Bubbling Gruyere cheese and crispy baguette top a brothy base full of perfectly braised onions in this showstopping French onion soup recipe. Whether you’re making it to warm up on a cold day or for a delicious date night in, this feels luxurious and cozy each and every time.
A must-order every time I go to a nice restaurant, I will never turn down French onion soup. There is something about the look of a beautifully bubbling load of cheese, browned to perfection over crunchy bread.
If you’ve ever thought that it would be too difficult to make at home, I’m here to tell you that it is TOTALLY doable and you will be absolutely enamored with the results.
The smell in the kitchen? Oh man! Let’s get started!
What is French onion soup, exactly?
Onion soups have been around since Roman times, as onions were easy to grow in many climates for very little. The version of French Onion soup that we are used to here in the U.S. originated in the 1800s. In the 1860s, a New York restaurateur brought the recipe to the U.S., and it was originally served with a crispy crouton. It is known for its base of rich, buttery broth packed with caramelized or braised yellow onions. The topping of crispy bread and melted cheese is an absolute must!
This style can sometimes get confused with English onion soup; the British version has yellow, red, and white onions along with shallots and fennel. You may also find it with various types of broths and usually has sage included.
French onion soup ingredients & swaps
Onions: Yellow onions! The simpler the better! These impart the perfect amount of flavor and aren’t too sweet.
Cheese: To me, there is no better cheese in a French onion soup than Gruyere! However, shredded Swiss or provolone also works very well. Just be sure to find something that is easily shredded or grated, as that’s what will give you that amazing gooey cheese stretch we all love.
Bread: Our recipe calls for crispy baguette, but I know that may not be available to everyone. A sliced Italian bread would also work, but really any crispy white bread will do you justice in a pinch (this includes croutons if needed!).
Sherry: We use sherry do deglaze the braised onions, and as you can see in the photos below – it’s delicious! ]If you don’t have sherry, you can replace it with white wine, brandy, or dry vermouth. If you don’t have any alcohol in your home, an apple cider or white wine vinegar would be a good choice as well.
Pots and Bowls: You will need a large heavy-bottomed pan (or Dutch oven) that is at least 7 quarts for this french onion soup. This will go into the oven, so be sure that it’s oven-safe (and broiler-safe, as well, if you don’t have individual broiler-safe crocks to serve the soup in).
How to prep the onions
This recipe calls for braising the onions in the oven for three hours instead of laboring over caramelizing them on the stove, noting that the low and slow braise imparts a much deeper flavor.
How to make French onion soup: step-by-step
Braising the onions
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F and place an oven rack in the middle position. Next, prep your pan with cooking spray.
Once the oven is preheated, add the butter and onions to your oiled pot and add a teaspoon of salt.
Cook uncovered for one hour and remove to stir.
After the first stir, put the pot back in the oven, with its lid ajar. Cook for another 60 minutes until the onions are softened and golden brown. Remove to stir, and put them in for a final 30-45 minutes.
Once done braising in the oven, remove the pot and place it over medium-high heat on your stove. Stir slowly and constantly for 15-20 minutes, reducing to medium heat if they are getting too hot/brown.
Once they’ve been stirred on the stovetop, add 1/4 cup water to the pan and begin scraping the crispy bits from the bottom. You want to cook this down until the liquid has evaporated and there is another browned crust ready to deglaze. You will deglaze with water two to three more times until the onions are dark brown.
Stir in your sherry and stir frequently, until completely evaporated. This takes about five minutes.
Finish putting the soup together
When the onions are done, stir in your broth (both chicken and beef), another 2 cups of water, thyme, bay leaf, and scrape up any final brown bits. Increase the heat to high and bring to simmer.
Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer 30 minutes. Remove and discard herbs, then season with salt and pepper.
While your soup simmers, toast your baguette at 400 degrees until dry/crisp. This takes about 10 minutes. Don’t add any butter or oil here – we want the bread to be crispy and plain, so it can soak up our delicious broth!
