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The BEST Easy Classic French Onion Soup Recipe with Bubbly Gruyere Topping

Close-up of a crock filled with bubbling french onion soup, topped with toasted bread and melted, browned cheese.
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Make restaurant-style French Onion Soup at home. This recipe focuses on achieving deeply caramelized onions for rich flavor, topped with the perfect bubbly Gruyere crust. It is pure comfort food made simple.

Ingredients

Scale
  • 6 large yellow onions, thinly sliced
  • 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 teaspoon salt, plus more to taste
  • 1/2 teaspoon sugar
  • 1/2 cup dry white wine (optional, for deglazing)
  • 8 cups rich beef broth
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
  • 4 thick slices of French baguette, toasted
  • 8 ounces Gruyere cheese, shredded
  • 4 ounces Parmesan cheese, grated

Instructions

  1. Melt the butter and olive oil in a large Dutch oven or heavy-bottomed pot over medium heat. Add the sliced onions, salt, and sugar.
  2. Cook the onions slowly, stirring every 5 to 10 minutes, for 45 to 60 minutes. Reduce the heat as needed to keep them from burning. You want the onions to turn a deep, rich brown color, indicating deep caramelization.
  3. If using wine, pour it into the pot and scrape up any browned bits from the bottom. Cook until the wine has mostly evaporated.
  4. Add the beef broth, bay leaf, and thyme to the pot. Bring the soup to a simmer, then reduce the heat to low, cover partially, and let it cook for at least 30 minutes to let the flavors meld. Remove the bay leaf before serving. Taste and adjust salt if needed.
  5. Preheat your broiler. Place oven-safe soup crocks on a baking sheet. Ladle the soup into the crocks.
  6. Place one toasted baguette slice on top of the soup in each crock. Top the bread generously with a mix of Gruyere and Parmesan cheese.
  7. Place the baking sheet under the broiler for 2 to 4 minutes, watching closely, until the cheese is melted, bubbly, and golden brown. Serve immediately.

Notes

  • The key to authentic French Onion Soup is patience during the onion caramelization step. Do not rush this process to achieve the deep, sweet flavor.
  • If you do not have oven-safe crocks, you can toast the bread separately and top the soup in regular bowls, sprinkling the cheese over the bread and melting it under the broiler on a separate tray before carefully placing the cheesy bread on top of the soup.
  • For an even richer broth, use homemade beef stock or low-sodium broth and reduce it slightly before adding it to the onions.

Nutrition

Find it online: https://miameal.com/french-onion-soup-easy-classic-bubbly-gruyere/