The Best French Onion Soup Recipe (2024)

Are you on the hunt for the Best French Onion Soup Recipe? Look no further, this delicious made from scratch recipe topped with homemade focaccia bread will be your new favorite!

The Best French Onion Soup

As winter nears, I always crave rich, warm soups for lunch and dinner. One of my favorite soups is French Onion Soup. I have taken this classic dish and added a few tweaks to make it the Best French Onion Soup Recipe, you’ve ever tasted.

What’s the difference? A hearty serving of sweet, thinly sliced onions, a rich red wine (optional) and salty broth and fresh-baked focaccia bread on top. I love the focaccia bread, since it is denser than crunchy bread, without getting soggy. In my opinion, gruyère cheese is the best pairing for this soup, but if not available, swiss or mozzarella are also a good choice.

I make this soup in ramekins, but you can also pour the soup into oven-safe bowls instead. Or you can skip the bread, and simply eat the soup by itself! If you don’t want to cook with wine, you can substitute the wine for more beef broth.

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The Best French Onion Soup Recipe

What You Need:

For the Soup:

• 4 large sweet onions
• 4 tbsp butter
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 cup red wine
• 4 cups beef broth

For the Bread:

• 1 (.25 oz) pack of active dryyeast
• 1 cup warm water
• 2 cups flour
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 2 tsp sugar

On top:

• Slices of gruyère, swiss or mozzarella cheese

How to make the bread:

Combine yeast and water in a medium-sized bowl and let dissolve for 10 minutes. Add remaining ingredients and mix until incorporated and smooth. Cover bowl with a clean towel and let sit for about 30 minutes, until the dough has doubled in size. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Once the dough has risen, turn onto a well-floured surface, and roll into a rectangular shape with a rolling pin or a sturdy glass. Place dough on a baking sheet or stone and bake for 20 minutes, or until the crust is golden brown. Once baked, cut out circular shaped pieces of bread to fit on top of the ramekin.

How to make french onion soup from scratch:

Slice onions into thin crescent-shaped slices. In a large pan, melt butter over low heat, then add onions and salt, and let caramelize on low, for about 30 minutes. Add wine and broth and cook over medium heat until reduced by a third.

Pour soup into the ramekins, until 2/3rds full. Top with bread, then cheese and bake in a preheated oven at 350 for 5-10 minutes, or until cheese has melted.

Need to print this to add to yourRecipe Binder? Get the simple french onion soup recipe below:

Looking for more soup recipes to keep you warm these cold winter days? Here are some to try!

Crockpot Cheeseburger SoupCrockpot Chicken Noodle SoupCrockpot Chicken Rice SoupCream of Potato Soup
Homemade Mushroom Soup
Creamy Chicken and Noodles SoupHomemade Vegetable Soup

Trying to plan better, more frugal meals for your family so that you always have a warm meal on the table and aren’t wasting money at the grocery store? You’ve got to check out my ebook Meal Planning Made Simple. Even if you thought meal planning didn’t work for your family, this ebook will help you find the perfect fit for your family’s style.

Does your family enjoy soup in the winter? What are their favorite kinds?

This Best French Onion Soup Recipe was originally published on Little House Living in November 2013. It has been updated as of November 2019.