Easy One-Hour French Onion Soup

A bowl of french onion soup topped with melted cheese and garnished with herbs.

4.60 from 27 votes

Easy One-Hour French Onion Soup

This easy French onion soup recipe is ready in one hour. The broth has rich flavor, the onions are perfectly caramelized, and that cheese is heavenly.

Prep Time10

Cook Time55

Total Time1 5

Course: Soup

Cuisine: French

Keyword: best french onion soup, classic french onion soup recipe, easy french onion soup, french onion soup recipe

Servings: servings

Calories: 429cal

Author: Averie Sunshine

Equipment

1 Large Dutch Oven

Ingredients

¼ cup olive oil
3 pounds sweet Vidalia onions yellow onions may be substituted, peeled and sliced root to tip in long thin segments
1 to 2 teaspoon salt or to taste
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper or to taste
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 cloves garlic pressed or finely minced
⅓ cup dry cooking sherry dry white wine may be substituted
8 cups 64 ounces reduced sodium beef broth
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
2 bay leaves
½ teaspoon dried thyme or to taste
1 teaspoon granulated sugar optional and to taste
1 French baguette sliced into eight 1/2-inch thick slices (or as needed based on how many bowls you’re portioning out), toasted
about 2 cups Gruyere cheese grated and divided

Instructions

To a large Dutch oven or stockpot, add the oil, onions, 1 teaspoon salt, pepper, toss to coat, and cook over medium heat for about 30 minutes until onions have softened and are caramelized; stir intermittently.
Add the butter, garlic, stir to combine, and cook for about 1 minute, or until garlic is fragrant.
Add the sherry to deglaze the pan (use caution, it will bubble up). Scrape up and loosen the browned bits from the bottom of the pan.
Add the beef broth, Worcestershire sauce, bay leaves, thyme, bring to a simmer, cover, and allow soup to maintain a low simmer for about 20 to 30 minutes, or until broth has reduced slightly and thickened slightly.
While soup simmers, slice and toast the bread. Simply toast it in a regular toaster to a light/medium color (I find toasted bread to be less soggy and slimy on top of the finished soup); set aside.
Preheat oven broiler to high.
After soup has simmered, taste it and optionally add 1 additional teaspoon salt, or as necessary to taste. Optionally add sugar, to taste. I used about 2 teaspoons salt total and 1 heaping teaspoon sugar because I think it balances the flavors. Remove the bay leaves.
Ladle soup into oven-safe bowls, top each bowl with a slice of bread, about 1/3 cup cheese per bowl or as desired, places bowls on a sheet pan, and broil for about 1 to 3 minutes, or until cheese has melted and is as dark as desired. Watch cheese closely so it doesn’t burn. All broilers vary in intensity.
Serve immediately.

Notes

Tip: If you don’t have oven-safe bowls or are unsure if they are, add the toasted bread slices to a sheet pan, cover bread with cheese, place sheet pan under broiler, and top each bowl of soup with the broiled bread/cheese.
Soup is best warm and fresh but will keep airtight in the fridge for up to 1 week or in the freezer for up to 3 months. Do not add the bread/cheese until you are ready to serve.

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