Easy French Onion Soup
This Easy French Onion Soup recipe is the perfect saltiness and spice. Gooey cheese and a fantastic taste. This is the best ever classic french onion soup, homemade and delicious.

I’ve been super busy trying to make restaurant favourites at home, just like this Easy Wonton Soup and Slow Cooker Three Cheese Broccoli Soup.
A perfect example of make at home perfection is my Olive Garden Copycat, Chicken Gnocchi Soup. Mmmm.
In the Winter months, I crave {and I mean crave} Classic French Onion Soup. Yet, I’m picky with this type of soup, and will only order it at certain restaurants, because it’s amazing how some can be so bland or just off in taste!
One of my goals for this year to ‘eat out’ less though, so I actually haven’t had my favourite soup all Winter. I know, the horror!
I find that some are too salty, others broths too weak, and so on. Let’s just say I appreciate {and devour} a great tasting baked onion soup.
This my friends is the best ever french onion soup, and you will not believe how easy it is to make, just like our Baked French Onion Chicken Recipe.
What I did was take crucial aspects of a french onion soup, and took out the extras. In fact, this is the best french onion soup recipe without wine.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Total Time: 50 Minutes
- Serves: 4

Ingredients and Notes
As always, the full ingredients and recipe is on the printable recipe card at the end of this post.
Recipe Variations
- Add red wine: A splash of dry red wine during caramelization adds depth and a subtle acidity to balance the sweetness of the onions.
- Swap cheese types: Try melted different cheeses for variations in flavor and melt quality.
- Vegetarian version: Use vegetable broth and skip traditional beef stock for a lighter, meat-free option while still enjoying rich caramelized onions and cheese.
- Mushroom addition: Finely diced mushrooms cooked with the onions introduce an earthy flavor that complements the broth beautifully.
- Added Flavor – Add some of our Homemade Onion Soup Mix for more of that onion taste with flavorful spices.

Tips for Success
How to Make Easy French Onion Soup
- Place a large skillet over medium low heat (or medium heat) and melt butter. You can also use olive oil or even white wine if necessary.
- Saute onion for about 8 minutes until transparent in colour.
- In a medium saucepan combine beef broth, sautéed onion along with pepper and thyme and bring to a boil.
- Reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 30 minutes.
- Under the oven broiler, toast French bread on both sides until crispy.
- Pour or ladle soup into 4 individual soup bowls (oven-safe bowls) and float desired amount of sliced toasted French bread in each.
- Sprinkle cheeses on top of each – the more, the merrier!
- Broil in the oven at 375 degrees F. It’ll be done when the cheese melts, and the edges sticking to the bowls are a golden brown. Those browned bits are the best part, in my opinion.
- Enjoy!
What to Serve with French Onion Soup
You can enjoy french onion soup alone as an appetizer, small meal, or a winter warm up. Yet if you need some sides to make it a bigger meal, here are some suggestions:
Freezing & Storing Leftovers
Freezing:
French onion soup freezes well without the bread and cheese topping. Store the cooled soup in airtight containers or freezer bags for up to 3 months. When ready to serve, thaw overnight in the fridge and add fresh toasted bread and cheese before broiling.
Storing:
Keep soup refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 3-4 days. Reheat gently on the stove over low heat to preserve texture, then add bread and cheese before serving.

For a recipe that combines the classic soup with a heart comforting roast, try our French Onion Pot Roast.
I just love making homemade soups and stews. Speaking of, you also NEED to try this Creamy Chicken Stew. YUM!
Recipe FAQ
Now, these cheese you choose does matter when making this simple soup. I think that Gruyere cheese is best!
Yet, sometimes I get super lazy and just use mozzarella cheese, which you can do and the result is a nice soup.
Yet, choosing that sharper cheese does result in a different and fantastic flavour, so keep that in mind and try to stick with Gruyere.
I try and get a french loaf for the bread in my french onion soup.
Day old is best, as you want a crusty bread.
Yet in a pinch, you can toast any bread and it’ll work, especially those heel pieces. I do think french is best, yet I’d use any just to have some at all.
More Soup Recipes
Also, be sure to check out all our Best Soup Recipes.
This real simple onion soup recipe is the perfect saltiness and spice. Gooey cheese and a fantastic taste. Every spoonful leaves you wanting more.
This is my go-to soup when I need a bowl, no matter the time of year.
If you’ve tried this Easy French Onion Soup or any other recipe on my blog please let me know how it went in the comments below. I love hearing from you. Finally, consider leaving a 🌟 star rating while you’re here. Thanks!

Easy French Onion Soup
Ingredients
- 3 tbsp butter
- 4 medium onions (thinly sliced)
- 8 cups condensed beef broth
- 2 tsp thyme
- 4 tbsp shredded Gruyere cheese
- 2 tbsp grated swiss cheese
- 4 slices French bread (1 inch thick)
Instructions
- Place a large skillet over medium low heat and melt butter.
- Saute onion for about 8 minutes until transparent in colour.
- In a medium saucepan combine beef broth, sautéed onion along with pepper and thyme and bring to a boil.
- Reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 30 minutes.
- Under the oven broiler, toast French bread on both sides until crispy.
- Pour French onion soup into 4 individual soup bowls and float desired amount of sliced toasted French bread in each.
- Sprinkle cheeses on top of each {the more, the merrier!}.
- Broil in the oven until the cheese bubbles.
- Enjoy!
Notes
French onion soup freezes well without the bread and cheese topping. Store the cooled soup in airtight containers or freezer bags for up to 3 months. When ready to serve, thaw overnight in the fridge and add fresh toasted bread and cheese before broiling. Storing:
Keep soup refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 3-4 days. Reheat gently on the stove over low heat to preserve texture, then add bread and cheese before serving.
Nutrition

Love french onion soup!! Love it even better when it’s easy to make 🙂
Yummm!! I love French Onion soup, thanks for the easy recipe! Will likely be trying this out soon 🙂
Im making this today!!!
Enjoy Debbie!
thanks,i am looking forward to trying this
Thanks for sharing the recipe. I was looking for a good french onion, my husband loves this soup. I think I will surprise him this evening . Thanks!!!
Nice!! Enjoy Wanda!!
love french onion soup I add a bit of cooking sherry in mine.
I was debating on doing that ….
Yummeh! Thank you for sharing! I absolutely love french onion soup.
I will be making this soup this weekend.
You had me at “easy”. This looks like a recipe I will enjoy. Thanks for sharing.
Let me know what you think when you try it!
I’m all about easy. Thanks for sharing. I’ve been wanting a bowl of this ever since it got cold here.
This looks delicious ! I love French Onion soup ! I am going to make this … I just need the bowls !
This looks so good!!!!
Oh my goodness, I have always wanted to try onion soup. Now I must!!!
Wow, I’m surprised you haven’t Kristin, you just have to try it!
I’ve never had french onion soup before, but that looks delicious! I’ll have to give it a try.
Oh you must!!
this is one of the easiest onion soup recipes I’ve seen, looks so good! I think I am going to make this one next week, thanks for sharing
It is really easy, and I love that. I definitely have no time to waste, even in the kitchen!
this looks so yummy!
Thanks Holly!
Made this today. Super easy and so delicious!
Tammy this is a great and easy recipe. One thing I added was a roasted garlic bouillon to add more flavor. This is going into my recipe book. Thank you for sharing