French Onion Soup

Name: French Onion Soup
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 70 min
Total time: 80 min
Ingredients: 4 pounds yellow onions (halved and thinly sliced); 3 tablespoons butter; 2 cloves garlic (minced); 2 sprigs fresh thyme; 1 bay leaf; Salt and pepper to taste; 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour; 1/4 cup white wine or water; 6 cups beef stock; French bread (sliced); 2 tablespoons olive oil; Gruyere cheese (sliced or grated)

This post may contain affiliate links. As an amazon associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. See my full Disclosure Policy for details.

This easy French Onion Soup recipe is perfect for weeknight dinners or special occasions. Learn how easy it is to make this soup today!

Pin this now to find it later

Pin It

French Onion Soup Recipe
French Onion Soup Recipe

French Onion Soup Recipe

This French onion soup recipe is full of lick-your-bowl-clean goodness, y’all! It doesn’t matter if it’s winter or summer or somewhere in between – you’re going to want to throw together this soup again and again.

When I say “French onion soup,” I’m sure you think of the kind that comes in a package! And that’s all well and good if you don’t have time to cook or you want something quick. No judgment! Homemade is, as we all know, MUCH tastier, however. So here’s how to make a homemade French onion soup!

I’ve truly perfected the recipe, I think. At least for me personally! It tastes fantastic, and it’s straightforward. Even caramelizing the onions is pretty easy! I also know there’s a lot of variations out there. I believe this is it, though, the best French onion soup on the planet!

Recipe for French Onion Soup

There are a hundred thousand variations on French onion soup, it seems! They’re all valid and wonderful, but if you’re wondering why I chose these ingredients in particular …

yellow onions – yellow onions are the traditional kind you use in this soup, though if you wanted, you could use red or white.
butter – another traditional ingredient and used to caramelize the onions.
garlic – for seasoning. I think I’ve discovered the perfect amounts of each spice, but you can experiment if you need to!
fresh thyme – for seasoning. I think I’ve discovered the perfect amounts of each spice, but you can experiment if you need to!
bay leaf – for seasoning. I think I’ve discovered the perfect amounts of each spice, but you can experiment if you need to!
flour – use all-purpose to help thicken the soup
water or white wine – will help you lift the burned pieces of onion that inevitably occur while you’re caramelizing them! Plus, if you use wine, it gives it that little bit of extra flavor – that “je ne sais quoi” – a quality that cannot be easily described or named.
beef stock – is – yes – another traditional ingredient! As I said above, you can substitute with veggie stock if you have a dietary restriction, but if you CAN use beef stock, use it! In my opinion, it tastes the best. 😉
French bread
olive oil – helps with the caramelizing process!
Gruyere cheese – the traditional cheese used in this recipe
Salt and pepper

How to make French Onion Soup

Time needed: 1 hour and 10 minutes

How to make French Onion Soup

Caramelize onions with herbs and seasonings.
In a large pot over medium heat, melt the butter. Add onions, garlic, thyme, bay leaf, salt, and pepper. Cook for about 20-25 minutes or until onions become very soft and caramelized.
Add wine and cook down.
Add the white wine and bring to a boil. Scrape any browned bits from the bottom of the pan and allow the mixture to simmer for about 5-10 minutes or until the wine has evaporated.
Remove the bay leaf and thyme sprigs.
Remove the bay leaf and thyme sprigs.
Add in flour.
Add in the flour, stir to coat the onions. Reduce the heat to medium-low and cook for about 10 minutes.
Stir in beef broth and thicken.
Stir in the beef broth and bring the soup back to a simmer. Simmer for about 10 minutes, allowing the soup to thicken slightly.
Preheat oven.
While the soup is simmering, preheat the oven to 450°F. and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Prepare bread slices.
Coat both sides of the French bread slices with olive oil. Place onto the prepared baking sheet and toast in the oven for about 5-6 minutes.
Tpp bread with cheese.
Remove the baking sheet from the oven and flip the toasts over and top with Gruyere cheese.
Melt cheese.
Set the oven to broil. Ladle the soup into bowls and place them on a baking sheet. Top each bowl with cheese-covered bread. Place the baking sheet in the oven and heat until the cheese has melted and is slightly golden brown.
Serve.
Serve immediately. Store any leftovers in the refrigerator.

Would you like to save this?

We'll email this post to you, so you can come back to it later!

Recipe Note

Omit the bread (or make garlic bread) and use veggie stock instead of beef stock to make this vegan/vegetarian! Gluten-free flour also works wonderfully in this recipe, if necessary.

French Onion Soup: FAQs

➡️ Can you use another kind of cheese besides Gruyere?

Yes!! Choose whichever is your favorite. I just like Gruyere personally!

➡️ Could you use croutons instead of bread?

Oh, of course! Any kind of bread goodness works well with this recipe. I’ve even heard of people using rusks (which are a kind of biscuit)!! Get creative! 😊

➡️ What about dried herbs instead of fresh ones?

Dried will do well in a pinch. I just think the fresh herbs taste way better!

➡️ What about red wine instead of wine?

That will work, too!

As fancy as it sounds, a bowl of good French Onion Soup is straightforward to make, as you can see!! Comment down below with your thoughts about this recipe. Did you make any additions or substitutions? Did you find the recipe easy, or did you have trouble? And most of all, just how much do you love this soup recipe?! Tell me all about it, and I’ll try to reply!