French Onion Soup

Yumna Jawad

Updated Nov 30, 2025

4.92 from 59 votes

French onion soup made with slow-cooked caramelized onions, beef stock, and broiled Gruyere-topped bread for a restaurant-style bowl you can make at home.

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Prep Time 15 minutes
Servings 8 servings
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3 bowls of French onion soup with toasty sliced bread and melty cheese on top and a few extra toasted bread nearby.
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Homemade French Onion Soup is soo good!

I’m not gonna pretend that making French onion soup is anything but a labor of love, but it is definitely worth it, IMO! This onion soup recipe starts by slicing up a bunch of onions (I’m talking 3 pounds) and cooking them down slowly in a pan for about an hour. Followed by a splash of red wine vinegar to lift all the bits from the bottom of the pan before adding in the beef broth and seasonings. Top with crusty bread to soak in all the delicious beefy onion soup and gruyere to finish with a melty cheesy top. This French onion soup recipe takes a bit of patience, but it’s the kind of cooking that’s totally worth it.

Happy Cooking!
– Yumna

French Onion Soup Ingredients

Ingredients for recipe before prepped: flour, fresh thyme, salt and pepper, butter, red wine vinegar, 5 whole onions, oil, and broth.

For the Soup

  • Butter: Try to use unsalted butter if you can!
  • Oil: Olive oil is my go-to here, but any cooking oil will do.
  • Onions: I like to use yellow onions for this soup recipe, but red onions will also work (though they’ll have a slightly stronger onion flavor). 
  • Seasoning: I flavor my French onion soup with salt, pepper, and fresh or dried thyme, but you can experiment with red pepper flakes or bay leaf as well.
  • Flour: I usually go for a simple unbleached all-purpose flour, but gluten-free flour is fine, too.
  • Beef broth: I mostly use store-bought beef broth, but if you’ve got the time, homemade broth is great, too.
  • Red wine vinegar: You can swap in white vinegar or apple cider vinegar if you like, but I prefer the flavor of red wine vinegar.

French Onion Soup Topping

  • Baguette or French bread: Any crunchy loaf will work!
  • Gruyere cheese: To get the best cheesy pull, use freshly shredded cheese. I prefer gruyere but any melty white cheese will be good.

How to Make French Onion Soup

Sliced onions in a pot with butter.
Step 1: Heat olive oil and butter in a large Dutch oven, and then add the sliced onions, salt, and pepper.
After caramelizing onions.
Step 2: Stir the onions constantly until they are softened and lightly browned.
After onions are deeply caramelized with flour and herbs added.
Step 3: After the onions are deeply caramelized, sprinkle the flour and thyme and mix until the flour is no longer visible.
After adding broth and reducing.
Step 4: Add the beef broth and vinegar, stir, and simmer until thickened. 
4 bowls on a sheet pan filled with soup, a toasted bread and topped with cheese before broiling.
Step 5: Divide the soup into bowls and top with the bread and cheese.
After broil soup bowls until cheese is browned and melty.
Step 6: Place under a broiler until cheese is bubbly and brown. Keep a close eye on this process to avoid overcooking and burning the top of your cheese.
French onion soup recipe.

French Onion Soup Recipe

Author: Yumna Jawad
4.92 from 59 votes
French onion soup made with deeply caramelized onions, beef broth, and melty Gruyere on toasted bread. A classic, homemade version made without wine.
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Prep Time15 minutes
Cook Time1 hour 30 minutes
Total Time1 hour 45 minutes
Servings8 servings
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Ingredients
 
 

For the Soup:

  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 3 pounds yellow onions thinly sliced
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • ½ teaspoon black pepper
  • 3 tablespoons all purpose flour
  • 1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves or ½ teaspoon dried thyme
  • 8 cups beef broth
  • 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar

For Serving:

  • 8 slices French bread
  • 1 ½ cup freshly grated Gruyere divided

Instructions

  • Add olive oil and butter to a large dutch oven. Set over medium heat. Once butter has melted, add onions, salt and pepper and cook, stirring almost constantly, for about 30 minutes, or until the onions are softened and lightly golden. Increase the heat to medium-high and continue to cook the onions until they are deeply caramelized, about 25-35 more minutes. If needed, you can add a little bit of water to the pan as the onions cook if they are sticking to the pan.
  • Add flour and thyme and stir until the flour is no longer visible. Add beef broth and red wine vinegar and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer and cook uncovered until thickened, about 20 minutes.
  • When ready to serve, preheat the broiler. Divide the soup into broiler-safe serving bowls (about 2 cups of soup per person), then top each with a slice of bread. Divide the cheese evenly on top of each bowl of soup, then broil for 1 to 2 minutes, or until the cheese is bubbly and brown. Keep a close eye on this process as every broiler is different!

Equipment

Notes

  • My Top Tip: Take your time caramelizing the onions. It’s a slow process, but the end result is worth the patience! Resist the temptation to raise the heat to cook the onions faster. Low and slow is best method and helps prevent any burning.
  • Storage: Allow your soup to cool, remove the bread and cheese (you’ll want to make this fresh), and transfer it to an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4-5 days. To reheat, heat a saucepan on the stove and add the soup. Heat through, add to a bowl, and top with the bread and cheese, broiling to get it all toasty and melty.

Nutrition

Calories: 338kcal, Carbohydrates: 34g, Protein: 15g, Fat: 16g, Saturated Fat: 7g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g, Monounsaturated Fat: 6g, Trans Fat: 0.1g, Cholesterol: 35mg, Sodium: 1566mg, Potassium: 450mg, Fiber: 4g, Sugar: 9g, Vitamin A: 368IU, Vitamin C: 14mg, Calcium: 343mg, Iron: 2mg

Nutrition information provided is an estimate. It will vary based on cooking method and specific ingredients used.

Did You Make This Recipe?
Leave a comment below!

Recipe Tips

  1. Take your time caramelizing the onions. Caramelizing onions is a slow process, but the end result is worth the patience! Resist the temptation to raise the heat to cook the onions faster. Low and slow is best method and helps to prevent any burning.
  2. Toast your bread before broiling it with the soup. I like to pre-toast my bread to give it an extra crunch and make it sturdier on top of the soup.
Spoon cutting into cheese bread and scooping some French onion soup up.

Serving Ideas

FAQs

Why is my soup bitter?

If you cook your onions too quickly and burn them, you’ll end up with bitter soup! It’s important to have patience and allow the onions to cook slowly and release their sugars. 

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Comments

  1. Amy says:

    Made this. It was good but sweeter than I typically like my French onion soup. Do you think adding Worcestershire sauce instead of red wine vinegar would deepen the flavor?

    Reply
    1. Yumna J. says:

      Glad you liked it, Amy. Yes, I think Worcestershire sauce would help deepen the flavor. You could also try tomato paste to add some richness. Hope that helps!

      Reply
  2. Amira says:

    So happy I found this recipe on your site! Is there a substitute you can recommend for red wine vinegar? Also, would it be the same amount noted in your recipe? Thanks in advance!

    Reply
    1. Yumna J. says:

      Great question! You could use the same amount of white wine vinegar or apple cider vinegar instead. Enjoy!!

      Reply