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French Onion Soup

French onion soup with deeply caramelized onions simmered in beef broth and sherry, then finished under the broiler with bubbly, golden Gruyère. Classic bistro-style texture: sweet caramelized onions, savory broth, and melty toasted baguette.
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Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour 15 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 30 minutes
Servings: 6 servings
Course: Dinner
Cuisine: French
Calories: 455
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Onions
  • 4 tbsp unsalted butter
  • 4 large yellow onions thinly sliced
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 0.5 tsp sugar
Soup
  • 3 clove garlic minced
  • 0.25 cup dry sherry
  • 2 tbsp all-purpose flour
  • 6 cup beef broth
  • 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
  • 2 sprig fresh thyme
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 0.25 tsp black pepper
Topping
  • 1 baguette sliced into rounds and toasted
  • 2 cup shredded Gruyère cheese

Equipment

  • 1 Dutch oven

Method
 

Caramelize the onions
  1. Melt the butter in a large pot over medium-low heat. Add the onions, salt, and sugar and cook, stirring occasionally, for 45-50 minutes until deeply caramelized and golden brown with visible dark amber color.
  2. Add the garlic and cook for about 1 minute, stirring, until fragrant and lightly golden at the edges.
  3. Pour in the sherry and stir while scraping up browned bits from the bottom of the pot. Let it reduce for 2 minutes until the liquid looks slightly thickened and no longer smells sharp.
Build the soup
  1. Sprinkle in the flour and stir constantly for 1 minute to remove the raw flour taste and make the mixture glossy.
  2. Slowly whisk in the beef broth, then add the Worcestershire sauce, thyme, bay leaf, and black pepper. Bring to a simmer and cook for 20 minutes until flavorful; remove the thyme sprigs and bay leaf.
Broil the topping
  1. Preheat the broiler. Ladle the soup into oven-safe bowls and top each with a toasted baguette slice.
  2. Sprinkle generously with shredded Gruyère cheese. Broil for 2-3 minutes until the cheese is melted, bubbly, and golden brown in spots.
  3. Serve immediately after broiling while the cheese is bubbling.

Notes

For the richest color, keep the heat at medium-low so the onions caramelize slowly instead of burning. Store leftovers covered in the refrigerator up to 3 days; rewarm gently on the stovetop, then top with fresh cheese and re-broil for best texture. Freezing: not recommended because the onions and bread topping can soften when thawed. For a dairy-light swap, use a melt-friendly reduced-fat Swiss-style cheese instead of Gruyère.