Easy French Onion Soup Recipe | The Gracious Pantry (2024)

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This easy French onion soup is perfect for chilly evenings!

Give some of my other soups a try too, like this wonderful Italian Navy Bean soup, this delicious Minestrone, or this easy-to-make Miso soup!

Easy French Onion Soup Recipe | The Gracious Pantry (1)

Easy French Onion Soup

French onion soup is a simple, delicious soup that is fairly easy to make. It takes a little time, but the process is super simple. Let’s dive in.

French Onion Soup Ingredients

The two critical components of this classic soup are the broth and the onions.

Beef broth – You can make this from scratch or buy it. However, either way, you’ll want to be sure that it’s flavorful and delicious when you taste it on its own. A bad broth will make a bad soup. So make sure you season your broth well before proceeding with making this soup.

Onions – White or yellow onions seem to work best here. The important thing is to caramelize them well. It’s not a step you want to skip, because part of the flavor of this soup is the sweetness that comes from caramelizing the onions.

Balsamic vinegar – I use this to replace the flavor of wine. If you would rather make this with wine, a nice white wine will work well here. But if you opt for the vinegar like me, you can also add a tiny bit of sweetener to the pot (about 1 tsp.) to really help mimic the wine flavor. This isn’t necessary, but it’s tasty. Use a good quality balsamic. If you only have the cheap stuff (I buy it too, most of us do!), pour some in a pot and cook it down by half to get a richer balsamic vinegar.

Olive oil – I have little patience some days, so I sometimes end up sautéing my onions in oil. But the proper way to do it is to cook them slowly starting with some butter, and adding wine or water until they are well caramelized. So only use the oil if you have no patience like me. The flavor of the soup won’t be as rich or have as many sweet undertones, but it works in a pinch.

Cheese – I personally love using parmesan cheese or mozzarella. But most people will swear by Gruyere cheese, which is a mild Swiss. I have tried regular Swiss, and I don’t recommend it.

Bread – For this, you can slice and toast a baguette, or you can use croutons. Either will work. I just find it easier to make croutons from whole-grain bread. Whole-grain baguettes are not easy to find.

How To Make Easy French Onion Soup

First, you’ll want to peel and slice your onions (see tips for cutting below). Use a nice big cutting board for this. And if onions make you cry, store them in the fridge for a few days before cutting them. If you have a gas stove, you can also cut near the open flame to help burn off the fumes. Just don’t get so close that you burn yourself!

To caramelize your onions, remember to keep your heat low. Caramelizing onions is a slow process. It’s not hard, it just takes some time. You’ll want to start off with melting a

  • Clean and slice your onions.
  • In a soup pot, sauté your onions in the olive oil until they are soft and dark brown with caramelization.
  • Add beef broth and vinegar to the pot and boil until the liquid has cooked down by approximately half.
  • Serve sprinkled with approximately 2 tbsp. parmesan cheese sprinkled over the top.
  • If you want croutons, you can make a few whole-grain croutons at home. See the link above.

Substitutions

  • Vegan French Onion Soup – If you are vegan or vegetarian, this soup is quite delicious made with vegetable broth. Omit the cheese and make sure you use vegan bread or croutons.
  • Gluten-Free French Onion Soup – Make sure your broth is gluten-free (most are, but not all) and use a gluten-free bread or crouton.
  • Dairy-Free French Onion Soup – This soup is quite good without the cheese! Just make sure that if you use bread or croutons, they are also dairy-free. Some are made with cheese or milk products in the seasoning.
  • Oil-Free French Onion Soup – If oils are an issue, feel free to substitute butter or ghee in the same amounts where oil is called for.

What Are The Best Onions To Use For French Onion Soup?

The best onions to use for French onion soup are yellow onions. Caramelize them well in some butter, with white wine or water until they are a deep caramel brown. Then proceed with making your soup.

How Do You Cut Onions For French Onion Soup?

Cut the onion in half, from root end to end. Take off the top skin layer. Lay it flat on your cutting board, and slice it in the other direction, across the half of the onion. (See video link below)

Why Is It Called French Onion Soup?

This soup originated in Paris in the 18th century. It is traditionally made of beef broth, caramelized onions, herbs, and often some sort of wine.

How Long Does HOmemade French Onion Soup Last?

It will keep in the fridge for up to 4 days. If you don’t put the cheese or croutons in it, you can freeze it for up to 6 months.

What To Serve With French Onion Soup

This delicious soup goes with many different dishes. Here are some ideas to get you started:

Sides:

  • Green salad
  • Garlic bread

As a side to:

  • Pasta
  • Panini
  • Sandwich
  • Steak
  • Chicken
  • Fish

Making In Advance, Storing And Freezing

Making French Onion Soup In Advance – French onion soup can be made up to two days in advance. Make the soup, but don’t bother with bread/croutons or cheese until you are ready to heat and serve it.

Storing French Onion Soup – Keep this soup in the fridge for up to three or four days.

Freezing French Onion Soup – You can freeze French onion soup, without the bread/croutons or cheese, for up to 6 months.

To see how to slice the onions properly, check out this video on youtube.

More Healthy Soup Recipes

  • Bison Stew
  • German Lentil Soup
  • 3 Bean Soup

Recipes Used

  • Crouton Recipe

Easy French Onion Soup Recipe | The Gracious Pantry (3)

Easy French Onion Soup

Note: Slice your onions thin. It makes the texture of the soup far more enjoyable.

