With some simple shortcuts, you can make this Easy French Onion Soup in under an hour! It tastes like you’ve been cooking all day.
French Onion is one of my absolute favorite soups. The complex flavors from caramelized onions and a deeply flavored broth, along with the cheesy bread topping–absolute perfection!
The problem is that every time I look up a recipe for it, the instructions are complicated and imply hours of cooking. I just don’t have the time for that.
I’ve avoided making it myself at home for years–I’ll just get it on a special occasion when it’s on the menu at a restaurant.
Enough of that! I spent some time trying some simple shortcuts at home. You can make the most delicious French Onion Soup in under an hour!
Grocery list for easy French Onion Soup
Here’s what you’ll need – you probably already have a lot of the pantry items on hand already:
- 3 medium yellow onions
- 3 medium red onions
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1 tbsp light butter (I use Earth Balance whipped)
- 8 cups beef or veggie stock
- 2 tbsp soy sauce
- 2 tbsp red wine vinegar
- 2 large bay leaves
- 4-5 sprigs fresh thyme (or 3/4 tsp dried)
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- 3/4 tsp freshly cracked black pepper
- 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes (optional)
- 4 ounces French baguette
- 1/2 cup shredded swiss or gruyere (I like to buy the gruyere/swiss combo from ALDI)
easy french onion soup = Quick Caramelized Onions
It wouldn’t be French Onion Soup without onions. I love the combination of yellow and red onions because it gives you the best of both worlds in terms of flavor. Plus, the red onions just look pretty when they caramelize.
Traditionally, caramelizing onions takes at least 45-60 minutes. Which is fine. But who wants to wait any longer than they have to for delicious soup? Not this girl! Here’s my favorite hack for speeding up the caramelization process in this easy French Onion Soup:
Seasoning the onions with salt as they cook over medium-high heat adds flavor AND makes them “sweat” and caramelize faster. Just make sure you’re using a pan with a tight fitting lid so the liquid doesn’t evaporate too quickly. Stir the onions every couple of minutes so they cook evenly. Lower the heat to medium if you notice the onions browning too quickly.
If they’re still browning too quickly after lowering the heat, you can always try out the hack I use for caramelizing onions when I make In N Out Copycat Animal-Style Burgers.
The onions should look like this when you’re done cooking them uncovered for about 15 minutes. The liquid will evaporate and create silky, soft onions.
Add your stock, soy sauce, red wine vinegar, herbs, and spices and simmer for an additional 15 minutes.
HOw do you like your bready and cheese topping?
One of the defining features of French Onion Soup is the thick slices of French bread, topped with piles of swiss cheese that’s been flame-kissed under the broiler.
Team Crispy Cheesy Bread
Option 1 uses thinner slices that, when toasted in the oven (or air fryer!), act like a crouton and don’t turn into a giant sponge that soaks up all the soup before you take your first bite. I think it gives a perfectly balanced bite of soup, cheese, and bread.
Team Softer Cheesy Bread
If you’re a purist though, don’t worry, Option 2 creates a traditional (equally delicious) softer cheesy bread that’s finished under the broiler.
make A Batch of Easy French Onion SOup and reheat all week
Store soup separately and just reheat servings and add cheesy toast as you go. Does it get any better? I think not.
The best part is that the soup actually develops more flavor the longer it sits in the refrigerator. I will keep for up to 5 days, or you can freeze for about 2 months.
Ready for more easy and comforting soup recipes? Here’s some fan favorites:
- Lightened-Up Broccoli Cheddar Soup
- Chicken Tortellini Soup
- Slow Cooker Creamy Chicken Tortilla Soup
- Healthy Loaded Potato Soup
I’d love to hear from you if you make this recipe! Leaving a starred review and comment below helps my blog grow. I’m always grateful when you can take the time to do that!
It also makes my day when you share your pics on Instagram and tag me (@litecravings). Don’t forget to use #litecravingsrecipes to make sure I see it. If I don’t get a chance to scroll through my tags quickly enough, I won’t see your post. I always make a point to look through the hashtags, though, so I’ll see it there!
Easy French Onion Soup
Ingredients
- 3 medium yellow onions thinly sliced
- 3 medium red onions thinly sliced
- 1 tbsp light butter I use Earth Balance whipped
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 tbsp all-purpose flour
- 8 cups beef or veggie stock
- 2 tbsp soy sauce
- 2 tbsp red wine vinegar
- 2 large bay leaves
- 4-5 sprigs fresh thyme (or 3/4 tsp dried)
- 1 tsp kosher salt plus more, if needed
- 3/4 tsp freshly cracked black pepper
- 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes optional
- 4 ounces French baguette
- 1/2 cup shredded swiss or gruyere (I like to buy the gruyere/swiss combo from ALDI)
Instructions
- Heat a large soup pot over medium heat. Spritz with cooking spray and melt the butter.
- Increase heat to medium-high. Add onions to the pot and mix in 1 tsp salt. Cover with a tight-fitting lid and cook for about 10 minutes, stirring every couple of minutes.
- The onions should be soft and slightly browned after 10 minutes. Remove lid and continue to cook, stirring often, for about 15 minutes, until onions are deeply caramelized (see pic above).
- Add in garlic and flour. Continue to sauté for another 1-2 minutes, until garlic is fragrant and flour has cooked into the onions.
- Add in all of the stock, soy sauce, vinegar, bay leaves, thyme, black pepper, and red pepper.
- Bring to a boil, then reduce to a strong simmer (about medium-low heat). Cook, uncovered, for another 15 minutes. When soup is done, remove bay leaves and thyme springs (if using fresh). Taste soup for seasoning and add more salt, if needed.
- While soup is simmering, prepare the cheese bread. How you want to proceed is purely your own preference, so I'll provide you with options:
- Option 1: Create cheesy, crunchy bread to place on top of the soup after everything is cooked. Preheat oven to 350F. Slice bread into 1/4 inch slices (you should get about 10 slices from a 4-ounce piece). Place slices on a baking sheet. Bake for 2-5 minutes, until bread is toasted. Sprinkle with about 2 tsp cheese for each slice. Broil for about 30 seconds, until cheese has melted. Ladle about 2 cups of soup into a bowl. Sprinkle hot soup bowls with any remaining cheese and top with 2 cheese toasts.
- Option 2: If you are using oven-safe bowls and like a softer bread topping, place soup bowls onto a sturdy rimmed baking sheet. Preheat oven to 350F. Slice bread into 1/4 inch slices (you should get about 10 slices from a 4-ounce piece). Toast in oven until crunchy, about 3-5 minutes. Ladle about 2 cups of soup into each bowl. Top the soup with 2 slices of toast, then sprinkle with cheese evenly across the bowls. Broil for 1-3 minutes, or until cheese is bubbly.
Made this soup this past weekend and it was amazing! Everyone loved it and it was very quick and easy!
Great, simple recipe! I love that there are not many ingredients. It will definitely be in my regular rotation.
Sometimes simple is best. So happy you enjoyed it!