Our delicious French Onion Soup recipe is made with caramelized onions in a rich beef broth. It’s simple, authentic, and the perfect warm and cozy dish for winter.

Looking for more French cuisine? Try a Croque Madame, Potato Leek Soup, or a Monte Cristo Sandwich!

An easy French Onion Soup recipe topped with toasted bread and cheese, ready to eat.

Why I love this soup:

Comforting – This classic French Onion Soup recipe is made with caramelized onions and beef stock then topped with toasted bread and cheese. It has a delicious sweet onion taste and it’s irresistible on a chilly day!

Authentic – This recipe comes from our family friend who is a phenomenal cook, and lived in France. It’s every bit as delicious as French Onion Soup I’ve enjoyed on my visits to Paris. Serve it as a main course with a simple green salad, or a side dish to Croque Monsieur, Croque Madame, or 40 cloves garlic chicken.

How to make French Onion Soup:

Caramelize Onions: Add butter and onions to a large pot and cook until they are softened. Pour in sugar and stir until the onions become golden brown and caramelized, about 25 minutes.

Two images showing how to caramelize onions for an authentic French Onion Soup.

Add flour and cook for a couple more minutes. Add beef stock, wine, thyme, celery, and bay leaves then cook for 30 minutes.

A classic French Onion Soup recipe with bay leaves simmering in the flavorful broth.

Toast Bread: Brush the bread with melted butter and broil until toasted.

Slices fo bread, toasted to top French Onion Soup.

Sprinkle with Cheese: To assemble, place bread on top of a bowl of soup, sprinkle with cheese and broil until cheese is melted!

Four images showing how to make french onion soup by layering the toasted bread on a bowl of onion soup, topping the cheese and broiling it.

Recipe Variations:

  • Croutons: Croutons are often used on top of French onion soup. If you don’t want to bother broiling a baguette, they work great too.
  • Vegetarian: Substitute vegetable broth for the beef broth along with 1 tablespoons of soy sauce. This will add a richness that will help mimic the richness of the beef broth.
  • Vegan: Make the same substitution listed for Vegetarian, substitute olive oil for the butter, and use hemp seed crumble cheese and vegan gruyere.
  • Gluten Free: Substitute gluten-free flour and gluten free artisan bread.

Make Ahead and Freezing Instructions:

  • Make Ahead Instructions: The soup base can be made a day in advance, stored in the fridge. Wait to add the bread and cheese until ready to serve. Reheat the soup on the stove, and then ladle into oven-safe bowls, add the bread and cheese. and broil.
  • Freezing Instructions: Store the soup, without bread and cheese, in a freezer safe container and freeze for up to 3 months. (The shredded cheese and bread may also be frozen separately).
A spoon lifting up a bite of a simple French Onion Soup recipe.

More Classic Soup Recipes:

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Recipe

An easy French Onion Soup recipe topped with toasted bread and cheese, ready to eat.
Prep 15 minutes
Cook 1 hour 20 minutes
Total 1 hour 35 minutes
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Ingredients
 
 

  • 1 1/2 pounds onions (about 3 large onions), thinly sliced
  • 3 Tablespoons butter
  • 1/4 teaspoon granulated sugar
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 2 Tablespoons all-purpose flour
  • 6 cups low-sodium beef broth
  • 1/2 cup white wine
  • 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
  • 1 piece celery , just a small chunk, not the whole rib
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 8 slices French Baguette
  • 4 Tablespoons butter , melted
  • 2 cloves garlic , halved
  • 1 cup Gruyere cheese* , fresh grated
  • 1/3 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese

Instructions
 

  • Caramelize onions: Add butter and onions to a large pot over medium heat. Season with a little salt and pepper and cook until softened. Add sugar and continue to gently stir until onions become golden brown and caramelized, about 25 minutes. Careful to not let them burn! Maintain a medium to medium-low heat.
  • Add the flour and cook for 3 more minutes. Add beef stock, wine, thyme, celery, and bay leaves. Cook partially covered for 30 minutes.
  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. 
  • Toast bread: Arrange bread on a baking sheet and brush with melted butter on both sides. Bake for 15 minutes, flipping to the other side half way through. Remove from oven and rub a cut clove of garlic onto each piece of bread.
  • Broil: Turn oven to High broil. Remove bay leaves and the piece of celery from the soup and ladle soup into 4 oven proof bowls. Place the toasted bread on top of each bowl. Depending on the size of your bowls you may need two slices of bread. Sprinkle the tops generously with both types of cheese. Broil until the cheese is browned and bubbling.

Notes

    Cheese: Could substitute Swiss.
    Make Ahead Instructions: The soup base can be made a day in advance, stored in the fridge. Wait to add the bread and cheese until ready to serve. Reheat the soup on the stove, and then ladle into oven-safe bowls, add the bread and cheese. and broil,
    Freezing Instructions: Store the soup, without bread and cheese, in a freezer safe container and freeze for up to 3 months. (The shredded cheese and bread may also be frozen separately).
Croutons: Croutons may be substituted for the bread slices.
Vegetarian: Substitute vegetable broth for the beef broth along with 1 tablespoons of soy sauce. This will add a richness that will help mimic the richness of the beef broth.
Vegan: Make the same substitution listed for Vegetarian, substitute olive oil for the butter, and use hemp seed crumble cheese and vegan gruyere.
Gluten Free: Substitute gluten-free flour and gluten free artisan bread.
  •  

Nutrition

Calories: 628kcalCarbohydrates: 52gProtein: 27gFat: 35gSaturated Fat: 21gPolyunsaturated Fat: 2gMonounsaturated Fat: 9gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 96mgSodium: 1757mgPotassium: 1145mgFiber: 5gSugar: 11gVitamin A: 1054IUVitamin C: 14mgCalcium: 531mgIron: 3mg

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I originally shared this recipe November 2016. Updated February 2020 and February 2024.

