Last Updated on March 17, 2022 by Kathryn Donangelo
This Easy French Onion Soup recipe is a classic and loaded with rich beef broth, caramelized onions and topped with bread and melted cheese.
PIN Easy French Onion Soup Recipe to try later!
French Onion Soup is a soup you can spend all day making and it may seem tedious but it’s super easy with my recipe! My Easy French Onion Soup Recipe is a traditional recipe and has a rich beef broth base that has plenty of caramelized onions and is topped with my favorite, cheese and toasted bread.
The cheese on top of French Onion soup is the best part, am I right? Swiss and, or gruyere are my favorite cheeses to top this soup with.
French Onion Soup is a heartier soup and can be eaten as a meal or it pairs well with other dishes. When serving the French Onion Soup as our main dish, I typically use larger bowls and serve it with extra bread, delicious! If you love French food, be sure to make this Steak Frites recipe that pairs perfectly with this French Onion Soup!
Some other great ideas to serve with this French Onion Soup for dinner is this Spinach Salad, Tomato Caprese, or Focaccia Bread.
Not only is this French Onion Soup recipe easy to make, it’s comforting and will taste like you spent hours in the kitchen. This soup takes a little time and patience to make but the preparation for it is simple and well worth your time!
HOW TO CARAMELIZE ONIONS
Caramelizing the onions in this Easy French Onion Recipe is absolutely necessary. You cannot skip this step otherwise the recipe will not turn out the way it should. The first step of this recipe is caramelizing the onions and making sure you cook them long enough. Cooking the onions until they are tender, sweetened and caramelized is not only essential, but will give the soup the signature “French Onion Soup” flavor. This step usually takes between 20-25 minutes- at least.
There are only a few simple steps to making the best French Onion soup once the onions are caramelized!
- Add flour and seasoning to the caramelized onions. This will thicken and flavor the soup.
- Add wine and herbs. Simmer until flavors have come together.
- Add beef broth and simmer all of the ingredients together. The soup will be a light brown color and full of rich flavor.
- Top soup with cheese, bread and broil. Enjoy!
INGREDIENTS TO MAKE EASY FRENCH ONION SOUP
- Olive oil
- Butter
- Yellow onions
- Salt + pepper
- Garlic
- All-purpose flour
- White wine
- Powdered sage
- Fresh or dried thyme
- Beef broth
- Bay leaves
- French bread
- Swiss or gruyere cheese
- Parmesan cheese
HOW TO MAKE EASY FRENCH ONION SOUP RECIPE
HOW TO MAKE EASY FRENCH ONION SOUP RECIPETo make the french onion soup
-
In a large pan cook olive oil, butter and onions for 20-25 minutes until onions have become tender and have caramelized. The onions will reduce drastically to almost half and turn into a light golden brown color.
-
Season the onions with salt, pepper and garlic. Stir for a few minutes until garlic cooks and then add flour and stir until ingredients are combined.
-
Stir in the wine, sage, and thyme. The flour should disolve and the onion mixture will thicken. Simmer for a few minutes to cook up the raw flour flavor.
-
Add the beef broth and be sure to scrape the bottom of the pan to get all of the brown bits- this will give the soup so much flavor! Stir again and add in bay leaves. Bring the soup to a boil and then reduce the heat to low and cook for at 40-50 minutes- stirring occasionally. Discard the bay leaf and thyme sprig and taste for salt and pepper.
Toast the bread
-
Heat oven to 400 degrees F. While the soup is simmering, slice the baguette slices into 1-inch thick slices and brush slices with olive oil. Place the slices on a baking sheet and bake for 6-8 minutes until the bread is toasted and golden around the edges.
-
Assemble the french onion soup
-
Switch the oven to broil. When the soup is ready, laddle soup into oven-safe bowls and place on a sturdy baking sheet. Assemble cheese, bread and more cheese and broil until cheese is melted. Enjoy!
HOW TO STORE LEFTOVER FRENCH ONION SOUP
Make sure to only top the soup with bread and cheese individually so you can store any leftovers properly.
Let the French Onion Soup broth cool completely. Store the soup in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3-4 days or freeze for up to 3 months.
When ready to serve, warm individual servings by ladling the soup into bowls and microwave until warmed or cook on the stove until heated. Add bread and cheese and broil for a few minutes until cheese is melted.
LOOKING FOR OTHER DELICIOUS SOUP RECIPES? TRY THESE!
- Homemade Vegetable Soup
- Skinny Broccoli Cheddar Soup
- Roasted Tomato Basil Soup
- Healthy Turkey Chili
- Chunky Beef Stew
- Chicken Gnocchi Soup
- 30 Minute Taco Soup
- Green Detox Soup
- Hearty Minestrone Soup
CAN’T GET ENOUGH?
