour in the stock and balsamic vinegar and allow the soup to simmer and thicken for around 20 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
Place the soup into oven-safe bowls or ramekins. Top with a slice of crusty bread and a generous handful of grated cheese.
Pop into the oven and broil until the cheese is bubbly and brown.
(If you don’t want to place your bread on top, you can serve it on the side.)

Notes

The caramelization of the onions is the most important part of the entire recipe– don’t rush it. (And keep your eye on them to make sure they don’t burn!)

The quality of beef stock and chicken stock you use will either make or break this French onion soup recipe. I HIGHLY recommend you use homemade broth for this.

If you don’t want to use wine, you can substitute an extra cup of broth instead. But the wine really brings a beautiful depth of flavor to this recipe.

I have made this recipe without using flour, and it will still work. So if you are gluten-free, that is definitely an option. The addition of the flour just provides a slightly creamier texture, in my opinion.

French onion soup purists always use Gruyere cheese in their recipes. I love Gruyere, but it’s pretty expensive and I never seem to have it on hand. Therefore, I usually opt for swiss, Parmesan, or mozzarella instead.

I suppose you could omit the balsamic vinegar, if you want, but I wouldn’t recommend it, as it adds the most perfect pop of extra flavor.

French onion soup gets even better the second day. If you have leftovers. Which you probably won’t.

More Soup Recipes:

Creamy Tomato Garlic Soup
Rustic Potato and Sausage Soup
Slow Cooker Baked Potato Soup
Healthy Cheeseburger Soup

