This post is sponsored by Swanson®. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
Oh. My. Word. Get ready to sink your spoon into a rich bowl of this! Foolproof French Onion Soup turns out perfectly every time using a few basic ingredients. Loaded with savory, caramelized onions and flavored with hearty beef broth and white wine, this recipe is a hit with the whole family. Of course, you’ve gotta top it off with a thick slice of toasted, cheesy French bread, too. Want our recipe? You’ve got it, just keep reading. 🙂
Foolproof Cheesy French Onion Soup
French Onion Soup is one of the best soups of all time. Right up there with Chicken Noodle Soup, this recipe is a classic. The golden, savory onions simmered in delicious broth, flavored with just the right amount of tang with a good dry white wine…so good.
Just the kind of soup recipe you want to smother in cheese bread.
In this post, we are going to give you our recipe and tips to make the best French Onion Soup that turns out perfectly every time. All you have to do is follow the steps and use Swanson® Beef Broth.
Swanson® is a must-have in my kitchen. With no preservatives or artificial flavors, Swanson® Beef Broth is 100% natural. That makes me feel good about using it in my homemade recipes. From soups to stews to casseroles and more, this pantry staple adds so much depth and flavor to your food.
Ingredients Needed for this Recipe:
- Yellow onions – A bunch of them! We used 7 yellow onions for this recipe, which yields about 8 cups sliced.
- Swanson® Beef Broth – We used 6 cups of beef broth.
- Dry white wine – Use a good quality, dry white wine like a Sauvignon Blanc or Pinot Grigio. This addition gives the French Onion Soup that signature pop of flavor.
- Butter – You can use salted or unsalted, whatever you have on hand.
- All-purpose flour – Just a few tablespoons of flour help thicken up the beef broth for the perfect consistency.
- Brown sugar – We use a small touch of brown sugar in the onions, and we will tell you why.
- Sea salt, black pepper, and a bay leaf – The seasonings are so simple.
- French bread – No French Onion Soup is complete without it.
- Gruyere + cheddar cheese – Oh yeah, this just got really good. Didn’t it?
How many of these ingredients do you have already? Have everything together? Great, time to get started.
TIP: I like to assemble all of my ingredients before I start cooking. That way, everything is easy to find and within reach exactly when I need it.
With many soup recipes, you can toss everything into a pot and go. But the secret to the best French Onion Soup is in the cooking process. Let’s explain how.
How to Make Foolproof French Onion Soup:
- In a large pot, melt the butter over medium heat. Layer in the sliced onions and sprinkle with salt.
- Don’t touch the onions for 15 minutes. Resist the urge to stir! Let them do their thing and sweat down without disturbing them. The bottom will get a little brown. If you are worried about burning them, turn the heat down a little.
- After 15 minutes, reduce heat to low and stir in the brown sugar. The sugar helps them caramelize with a touch of sweetness. Cook and stir frequently for another 10 minutes until the onions are lovely and golden brown. (See pictures below for example.)
- Sprinkle the flour over the onions, and stir well until combined. The mixture will have a paste-like consistency. This is what you want. Cook and stir for another 3 - 5 minutes.
- Pour the white wine over the cooked onion mixture, scraping the brown bits from the bottom of the pot. (That brown is all buttery-oniony goodness.) Stir until the mixture is thick.
- Gradually add the beef broth, stirring well to combine after each addition. Add the bay leaf and pepper. This is where everything comes together!
- Heat to a low boil, stirring frequently. Reduce heat to a simmer and cook, stirring occasionally until the soup has thickened—about 15 minutes.
- Serve HOT with thick slices of toasted French bread topped with Gruyere and cheddar cheese.
Get the complete ingredient list and instructions in the recipe at the bottom of this post.
TIP: The secret to getting that heavenly onion flavor is in the cooking process. Don’t stir the onions for the first 15 minutes! Then, add a spoon of brown sugar, stir, and cook in the butter until perfect. Onions + butter + slow cooking = magic.