2.90 from 20 votes

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Course: Soup

Cuisine: French

Prep Time: 20 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 30 minutes minutes

Total Time: 50 minutes minutes

Servings: 5 servings

Calories: 58kcal

Author: Tiffany McCauley

Ingredients

  • 4 cups beef broth
  • 2 medium onions
  • 1 tsp. balsamic vinegar
  • 1 tbsp. olive oil
  • parmesan cheese (optional for topping)

US CustomaryMetric

Instructions

  • Clean and slice your onions.

  • In a soup pot, sauté your onions in the olive oil until they are soft and dark brown with caramelization.

  • Add beef broth and vinegar to the pot and boil until the liquid has cooked down by approximately half.

  • Serve sprinkled with approximately 2 tbsp. parmesan cheese sprinkled over the top.

  • If you want croutons, you can make a few whole grain croutons at home. See link above.

Notes

Please note that the nutrition data below is a ballpark figure. Exact data is not possible. Data does not include optional ingredients.

Nutrition

Serving: 1cup | Calories: 58kcal | Carbohydrates: 4g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 3g | Sodium: 716mg | Potassium: 167mg | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin C: 3.2mg | Calcium: 22mg | Iron: 0.4mg

Recipe from the Gracious Pantry archives, originally posted 11/1/10.

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Easy French Onion Soup Recipe | The Gracious Pantry (2024)

FAQs

How do you deepen the flavor of French onion soup? ›

A few sprigs of thyme and a bay leaf elevate the soup even more, but I take it a step further, adding a splash of fish sauce for complexity and depth—don't worry, it won't taste fishy—and a hit of cider vinegar to balance some of that oniony sweetness.

Why do you put baking soda in French onion soup? ›

The caramelized onions for this soup cook more quickly due to a pinch of baking soda but still have that deep, slow-cooked flavor. Topping the soup with hot, cheesy toasts prepared while the soup simmers, eliminates the need to bake the soup in specialty French onion soup bowls.

Why is my French onion soup bland? ›

If the onions are not cooked long enough or over low heat, they won't develop the sweet and rich flavor that is characteristic of this soup. Lack of seasoning: Seasoning is crucial in any dish, and French onion soup is no exception.

What can I add to French onion soup to make it better? ›

To amp up the flavor further, I add a generous amount of white wine, along with aromatic thyme and garlic. Then, I finish it all off with a classic French onion soup essential: toasty baguette topped with melty cheese!

How to doctor up canned French onion soup? ›

Infusing the soup with a richer taste is as easy as quickly sauteing crushed garlic before pouring the soup in. Some soft, buttery garlic sauteed in earthy olive oil is the perfect addition to enrich canned French onion soup.

Why do you put lemon juice in soup? ›

In this case, however, the lemon provides more of a flavor undertone that enhances other seasonings like thyme, parsley, and turmeric. According to trained chef Leetal Arazi, who spoke with Real Simple, you can bring a "zesty flavor" to your soup simply by adding lemon.

How do you thicken French onion soup? ›

The easiest way to thicken your French onion soup is with flour. You can also use cornstarch if you don't have any flour. Remember to never add the flour or cornstarch directly to the soup – otherwise you run the risk of it clumping.

Why does French onion soup take so long to cook? ›

Properly caramelizing onions takes easily an hour; kind of no way around it. And homemade stock, if you're going that route, takes time too. Beef stock is classic for this soup, but I often prefer a rich vegetable stock with a few dried mushrooms added to the mix.

What is the difference between onion soup and French onion soup? ›

What is the Difference Between Onion Soup and French Onion Soup? French onion soup is always made with beef stock. Other onion soups can be made with chicken, vegetable, or beef stock. Additionally, French onion soup typically contains wine or sherry, which isn't typical or necessary in other onion soups.

Should French onion soup be thick or thin? ›

Made slightly thicker than most watered down soups because every mouthful NEEDS a slightly thickened texture to compliment the caramelized onions.

Does it matter how you cut onions for French onion soup? ›

Also, cutting pole-to-pole results in more uniformly sized slices, both in width and length. For certain cooking preparations using onions, such as French onion soup (our recipe here), this means more manageable and uniform cooking and browning.

Is French onion soup for the poor? ›

After making its debut in the 18th century, it has become a national treasure. During ancient times (and still today), onions were cheap and easy to grow, and hence, readily available. For the poor, the onion was a savior, with onion soups being popular during the Roman times.

Why do you add flour to French onion soup? ›

Onion soup, at its very essence, is nothing more than onions and water boiled together. Period, done, finished, everything added from that point on is pure opinion. Caramelizing the onions brings out sugars, and makes a more luxurious silky and sweet soup, adding flour gently thickens and provides body.

Is French onion soup a laxative? ›

The natural way to overcome the problem is to eat foods which have a naturally laxative effect - such as onion soup, pears, plums, bran, linseed oil, green vegetables and minerals - and avoid starchy foods and white flour products. The colon can quite easily be restored to normal functioning within 21-28 days.

How do you make soup taste stronger? ›

Perk up a Bland Soup With Simple Pantry Staples

Add a splash of vinegar (any kind!), or a squeeze of citrus. Chances are, you could use a little more salt. Go ahead—it's ok. Salt perks up flat flavors and helps balance out bitter-tasting ingredients.

How do you get the depth of flavor in vegetable soup? ›

Dried herbs and seasonings: homemade seasoned salt, black pepper, Italian seasoning, and dried bay leaves lend flavor to the soup. Stock: I much prefer chicken stock over vegetable stock in terms of flavor, though if you want to keep this soup vegetarian, feel free to use vegetable broth or stock instead.

References

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