Broiling and serving the French onion soup
Once your French onion soup base is ready, adjust your oven rack to about 6 inches from your broiler element and heat the broiler.
Line a baking sheet with some parchment, and place four oven-safe bowls or crocks on it.
Top each bowl with 1 or 2 baguette slices (do not overlap slices) and sprinkle evenly with cheese. Broil until the cheese is melted and bubbly around edges (usually 3-5 minutes)
Cool 5 minutes before serving. This is beautiful with a fresh salad!
Stay cozy and warm with this amazing French onion soup! With a combination of beef and chicken stock, oven-braised caramelized onions, French baguette, and Gruyere cheese, you’ll want to eat this all winter long.
If you make this recipe and love it, remember to stop back and give it a 5-star rating – it helps others find the recipe! ❤️️
Bubbling gruyere cheese and crispy baguette top a brothy base full of perfectly braised onions in this showstopping French onion soup recipe. Whether you're making it to warm up on a cold day or for a delicious date night in, this feels luxurious and cozy each and every time.
Ingredients:
Soup:
3
tablespoons
unsalted butter
(cut into 3 pieces)
6
large yellow onions
(about 4 pounds, halved and cut into ¼-inch thick slices)
Braise/Caramelize Onions: Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position and heat oven to 400 degrees F. Generously spray inside of heavy-bottomed large (at least 7-quart) Dutch oven with nonstick cooking spray. Place butter in the pot and add onions and 1 teaspoon salt. Cook, covered, 1 hour (onions will be moist and slightly reduced in volume). Remove pot from oven and stir onions, scraping bottom and sides of pot. Return pot to oven with lid slightly ajar and continue to cook until onions are very soft and golden brown, 1½ to 1¾ hours longer, stirring onions and scraping bottom and sides of pot after 1 hour.
Carefully remove pot from oven and place over medium-high heat. Using oven mitts to handle pot, cook onions, stirring frequently and scraping bottom and sides of pot, until liquid evaporates and onions brown, 15 to 20 minutes, reducing heat to medium if onions are browning too quickly. Continue to cook, stirring frequently, until pot bottom is coated with dark crust, 6 to 8 minutes, adjusting heat if necessary. (Scrape any crust that collected on spoon back into onions.) Stir in ¼ cup water, scraping pot bottom to loosen crust, and cook until water evaporates and pot bottom has formed another dark crust, 6 to 8 minutes. Repeat process of deglazing 2 or 3 more times, until onions are very dark brown. Stir in sherry and cook, stirring frequently, until sherry evaporates, about 5 minutes.
Finish the Soup: Stir in broths, 2 cups water, thyme, bay leaf, and ½ teaspoon salt, scraping up any final bits of browned crust on bottom and sides of pot. Increase heat to high and bring to simmer. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer 30 minutes. Remove and discard herbs, then season with salt and pepper.
Broil with Cheesy Baguette Slices: While soup simmers, arrange baguette slices in single layer on baking sheet and bake in 400-degree oven until bread is dry, crisp, and golden at edges, about 10 minutes. Set aside.
Adjust oven rack 6 inches from broiler element and heat broiler. Set individual broiler-safe crocks on baking sheet and fill each with about 1¾ cups soup. Top each bowl with 1 or 2 baguette slices (do not overlap slices) and sprinkle evenly with Gruyere. Broil until cheese is melted and bubbly around edges, 3 to 5 minutes. Let cool 5 minutes before serving.
Onions: Use yellow onions for the best balance of flavor.
Broth: This recipe calls for a combination of beef and chicken broth; you can adjust the ratios based on what you have on hand and substitute stock if you'd like.
Baguette: Sliced French baguette is the traditional topping for French onion soup, but any crusty bread will suffice, and if you're in a pinch, you can use big croutons, too!
Cheese: Gruyere is the standard, but shredded Swiss makes a great substitute.
Broiling: If using ordinary soup bowls, sprinkle the toasted bread slices with Gruyère and return them to the broiler until the cheese melts, then float them on top of the soup.
