This Easy French Onion Soup Recipe results in one of the easiest soups ever! With minimal ingredients and maximum flavor, it's one of the most satisfying and comforting soups you can make.
Jump to:
Why This Recipe Stands Out
We are a big fan of homemade soups and this Easy French Onion Soup is no exception. It’s rich, flavorful, and the perfect comfort food for the colder months. Here’s why we love this recipe:
- Easy: French Onion Soup is one of the easiest soups ever. The recipe requires minimal ingredients, and the process is simple, resulting in a soup that’s easy to make at home.
- Minimal Ingredients: You’ll be amazed at how much flavor comes from such simple ingredients.
- Onion Caramelization: Thanks to the slow caramelization of the onions, the soup comes out extremely flavorful.
- Flavor: The time spent caramelizing the onions results in a soup that’s rich and full of flavor.
- Versatile: This soup is the perfect start to any meal, like our Mustard Chicken or 30 Minute Risotto Putanesca.
Key Ingredients
- Yellow Onion – The star of our soup, these are thinly sliced and caramelized to bring out their natural sweetness and depth of flavor.
- Butter – We use butter to caramelize the onions. It adds a rich, creamy flavor that takes this soup to the next level.
- Beef, Chicken, or Vegetable Broth – We use low-sodium broth as the base of our soup. It adds a savory, umami flavor that complements the sweetness of the onions.
- Gruyere and Provolone Cheese – These two cheeses are grated and sprinkled on top of the soup. They melt beautifully and add a delicious, gooey layer of flavor.
Substitutions and Variations
This classic French onion soup is a crowd-pleaser, but there’s always room to put your own twist on a dish. Here are some of our favorite variations:
- Cheese: The combination of Gruyere and Provolone is classic, but feel free to experiment with different cheeses. Swiss, Mozzarella or even a sharp Cheddar can work well in this recipe.
- Vegetarian: If you want to make this soup vegetarian, substitute the beef or chicken broth with a high-quality vegetable broth. You won’t even miss the meat! Or check out our vegan French onion soup recipe.
- Herbs: While we love the earthy flavor of thyme, you can try using other herbs like rosemary or oregano for a different flavor profile.
- Spices: If you like your soup on the spicy side, add a pinch of red pepper flakes or a dash of hot sauce.
How to Make Easy French Onion Soup
Step 1: In a large Dutch oven, cook sliced onions in melted butter until tender and caramelized.
Step 2: Add flour, sugar, salt, pepper, and thyme to the onions. Simmer and stir constantly for 5-7 minutes.
Step 3: Pour in the broth and let it simmer for 25 minutes. Then, divide the soup into 4 ramekins and top each with a few slices of baguette and a generous amount of Gruyere and Provolone cheese.
Step 4: Place the ramekins on a baking sheet and broil for a few minutes until the cheese is melted and starts to brown. Serve immediately.
For full list of ingredients and instructions, see recipe card below.
What to Serve with Easy French Onion Soup
Side Dishes
- French onion soup pairs well with a variety of side dishes. A simple green salad or a Caesar salad can be a refreshing accompaniment to the rich, savory flavors of the soup. The crisp, fresh greens provide a nice contrast to the warm, comforting soup.
- You can also serve some crusty bread on the side. Baguette or a hearty whole grain bread are great choices for soaking up the delicious broth. You can even toast the bread and top it with melted Gruyère cheese to mimic the flavors of the soup.
Appetizers
- If you're serving French onion soup as a starter, you might want to offer some appetizers to go with it. Cheese and charcuterie boards are always a hit, and they can be a great way to start off a dinner party. Also, smoked salmon vol au vents will be a perfect starter at any party.
Entrees
- If you're looking to make a full French-inspired meal, consider serving the soup as a starter to a main course like coq au vin or steak chateaubriand.
- You can also pair it with a simple sandwich like a ham and cheese or a turkey club for a comforting, satisfying meal.
Frequently Asked Questions
The long caramelization process is what gives French onion soup its rich, sweet flavor. It allows the natural sugars in the onions to come out and develop, resulting in a deep, savory base for the soup.
While pre-shredded cheese will work, it's best to shred your own Gruyere and Provolone for this recipe. Freshly shredded cheese will melt more smoothly and give your soup a better texture and flavor.
The soup is done simmering when the flavors have melded and the onions are very soft. This usually takes about 25 minutes after adding the broth.
French onion soup can be kept in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Just make sure it's stored in an airtight container to maintain its freshness and flavor.
You'll Also Enjoy These European Soups
Recipe
Easy French Onion Soup Recipe
Video
Ingredients
Instructions
- Melt butter in a large Dutch oven.
- Add sliced onion, reduce the heat to medium low and cook stirring occasionally until tender and caramelised. Don't let the onions stick to the bottom of the pot. They should be rich brown colour with distinctive smell. It will take about 50 minutes.
- Whisk in flour, sugar, salt, pepper and thyme and simmer stirring constantly for 5-7 minutes.
- Add broth and simmer with a lid on for 25 minutes.
- Preheat the broiler.
- Place 4 ramekins into a rimmed baking sheet and divide soup among ramekins.
- Top each ramekin with a few slices of baguette. Generously sprinkle with Gruyere and Provolone cheese. Broil for a few minutes until cheese melts and starts to brown.
- Serve immediately followed by readers's favorite Mustard Chicken or 30 minute Risotto Puttanesca.
Notes
Nutrition
More Recipes You'll Enjoy
- French Parmesan Soup - Intense Parmesan flavor, unforgettable taste, crispy bacon and garlicky croutons make this silky soup an ultimate comfort food for a cold weather.