This recipe is so easy to make, and it tastes like you’ve been slaving in the kitchen all day. (Between you and me, it only takes about an hour.)
TIP: Time-saving idea: during the onion cooking process, double it. That’s right, double the onions, butter, salt, and brown sugar and make a double batch. Before moving on to the next step, transfer half of those gorgeous golden onions to a freezer safe container for next time. They will store in the freezer for up to 3 months, so you will have onions ready to go.
Anytime I make this French Onion Soup, I like to use a pot with a thick bottom, like a Dutch oven. It is easier to control the heat to ensure the onions don’t burn.
And we ALWAYS use Swanson® Beef Broth in this recipe. I don’t have to worry about the flavor or the seasoning because it is all there. Just open and pour.
Every ladle of our Foolproof French Onion Soup is loaded with authentic flavor—rich and savory. I’m ready for another bowl!
Savory Soups to Try:
Broccoli Cheddar Soup
Hearty + Healthy Cabbage Soup
Crockpot Lasagna Soup
Homemade Vegetable Soup
Look how gorgeous this soup is. Can’t you smell it? The rich aroma of this soup will have everyone running to the kitchen, ready to eat.
More Tips on Making Foolproof French Onion Soup:
- Don’t rush the onions. You want them to slowly caramelize for the richest flavor.
- Use more or less of the wine to your flavor preference. We used ¾ cup for this recipe.
- Try this recipe using red wine. It gives a deeper color and flavor that is delicious.
- Warm up the broth before adding to the pot to speed up the cooking time.
- This soup tastes even better the next day. Great for lunch!
Click here to visit Swanson® for more recipes and inspiration using their line of products.
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📖 Recipe
French Onion Soup
Ingredients
For the French Onion Soup
- 4 tablespoons butter
- 7 yellow onions peeled, halved, sliced (8 cups sliced)
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- 1 teaspoon brown sugar
- 4 tablespoons all purpose flour
- ¾ cup dry white wine
- 6 cups Swanson® Beef Broth
- 1 bay leaf
- ½ teaspoon black pepper more to taste
For the Cheese Bread
- 1 loaf French bread cut into 1 inch slices
- 4 tablespoons butter or olive oil
- 8 ounces Gruyere cheese sliced or shredded
- 4 ounces cheddar cheese sliced or shredded
Instructions
For the French Onion Soup
- In a large pot or dutch oven, melt the butter over medium heat.
- Layer in the sliced onions and sea salt and let cook WITHOUT stirring for 15 minutes.
- After 15 minutes have passed, reduce heat to medium low. Stir the brown sugar into the onions.
- Stir and continue to cook, stirring frequently, until the onions are golden brown, about 10 minutes.
- Add the flour and stir into the onions. Cook and stir for 3 - 5 minutes until the flour is well incorporated and the consistency of paste.
- Pour the white wine over the cooked onion mixture, scraping the brown bits from the bottom of the pot. Stir until the mixture is thick.
- Gradually add the Swanson® Beef Broth, stirring well to combine. Add the bay leaf and pepper.
- Heat to a low boil, stirring frequently. Reduce heat to a simmer and cook, stirring occasionally, until the soup has thickened, about 15 minutes.
For the Cheese Bread
- Turn on oven broiler.
- Lightly brush the sliced French bread with butter or olive oil. Arrange in a single layer on a baking sheet. Place under the broiler for 1 - 2 minutes until lightly toasted.
- Remove the bread from the oven and evenly top each slice of bread with the two types of cheese.
- Return the bread to the broiler for another 1 - 2 minutes, watching carefully so it does not burn. The bread is done when the cheese is melted and the bread is browned.
To Serve
- Ladle the prepared French Onion Soup into bowls. Top each bowl with prepared cheese bread, placing the cheese side up. Serve with additional pieces of cheese bread if desired.