Make-Ahead: For the best flavor, make the soup a day or 2 in advance. Alternatively, the onions can be prepared through step 1, cooled in the pot, and refrigerated for up to 3 days before proceeding with the recipe.
Storage: Leftover soup can be refrigerated for up to 4 days.
Freezing: The soup can be frozen in an airtight container for up to 3 months. Do not freeze the cheese-covered bread with the soup; freeze the soup separately and add the bread and cheese before serving.
Very good! I did noticed a slight discrepancy in the instructions where in the step by step it says “Cook uncovered for one hour and remove to stir” but in the instructions is says “Cook, covered, 1 hour (onions will be moist and slightly reduced in volume).” I cooked covered and then slightly ajar. Worked very well. Thank you for the recipe!
This is an AMAZING recipe. I like French Onion soup but have never thought of making it myself until I saw this post. I did not have a dutch oven so I made it with a regular pot in the oven. I also didn’t have crocs so I just put the bread and cheese on a baking sheet and stuck it in the oven . My house smelled like caramelized onions for about a day but it was delicious!
Fantastic recipe. I make french onion soup all of the time but have never caramelized the onions in the oven. I think that it made the onions even better than caramelizing on the stove top or the slow cooker. Well worth the effort if one has the time (easier during Covid!). Thank you for the recipe.
I made this recipe last weekend exactly as it was shown with the gruyere cheese and the French bread. It was outstanding. It was definitely restaurant quality. I made it the day before as you suggested which made day of work much easier. It was excellent! Thank you for this wonderful recipe which is definitely a “keeper” and worth the time it takes to make it!
Your onion soup looks delicious and really hardy. I make my recipe (similar to yours) on top of the stove but it needs babysitting. I will definitely try doing the bulk of it in the oven. Regarding the cheese covered bread, I have some family members that won’t eat any cheese (silly people!) and I therefore make cheesy croutons a different way. I cut up my leftover Challah into medium croutons and toast lightly in the oven on a sheet pan. I then bunch them together while still keeping them in one layer and sprinkle them with grated cheese and a little garlic powder and Italian seasonings or oregano and bake for a few more minutes until melted. I serve these cheesy croutons in a bowl on the table and whoever wants can help themselves. Of course they are good to nosh on their own as well. I usually make a large batch of these croutons and keep the cooled leftovers in a container in the freezer. I take them out as needed and heat them for a few minutes in the oven to refresh.
I made this yesterday and it is FANTASTIC! Definitely a labor of love, and a good weekend project, but worth the time! Besides the incredible aroma that filled my home, the taste was insane. I followed the recipe to the letter and wouldn’t change a thing. Delicious!
This soup was absolutely delicious.! A little time-intensive, but most of it is hands-off, and it’s worth the time. We left out the sherry and added a little apple cider vinegar instead – worked well. It also froze and reheated perfectly! Can’t beat that cheesy crouton!
I chose your recipe because you cheated! It’s my first time making this soup and the over-flowing, so cheesy bread never looked good to me – doing it seperate makes me happy!! I love family walking in today asking what smells sooo good! So far it’s just onions in butter going in the enameled cast iron pot in the e oven :)
I am in the process of making this soup… the wonderful smells of the caramelizing onions, such a luxury!!! I looked up this recipe on allrecipes and started with a popular one there until I came to my senses and found the recipe here. I love your photos of the cooking process (and all you baking photos), I come here to get inspiration and any time I want to drool over amazing kitchen creations. Thank you for the recipe!
hands down my favorite Soup. way too scared to make it though! if i try any recipe, i’ll try yours! (cooks illustrated) but it better be as good as the restaurants versions j/k. if it doesn’t turn out, i’ll just blame myself because i don’t know how to cook!(as u can see from my amateur blog)
This recipe sounds absolutely great but unfortuately I only have a two burner electric stovetop and two small toaster ovens. Do you have a recipe with instructions for cooking your recipe on the stove? You would be supprised at what I can cook up with what little I have.
