French Onion Soup
Classic French onion soup with deeply caramelized onions, rich beef broth and a broiled Gruyère crouton. Tips for making it without wine.
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- Hands-on
- 15 min
- Cooking
- 1 hr 30 min
- Serves
- 6
- Calories
- 390
- Protein
- 17 g
- Per serving
- $3.00
Why this recipe works
French onion soup is mostly onions and time. The ingredient list is short, but an hour of slow cooking turns three pounds of plain yellow onions into a sweet, dark base. Under a lid of bubbling Gruyère it's one of the great cold-weather dinners.
- Caramelizing the onions slowly for close to an hour is where all the flavor comes from; fast, high-heat onions just taste burnt and sharp.
- Splashes of water while the onions cook lift the brown layer off the bottom of the pot and stir it back in, so it adds flavor instead of scorching.
- Toasting the bread dry before it goes on the soup keeps it from turning to mush, so the crouton holds up under the cheese.
Ingredients
For the soup
For the topping
You will need
- Large Dutch oven or heavy pot
- 6 oven-safe soup bowls or crocks
- Rimmed baking sheet
Method
Tap a step number to mark it done.
Start the onions
Melt the butter with the oil in the Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the onions and salt and stir to coat. Cover and cook for 10 minutes, stirring once, until they have softened and released their liquid.
AI-generated illustration of this step. Caramelize slowly
Uncover, lower the heat to medium and cook, stirring every few minutes, for 45 to 50 minutes. When a brown layer builds up on the bottom, add 2 tablespoons of water and scrape it up. They're done when they are soft, jammy and a deep brown, like dark caramel.
AI-generated illustration of this step. Deglaze
Pour in the wine and simmer, scraping the bottom, until it has nearly evaporated, about 2 minutes.
AI-generated illustration of this step. Simmer the soup
Add the broth, thyme, bay leaf and Worcestershire. Bring to a boil, then simmer gently for 20 minutes. Fish out the thyme stems and bay leaf, and season with salt and pepper.
AI-generated illustration of this step. Toast the bread
While it simmers, heat the oven to 400°F. Toast the bread slices on the baking sheet until dry and golden, about 8 minutes, flipping once. Switch the oven to broil.
AI-generated illustration of this step. Broil the cheese
Set the oven-safe bowls on the baking sheet and fill them with soup. Float a toast on each and pile the Gruyère over it, covering the edges. Broil 6 inches from the heat until the cheese is bubbling and browned in spots, 3 to 5 minutes. Warn everyone: the bowls are very hot.
AI-generated illustration of this step.
Techniques in this recipe
Rolling boil: too hard for most sauces Simmer: small, gentle bubbles Simmer, don't boil
A boil has big, rolling bubbles; a simmer has small bubbles that break gently. Most sauces, soups and stews want a simmer.
Read the full guide
Cook's notes
- Slice the onions from root to tip (pole to pole) rather than across. They hold their shape through the long cook instead of melting into mush.
- If the onions start to scorch, lower the heat and add a splash of water. Dark brown is good; black bits taste bitter.
- No oven-safe bowls? Melt the cheese on the toasts under the broiler and float them on bowls of soup.
- The soup without the topping keeps for 4 days in the fridge or 3 months in the freezer, and tastes even better the next day.
Nutrition per serving
390 calories
$3.00 estimated cost per serving
Where the calories come from
| Protein | 17% of calories | 17 g |
|---|---|---|
| Carbs | 37% of calories | 37 g |
| Fat | 45% of calories | 20 g |
| Fiber | 4 g | |
| Sodium | 1190 mg |
Calculated from USDA FoodData Central values for the listed ingredients and amounts; not lab-tested. Cost estimated from average US retail prices.
Questions people ask
Can you make French onion soup without wine?
Yes. Replace the wine with ½ cup more broth and add 1 teaspoon balsamic or sherry vinegar at the end. The vinegar adds the acidity the wine would have.
How long does it take to caramelize onions for French onion soup?
About 55 to 60 minutes in total for 3 pounds. Turning up the heat to rush them burns the outsides before the sugar inside has time to brown.
What is the best cheese for French onion soup?
Gruyère is classic because it melts smoothly and has a nutty, salty flavor. Swiss or Comté are good swaps, and a little parmesan on top helps it brown.
