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Enjoy a savory bowl of this Classic French Onion Soup Recipe, complete with crusty bread, and topped with ooey, gooey cheese. Nothing beats the comforting flavors of this dish!
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Best French Onion Soup Recipe
My family and I are big fans of homemade French Onion Soup. There really is nothing like it – it’s warm, satisfying, and richly flavorful, with an irresistible cheesy crust that will make you want another bowl.
You can enjoy my French Onion Soup as a comforting lunch, weekday supper, or for Sunday Supper with the family gathering around the table. It’s so easy to make, and full of rich flavors from the caramelized onions!
The only patience you need for this recipe is to cook the onions low and slow, sweetening and turning the broth a rich brown color. It’s so easy and dinner is ready in just a little over an hour!
French Onion Soup Ingredients
- Bread
- Butter
- Garlic
- Fontina Cheese
- Yellow Onions
- Olive Oil
- Fresh Thyme
- Bay Leaves
- Beef Broth
- Salt
- Pepper
How to Make French Onion Soup
- Begin by slicing an onion in half lengthwise, and cutting it into ¼” thick slices.
- With a large pot over high heat, add butter and allow to melt.
- Add sliced onion, minced garlic, thyme, and bay leaves and sauté until onions are translucent and soften, about 5 minutes. Season with a few pinches of salt.
- Reduce heat to medium-high and continue to cook the onion until soft and caramelized, stirring frequently.
- As the onion gets closer to being caramelized, the bottom of the pan may start to burn, add a little bit of the beef broth to deglaze it as the onion continues to cook.
- When the onions are a deep golden caramel color, about 25 minutes, add the rest of the beef broth to the pot.
- Bring to a boil and simmer for another 10 minutes, season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Shred or grate cheese, and slice bread into ¼” – ½” round slices that will fit inside an oven-safe bowl.
- Remove thyme and bay leaves from the soup, and divide into oven-safe serving bowls.
- When ready to eat, place a slice of bread on top of your soup and top generously with grated Fontina cheese.
- Broil for 4 minutes until cheese is melted and golden.
- Remove from oven and serve immediately. Enjoy!
French Onion Soup Classic Recipe Tips
- Deglaze the pan with white wine or red wine before adding the rest of the beef broth and letting the soup simmer for additional flavor.
- You can make this a vegetarian French onion soup by using vegetable stock or broth instead of beef. You could even substitute the cheese for a vegan option, if preferred.
- If you don’t have oven-safe bowls, you can toast the bread slices separately and add a slice to each bowl of soup before serving.
- You can make this French onion soup recipe in the slow cooker by adding the ingredients to a crockpot and cooking on low for 8 hours or on high for 4-5 hours, after caramelizing the onions.
- Use a sweet onion for this recipe – only use white onions if they’re all you have on hand.
- Want to make this dish in the Instant Pot? You can! See: Instant Pot French Onion Soup
French Onion Soup Recipes FAQs
French onion soup is typically made with only 1 type of onion, like yellow onions, whereas onion soup is a combination of a variety of onions in a soup!
French onion soup is simply a broth made from a combination of beef broth, fresh herbs, and caramelized onions.
More Soup Recipes
- Mushroom Soup
- Roasted Butternut Squash Soup
- Crockpot Vegetable Soup
- Vegetable Soup
- Italian Wedding Soup
Did you try this recipe? Leave a comment and a rating below to let us know what you think! We love to hear from you!
📋 Recipe
Classic French Onion Soup Recipe
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 Tablespoons butter
- 1 teaspoon garlic minced
- 2 loaves artisan bread
- ½ pound Fontina cheese shredded
- 4 large yellow onions sliced
- ¼ cup olive oil
- 4 sprigs fresh thyme
- 2 bay leaves
- 8 cups beef broth
- ½ teaspoon black pepper to taste
- 2 teaspoon salt to taste
See our Cooking Conversions Chart for help converting measurements!
Instructions
- Begin by slicing an onion in half lengthwise, and cutting it into ¼” thick slices.
- With a large pot over high heat, add butter and allow to melt.
- Add sliced onion, minced garlic, thyme, and bay leaves and sauté until onions are translucent and soften, about 5 minutes. Season with a few pinches of salt.
- Reduce heat to medium-high and continue to cook the onion until soft and caramelized, stirring frequently.
- As the onion gets closer to being caramelized, the bottom of the pan may start to burn, add a little bit of the beef broth to deglaze it as the onion continues to cook.
- When the onions are a deep golden caramel color, about 25 minutes, add the rest of the beef broth to the pot.
- Bring to a boil and simmer for another 10 minutes, season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Shred or grate cheese, and slice bread into ¼” – ½” round slices that will fit inside an oven-safe bowl.
- Remove thyme and bay leaves from the soup, and divide into oven-safe serving bowls.
- When ready to eat, place a slice of bread on top of your soup and top generously with grated Fontina cheese.
- Broil for 4 minutes until cheese is melted and golden.
- Remove from oven and serve immediately. Enjoy!
Notes
- Deglaze the pan with white wine or red wine before adding the rest of the beef broth and letting the soup simmer for additional flavor.
- You can make this a vegetarian French onion soup by using vegetable stock or broth instead of beef. You could even substitute the cheese for a vegan option, if preferred.
- If you don’t have oven-safe bowls, you can toast the bread slices separately and add a slice to each bowl of soup before serving.
- You can make this French onion soup recipe in the slow cooker by adding the ingredients to a crockpot and cooking on low for 8 hours or on high for 4-5 hours, after caramelizing the onions.
- Use a sweet onion for this recipe – only use white onions if they’re all you have on hand.
- Want to make this dish in the Instant Pot? You can! See: Instant Pot French Onion Soup
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