Thank you in advance for responding to my request.
Hi Bruce, You could attempt this on the stovetop, for sure. I haven’t done it that way so I don’t have any recommendations on temperature or cooking time for caramelizing the onions. If you give it a go, stop back and share your results!
The only thing different I would do is make sure the cheese covers the top and sides of the bowl a bit. Love pulling the cheese off to eat after the soup is gone!!!
Has anyone tried this with just beef broth? My mom loves french onion soup and is now allergic to chicken, so sadly she rarely gets to eat most soups. I’d love to surprise her with some she can eat when she comes over for dinner the next time.
I have a big ol’ pan of onions in the oven right now! My daughter & granddaughters LOVE French Onion soup & this recipe sounds perfect! Can’t wait to try this out – I’ll report the results!! Thanks for the recipe!! :)
I’m a big fan of this soup and have made it twice (and gave the recipe to my mom who just made it yesterday) and was wondering what the difference is between cooking the onions in the oven and just on the stove…? I normally just cook the onions on medium heat over the stove for ~30mins… Also, what does cooking it repeatedly into a crust do? Does this all just intensify the flavour?
I would love to know since I can’t use beef broth (parents on a beef-free diet sadly!) and I find that chicken/veggie stock just doesn’t seem to give that extra ‘umph’ to the intensity!
Hi Andy, According to the recipe head notes, this is done to impart a deep, caramelized flavor while not requiring constant stovetop attention. The crust adds significant flavor as well.
Sweet onions are not sweet in that they contain any sugars or sacchirides. They are called sweet because they contain less of the irritating alkaloids that other onions contain. They will not make your soup sweet.
I love French Onion Soup but have never tried to make it myself. Thanks for the recipe. I’m going to do a post about your blog, your soup and you 100 item list. :)
I can’t believe that I didn’t comment the first time I saw this post. French onion soup is my favorite soup, especially with Swiss cheese. I’m so grateful that you included the note to not use sweet onions because I would have. Yellow onions and Swiss cheese are both on sale this week. :-)
French onion soup is one of my favorites, though I’ve never jumped in and made it yet. It reminds me of when my mom and I used to go out together when I was little! I love the taste with the bread and cheese on top.
This looks heavenly! I’ve made onion soup, but the process you used for preparing the onions must have made them indescribably good. Gruyere is so expensive, but I use it when I can get it; but, I’d never turn down ANY melted cheese and yours looks yummy.
I was actually craving this the other day with some fresh rolls and turtle cheesecake. Needless to say I didnt’ get any of them. I cannot get enough of it.
This is my favorite soup of all time! I always add lots of swiss cheese but I omit the bread. I know, I know the bread helps make the recipe, but the family and myself cannot stand mushy bread. I haven’t tried to caramelize the onions in the oven before that would be great instead of hovering over the stove.
oh yum! I’ve always wanted a good recipe for french onion soup. I can’t wait to make this. My mom is giving me her dutch oven that she never uses next time I see her, and I think this has just made it to number one on my list of things to make in it!
this looks amazing! I will be making this for the BF soon. p.s. did you notice that in the middle of the cheese there is what looks like a lizard! Cute!
Very good! I did noticed a slight discrepancy in the instructions where in the step by step it says “Cook uncovered for one hour and remove to stir” but in the instructions is says “Cook, covered, 1 hour (onions will be moist and slightly reduced in volume).” I cooked covered and then slightly ajar. Worked very well. Thank you for the recipe!
This is an AMAZING recipe. I like French Onion soup but have never thought of making it myself until I saw this post. I did not have a dutch oven so I made it with a regular pot in the oven. I also didn’t have crocs so I just put the bread and cheese on a baking sheet and stuck it in the oven . My house smelled like caramelized onions for about a day but it was delicious!
Would love to make this for guests post covid! :)
Really useful is the soup recipe you are shown in the winter season. I think you must drink soup 2-3 times a week in the heat of winter..
Thanks for sharing informative recipes.
