French Onion Soup Recipe (2024)

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.

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).

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.

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.

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.

Toast bread first.

If you have it, use bacon fat rather than butter to carmelize the onions. Makes a huge flavor difference.

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.

Great flavor but I’d say to double the onions.

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.

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.

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!

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.

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.

French onion soup is heavily dependent on using good broth. Do yourself a favor and make it. Great recipe.

I have used this recipe for many many years. I have done little variations over the years that work for me. It takes longer, but I do like this one. I use 2 quarts of beef stock, 1 quart of chicken stock, 1 tsp of BTB and simmer to reduce by 1/3 giving me 2 quarts of liquid. The rest of the recipe is the same with the addition of 1Tbsp good sherry vinegar toward the end of cooking. My recipe takes longer, but I believe that quality takes time and good soups have many flavors to marry.

I have made this soup (from a similar recipe) with homemade beef broth from prime rib bones, and with boxed commercial broth. It is not worth making with boxed broth, in my view. But with rich homemade broth, well worth the time. And I know some caramelize onions in a slow cooker.

This is basically the Julia Child recipe from her big white cookbook. I’ve been making this for years. It’s our traditional Christmas Eve dinner.

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.

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.

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.

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!

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.

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.

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.

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.

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!

towards the end add a little sugar to the onions to help carmelize them

Be patient with the onions. The soup rivals anything at a steakhouse.

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.