How to Make The Ultimate French Onion Soup

[@Porkcfish]

I make French onion soup a lot and I suggest using dry sherry instead of red wine to deglaze. Dry sherry has less body than red wine and provides a nice flavour against the beef stock.

[@azilbean]

Sherry has sugar and adds depth of flavor. I much prefer it over red wine for sure!

[@JoleaSuzanne]

I agree! I prefer the flavor and use Sherry also.

[@JoleaSuzanne]

I also use Vidalia onions and don’t think it makes it taste too sweet.

[@sunflowerbaby1853]

Definitely!

[@jasonpilla]

True true

[@therevolvingmonk]

ATK has a video on caramelizing onions I frequently use in French onion soup and when making batches of caramelized onions that I freeze. They always turn out like savory, gooey onion candy. I made French onion soup using the techniques shown in this video and the caramelized onion video I mentioned. Turned out amazing and the shortcut from the other ATK video saves some time without sacrificing any quality.

[@bettymanoulian4645]

Love this recipe for French onion soup. Every recipe Bryan makes is a keeper. He does his 'research' and puts together great recipes. Keep 'em coming!!

[@kaiju_k5042]

Made this recipe last month following these rules exactly and it was a hit and pretty simple. Absolutely delicious.

[@lisaboban]

The idea of bite size croutons is genius. Trying to cut a big piece of toast with a spoon was always a mess.

[@RemoteEars]

Honestly, that's one of those very obvious, so obvious it's stupid, ideas.... that I never thought of. Love it

[@KevinBullard]

Lisa, truer words have rarely been spoken! Thank you

[@thedracophile]

Yup, I do this as well. I also put piles of croutons on a rimmed baking sheet with a silpat, cover the piles with swiss cheese and broil the piles, then use a spatula to transfer the cheesy piles to the bowls. I ruined one bowl, that was not broiler-safe, not realizing the bowl would disintegrate under the heat of a broiler once, and this was my workaround.

[@martingrey2231]

I thought I invented that. I add garlic butter croutons as I eat the soup.

[@stevenseul361]

Yeah but I love that mess 😃

[@kimezman8697]

Going to make French Onion soup for grandson's 13th birthday. His request ❤

[@coda_o7]

finally, a recipe that's honest about how long it takes to caramelize onions! idk why all the other cooking shows try to tell you it only takes 20-30 minutes smh

[@darcyjorgensen5808]

Yes, it takes a L O N G time. Be patient!

[@bflogal18]

I’ve caramelized onions in my slow cooker. Just slice them up, add butter and set on low for about 12 hours. Keep the lid ajar for the last few hours to thicken. I make a big batch and freeze them for whenever I need them.

[@wendyeames5758]

​@@bflogal18 I came here to say just that.

[@adedow1333]

I usually follow the Alton Brown recipe and he says about 45 mins and he's usually right

[@radiosonicfan1726]

Agree. 1.5 hours for me..

[@rockyclick371]

Give this man a RAISE! I tried it. It rocks !

[@Chloe01210]

Bonjour, I am french, I live in France, authentic and traditional french onion soup is made with winter yellow onions, white wine, slices of stale bread and french emmental from Savoie.

[@jakespinella8161]

Hello I watch KZbin, and this is KZbin, and this French onion soup uses whatever onion, red wine, toasted bread, and parmesan and gruyere from the supermarket.

[@dtemp132]

I bet if a bunch of people tried the soup two ways, made with red wine or white wine, side by side, the red would win.

[@lonefather]

Best onion soup recipe so far. I would bring me and my wife to the fine flavor of the first soup we were served 40 years ago.

[@dennisbishop3842]

5:30 they literally dump the salt/pepper/spices/oil in one spot on the bread croutons before broiling. It's bread, the oil will immediately soak into the first bread it touches. He goes through the motions of stirring, but the oil and spices aren't going to mix. You can see a huge clump of pepper on one crouton when he pours them on the cookie sheet.

[@haroldleboeuf8648]

He's such a good cook and dare I say easy on the eyes.

[@tom.labelleseymour1]

I just made his recipe this evening, and it is delicious. Thanks y'all at American T est Kitchen. I did add a little garlic and the very beginning of the process I added very finely chopped pancetta. I also had a lack of Sherry so I improvised with dry red wine and a few portions of whiskey. Gave it a really good flavor. And maybe just a hint of a beef bouillon cube. Lol. I also didn't have typical bread for croutons so I improvise and used sourdough toast dried out in my air fryer fritoasted with topped butter and garlic powder salt and pepper. Excellent. And yes I love his idea of adding the croutons as opposed to one whole piece of bread., that's messy.

[@Kathleen5429]

Bryan, what a fabulous recipe of one of my two favorite soups. Even though it’s summertime, I can eat this soup with no problem now (even though a cold night and a fireplace come to my mind)! My other favorite soup is Lobster Bisque. I hope I didn’t miss your recipe on that one but if you haven’t taught us that yet, would you please consider teaching us your recipe? Thanks so much.

[@catherinemelnyk]

That looks so good! December is next week, so it's definitely soup time!

[@jtdiffen]

Best execution of a classic French soup that I’ve seen. Tres Bien!!!

[@jenniferlawrence2988]

I never thought of cutting the croutons into cubes. Genius. I'm doing that next time!

[@janinecox256]

I adore French onion soup!

[@5610winston]

I've had it made with all beef stock and I've had it made with equal parts beef and chicken. The beef and chicken is just as hearty, but with a bit more complex flavor. I haven't been disappointed with either version.

