What makes my homemade French onion soup a million times better than store bought? Intensely sweet and soft caramelized onions, a rich beef broth, thinly sliced baguette, and gooey cheese! For extra flavor, keep the soup until the broiler until the cheese melts and browns just slightly!

The Only French Onion Soup Recipe!

The best bowl of French onion soup I’ve ever had was on a cold rainy night in Paris, France. At Bistro A La Renaissance, to be exact. The beef broth was deep, rich, and loaded with melt-in-your-mouth caramelized onions. And they generously topped the bowl with crispy pieces of baguette and a mountain of melted cheese.

I went back for that soup 3 times during my week long vacation! And promised myself I would recreate it when I got home. Finally, after little tweaks and changes, I made a pot of French onion soup that transported me back to that dark, dreamy little bistro.

This is my absolute favorite French onion soup… and the only French onion soup recipe you’ll ever need! The combination of yellow onions, fresh thyme, and white wine make the most incredible beef broth. And the mountain of gooey cheese just scream comfort food! The perfect recipe to whip up on a bone chilling night!

Ingredients for French Onion Soup

• Butter: Instead of olive oil, we use melted butter to cook our onions. This ingredient adds so much flavor and I don’t recommend skipping it!
• Onions: Thinly sliced yellow onions (or white onions // red onions) create the onion soup base. 4 pounds of onions sounds like a lot, but don’t reduce the amount because they cook down.
• Fresh Thyme: Some poeple like using a bay leaf, but I love flavoring my soup with fresh thyme.
• Crushed Red Pepper Flakes: Just a pinch adds a nice pop of heat without making the soup spicy!
• Salt: Creates balance and enhances all the ingredients flavors!
• Flour: Thickens the beef broth just enough, without making the texture overly thick or gloopy.
• White Wine: I LOVE the light flavor white wine adds! I know some people love using red wine, or even sherry. But I think white wine works best!
• Beef Stock: Although I call this a beef broth, I prefer to use beef stock in the soup. Which create an extra rich and flavorsome beef broth. In a pinch, yes, beef broth works fine!
• Water: A cup of water helps thin the broth and balance the flavor so it’s not too rich.
• Baguette: Use your favorite French baguette! And unlike most recipes, it can even be a day or two old. It soaks in the soup and are covered in cheese. So even if it’s not super fresh, it’ll be ok!
• Cheese: I love using Gruyere cheese! The grated gruyere cheese melts and browns on top of the soup. It’s incredible! Some people think Swiss cheese makes a good sub, if you need!

Yellow Onions VS White Onions

True story: I got the onions for this French onion soup from an actual ONION FARM!

Last week I took a field trip to Minkus Family Farms. During which I learned a lot about onions. And the Empire State Development’s New York State Grown & Certified program. I brought home pounds and pounds of yellow onions, so that’s what I used.

But you can use yellow onions, white onions, or even red onions! My favorite is to combine them, which enhances flavor and color!

How to Make French Onion Soup

• Use a cast iron Dutch-oven or large heavy-bottomed pan for this soup! A thin pan will burn the onions instead of letting them slowly cook.
• Don’t skimp on time when it comes to caramelizing the onions. Any recipe that says the onions will caramelize in 15 minutes is misleading you. My caramelized onions take about 45 minutes.
• If you start to see brown bits, lower the heat. You want the onions slowly cooking so they caramelize but don’t brown. A few brown bits are ok but you don’t want a ton of char.
• For the best possible flavor, use a high-quality beef stock or beef. I love using beef bone broth, as well.
• You can make the broth in advance. Feel free to store in the fridge for up to 1 week, or freeze for up to 2 months.
• If you cannot stand any spice in your soup, omit the red pepper flakes. Feel free to add black pepper or use no pepper at all.
• If you cannot find Gruyère cheese, you may use Swiss cheese instead.

There’s nothing better than ending a long day with a big cozy bowl of french onion soup! And the leftovers (if there are any…) are even better the next day. Enjoy!

How to Serve French Onion Soup

Although French onion soup comes together in a large soup pot or cast iron Dutch oven. You serve it in individual crocks. So you’ll need oven safe bowls if you plan on placing them into the oven to broil the cheese.

If you don’t have oven safe bowls, you can use a food safe blowtorch to melt the cheese. But I think investing in a set of 4 to 6 oven safe crocks is so worth it!

Can I Make French Onion Soup in Advance?

Yes! I actually suggest making this soup in advance. Making French onion soup is time consuming due to the caramelized onions. That step alone takes 45 minutes! So I suggest making the beef broth in advance and storing it in the fridge until needed!

The beef broth will keep, stored in the fridge, for about a week. Or you can freeze it up to 2 months!

You can also grate the cheese up to 48 hours in advance and store in the fridge until you’re ready!

These simple steps make this soup so much easier to serve to a crowd for your next dinner party or holiday gathering! I always have a container of the broth in my fridge for when the French onion soup craving strikes!

More Cozy Soup Recipes:

• Italian Wedding Soup
• Pasta Fagioli
• Chicken Noodle Soup

You’ll also love my French Onion French Dip Sandwiches!

My Favorite French Onion Soup Recipe

Ashley Manila

My Favorite French Onion Soup is made with beef broth, caramelized onions, and lots of gooey melted cheese! Rich, hearty, and perfect for chilly Winter nights.

5 from 1 vote

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Prep Time 30 minutes mins

Cook Time 1 hour hr 1 minute min

Total Time 1 hour hr 31 minutes mins

Course Dinner

Cuisine French

Servings 4 large bowls of soup

Ingredients

 

• 5 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 4 pounds yellow onions thinly sliced
• 8 sprigs fresh thyme
• 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
• 1 cup dry white wine
• 1 32 ounce container beef stock
• 1 small baguette sliced
• 2 cups Gruyère cheese grated

Instructions

 

• In a large, heavy bottomed pot melt the butter over low heat. Add the onions, thyme, crushed red pepper flakes, and salt; cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions are deep amber in color and very soft, about 45 minutes.
• Add the flour and cook for 1 to 2 minutes, then add the wine; increase the heat and let the wine simmer for 2 to 3 minutes, stirring constantly.
• Add the beef stock and bring soup to a boil, then reduce to a simmer and cook for another 45 minutes
• Remove thyme sprigs from the soup and discard. Season to taste.

When ready to serve:

• Preheat oven to broil. Arrange a rack in the middle of the oven. Arrange the baguette slices on a baking sheet and place in the oven for 2 minutes, or until toasted. Keep a close eye here so they don’t burn!
• Divide the soup among 4 ovenproof bowls. Place a few pieces of toasted baguette on top of each bowl, then cover with a thick layer of Gruyère cheese. Place the soup bowls on a large baking sheet, then carefully place the baking sheet under the broiler for 3 to 5 minutes, or until the cheese is fully melted and golden. Serve at once.

Notes

This recipe will make 4 dinner sized potions, or 6 appetizer sized portions.

Tried it and loved it?Snap a picture and share it with me on Instagram @Bakerbynature and by using the hashtag #BakerByNature

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Empire State Development . The opinions and text are all mine.