Every spoonful of this one-pot, cozy, and Easy Homemade French Onion Soup is irresistible! Each serving features caramelized onions, a rich aromatic broth, and Gruyère-topped baguette slices on top.
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Completely irresistible and Easy Homemade French Onion Soup is a must when you’re craving a cozy, warming meal. It’s a one-pot soup recipe made with caramelized onions and an aromatic-infused broth. Top each bowl with toasted baguette slices and ooey gooey melted Gruyère cheese, then dig in!
Why you’ll love this recipe
- It really is easy! Homemade french onion soup has a reputation for being time-consuming, but the results are always well worth the effort. While this version isn’t necessarily quick, the ingredients are simple and it all comes together in one pot, making it easier and just as flavorful as other recipes.
- The most comforting soup: Ultra-savory caramelized onions and the rich aromatic broth make this soup extra comforting. All bets are off once you see the toasted bread and melted Gruyère on top!
- Make it ahead of time: The caramelized onions and finished soup can be prepared days, weeks, or even months ahead of time. Keep them in the fridge or freezer, then reheat and enjoy.
Ingredients needed
- Onions – For obvious reasons, onions are the most important ingredient in this recipe! They’re cooked low and slow with butter until they become a rich, brown color with gorgeous flavors. All kinds of onions can be caramelized, like white, Spanish, yellow, sweet, red, and even shallots. Use what you love or what you already have on hand.
- Butter
- Garlic
- Sugar – Use brown sugar or coconut sugar to enhance the molasses-like, caramelized flavors.
- Flour – All purpose or gluten free flour adds body to the soup.
- Dry white wine – When choosing a dry white wine for cooking, go with something you already enjoy sipping on. Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, and Viognier are all good options. Sherry and Madeira wine are also commonly used in french onion soup recipes.
- Broth – Use what you like. Homemade bone broth is my go-to in soup because it’s incredibly rich and flavorful, but beef, chicken, or veggie broth will also work.
- Salt and pepper
- Fresh thyme
- Baguette – Sliced, brushed with oil, and toasted until golden brown. Each serving of soup gets two slices!
- Olive oil
- Gruyère cheese – This smooth melting cheese is the best cheese for french onion soup. If you can’t find it, use Provolone, Mozzarella, or Fontina instead.
How to make french onion soup from scratch
Step 1: Begin by melting the butter in a large pot over medium heat. Add the onions and cook until they take on a deep brown color (this can take anywhere from 35 to 45 minutes, so be patient!). Once you hit the 30-minute mark, stir in the sugar and garlic.
Tip: If the onions are sticking, deglaze the pot with a splash of water and scrape up the stuck bits with a wooden spoon.
Step 2: Now that the onions are caramelized, stir in the flour until you no longer see dry streaks. Pour in the wine and cook until it’s reduced.
Step 3: Stir in the broth and season it with salt, pepper, and fresh thyme. Cover the pot with a lid and leave the soup to simmer while you work on the bread.
Step 4: Toast the oil-brushed baguette slices in the oven while you wait on the soup. The bread will only take a few minutes to turn golden.
Step 5: Ladle the soup into bowls on a baking sheet and top with two toasted baguette slices. Generously cover the top with shredded Gruyère. Broil the servings in the oven until the cheese is completely melted and ooey gooey delicious!
Tips to make the best soup
- You can add a pinch of salt to the onions as they cook to help them release moisture and caramelize faster.
- There are no shortcuts when it comes to caramelizing onions. Cooking them low and slow is the only way to achieve deeply flavorful onions, so have patience!
- You can caramelize onions up to 5 days ahead of time. Keep them in an airtight container in the fridge before reheating them in the broth and aromatics.
Frequently asked questions
Yes. Simply omit the wine and use extra broth in its place.
Yes, you can make french onion soup 3 or 4 days ahead of serving. Once the onion soup is ready, wait for the batch to cool before transferring it to airtight containers and storing in the fridge.
When it’s time to eat, reheat the soup in a pot on the stove and top with freshly toasted bread and shredded Gruyère. Broil each serving as normal to melt the cheese, then enjoy.
Yes, french onion soup freezes well for about 3 months. Let the leftovers thaw in the fridge before reheating.
You sure can! Use the instructions in my Instant Pot French Onion Soup recipe to learn how.
Looking for more comforting soups to try?
- Slow Cooker Pumpkin Soup
- Chicken Noodle Soup Recipe
- Spicy Lentil Soup
- Veggie Tortellini Soup
- Beef and Vegetable Soup
Easy Homemade French Onion Soup
Ingredients
- 3 lb onions chopped
- 3 tbsp butter
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1/2 tbsp brown sugar or coconut sugar
- 1 tbsp GF flour or all purpose flour
- 1/2 cup dry white wine
- 32 oz broth beef, chicken, bone or veggie
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1 sprig of fresh thyme
- 1 baguette
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 cup Gruyère cheese shredded
Instructions
- Melt butter on a dutch oven or any large pot. Add the chopped onions and cook on medium heat until fully caramelized. This process will take roughly 35-45 minutes. Stir occasionally in the beginning and often toward the end. About 30 minutes into the process, add in the sugar and garlic and continue stirring until onions are golden brown.
- Add in flour and stir well until fully combined. Then add wine and let it reduce (about 2-3 minutes)
- Finally stir in broth, season with salt, pepper and thyme. Cover the pot leaving and simmer for 15 minutes.
- Meanwhile, turn oven to 400F degrees. Slice the baguette and brush each slice with olive oil on both sides. Bake for about 5 minutes or until golden toasted. Remove baguette from oven and switch oven to broil.
- To serve scoop the French onion soup into oven safe bowls. Place two slices of toasted baguette on top of the soup and generously cover the baguette and soup with shredded gruyere cheese. Place soup bowls on a baking sheet to catch any drippings and broil for about 3 minutes or until cheese is completely melted and ooey gooey delicious!
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
This post was updated in 2023 with improved photos, writing, recipe steps, and tips.
