Onion

Best French Onion Soup

October 11, 2022
4
45 Ratings
Photo by James Ransom
  • Cook time 1 hour
  • Serves 4
Author Notes

Very lightly adapted from Chad Robertson's brilliant recipe in Tartine Bread. He throws in a tablespoon of duck fat in place of half the butter; if you have it, do it. Also, about the bread: The richness here would pair well with a whole wheat rustic bread, if you have a decent version around. —Nicholas Day

Test Kitchen Notes

Featured in: The Magic French Onion Soup I Moved to Paris For. —The Editors

What You'll Need
Ingredients
  • 6 large yellow onions, sliced thinly
  • 1 cup heavy cream
  • 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 2 cups dry white wine
  • 2 quarts chicken stock
  • 5 ounces Gruyere cheese, grated (a cheddar would work, too)
  • 4 slices of hole-y, country bread
Directions
  1. In a large, wide-bottomed pot, combine the onions, cream, butter, and salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, over medium to medium-high heat until the onions soften and the cream reduces to its solids. This should take anywhere from 10 to 30 minutes, depending on your onions and your pot. Then turn the heat up slightly, so the onions and cream bubble at a slow boil, and cook without stirring for about six or seven minutes, until the onions on the bottom are deeply brown. (Depending on your stove, this might mean at medium heat or at high. Don't go overboard: you don't want the onions blackened.) Stir the onions and add a half-cup of wine and deglaze the pan, scraping up all the burnt and browned bits. Then repeat the process: leave the onions without stirring for another six minutes or so, then deglaze. Repeat until you have used all 2 cups of wine. The onions should now be a rich, dark brown color; they should smell divine.
  2. Add the stock. (Use less if you want more of a stew.) Bring to a simmer and cook for about 15 minutes. Season with salt if needed.
  3. Preheat the oven to 400°F. Toast the bread until it is dry and crusty, about 15 minutes. Ladle the soup into either ovenproof bowls or a single large baking dish (if the latter, place it on a baking sheet: it will spill). Fill the bowls or dish to nearly the rim. Float the bread on the soup and sprinkle with the Gruyere. Bake until the cheese is bubbly and browned, 20 to 30 minutes. Let cool until it will no longer burn your tongue. Devour.

See what other Food52ers are saying.

  • Jeff Winett
    Jeff Winett
  • Jill Eichel Charrabe
    Jill Eichel Charrabe
  • agamom
    agamom
  • mjad
    mjad
  • Bri Lavoie
    Bri Lavoie
I'm the author of a book on the science and history of infancy, Baby Meets World. My website is nicholasday.net; I tweet over at @nicksday. And if you need any good playdoh recipes, just ask.

61 Reviews

Bernadette February 24, 2023
This was a delicious soup. Reducing the cream to solids was a whole new cooking concept for me-but it worked. Also, caramelizing the onions in this way was totally new too. But, it also worked. It just takes time. It wasn't until I was adding the last cup to 1/2 cup of wine that they actually began to look at all brown. Oh, but the color, and the taste! Amazing! I toasted the bread this way, but then added cheese and melted it on top, and added it to the soup when I was serving. We were eating in shifts. This is definitely a time commitment recipe, but SO worth it.
 
Bernadette February 24, 2023
I did also add thyme and bay leaf with the stock.
 
Mary B. February 5, 2023
I was ready to make French Onion Soup, as I have many times over the years. This one intrigued me with the cream. I read all the reviews, ignoring all the ones that complained that it didn’t stick to traditional—no thyme? No beef stock? (so therefore, they didn’t try it). I made it as directed. I did not have duck fat, just the butter. I had 1.5 Qt of chicken stock and 1/2 QT beef stock because that was my pantry. Reading reviews, I wish I had Sherry on hand—even for 1/2 the wine, but I did not. I ALWAYS have dry white wine on hand because that’s what I drink regularly. Cooking the onions really took a good solid hour (through all four phases of the wine deglazing), but I anticipated that as being normal from my previous onion soups. If I don’t have homemade stock in the freezer, I always use low sodium stock for cooking—can always add salt if needed. I thought mine needed a little more salt after the broth had cooked 15 minutes. I think this was spot on, delicious! I don’t think broth matters (chicken, beef, or vegetable). The wine is absolutely necessary, though I will try again with sherry because I love that rich flavor. I haven’t served for guests yet—I always do a trial run, but this will be served at my next dinner party.
 