- Solyanka Recipe - Hearty, delicious and super rich in flavor, this Solyanka Recipe is a meat lover's dream come true. The soup is perfect for colder months or when you just want to have a warm and comforting meal.
- Dutch Split Pea Soup - Are you craving comfort food? This Dutch Split Pea Soup is exactly what you need to make when it's cold outside.
- Mushroom Cheese Soup - This mushroom cheese soup is perfect as a starter or the main meal. It's quick and has only 6 ingredients!
Iryna Bychkiv is the founder and writer of the culinary website Lavender & Macarons, where she shares clean, European-inspired recipes that are delicious, easy to prepare, and made with wholesome ingredients. Iryna loves creating meals that are simple yet healthy and unique, including vegan and vegetarian recipes.
Iryna is also a freelance writer for MSN and Associated Press Wire.
classiblogger says
This soup preparation seems to be easy yet little bit complicated. I feel sauteing for 50 minutes needs patience and perfection.
It is a best tip to know that we can freeze this soup for three months. I would like to make this with perfection and store it in my freezer.
Anna says
My go to recipe for a few years now! Never disappoints!
Iryna says
Anna, thank you so much for your comment and a 5-star rating! I'm so happy that you love this recipe:)
Cathleen Sinclair says
Holy cow, this stuff is delicious!!! Waiting for the hubs to get home so that i can surprise him with his favourite soup!!!
Iryna says
Cathleen, I'm so glad you liked this recipe! Hopefully your husband enjoyed it as well:)
Cathleen says
He did!!
Patt Konopka says
I made this for the second time and we loved it as much as we did the first time. Very tasty. My husband says this recipe is definitely a keeper. I followed the recipe to a T and wouldn’t change anything.
Iryna says
Patt, thank you for your sweet review! I'm so glad you liked the recipe!
Flor says
Hi! I would love to link your recipe in a blog post that I'm preparing. It's for a challenge that I designed to do with my 10-year-old daughter, and this soup would be one of January's dish options. I'd like to embed a picture as well if possible, maybe to use it in the post or in my Pinterest Graphic. Would that be ok with you? Thank you!
Iryna says
Hi Flor! As long as the full recipe is not posted, then yes, you have my permission. Thank you for asking!
Elizabeth says
Why can i not access the recipe? I was able to the other day to review the list of ingredients, but now when selecting the link to view, all that comes up is the comments/reviews and I am being bombarded by advertisements that make it extremely difficult to navigate your site? Any help would be appreciated as I have plans to make this for dinner tonight...
Iryna says
Elizabeth, my apologies for the inconvenience! I was doing some technical work on the blog which resulted in the recipes not being visible to the readers. You should be able to access the recipe now. Let me know if there are any issues. Thank you!
Kelly says
I tried this recipe tonight and was not very fond of it. While the ingredients are high quality, I found the final product far too rich and salty. Adding flour seemed unnecessary and made the broth thick, the added salt was redundant as the stock already has salt, and I omitted the sugar as the onions have natural sugars. I was not a fan, but perhaps that is my personal preference. My husband was also not a big fan. He did not hate it, but couldn't eat more than half a bowl... and he's a healthy eater. I followed the recipe exactly, except for omitting the sugar.
Iryna says
Kelly, thank you for your feedback! Sorry the recipe wasn't to your liking. I might give it a go again to see if anything needs tweaking.
One thing I didn't mention in the recipe card is that I always use low sodium broth therefore my soup never comes out too salty. I'm going to add this note to a recipe.
Aside from that, this French Onion Soup is a recipe that I love, make often and have gotten great reviews for. Sorry again it wasn't what you expected and I appreciate you sharing anyway!
Steff says
Made this tonight using vegetable broth! Yummy! My whole family loved it!
Iryna says
Thank you for sharing Steff! I'm so glad you liked the recipe!
Lisa says
Rainy in the Midwest so I decided to make some French Onion soup. This recipe was perfect! And so easy...I halved it but otherwise followed it to as written. Used a French baguette and Swiss cheese...delish! Will make again...thanks for a great recipe!
Iryna says
Lisa, I'm so glad you liked the recipe. It's definitely a comfort food for a rainy weather:)
Kristie says
It tastes delicious, was time consuming but easy. I prefer The more broth style French onion without the flour. But the taste makes it worth it. Yumm... and yes i chose Toasted homemade sour dough and only Swiss. Plus added some cheese/garlic croutons for a little more flavor in another bowl to try both ! Thank you for the recipe.
Kristie
Iryna says
You're welcome Kristie! The addition of cheese and garlic croutons sounds delicious!
Tina says
I made this today and it was absolutely delicious! I had been toiling with other recipes calling for Worcestershire sauce, sherry, and I just didn’t like the way it turned out. But this recipe was the best! Thank you for sharing!
Iryna says
Thanks for your comment Tina! I'm so glad you liked it:)
Laureen says
Making this tonight!! Thanks for the super easy recipe!!!
Iryna says
You're welcome:)
Laurie says
Looks divine!
Iryna says
Thanks Laurie!
Dixci says
I love the idea of using chicken broth!!! I am making it now!
Iryna says
Thanks Dixci! I hope you liked it:)
Arlene Frey...Tucumcari says
I am on a low salt diet.
Iryna says
You can substitute Gruyere and Provolone with some of the low sodium cheeses like Mozzarella, Emmental or Swiss.
food recipes says
I know this website offers quality depending content and
extra data, is there any other website which
offers these things in quality?