French Onion Soup
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Rich, caramelized onions simmered in a savory broth and topped with golden, cheesy croutons—French onion soup is the ultimate comfort food.
French onion soup might be a staple on restaurant menus, but it started as a humble peasant dish made from just onions, stale bread, and water. Today, it’s a bit more refined but still wonderfully simple to make at home. The secret is patience: the onions need to be cooked low and slow until they’re sweet and caramelized. I like to add a touch of flour to thicken the broth slightly and finish the soup with two kinds of cheese—techniques I learned working in a restaurant renowned for its incredible French onion soup recipe.
“I made this last night and it was amazing! I think it was even better than the French Onion Soup we had in Paris last summer.”
What You’ll Need To Make French Onion Soup
- Butter and vegetable oil: Used to caramelize the onions (the oil prevents the butter from burning).
- Vidalia (or sweet) onions: Lend a naturally sweet, mild flavor when caramelized.
- Sugar: Helps amplify the natural sweetness of the onions and aids in caramelization.
- Dry white wine: Deglazes the pan, dissolving the fond for a deep, complex flavor.
- All-purpose flour: Thickens the broth for a slightly hearty consistency.
- Beef broth: Forms the savory base of the soup, adding depth and richness.
- Worcestershire sauce: Enhances the umami flavor in the broth.
- Dried thyme and bay leaves: Infuse the broth with warm, earthy, and woodsy aromatics.
- Baguette: Serves as the base for the cheesy croutons.
- Dry sherry: Adds a layer of complexity and a slightly sweet, nutty finish to the broth.
- Gruyère cheese: Melts beautifully, creating a creamy, nutty topping. Look for an imported Swiss variety for the best flavor.
- Parmigiano Reggiano: Adds sharp, nutty depth to the cheesy topping.
- Jump to the printable recipe for precise measurements
Step-by-Step Instructions
To begin, in a large Dutch oven or soup pot, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the oil, onions, salt, pepper, and sugar.
Cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions are deep golden brown and caramelized, 45 to 55 minutes. At this point, you’ll have beautifully caramelized onions.
Add the wine.
Cook, stirring with a wooden spoon to scrape any fond from the bottom of the pan, until almost all of the liquid has evaporated and the onions are jammy.
Add the flour.
Cook for about one minute to dissolve the flour, then add the broth, Worcestershire sauce, thyme, and bay leaves to the pot.
Bring to a boil, reduce the heat, and simmer for about 30 minutes. Add the sherry, then taste and adjust seasoning.
While the soup simmers, arrange the baguette slices in a single layer on a baking sheet. Bake until the bread is dry, crisp, and golden at edges, about 10 minutes.
Heat the broiler. Set individual broiler-safe crocks on a baking sheet and divide the hot soup among the crocks. Top each crock with 1 or 2 baguette slices.
Sprinkle evenly with the cheese.
Slide the crocks into the oven and broil until the cheese is melted and bubbly around edges, 3 to 5 minutes. Let the French onion soup crocks cool for a few minutes before serving.
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Video Tutorial
French Onion Soup
Rich, caramelized onions simmered in a savory broth and topped with golden, cheesy croutons—French onion soup is the ultimate comfort food.
Ingredients
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 3 pounds Vidalia (or sweet) onions (about 5 medium), halved lengthwise and thinly sliced
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- ¾ teaspoon granulated sugar
- 1 cup dry white wine
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 6 cups beef broth
- 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
- ½ teaspoon dried thyme
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 small baguette, cut into ½-in slices
- 1 tablespoon dry sherry
- 8 ounces Gruyère cheese, grated (about 2 heaping cups; look for one imported from Switzerland)
- ½ cup grated Parmigiano Reggiano
Instructions
- In a large Dutch oven or soup pot, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the oil, onions, salt, pepper, and sugar. Cook, uncovered, stirring occasionally with a wooden spoon, until onions are deep golden brown and caramelized, 45 to 55 minutes. In the beginning, you will only need to stir the onions occasionally. As they start to brown midway through cooking, you will need to stir them frequently, scraping the fond (the brown particles) from the bottom of the pan. If the onions are browning too quickly, reduce the heat slightly or add a few tablespoons of water to deglaze the pan and continue cooking.
- Add the wine and raise the heat to high. Cook, stirring with a wooden spoon to scrape any fond from the bottom of the pan, until almost all of the liquid has evaporated and the onions are jammy, 8 to 10 minutes.
- Add the flour and cook, stirring constantly, for one minute.
- Add the broth, Worcestershire sauce, thyme, and bay leaves to the pot. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to a simmer, and cook, covered, for about 30 minutes.