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Lauren Allen

Welcome! I’m Lauren, a mom of four and lover of good food. Here you’ll find easy recipes and weeknight meal ideas made with real ingredients, with step-by-step photos and videos.

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Comments

  1. 5 stars
    I have tried other other French Onion Soup recipes but this is the best! Delicious! Oh my goodness, easy to make , flavorful. I will try freezing the leftover for another special night!

  2. 5 stars
    This is an outstanding recipe. My whole family enjoyed it – and I am the only person who actually enjoys French Onion Soup to begin with. Just a few tips I found helpful:

    1.) I used my All-Clad Stock pot, like I do for most soups and dishes like this. After I added the flour, it was difficult to keep it from sticking to the pot. So, I actually added the wine first to scrape up the roux – plus, this helped cook off the alcohol.

    2.) I am sure beef stock would offer a stronger flavor (and it’s not hard to find recipes for both stock and broth), I used Wegman’s Organic Low-Sodium Beef Broth. I felt it gave a very solid flavor.

    3.) I let it simmer for quite some time as I was also making Croque Monsieur.

    4.) Absolutely grate your own cheese. We shredded mild Gruyère and grated fresh Parmesan. Worth the time, for sure.

  3. 5 stars
    Soooo good. Once the prep work is done – and a mandolin makes short work of those onions — it comes together in a snap. I followed the recipe pretty much to the letter except i replaced the 1/2 cup of wine with 1/4 cup of wine and 1/4 cooking sherry; and i used an extra dab or three of butter when caramelizing the onions because…well, it’s BUTTER. I also added a shake or two of Worcestershire sauce for a little more depth. And I heeded Lauren’s advice and bought the ridiculously expensive blocks of Gruyere and Parm and grated it myself. I even tossed a bit of both into the soup as it was cooking. As good or better as any restaurant soup. Try it. And thanks for the recipe, Lauren!

  4. 5 stars
    This soup turned out so good! The bread with the cheese just makes it! I added a little rosemary for some extra flavor. It turned out perfect!!

  5. 5 stars
    I just made this and it is awesome! My family loves it! I will definitely be making it again. I did not change anything. I did however, use a little bit more onions because I just needed to get rid of what I had.

  6. 5 stars
    I am making this right now! I am terrible about NOT tasting too much while cooking. This is already tasting delish! I did not have white wine so I had to substitute a mild lager. I also made your “No Knead Artisian Bread” to serve with it. Just placed it into my Dutch Oven and am baking. I am excited! Thank You for your recipes!

  7. I’ve gone to larger croutons. It’s easier to eat and you kill two birds with one stone…use them in a salad also.

  8. 4 stars
    Delish, so many layers of flavor. I used red and white onions, olive oil and butter, a little bit garlic, bone broth, a pretty good dry vermouth, emmentaler cheese. Thick sliced ciabatta. whole thing took less than 1 hour, 1/2 hour active. Might add a little hot sauce before serving, or just leave on table.

    1. KathyB, when you make changes to someone’s special recipe you just changed it to your creation. That’s a slap in the face. If you “have” to substitute that is totally different.

  9. 5 stars
    I made this soup with this recipe and it was just so great. It was easy to follow and we were so glad it turned out so delicious. Will definitely keep this recipe for the future, especially this winter. Can’t wait to make it again!!

  10. 5 stars
    I am REALLY picky about my french onion soup. I made this last night and it was SO good. I can’t wait for leftovers tonight!

  11. 5 stars
    French Onion Soup is my husbands favourite so his opinion was going to be what counts most. I used sweet sherry instead of white wine. The result was delicious. Husband gave it a big thumbs up. I loved it too. Thanks.

  12. I used a mandolin to slice my onions thin and it took a while to caramelize them. By the end they were pretty much mush… is that normal? Should I slice thicker?

    1. Sorry Casey! I’m not sure how thin you sliced them, but it sounds like maybe yes, you could slice them a little thicker. They will definitely be soft and “caramelized” but they shouldn’t be messy.

  13. 4 stars
    This is very close to my very favorite recipe in which I use a Swiss Gruyere and a semi-sweet white wine, the soup this way is always a smash hit. The type of bread is critical, needed is bread that will not absorb the soup then turn to mush and sink to the bottom = a total failure. Swiss Gruyere is similar to the traditional Raclette cheese used in Switzerland. If once you’ve had traditional Raclette as they do it in Switzerland, you won’t forget it ever, it’s so good, with a semi-sweet nutty flavor. That flavor in a Swiss Gruyere cheese combined with a semi-sweet white wine is always a winning combination. When I lived in Canada, friends always asked me to make it for them in winter. I rate this recipe at 4 stars because you don’t have an option for 4 1/2 stars. My favorite recipe is the only soup of this type that I’d rate at 5 stars.

    1. Hi Amie, I didn’t write down exactly how much it makes, but I would estimate about 8 cups. Hope you get a chance to try it!

  14. 4 stars
    I’ve been making this for years. It is outstanding. The only differences are grated Romano and mozzarella instead of Gruyere. This also makes it Italian onion soup.