Fantastic recipe. I make french onion soup all of the time but have never caramelized the onions in the oven. I think that it made the onions even better than caramelizing on the stove top or the slow cooker. Well worth the effort if one has the time (easier during Covid!). Thank you for the recipe.
I made this recipe last weekend exactly as it was shown with the gruyere cheese and the French bread. It was outstanding. It was definitely restaurant quality. I made it the day before as you suggested which made day of work much easier. It was excellent! Thank you for this wonderful recipe which is definitely a “keeper” and worth the time it takes to make it!
Your onion soup looks delicious and really hardy. I make my recipe (similar to yours) on top of the stove but it needs babysitting. I will definitely try doing the bulk of it in the oven. Regarding the cheese covered bread, I have some family members that won’t eat any cheese (silly people!) and I therefore make cheesy croutons a different way. I cut up my leftover Challah into medium croutons and toast lightly in the oven on a sheet pan. I then bunch them together while still keeping them in one layer and sprinkle them with grated cheese and a little garlic powder and Italian seasonings or oregano and bake for a few more minutes until melted. I serve these cheesy croutons in a bowl on the table and whoever wants can help themselves. Of course they are good to nosh on their own as well. I usually make a large batch of these croutons and keep the cooled leftovers in a container in the freezer. I take them out as needed and heat them for a few minutes in the oven to refresh.
I made this yesterday and it is FANTASTIC! Definitely a labor of love, and a good weekend project, but worth the time! Besides the incredible aroma that filled my home, the taste was insane. I followed the recipe to the letter and wouldn’t change a thing. Delicious!
Wow!!!This recipe looks and sounds so delicious!
This soup was absolutely delicious.! A little time-intensive, but most of it is hands-off, and it’s worth the time. We left out the sherry and added a little apple cider vinegar instead – worked well. It also froze and reheated perfectly! Can’t beat that cheesy crouton!
I chose your recipe because you cheated! It’s my first time making this soup and the over-flowing, so cheesy bread never looked good to me – doing it seperate makes me happy!! I love family walking in today asking what smells sooo good! So far it’s just onions in butter going in the enameled cast iron pot in the e oven :)
Does the recipe require the sherry?
Hi Alana, No, you can omit it if you’d like.
I am in the process of making this soup… the wonderful smells of the caramelizing onions, such a luxury!!! I looked up this recipe on allrecipes and started with a popular one there until I came to my senses and found the recipe here. I love your photos of the cooking process (and all you baking photos), I come here to get inspiration and any time I want to drool over amazing kitchen creations. Thank you for the recipe!
hands down my favorite Soup. way too scared to make it though! if i try any recipe, i’ll try yours! (cooks illustrated) but it better be as good as the restaurants versions j/k. if it doesn’t turn out, i’ll just blame myself because i don’t know how to cook!(as u can see from my amateur blog)
Good Afternoon, Michelle:
This recipe sounds absolutely great but unfortuately I only have a two burner electric stovetop and two small toaster ovens. Do you have a recipe with instructions for cooking your recipe on the stove? You would be supprised at what I can cook up with what little I have.
Thank you in advance for responding to my request.
Bruce
Hungry Seabee in Long Beach
Hi Bruce, You could attempt this on the stovetop, for sure. I haven’t done it that way so I don’t have any recommendations on temperature or cooking time for caramelizing the onions. If you give it a go, stop back and share your results!
The only thing different I would do is make sure the cheese covers the top and sides of the bowl a bit. Love pulling the cheese off to eat after the soup is gone!!!
Hey I don’t have a dutch oven are they’re any variations i can make?
Hi Alexa, Just use a heavy-bottomed pot, preferably at least 5 quarts.
Has anyone tried this with just beef broth? My mom loves french onion soup and is now allergic to chicken, so sadly she rarely gets to eat most soups. I’d love to surprise her with some she can eat when she comes over for dinner the next time.
Hi Sandy, You could go ahead and use all beef broth. Enjoy!
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When you made the soup, did you stir the burnt edges in?