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Reader Interactions

32 Comments

Lanie says
January 22, 2015 at 5:30 am
This sounds like heaven! I have been craving French Onion Soup for a week now and I think today will be the day!! Your recipe sounds very similar to mine but I add a little twist sometimes. Instead of the red wine, I use some marsala wine (NOT the cooking wine) and occasionally some very browned mushrooms. I finish with just a bit of heavy cream as well. There is something about the thyme, onion and mushrooms that warms my tummy! Thanks for the “sign” that I just need to make the soup already…now, if only I can wait until dinner time! 🙂
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- Jill Winger says
  January 24, 2015 at 6:37 am
  I’m liking the mushroom idea!
  reply to comment
  - Elfreda says
    August 29, 2018 at 10:47 am
    Hi Jill I love all your recipes , gardening tips etc. Ordered the doTerra oils but have not received them yet,Really look forward to getting into ess.oils.Thank you for all the information you post.
    reply to comment
Karen @ On the Banks of Salt Creek says
January 22, 2015 at 7:46 am
What timing. I have had homemade beef broth that I canned and am making French Onion Soup Friday night. A side of Panini’s and my guys should be satisfied.
Thanx for the recipe.
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- Jill Winger says
  January 24, 2015 at 6:36 am
  Yay! I love timing like that!
  reply to comment
Prairie Wife says
January 23, 2015 at 9:59 am
I think it’s all this cloudy weather that has you on a soup kick…the same thing has been happening here. The Cowboy is going to leave and never come back if I don’t make a roast and potatoes for him soon! This baby LOVES French Onion soup and I’ve only been able to indulge a few times when we go out to eat (the package stuff doesn’t cut it) I’ll be making this next week!
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- Jill Winger says
  January 24, 2015 at 6:28 am
  You and the baby are going to love it!
  reply to comment
Jill@JillsHomeRemedies says
January 23, 2015 at 7:44 pm
This sounds sooo good! Will have to try!
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Marcia Little says
January 24, 2015 at 8:32 am
All I can say is that the ramekin is toooo small! Lol, I love French Onion Soup and I too add mushrooms to mine. Will have to try your recipe.
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- Jill Winger says
  January 29, 2015 at 7:37 am
  I agree– it’s WAY too small! I was desperate for a pretty bowl to photograph it in, but I definitely eat it out of a much bigger dish!
  reply to comment
- Nancy Alexander says
  April 13, 2020 at 10:32 am
  Hi. Have you ever pressure canned this recipe?
  reply to comment
Amy @Home & Farm Sense says
January 24, 2015 at 10:02 pm
Jill – this recipe was so good! We made it tonight but I did have to substitute some rich turkey broth I had frozen from Thanksgiving in place of the beef broth. We used homemade sourdough bread and homemade farmhouse cheddar as well – even my non onion eaters loved it. Thanks so much!!
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See Also
Homemade Organic Hot Cocoa Mix Recipe {A Perfect Gift For The Holidays}!
- Jill Winger says
  January 29, 2015 at 7:37 am
  Wahoo!! I love converting non-onion eaters… And the homemade sourdough… mmmmmmmmmm.
  reply to comment
  - Julie says
    December 27, 2020 at 9:54 pm
    I use my slow cooker to caramelize my onions for 12 hours hands free. So easy. My recipe is very similar to yours after. I served it for Christmas Eve dinner. So good! Thanks for sharing!
    reply to comment
Kimberly @ KimRidge Farm says
January 26, 2015 at 8:42 pm
I wanted to be methodical when I saw your recipe for the first time a couple of days ago.
I decided that I was going to make the soup, try it first, and then write my feedback in the comments.
The only problem, I need to go grocery shopping. I don’t even have enough onions in the house and just a tiny piece of Gauda. So I haven’t made the soup yet.
I looked at your recipe again today. As I was scrolling through the page, I took a huge gulp. I mean a mouthful of saliva made such a high tide in my mouth that my head involuntarily shifted forward.
I’ll be making it pretty soon. Forget the diet.
Thank you for the recipe.
Kimberly
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- Jill Winger says
  January 29, 2015 at 7:35 am
  LOL! Yeah, looking at the pics make my mouth water, too! Let me know what you think after you make it!
  reply to comment
Kathy @ Beyond the Chicken Coop says
January 27, 2015 at 5:50 am
I love French Onion Soup. Unfortunately the rest of my family doesn’t. Maybe it’s time to give it a try again….if they don’t want it that means more for me!
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- Jill Winger says
  January 29, 2015 at 7:34 am
  Yeah this is one recipe I’m happy to eat all by myself, hehe! 🙂
  reply to comment
Jody says
January 28, 2015 at 6:40 am
This sounds incrediable. Do you thibk it can be frozen? Without the bread and cheese of course.
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- Jill Winger says
  January 29, 2015 at 7:18 am
  I don’t see why not! 🙂
  reply to comment
Ashley says
November 9, 2016 at 9:51 pm
oh man… I have read through three of your soup recipes and I am Pregnant and starving and feeling chilled with the crisp evening air in Oklahoma at 11pm at night and I am soooo wishing I had made this already so I could reheat some and EAT IT NOW!!! I want something HOT and Cheesy and delicious and can’t have it right now… I hope I still want it tomorrow because I am making one of your soups then!
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Amy says
January 22, 2017 at 2:51 pm
I never comment on recipes, but I had to say how great this tasted! I used 2 Spanish, 1 white, 1 red and 1 yellow onion. Using the food processor to chop them saved a lot of time (and tears).
I tried different types of cheese and Gruyere definitely was the best
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- Jill Winger says
  January 27, 2017 at 2:56 pm
  Thanks for commenting Amy– I’m thrilled you loved it! And I love Gruyere too. 🙂
  reply to comment
jen says
March 22, 2017 at 8:08 am
Your recipe is practically identical to mine, so I know it’s delish. The only differences-
~I have used red wine, but found that personally I prefer the flavor cream sherry imparts, and am more likely to have cooking sherry in my pantry than wine. (Because I use it for many things, deglazing camelized onions always, and always add i hornswaggle of it in any cream soup I make-SO good.
~I have never considered using vinegar in my french onion soup. I don’t use balsamic much because it’s just not an ingredient that was in our home growing up. I have used it employed as a chef but want to experiment with it more.
That’s really it! The sun is shining brightly but there is still about 8 inches of snow remaining from the 30 inches that was dumped on us last week, and the wind is fierce, and you made up my mind to make french onion soup today! So, thanks!
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rose says
April 24, 2017 at 6:13 pm
My son is a vegetarian can i use vegetable stock instead
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- Jill Winger says
  April 25, 2017 at 11:58 am
  sure!
  reply to comment
Alice says
November 27, 2017 at 9:50 am
My bread alway sinks to the bottom, no matter what kind I use. Then the cheese is sunken also. How doI prevent this?
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Jennifer says
January 10, 2018 at 11:03 am
I usually place my onions in the freezer for about 10-20 minutes before cutting & cut off the root end last – these two tips have immensely reduced &/or eliminated the crying. Excellent recipe! This is my husband’s & my favorite soup!!
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Vicki says
January 25, 2018 at 10:03 pm
I made this recipe tonight and it was great! I used turkey broth and added 2 teaspoons salt, one teaspoon pepper and one teaspoon sugar because I was a bit worried since the last time I tried to make this kind of soup it was a complete disaster! The butter I used was unsalted and the turkey broth was home made with less salt than normal in store bought so I worried about not enough salt but it was PERFECT. I had to put my OVEN SAFE bowls under the broiler when the cheese on the soup just took WAY too long to brown in the oven. I toasted the bread in the oven while the onions were taking FOREVER to cook as directed but it was all WORTH IT everyone loved it 100% THANK YOU SO MUCH!
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Pat Kennedy says
November 28, 2018 at 10:52 am
My wife is allergic to anything grape made, aka wine, also iodide, which includes salt with added iodide, seafood, celery, strawberries and any other natural source.
We love French Onion soup or any kind of soup, what is a good alternative to cooking with wine? With celery, I substitute celery seed.
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Tammie Warren says
October 25, 2020 at 6:11 am
I love onion soup. My boyfriend says “Where’s the meat?” I put a small chuck roast in the crockpot and use the broth and shredded beef in the soup. We are both happy!
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Best French Onion Soup Recipe | The Prairie Homestead (2024)

FAQs

How do you deepen the flavor of French onion soup? ›

A few sprigs of thyme and a bay leaf elevate the soup even more, but I take it a step further, adding a splash of fish sauce for complexity and depth—don't worry, it won't taste fishy—and a hit of cider vinegar to balance some of that oniony sweetness.