Don January 5, 2023
I just read the Food 52 essay on making the best French Onion Soup where they were emphatic that there is only one base.... beef broth and then this recipe is presented with chicken stock and cream. This is a very good recipe (i have made it more than once) , but has little to do with the recent essay on "The best French soup" that arrived in my email today. Might you include a "best beef broth" recipe for this soup too?
 
cosmiccook February 6, 2023
According to Jacque Pepin, water was traditionally used years ago, as the soup is considered a "rustic" soup one made after a night out or when little was in the pantry. Following Serious Eats suggestions, I make it only w chicken soup now--although I'll JUICE onions for a more intense flavor w this batch coming up!
 
cosmiccook February 6, 2023
I meant chicken stock
 
Jeff W. November 14, 2022
My rave review should count doubly, as less than a week ago I had made French Onion Soup for an entree. Why would I make another version so soon? There was something about the directions mentioning that the cream would break down to solids that grabbed me. I was thinking little extra flavor bombs, akin to browning butter. Anyway, last night's dinner was fantastic. I love the flavor of sherry, and used a medium dry iteration to replace the white wine. I do believe it is crucial to add the wine, 1/4 at a time and fully evaporate each of those times.
 
Tracy October 22, 2021
"This is the best french onion soup I have ever had", that 's what my guests said. I did substitute "Black Butte Porter" for white wine, and it was pretty fantastic. (even with cream!)
 
Alison April 6, 2021
I love this soup. The cream part freaked me out the first time, because its cream. But its awesome, I'm making it tonight for at least the 8th time.
 
Jill E. January 9, 2021
Such a good soup- easy to make, great flavor- no need for mustard, cognac, flour, even thyme. Kept my liquids closer to 1.5 qt, maybe less, and used vegan “stock”- water, plus tj’s vegan powder. Delicious!
 
foodie2811 October 18, 2020
This is amazing!!! I absolutely love this soup. This will be my go to French Onion Soup recipe! Thank you!!!
 
agamom May 10, 2020
The process of cooking the onions with the wine feels like making risotto! About an hour start to finish for the onions but it was restful and easy. I love the simplicity of the ingredients and yet we were missing both white wine and chicken broth. Had to substitute red wine and beef broth - the red made it a bit sweet but the beef broth was not a problem. Added a bay leaf, a dash or two of thyme (only had dried) and it was delicious. Thank you for sharing this recipe! We will make it again!
 
mjad April 24, 2020
I just made this soup and it was absolutely the best French onion soup I’ve ever had. Added a bit of vermouth with the wine and mixed beef and
chicken broth. We skipped the bread and just broiled a ton of comte’ cheese on top Soooo good 👍👍
 
gideon B. October 28, 2019
made this as written yesterday. tastes really, really good. Thank you for sharing it with the masses! Only complaint is about the recipe time's as written. It took a LOT longer than 30 minutes to get to the point of being able to start browning the onions
 
cosmiccook September 15, 2019
Kind of sounds like soubise/ https://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/2015/03/roasted-chicken-curry-soubise-onion-sauce-recipe.html
 
crsinbos September 15, 2019
Where’s the thyme? If not gruyere then emmental, not cheddar. Just my thoughts, but will have an open mind and try this. Will only follow up if my gut reactions are wrong.
 
Bri L. April 23, 2019
Aaaaargh....cream????? In french onion soup???? Mon Dieu! Non!!!! Stick to the classic—caramelize your onions in butter until deeply browned, add a splash of red wine, or cognac (small splash) and good beef stock, some fresh thyme, simmer until wonderful. Top with a slice of toasted baguette and grated gruyère. Broil. If you sub a less expensive cheese you can eat this as a student (even sub bovril for the stock, the onions will forgive)...got me through many a canadian winter.
 
Karen L. May 6, 2019
My French grandmother used beef stock too.. not chicken, and yes, cream? Mais non! Bri L. has the right idea :)

 
jeanne C. May 6, 2019
I was surprised at the crème as well! I use beef and chicken stock but add a table spoon of tomato paste and use crème Sherry. All else the same...I use Provolone cheese. Devine.
 