- While the soup simmers, preheat the oven to 400°F and set an oven rack in the middle position. Arrange the baguette slices in a single layer on a baking sheet and bake until the bread is dry, crisp, and golden at edges, about 10 minutes. Set aside.
- When the soup is finished, remove the bay leaves and add the sherry; taste and adjust seasoning if necessary. If the soup needs a deeper flavor, try a few shakes of Worcestershire sauce. If it's not quite sweet enough, add ¼ teaspoon sugar.
- Adjust an oven rack 6 inches from the broiler element and heat the broiler. Place the oven-proof crocks on a baking sheet (see note below if you don’t have oven-proof crocks). Fill them with very hot soup, top each with 1 or 2 baguette slices without overlapping, and sprinkle evenly with Gruyère and Parmigiano Reggiano. Broil until the cheese is melted and bubbly around the edges, 3 to 5 minutes. Let the crocks cool for a few minutes before serving.
- Make-Ahead Instructions: The soup can be made and refrigerated up to 3 days ahead (without toasts or cheese), or frozen for up to 3 months. The toasts can be made (without the cheese) and kept sealed at room temperature for up to 3 days.
- Note: If you don’t have oven-proof soup crocks, place the toast slices on a baking sheet, top each with cheese, and broil for about 2 minutes, until the cheese is melted. Divide the hot soup among regular bowls and top each serving with the cheese toasts.
Nutrition Information
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- Per serving (5 servings)
- Calories: 642
- Fat: 31 g
- Saturated fat: 17 g
- Carbohydrates: 53 g
- Sugar: 19 g
- Fiber: 4 g
- Protein: 31 g
- Sodium: 1,697 mg
- Cholesterol: 82 mg
This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.
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After searching and experimenting with other recipes, my search ends here because this one is perfect. I followed the recipe exactly except for the sherry because I didn’t have it. This is not a quick dish to make, but its enjoyable and the results are well worth it!
The Revol soup bowls come in a variety of sizes. What size are yours? I would like to purchase but I want the right size. Thanks.
Hi Ann, Mine are about 14 oz.
Made this over the weekend and it was wonderful, didn’t deviate from the recipe except to add a touch more thyme and Worcestershire sauce. My hubby is used to the kind you mix out of a box and loved the “meatiness” of the onions. He also said how the box kind is so salty when he compared it to mine. All in all, it was a fantastic soup and I don’t think he’ll eat the box stuff again! You converted him Jenn! Thank you!
So excited to try this!! Question: how much soup do you ladle into each bowl?
Hi Asra, It really depends on the size of the bowl. You want the soup about 1 inch from the rim. Enjoy!
Ok great thanks ! Any suggestions for sub for the dry sherry ? Don’t think I have any on hand
Cognac would be wonderful – or you can just leave it out. Hope you enjoy!
I made this last night and it was amazing! I think it was even better than the French Onion Soup we had in Paris last summer. My daughter made the Rustic French Apple Tart (from your site) and we had a very special meal on an ordinary Sunday. Thank you another great recipe!
French onion soup is one of my favorites. I’ve attempted several recipes for it in the past with indifferent results. I followed this recipe to a T, including the boxed beef broth, and the result was spectacular. My husband swooned. I licked my bowl. I intend to try the recipe again with the chicken stock that so many reviewers recommend, but Jenn’s recipe is such a winner that it’s hard to imagine how it could be better.
Hi Jenn,
Wow, this sounds delicious. I was just wondering if you can recommend a brand/type of store to get dry sherry? Can you also recommend a good sherry vinegar, or are these the same thing? Thank you so much!
Warm regards,
Natalie
Hi Natalie, No need to spend a lot – Taylor or Savory and James are both good brands for cooking.
Hi Jenn ,
Can’t wait to try this recipe. Just like all of your other rec. that we’ve tried , I’m sure this one is as delicious !
Just wondering where those beautiful soup bowls are from . I’ve been wanting to purchase some for some time now. These look perfect ! Of course I would expect nothing less from you ☺️
Cheers!
Lyn
Hi Lyn, I think I got them from Sur La Table. Hope you enjoy the soup!
I am a vegetarian. Can I use vegetable stock?
Thank you
If you’re able to use beef or chicken broth, I’d recommend that, but if not vegetable stock will do. Enjoy!
Jenn, Love your site and have made many of your recipes. Quick question, how long does Sherry last after you open a big bottle and do you refrigerate it after opening? Most receipes only call for small amounts of it.
Hi Becky, That’s a great question. Conventional wisdom says dry sherry lasts for about a week in the fridge after being opened but I have found that it keeps much longer. I store it in the fridge for months without any issues (I wouldn’t drink it after that long but for cooking it’s fine). You could also try freezing it in cubes, as explained here. Hope that helps and glad you’re enjoying the site!