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What is the difference between onion soup and French onion soup? ›

Is there a difference between onion soup and French onion soup? Onion soup usually requires a combination of a variety of onions. French onion soup is traditionally made with yellow onions. Also, French onion soup is always made with beef stock while onion soup uses any type of stock or broth.

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Why is my French onion soup bland? ›

If the onions are not cooked long enough or over low heat, they won't develop the sweet and rich flavor that is characteristic of this soup. Lack of seasoning: Seasoning is crucial in any dish, and French onion soup is no exception.

View Details ›

Are yellow or white onions better for French onion soup? ›

Onions: You can use white, yellow or red onions for French onion soup. But to make it the classic way, you will need 5-6 large yellow onions, peeled and thinly sliced. Butter: The tastiest (French) way to caramelize those onions.

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How to doctor up canned French onion soup? ›

Infusing the soup with a richer taste is as easy as quickly sauteing crushed garlic before pouring the soup in. Some soft, buttery garlic sauteed in earthy olive oil is the perfect addition to enrich canned French onion soup.

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Why do you add flour to French onion soup? ›

Onion soup, at its very essence, is nothing more than onions and water boiled together. Period, done, finished, everything added from that point on is pure opinion. Caramelizing the onions brings out sugars, and makes a more luxurious silky and sweet soup, adding flour gently thickens and provides body.

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Does it matter how you cut onions for French onion soup? ›

Also, cutting pole-to-pole results in more uniformly sized slices, both in width and length. For certain cooking preparations using onions, such as French onion soup (our recipe here), this means more manageable and uniform cooking and browning. Burnt ends are great from beef brisket; not so much from onions.

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What broth is French onion soup made of? ›

What Is French Onion Soup? French onion soup, or soupe à l'oignon gratinée, is a classic French dish made with caramelized onions and beef stock or broth. The soup is topped with bread and cheese, then gratinéed to rich, gooey perfection. It's traditionally served in a ramekin or a ceramic crock with a handle.

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What ethnicity is French onion soup? ›

The classic French onion soup gets its name from its country of origin: France. After making its debut in the 18th century, it has become a national treasure. During ancient times (and still today), onions were cheap and easy to grow, and hence, readily available.

Why are my onions not browning for French onion soup? ›

Not cooking the onions long enough.

→ Follow this tip: Cook times will vary depending on the number of onions you're cooking and the type of onion (its sugar content and age), but plan to cook caramelized onions for 40 to 50 minutes (at least) until they have a dark-brown, rich color.

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Is French onion soup for the poor? ›

The story behind this famous soup

In ancient times, Romans saw it as a dish for the poor. This is due to the fact that onion cultivation was accessible to all, especially to peasants.

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What is a substitute for bay leaves in French onion soup? ›

If you don't have any bay leaves on hand, there are a couple of other seasonings that could still provide a similar, herby taste to upgrade the flavor of your French onion soup. Oregano and thyme can both make for suitable swaps for bay leaves. Both are boldly flavored and a little bitter, similar to bay leaves.

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Why do you put baking soda in French onion soup? ›

The caramelized onions for this soup cook more quickly due to a pinch of baking soda but still have that deep, slow-cooked flavor.

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What type of bowl is best for French onion soup? ›

French onion soup is traditionally served in lionhead bowls, which are deep but not very wide porcelain bowls.

What is a substitute for vermouth in French onion soup? ›

You can substitute sweet vermouth with sherry (not sherry cooking wine) or brandy. Lillet Blanc is similar to dry white wine but more aromatic. Your favorite dry white wine is fine.

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How do you get the depth of flavor in vegetable soup? ›

You could add red pepper chili flakes, cayenne, Herbs de Provence or curry powder for more flavors. The caramelized onions add a lot of depth to the soup but you could also add in tomato paste or even miso or soy sauce.

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How do you get the depth of Flavour in vegetable soup? ›

A squeeze of citrus, a dollop of yogurt or a drizzle of cream, a dusting of cheese or a good chile powder, a sprinkling of some herbs or croutons — all can take a perfectly fine soup into the realm of the delectable. Even a spiral of good olive oil to finish and some coarse sea salt can do wonders.

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What does good French onion soup taste like? ›

French onion soup tastes like sweet caramelized onions, with intense savory notes from beef broth, wine, and brandy. The consistency is brothy at first, but as the bread soaks up some of the liquid, it thickens. It's heavenly.

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Best French Onion Soup Recipe | The Prairie Homestead (2024)

Is it possible to be addicted to soup?