Jp9 August 22, 2016
Sitting in NYC on a balmy August night dreaming of a snowstorm, a major transit breakdown and this gorgeous soup. And there is no way to go but Gruyere, nutty, granular, OMG. Thank you for this and for all the great, informative (my stove would annihilate the onions if I had it over medium) comments!
 
cosmiccook February 19, 2016
http://www.seriouseats.com/2015/01/how-to-make-the-best-french-onion-soup-caramelization.html
This is a must read article that explains how to make french onion soup
Just tried Kenji's method and worked great. Did add garlic, spices and herbs.
 
blinkythebear February 18, 2015
Just made this! Milk is a great alternative if you don't have cream. 2 quarts of stock is too much i feel, 1.5 quarts will do the trick for a deeper flavour. addition of brown sugar during the softening of onion really brings out the caremelization process + a few dregs of worcestershire sauce really enhances the flavour. A definite must make!!
 
Douglas B. January 22, 2015
this is the third time I have made this recipe. I had some pomegranate juice, butter , vodka sauce I had made last week so I substituted this for the wine and it added a delightfully sweet layer to this already perfect soup.
 
Dena January 14, 2015
I don't prepare duck at home and wouldn't have any duck fat laying around. I do have bacon drippings I save for other rich recipes. I wonder if that would work instead. I bet it would add great flavor and who doesn't love bacon!
 
cosmiccook September 15, 2019
I've done the bacon fat before--but I like butter for this the best.
 
Robert April 20, 2020
Not sure where you live, but, I can buy duck fat at my local grocery store. I know you can buy it at many of the on-line gourmet stores. It's a staple in my kitchen.
 
Douglas B. December 14, 2014
Perfection !!! the best tasting onion soup I have ever had
 
Jeannie E. December 8, 2014
Epic Fail... But it was still edible. I am usually a careful cook, but I made so many errors trying to make this recipe that it was a good lesson in humility! First mistake... I used some very large onions I had bought at our local Farmer's Market that had been labeled "Storage Onions" ...they were sweet onions! Second mistake...I used a variety of chicken broth that I had never tried before...and I did not look at my 'Go To' source for food product reviews until after I added it...only to find out it was NOT RECOMMENDED! Third mistake...I inadvertently bought Half and Half instead of Heavy Cream AND DID NOT NOTICE! Lastly, I used Cheddar instead of Gruyere...and that simply was not to my taste. The problems my errors caused were that the onions gave up buckets of liquid, and took FOREVER TO BROWN, and the Half and Half separated. Somehow the soup tasted okay...but I can't wait to make it the RIGHT way!
 
cosmiccook September 15, 2019
According to Serious Eats and others, it takes a good hour + to correctly caramelize onions.
 
Ashley M. March 3, 2014
Made this last night. We're taking a 10-day vacation to Europe this week and I had a ginormous bag of onions that needed to go! For lack of cream I used 3/4cup whole milk with 1/3cup butter and the end result was still super yummy! Although, I was missing that familiar hint of darkness (maybe I didn't let my onions caramelize enough), so I added in 2tsp better than buillion beef to round it out. Also, we topped it with fresh granted Kerrygold Irish Whiskey Cheddar cheese instead of the Gruyere and it was great! Overall, love the recipe, and will definitely make it again! (My boyfriend says he likes this version better than the traditional french onion soups)
 
Kiersten December 28, 2013
Where can I purchase the bowls in the picture?
 
mouth January 3, 2015
Sorry, not sure. Williams-Sonoma has bowls this color with handles though. The handles are not too large and they do not get hot! That makes them a keeper for me. You do have to buy them 4 at a time. During the Christmas holidays they also sell these in a red color. Go to williams-sonoma.com and check them out. I bought a set for friends and they love them... hope this helps you.
 
Dina M. October 9, 2013
could you use vegetable broth? would it be a recipe killer?
 
GordonW March 24, 2013
This made for a nice, rich dinner soup. The caramelization of the cream really adds a depth of flavor and complexity that I don't typically get from french onion soup. Is a classic version? Definitely not. However, its lineage is clear. I call it a solid variant.
 
J.B. March 18, 2013
Made this today - no questions but comments, YES. Final product was quite delicious, but WHY the radical deviation from the "norm?" I do think the final result is much more RICH(?) than other classical French Onions Soups. Still why re-work the classical so much? I'm attempting to thik objectively here, maybe one can share what was the inspiration, an overabundance of cream?
jbb
 
EatsMeetsWest March 15, 2013
One question: How long might this recipe take to make? I know that depends on the range of heat you're cooking with and a bunch of other cooking factors, but on average, does anyone known how long I should set aside to cook this scrumptious soup? :)
 
fhp March 5, 2013
OH! OH! Sounds like a recipe for disaster. My acid-reflux husband just saw me eyeballing this one and said "don't you dare."
 
beezledog March 3, 2013
Step !. "Then turn the heat to high, so the onions and cream bubble at a slow boil, and cook without stirring for about six or seven minutes, until the onions on the bottom are deeply brown" When you say "high heat"...but also "slow boil"...to me "slow boil" means to simmer..which would not require "high heat" but something much lower. It seems that a high heat would cause a rolling boil and burn the onions and cream....am I missing something..? Thank you...I really want to try this lovely recipe.
 
