By Sara Bonisteel
Updated Feb. 28, 2024
- Total Time
- 1 hour 20 minutes
- Prep Time
- 10 minutes
- Cook Time
- 1 hour 30 minutes
- Rating
- 5(6,367)
- Notes
- Read community notes
In 1954, what was then called the Food News Department of The New York Times released a pamphlet simply called “Soups,” which had 20 recipes for soups “thick and thin, hot and cold,” including those for minestrone, shrimp bisque and this French onion soup. We’ve updated the recipe adding sherry and wine to layer in more flavors. The bulk of the time is spent on caramelizing the onions, a process that always takes longer than it seems it should. But it’s worth the wait.
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Ingredients
Yield:4 to 6 servings
- 3tablespoons unsalted butter
- 3 to 4large red or yellow onions (about 3 pounds), peeled and thinly sliced
- ¾teaspoon kosher salt, plus more to taste
- 2quarts beef stock (8 cups)
- 1cup dry white wine
- 1tablespoon dry sherry
- 1tablespoon all-purpose flour
- ½teaspoon black pepper, plus more to taste
- 8 to 12(½-inch) slices French bread (from 1 loaf)
- 1½cups grated Gruyère cheese
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (6 servings)
397 calories; 17 grams fat; 10 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 5 grams monounsaturated fat; 1 gram polyunsaturated fat; 34 grams carbohydrates; 4 grams dietary fiber; 12 grams sugars; 20 grams protein; 1216 milligrams sodium
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
Powered byPreparation
Step
1
Melt butter in a heavy Dutch oven over medium heat. Add onions and ½ teaspoon salt, stir and cover, letting onions soften for 5 minutes. Remove lid and let onions caramelize until golden brown over medium heat, stirring occasionally. Adjust heat if onions are browning too quickly. The caramelization process may take 45 to 60 minutes.
Step
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Meanwhile, warm broth in a saucepan over low heat.
Step
3
Once onions are caramelized, add wine and sherry to the pot and allow mixture to come to boil. Stir in flour and let thicken for a minute or two.
Step
4
Slowly add warm broth, ¼ teaspoon salt and the pepper to the onion mixture and boil uncovered for 10 minutes. Add more salt and pepper to taste.
Step
5
Heat the broiler, and arrange individual ovenproof casseroles on a baking sheet. Ladle soup into casseroles, and cover top with bread slices. Sprinkle each casserole generously with Gruyère.
Step
6
Broil for a minute or two, watching carefully, until cheese melts and browns. Serve immediately.
Tip
- You can prepare the soup through step 4 up to 2 months in advance. Thaw and reheat, then top with the bread and cheese and broil to serve.
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6,367
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Cooking Notes
diane
Simplify by making overnight caramelized onions. Fill slow cooker with 4-5 lbs sliced onions, pour 1/3 cup olive over the onions & mix well. Cover with lid and cook on HIGH for 7-9 hours. Yes it does indeed needs to be High. I had my doubts at first, but I've done this probably at least 20 times and the onions cook way down & caramelize beautifully. I haven't tried this yet with my new multi-cooker but plan to try that next using slow cooker function.
Gonzalo
1 Tbsp of Sherry is a very small amount, it won't add any significant flavour. Also, if Sherry boils for a long time, it completely loses its aroma. I suggest adding 2 tbsp on each individual soup dish just before broiling (that's the way people have fancy consomme in Madrid).
lotsadogs
When I make French Onion Soup, I cut the bread into crouton sized pieces and then brown them in butter in a large skillet on the stove. I use them in place of the toasted bread. It makes the soup easier to eat--no cutting through hard French bread crusts with a spoon--and I really like the extra flavor imparted by the croutons. And, I save some croutons for the leftover soup.
Elisa
Great and easy recipe. I suggest doubling the onions and mixing in some leeks. Also, since I don't have oven proof casseroles, I toasted the bread with the cheese on top (in toaster oven), and served on regular soup bowls.
Bri
I used vegetable stock plus a little soy sauce and a little bit of Worcestershire sauce instead of the beef broth to make it vegetarian. It was amazing! Thank you for the wonderful recipe.
Joanne
Toast bread first.
Gail
If you have it, use bacon fat rather than butter to carmelize the onions. Makes a huge flavor difference.
RES
This soup is marvelous, and perfect for a chilly day. I followed the recipe faithfully and used homemade beef stock. The hardest part for me was slicing those onions. My eyes were tearing so much, I had to put on a scuba mask to finish this step.
Gorney44
Great flavor but I’d say to double the onions.
Debbie
Loved this recipe. Finally somebody admits how long it takes to actually caramelize onions! The flavor is wonderful. I did cut the amount of beef broth to 6 Cups, because I agree with other cooks, there were just not enough onions to sustain 8 cups of broth. Next time I will double the onions.
