The Best French Onion Soup Recipe (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.

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.

Onions: You can use white, yellow or red onions for French onion soup. But to make it the classic way, you will need 5-6 large yellow onions, peeled and thinly sliced. Butter: The tastiest (French) way to caramelize those onions.

What Is French Onion Soup? French onion soup, or soupe à l'oignon gratinée, is a classic French dish made with caramelized onions and beef stock or broth. The soup is topped with bread and cheese, then gratinéed to rich, gooey perfection. It's traditionally served in a ramekin or a ceramic crock with a handle.

Wine is optional to deglaze the pan and add flavour to the soup. I recommend a dry white or red wine, such as a good quality Pinot Grigio/Gris, Sauv Blanc, Sémillon, Chardonnay, Merlot or Pinot Noir. Generally, if you can't drink it, don't cook with it.

Fix a bland onion soup by using supermarket broth and mild white onions, tasteless oil for sauteeing, stale plain white bread instead of croutons, and mild white cheese. Start by reducing the broth. Simmering out some water will intensify the flavor of the broth. Once you get it to the right point, add some salt.

Flour: a little all-purpose flour will help to thicken the soup. You can feel free to use gluten-free flour. Dry white wine: this helps to deglaze the pan and add a boost of flavor.

The key to good French onion soup is to cook the onions so long that they threaten to melt into a viscous, dark brown paste, à la Marmite. As has already been extensively reported in Slate, there are no shortcuts when you're caramelizing onions; it always takes at least an hour, usually longer.

On the other hand, you can not caramelize onions for too long – they will be bitter. Salting the onions at the beginning of cooking helps to soften them more quickly. Photo 2 – this is how the onions will look like after 15 minutes of cooking time. Photo 3 – this is how they look like after 30 minutes.

Bread: I use toasted slices of French baguette rubbed with a bit of fresh garlic to make them extra delicious before adding them to my soup. It's the best! Cheese: The best cheese for French onion soup is Gruyère. It melts beautifully and tastes earthy and nutty, which works nicely with the savory soup base.

What bowls are best for French onion soup? ›

French onion soup is traditionally served in lionhead bowls, which are deep but not very wide porcelain bowls. Here are four reasons why these bowls are perfect: Plenty of soup. Even as the bread on top starts to soak up some of the soup, there's still plenty left underneath.

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.

Sweet caramelized onions in a savory broth with a sherry wine vinegar gastrique, sea salt, topped with cheese and black pepper and sea salt croutons.

The Onion Soup, a traditional and warming dish

It has even become a trendy dish that tourists are eager to try to experience French gastronomy. However, onion soup is in fact not part of French people's daily meals. It was originally meant to be eaten after a family reunion in the middle of the night to cure hangovers…

If the soup is too sweet, add some vinegar. If you would like a little more depth, add a splash of red wine. I like the onion-to-liquid ratio with 6 cups of water. But if you'd prefer a slightly more delicate soup, add an additional 1 cup/240 milliliters water or to taste.

If you don't add enough salt, pepper, or other herbs and spices, the soup may taste bland.

"If your broth is lacking in savory richness, try adding roasted onion, tomato paste, mushrooms, seaweed, soy sauce, or miso. These ingredients add umami flavor and depth to broth," she says.

Some fresh rosemary or thyme brings a woody, peppery taste to the soup, complementing the umami flavor of the beef stock. With a splash of balsamic vinegar and green onions or fresh basil as a garnish, the canned soup is transformed from a grocery store original into a gourmet dish.

The caramelized onions are what give the soup its rich dark flavor and color, so don't skimp! Use a good quality beef broth. We use Better Than Bouillon to make our beef broth because it's extremely flavorful and contains a decent amount of salt, which seasons the soup well.