Nicholas D. March 3, 2013
Thanks for spotting this -- I just tweaked the recipe.
 
bgavin March 3, 2013
Two thoughts on this awesome recipe. One is that onion soup from turkey stock tastes *just* like beef stock. And it gives you a plan for the weekend after Thanksgiving. And, two, I make my croutons and cheese thingies independently of the soup. Meaning, I toast the bread, add the cheese, broil it and only then do I plop that cheesy monstrosity into the soup. Easier and less messy.
 
Sigita March 3, 2013
mouth is watering just looking at the photo......and my husband just brought some gruyere back from Switzerland....
 
witloof March 3, 2013
Every time I try to make French onion soup, it is sweet, sweet, sweet. I wonder if I'm not browning the onions well enough? I'm going to try it this way and be extremely brave with the scorching process. Looks insanely delicious.
 
JohnSkye March 3, 2013
maybe it's the browning, but it might be the unions, do NOT use "sweet" onions, or it will be "sweet, sweet, sweet."
 
jeanne C. May 6, 2019
Be sure you are not using 'sweet onions' will not give the flavor you need. Use full strength onions only.
 
Walken March 2, 2013
Perhaps this is a dumb question, but when you "repeat the process" you are adding more cream? If that is case you reserve some cream at beginning and are using all your onions at beginning or are we also reserving some onions to use on the repeat process?
 
Nicholas D. March 2, 2013
Add all the cream and all the onions at the beginning. The repeating refers just to leaving the onions to brown (without stirring), then deglazing, then leaving to brown again (without stirring). Does that follow?
 
Walken March 2, 2013
Got it. Thanks.
 
putaneggonit March 1, 2013
Delicious! Made this last night, only had whipping cream on hand. It worked, but took longer to reduce to solids and the final soup was probably more liquid than if using heavy cream, but it was delicious. Husband said one of his favorite soups of all time.
 
btglenn April 28, 2019
Whipping cream is heavy cream. They are both the same.
 
sl(i)m March 1, 2013
Would it be sacrilegious to use beef broth instead of chicken? Or less tasty?
 
Nicholas D. March 1, 2013
Nope and nope.
 
sl(i)m March 4, 2013
Using homemade beef broth was delicious - soup got rave reviews from 8 with ravenous appetites. And, btw, it is possible to adjust the heat to avoid scorched pans... my Creuset dutch oven did just fine! Thanks for an awesomely delicious recipe!!
 
Pat E. February 28, 2013
Wow! Just did a Julia Child Onion Soup on Sunday but may need to try this one very soon.
 
lilroseglow February 28, 2013
and I checked the calorie count too - 700 per serving is about right. Yikes!
 
lilroseglow February 28, 2013
"...and the cream reduces to its solids"
I've never seen this instruction before. What does it mean for cream to reduce to it's solids? The timerange is pretty broad, so how do I know when the reduction is complete? BTW this sounds divine and I'm dying to try it.
 
Nicholas D. March 1, 2013
You're simply letting some of the liquids evaporate (and, uh, concentrating the fat) -- it sounds complicated but it basically involves not doing anything. You'll know you're there when the onions stop steaming in the liquid and start browning.
 
pschissel February 28, 2013
Lovely and sounds delicious - also has a calorie count of approximately 700 a bowl if I did my searching properly. OK if a salad is the only other part of the meal. Will have to try this because the method sounds so clever!!
 
Nicholas D. March 1, 2013
I mean, no one would recommend a daily diet of French onion soup. (Now a diet of French onion soup and raw cookie dough: that would be fine.) Also, I went with Robertson's serving size suggestion, but it is worth noting that these really are robust servings: I suspect it makes more like four standard stomach-sized portions. But yes: a salad. (With a pretty acidic dressing.)
 
Renee B. February 28, 2013
This does sound like the perfect soup for the slushy, cold, gray nights of the end of winter. Looking forward to this!
 
CarlaCooks February 28, 2013
Bloody brilliant!
 
darksideofthespoon February 28, 2013
I cannot wait to try this, the cream sounds like such a dreamy addition!