Dennis
Several folks thought the amount of onions called for was insufficient. Note it says “ 3 or 4 large onions ( about 3lbs.). My onions were a little larger then a baseball and it took 9 to yield 3 lbs.
johonna
Delish and relatively easy. I took the advise of some posters here and added an onion and a leek. I also added a couple tablespoons of brandy with the wine and sherry, and some thyme with the stock. After all the stock was in, I let the soup reduce for 30 min. Oh, and I toasted the bread with butter under the broiler before adding to the soup. YUM!
Lori B
Broth and stock are used interchangeably in this recipe; they are not the same. Broth is made with vegetables, stock is made with just bones. I think the latter would be best here.
GamesDean
Don't get super hung up on the quantities in recipes. Treat it as more of a basic guideline with orderly steps. It's cooking, not science. This is a really good recipe for this soup. I just used the ingredients listed here in varying quantities and it was fantastic. I really, really, REALLY suggest making your own beef (or other) broth for this. Harris Teeter sells 2 lb. bags of beef bones. I used two bags, boil/rinse, roast, boil/simmer with shallots, garlic, thyme for 5 hours. Fantastic.
Lisa Kav
French onion soup is heavily dependent on using good broth. Do yourself a favor and make it. Great recipe.
kathoco
I live in France. When we make this (it’s a go-to when we don’t have a lot of groceries in the house), we toast the bread in a toaster and break it up into pieces in the bowl and then add the cheese. Then pour the soup over it. It’s easier to eat and make and tastes good. In a restaurant you’ll get it with the broiler method.
Isabel
Took another commenter’s advice to tear the bread into croutons and toast them in butter first, which was perfect. Also added a pinch more salt and doubled the sherry. Great, classic soupe à l’oignon.
Debbie
I have made this soup many times. I follow the recipe as is, and the result is marvelous. The important thing to bring to this recipe is patience - it takes a long time to caramelize the onions. Rushing that process results in either burned onions or under done onions. BTW, I’ve used homemade stock and store bought stock, and I can’t really tell the difference. So, if you only have time for store bought stock, don’t fret; the end result will be wonderful.
Jaye C
French onion soup doesn’t have a lot of ingredients, but this is by far my favorite French onion soup recipe ever. Don’t change anything! Perfect as is!
Jaye C
French onion soup doesn’t have a lot of ingredients, but this is by far my most favorite recipe that I’ve ever tried. Don’t change anything! Perfect as is.
EMB
This recipe is fabulous, and so easy. I measured the onions as I sliced, and three pounds was perfect. Doing the bread and cheese in the toaster oven means the soup isn’t too hot to eat right away.
JRC
Outstanding! Took me back 50 years to my first meal in Paris as an exchange student. Only changed I made was to rub a slice of sourdough toast with garlic, top with cheese, and put in the bottom of the soup bowl (per Jacques Pepin); then added the soup, topped with more cheese, and baked in the air fryer at 375 for 15 minutes. The toast at the bottom thickens the soup wonderfully for a hearty gourmet meal. Definitely use good (preferably homemade) stock and quality cheese.
Deb
Oh my goodness, this rivals any restaurant French onion soup. I think homemade beef broth is a must, which is a 2-day project and a fair financial investment (gone are the days when you could get free soup bones from the butcher). I did use 6 cups broth instead of 8, which many posters suggested. I do not have broiler-safe bowls so I made large croutons from a baguette, grated some Gruyère over them and broiled until the cheese melted, then transferred them to the soup bowls. A memorable meal.
lynn
Made this with homemade beef bone broth and only white wine (no sherry). Used a mix of Parmesan and Gruyère and cut toasted baguette into hearts. My honey and I were transported to Paris!
kathy Flores
towards the end add a little sugar to the onions to help carmelize them
Craig Burdick
Be patient with the onions. The soup rivals anything at a steakhouse.
Beaner's Mom
Definitely follow the readers' advice to double the onions-although it took over an hour to properly caramelize them, but so worth it. Also recommend the reader recommendation to cut the bread into cubes and then toast in melted butter. MUCH easier than trying to cut into a slice of bread. I've made this with Appenzeller cheese and actually prefer it to gruyere or Emmentaler.
Beaner's Mom
Easiest way to avoid tears while slicing all those onions is to do so under your exhaust fan over the cooktop or range. If you got decent draw, its a breeze-
Quick And Easy
I halved the broth for a thicker soup and it was delicious. Gruyere is a must. Someone suggested toasting the bread first and they were right.
Barb
I followed the recipe to the letter - with exception of using only 5 cups broth and a little bit more sherry at the end. The results were outstanding - so much flavor!!! I utilized some of the great suggestions when slicing the onions - (1) I sharpened my knife before hand; (2) I held a matchbook match between my teeth for each onion; (3) Kept a wet cloth next to the cutting board. Note I also wear glasses - these 3 things in combo - worked perfectly - no tears!!! The
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