Kelly
This did not turn out well at all. Against my better judgement I did the “cook for 15 minutes without stirring” on low heat- the butter burnt all on the bottom of my pan so I had to take the onions out and scrub the pan clean so I could save dinner (because I was making it for guests!) then pick all the burnt onions out. I thought id be good from here, but the amount of white wine in this made it taste terrible. I think I should’ve put half of what was called for. I had to add seasoning to hide the taste of the wine. I had such high hopes for this but I’m so disappointed in the taste and I’m thinking of just ordering out for our guests because I don’t want to serve them this. Not stirring something for 15 mins is just a guarantee you are going to burn it..
Teri
Kelly, I am terribly sorry you did not have a good result. I have made this recipe many times, and it works out for me and our taste. Regarding the onions cooking, I have them on VERY low heat, my lowest setting. I have an electric glass top oven...but I understand different stove tops may heat differently. The wine I add to my taste preference, I like the acidity in French Onion Soup. Again, I am sorry you didn't have a good experience, but I sincerely appreciate your feedback. It helps me improve my recipes.
Janet
Really mine came out great and now is a favorite among friends and family . Sounds like you just had it up to high.
Rachel
I made this today, absolutely delicious!!! I get a CSA box and had about 5 large onions. Low and slow cooking, for sure! The onions caramelized beautifully. I used a Pino Grigio 1/2 cup, some Tilamook Swiss sitting in my fridge looking lonely and Melba toasts. YUM! Even my 1 year old liked it. Bravo!
Teri
Great call on the Pinot Grigio (plus great for sipping, maybe?) Love Tilamook Swiss, too. Hard to go wrong. Your 1 year old has great taste.
Kari
Just made it for dinner tonight, and the hole family loved it , awesome Recipe and it will be now a family favourite
Teri
Yay!!! I love it, too. All this fall weather makes me want to make another pot asap.
Ginger
I am making this right now! I HAD the onions on medium to start the 15 minutes...but then I read your response to the comment above and I turned it down a bit. I too have an electric smooth top oven...I will let you know how it turns out!!!!! I am optimistic!
I don't have white wine though.....hmmmm...I will figure something out
Teri
Hope it turned out great! You can give it a splash of apple cider vinegar to sub for the wine. Adjust to your taste.
Linda
I’m sorry to say I won’t make this recipe again 😞. My husband and I felt it didn’t have a great onion flavor and tasted kinda bland. I followed the recipe to a tee as well. Just felt it was missing some flavor.
Teri
Thank you for leaving the feedback. I guess it is a matter of personal taste. I appreciate you trying it and visiting our website!
Mary
It took much much longer to get the onions a golden brown color than the directions called for. I'm talking like 45 minutes total just for that part. It was also very sweet - so I balanced that off with more salt. The wine was a nice touch.
Teri
Thanks for your feedback on the cooking time. I guess it depends on how hot the stove cooks and the thickness of the bottom of the pot you are using? I'll add more time to that step in the instructions.
Mary
The soup was so good,, we all loved it. I left the lid on the pot for the first 15 minutes, and I used red onions because I had so many. Also put 3 beef bouillon cubes in and used extra cheese. So rich and filling. I did not use the wine. Thanks so much for the recipe.
Teri
Great additions! Love the variations (I do that a lot, too). Thanks for taking the time to leave us a message. 🙂 Happy Thanksgiving!
Judy
Ohmigosh, was this soup a hit! I followed the recipe completely and thought it was positively delicious! I’ve never added wine to my French onion soup but decided to take a chance. So glad I did! Hubby thought it was “a tad wine-y” (but managed to slurp down a big bowl so it couldn’t have been too terrible!) and I may cut the wine back next time to ½ C. I, too, used a Pino Grigio and am thinking the rest of the bottle will become a double batch of this stuff later this week to share with my sisters. Because there will definitely be a next time. Soon!! Great, deep flavor!! Thank you for sharing!!
Teri
Thank you so much! I am glad you liked it. I've also made it with a dry red wine, and that changes the flavor a bit.
Janet
Really mine came out great and now is a favorite among friends and family . Sounds like you just had it up to high. And I use dry red wine modavo SOOOOOO GOOD