Make the best homemade French onion soup with sweet caramelized red onions, rich beef and chicken broth, and a gooey cheesy bread topping. Easy, comforting, and restaurant-quality!
Homemade French Onion Soup with Red Onions
French Onion Soup might sound intimidating, but this homemade version is surprisingly easy. It takes a little time, but the payoff is huge—the first sip of that rich, caramelized onion beef broth is pure heaven. And when your spoon breaks through the melted cheesy top and scoops up that crusty French bread… oh la la, you’re going to fall in love with this classic French onion soup!
This recipe has a few secret touches that make it extra special. I use a mix of both beef broth and chicken broth for deeper flavor, and I never skimp on the cheese. On top of toasted French bread, I layer provolone, Swiss, mozzarella, and Parmesan for the ultimate cheesy French onion soup finish. Some readers even call this the best French onion soup they’ve ever tried—so make a bowl and see why!
Looking for more easy red onion recipes? Try my Red Onion Jam, Caramelized Red Onions and Pickled Red Onions too!
Ingredients
- Red Onions, you can use a combo of red and yellow onions if you’d like, but I love the classic rich taste that red onions give!
- Beef and Chicken broth, the combo of chicken and beef broth is really special, but if you need to only one of them, that’s ok.
- French Bread, the key is toasted bread to prevent it from getting soggy. I’ve made it multiple times with French bread, Italian bread and pumpernickel bread, all with good results!
- Cheese, we love Provolone, Swiss, Mozzarella and Parmesan all melted together, but you can also use Gruyère cheese or shredded Asiago cheese as well.
- Herbs and Spices: dried thyme, bay leaf, paprika
- Kitchen Basics: butter, Worcestershire sauce, salt and pepper
How to Make the Best French Onion Soup
Melt butter in a pot. Add onions and a sprinkle of salt.
Stir until the onions caramelize and are browned and syrupy.
Add in beef broth, chicken broth, Worcestershire sauce, thyme, bay leaf and salt and pepper, allowing to simmer for 15 minutes. Remove bay leaf after it’s finished.
Ladle onion soup into 4 oven-safe bowls.
Add 1-2 slices of toasted French bread on top of each depending o how big the bread is. You can keep the bread whole or rip it up into slices.
Add cheeses and a sprinkle of paprika on top of each slice of bread.
Place bowls on a baking sheet and broil in the oven for a few minutes until cheese browns and starts to bubble. This takes 3-4 minutes, so watch carefully.
Remove from oven and serve! I hope you enjoy this classic French Onion Soup!
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French Onion Soup made with Red Onions
PrintIngredients
- 1/2 cup butter
- 4 cups sliced red onions about 1/2-3/4″ wide slices
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 3 cups beef broth
- 2 cups chicken broth
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 pinch salt and pepper to taste
- 4 slices French bread toasted
- 4 slices provolone cheese
- 2 slices Swiss cheese ripped in half
- 1/4 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
- 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
- 4 pinches paprika
Instructions
- Melt butter in a large pot over medium high heat. Add slices of red onions and sprinkle salt on top of them. Stir until the onions are caramelized and syrupy, about 30 minutes.
- Add beef broth, chicken broth, Worcestershire sauce, thyme, bay leaf and salt and pepper into the pot, stirring and then allow to simmer for 15 minutes. Discard bay leaf.
- Preheat oven to BROIL.
- Ladle soup into 4 oven-safe bowls evenly. Place 1 slice of toasted French bread on top of each (you can keep it whole or rip it up into pieces). Add 1 slice of provolone, ½ slice Swiss cheese, 1 tablespoon mozzarella cheese and 1 tablespoon Parmesan cheese on each piece of bread. Add a pinch of paprika on top.
- Place bowls on a baking sheet and broil in the oven until cheese bubbles and lightly browns, about 3-4 minutes.
- Remove from oven and serve. Enjoy this delicious French Onion Soup!
Darlene M says
First time making any french onion soup. Switched up cheese for what i had in fridge.
Turned out deviously…thanks for an easy and fast recipe.
We both enjoyed it. Wanted 2nd bowl but neither of us had the room,lol
Susanna says
I’m so glad to have found this soup! I had a bunch of red onions taking up pantry space, and this was a delicious way to use them up — especially on a cold winter day. This will be my go-to recipe next time I have extra onions on hand.