Subscribe and I’ll send all my newest and FREE recipes to your inbox! You can also keep up with me on Pinterest, Instagram, and Facebook. If you make this recipe, please let me know how it turned out! Leave a comment below and share a picture on Instagram so I can see and feature you!
Easy French Onion Soup Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 Tbsp. olive oil
- 3 Tbsp. salted butter
- 7-8 cups yellow onions; thinly sliced medium-sized
- 1 1/2 tsp. salt
- 1/4 tsp. black pepper
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1/3 Tbsp. all-purpose flour
- 1 cup dry white wine
- 1/4 tsp. powdered sage
- 3 sprigs fresh thyme or 1 tsp. dried thyme
- 6 cups beef broth or beef stock
- 2 bay leaves
French Onion Soup toppings
- 1 loaf french bread; sliced
- 3 Tbsp. olive oil to drizzle on bread
- 12 slices swiss cheese or gruyere cheese
- parmesan cheese optional
Instructions
To make the french onion soup
- In a large dutch oven or heavy bottom pan on medium heat, heat olive oil, butter and onions and cook for 20-25 minutes until onions have become tender and have caramelized. The onions will reduce drastically to almost half and turn into a light golden brown color.
- Season the onions with salt, pepper and garlic. Stir for a few minutes until garlic cooks and then add flour and stir until ingredients are combined.
- Stir in the wine, sage, and thyme. The flour should disolve and the onion mixture will thicken. Simmer for a few minutes to cook up the raw flour flavor.
- Add the beef broth and be sure to scrape the bottom of the pan to get all of the brown bits- this will give the soup so much flavor! Stir again and add in bay leaves. Bring the soup to a boil and then reduce the heat to low and cook for at 40-50 minutes- stirring occasionally. Discard the bay leaf and thyme sprig and taste for salt and pepper.
Toast the bread
- Heat oven to 400 degrees F. While the soup is simmering, slice the baguette slices into 1-inch thick slices and brush slices with olive oil. Place the slices on a baking sheet and bake for 6-8 minutes until the bread is toasted and golden around the edges.
- Assemble the french onion soup
- Switch the oven to broil. When the soup is ready, laddle soup into oven-safe bowls and place on a sturdy baking sheet. To assemble, sprinkle parmesan cheese on top of the spoup, then add a slice of cheese, top with a baguette slice, another slice of cheese and another with a sprinkle of parmesan cheese. Broil for about 2-4 minutes, or until the cheese is melted and bubbly. Remove and serve immediately while the soup is hot. Enjoy!
Oh my heavens is this AMAZING!!! This is my husband’s all-time favorite soup! I love how simple you broke down the recipe and steps! Seriously, SO GOOD!!!
This is one of my favourite, especially in comfort food season. Look at that cheese. All I need is a nice glass of wine and I am a happy camper. What an easy dinner idea.
Thank you Gloria! This soup does make the best dinner 🙂
French Onion Soup is by far my favorite soup. This recipe makes it simple and straight forward to make a beautiful soup with plenty of flavor and, of course, gotta love the stretchy cheese.
French onion soup is my favorite too! I hope you get a chance to try my recipe Linda!
This reminds me of my first jobs waiting in restaurants… there was always French Onion Soup on the menu. I never got tired of it, it’s still one of my favorites. I’ll be trying this recipe tomorrow!!
That is too funny! 🙂 I hope you love this recipe!
This soup is delish! My wife will definitely love your French Onion Soup! It looks really yummy and perfect to add on our menu.
Thank you Dennis!
French onion soup is one of my favorite soups to get in restaurants, but now I can make it anytime at home with this easy recipe.
Yes and it’s so easy to make! I hope you love it!
My husband’s favorite soup is French Onion Soup and yours looks PHENOMENAL!!! We’re getting 7″ of snow tonight and I have all the ingredients on hand. Talk about perfect timing! I am seriously drooling over these photos right now!!!!
Aww yay! That is so great to hear, this soup is perfect on cold evenings, especially when it’s snowing, wow! Thanks so much Lori!
Wow! your French Onion Soup looks delicious! Saving this recipe to make one day soon.
Thanks Denise, I hope you love it!
French onion is one of my favorite soups and I absolutely love your take on it. Looks super tasty!
Thanks sooo much!
This is one of my favorite soups to order at restaurants so I’m thrilled that now I can make this at home! So flavorful and delicious!
Mine too! I hope you love this recipe!
One of most satisfying soup is without a doubt french onion soup. It’s so hearty, warming and so satisfying. A perfect way to spend chili winter evenings is witha bowl of this soup
Thank you so much! 🙂 I agree!