Yep, I stirred everything together!
I have a big ol’ pan of onions in the oven right now! My daughter & granddaughters LOVE French Onion soup & this recipe sounds perfect! Can’t wait to try this out – I’ll report the results!! Thanks for the recipe!! :)
I’m a big fan of this soup and have made it twice (and gave the recipe to my mom who just made it yesterday) and was wondering what the difference is between cooking the onions in the oven and just on the stove…? I normally just cook the onions on medium heat over the stove for ~30mins… Also, what does cooking it repeatedly into a crust do? Does this all just intensify the flavour?
I would love to know since I can’t use beef broth (parents on a beef-free diet sadly!) and I find that chicken/veggie stock just doesn’t seem to give that extra ‘umph’ to the intensity!
Hi Andy, According to the recipe head notes, this is done to impart a deep, caramelized flavor while not requiring constant stovetop attention. The crust adds significant flavor as well.
Just remembered I commented on this awhile back! Will definitely try this method next time. Thanks for the clarification!
Sweet onions are not sweet in that they contain any sugars or sacchirides. They are called sweet because they contain less of the irritating alkaloids that other onions contain. They will not make your soup sweet.
comforty goodness is a bowl – wish i had some right now for lunch.
Oh french onion soup so rich and gooey!
This looks wonderful! I’d like a bowl right now…
I love French Onion Soup but have never tried to make it myself. Thanks for the recipe. I’m going to do a post about your blog, your soup and you 100 item list. :)
I can’t believe that I didn’t comment the first time I saw this post. French onion soup is my favorite soup, especially with Swiss cheese. I’m so grateful that you included the note to not use sweet onions because I would have. Yellow onions and Swiss cheese are both on sale this week. :-)
French onion soup is one of my favorites, though I’ve never jumped in and made it yet. It reminds me of when my mom and I used to go out together when I was little! I love the taste with the bread and cheese on top.
I LOVE French Onion Soup! Yours looks delicious! I bet your house smelled so good and cozy!
I love onion soup this recipe looks delicious i wanna try it
You had me at that melted cheese… great looking photo, and wow, what soup!
This is the way to my heart… French onion soup cooked to perfection in a Le Creuset (gotta love those cast iron beauties)! Mmmm…
This looks heavenly! I’ve made onion soup, but the process you used for preparing the onions must have made them indescribably good. Gruyere is so expensive, but I use it when I can get it; but, I’d never turn down ANY melted cheese and yours looks yummy.
I was actually craving this the other day with some fresh rolls and turtle cheesecake. Needless to say I didnt’ get any of them. I cannot get enough of it.
This is my favorite soup of all time! I always add lots of swiss cheese but I omit the bread. I know, I know the bread helps make the recipe, but the family and myself cannot stand mushy bread. I haven’t tried to caramelize the onions in the oven before that would be great instead of hovering over the stove.
oh yum! I’ve always wanted a good recipe for french onion soup. I can’t wait to make this. My mom is giving me her dutch oven that she never uses next time I see her, and I think this has just made it to number one on my list of things to make in it!
I’ve never made it, but when I eat it out, I usually eat all the bread and cheese…and leave the onions. :)
That looks beautiful! So often the cheese is funky on french onion soup, but it appears as if you have nailed it!
Mmmm, this is perfect for a cold day like today!
Amazing that a soup seemingly so simple – it seems difficult!
…and I just end up eating the bread and the cheese!
Those onions look incredible! Mmm, I love when they’re all mushy.
YUM! My husband loves french onion, but it is one that I have never made. You made it look totally doable!
Mmm….looks very delicious. I love that big chunk of bread on the soup.
The first and only time I’ve ever tried french onion soup was at Applebees, and it was the most disgusting soup I’ve ever had.
Yours, however, makes me want to give it one more chance :).
this looks amazing! I will be making this for the BF soon. p.s. did you notice that in the middle of the cheese there is what looks like a lizard! Cute!
YUM!!!!!!!!!!!!