[@AngelaKaySams]

Yes!!! This sounds amazing! 🤤

[@josephwisniewski3673]

We cut the crotons that size for Zupa Cebulowa, Polish onion soup. Cognac instead of wine, add flour and cream to thicken the broth, and the day-old leftovers are better than the fresh soup. That's a Polish thing: wait till someone in your group asks the waiter about today's soup, then you ask them about yesterday's soup.

[@MadisonFalcoFoods]

Yesterdays soup is the best❤️

[@Valencenliberty]

Yes sounds great

[@thirg424]

I'm looking forward to trying this recipe.

[@stevealaska73]

I like this guy. I'd like to see more of his recipes. Thank you for sharing. Can't wait to make this.

[@gingerp1601]

Bryan is behind some of the most popular recipes from ATK/CC. For the ATK 20th Anniversary special, they featured the Top 20 Recipes of all time as chosen by their subscribers/viewers. I think five of them were Bryan's. That said, this recipe is not one of his (although in his day job of CC's editorial director, Bryan likely had some input), this recipe was developed by Cooks Country Associate Editor Jessica Rudolph.

[@jack6964]

Yep. He’s good.

[@stevealaska73]

@@gingerp1601 Thank you so much for that informative reply Ginger! Glad to hear Bryan is known for his recipe mastery elsewhere as well!

[@stevealaska73]

@@jack6964 Yes, and thank you for subscribing to my channel?

[@gingerp1601]

@@stevealaska73 Well, if you consider down the hall as "elsewhere". There's a funny out take from that 20th Anniversary show where past ATK cast member Bryan who was not part of the ATK Special, is tormenting the current cast and crew and disrupting the shot by riding through it on a skateboard or scooter. 😆

[@karentaylor2160]

Awesome, I love this, especially with the red wine! Good job!

[@arejetko]

Great read on the croutons and layering the Gruyere! I make lots and keep them in the freezer (usually for Caesar salads). Great recipe.

[@carrieannmcleod5219]

Looks pretty easy and uncomplicated. I will certainly attempt this recipe. Thank you.

[@chrisbuckley1785]

By far my favorite soup. 🤗🥰☺️ Like always you guys nail it. 👍

[@Sakja]

I made French Onion Soup once many years ago. At the time, it was a trend in Manhattan. I had eaten it at many restaurants and wanted to see if I could come close. I even bought the traditional crocks. It was delicious.

[@imsodone4309]

One of my favorite soups. This looks wonderful.

[@duerandaggi]

There is NOTHING that feels better on a cold day, yum!

[@fattyfat-fat6639]

A+ about the oxtail broth. If broth isn't A+, soup will be sub par. Lose the red wine. Use good sherry. Red onion instead of white is very French. So's a good splash of Cognac toward the end of the crock cook. Toast bread slices first, then rub w/garlic cloves, then cube. Add the olive oil & spices, then a final browning toast of the cubes. This way, they won't end up so mushy. 😊 Almost forgot, garnish hot bowls with fine shredded parm, then finally with minced chives for zest and color!!

[@tjsnell]

I can't stress how important it is for proper French Onion soup to make your broth from scratch. Doing it right takes about 12 hours, but using fresh vegetables and oxtail as the key ingredients, it makes liquid gold. And if it's part of a dinner serving beef, the perfect base for au jus. Trust me, once you've made your own broth you'll never touch store bought again.

[@Insertcoolnamehere4200]

Better than bouillon brand Beef Base is amazing. All the flavors are delicious and save time ❤

[@QueenOfTheNorth65]

I made homemade turkey broth last year for the first time. I felt like I’d discovered a new planet.

[@dtemp132]

Yep, don't forget to roast the oxtail before you simmer it!

[@javiermalo01]

Thank you, looks wonderful!

[@IBOGW]

I’m in the dry sherry camp. I just feel that the sherry marries so much better with the beef broth. With using red wine I feel you get the taste of red wine and then broth. Sherry plus broth = one. Delicious!

[@bellacucina3209]

Magnificent creation.

[@katieray436]

Thank you for being honest with the onion caramelizing time. Lots of recipes say you can caramelize onion in 10-15 mins. Lies! All lies! Haha

[@rosechardonnay5351]

I usually use white wine or dry sherry to deglaze the pan. I like the flavor of the sherry in particular but I might try it with the red wine, it adds a nice color. I agree regular yellow cooking onions are the way to go with French Onion soup. I tried sweet onions and red onions before and they really do make the soup too sweet and they break down too much also.

[@carsonfran]

A tablespoon of Cognac into the bowl before serving takes it up a notch.

[@luciamikels4258]

Omg! Looks so delicious 😋 and for sure going to make it with this recipe 😋

[@DeborahCaldwell77]

Thanks for the lesson in cooking the onions the pre-cooking was important thank you

[@craigbrown5359]

Most outstanding!

[@chrishine8699]

Good to hit all these tips, but what I think is missing here is something that I always do when I make this soup - use different types of onions. Use red onions as well as shallots and any other type you can get your hands on. This is how I make my chili more complex - use different fresh and dried chilis. Roast some, add some fresh ones, etc. Recipes like this are all about richness and depth of flavor. Different onions have different characteristics. Use any type you can find and caramelize them all together in the same way you would all one type. It makes a difference.

[@vduncan7isheaven]

I use the red onion too l will have to try a mix of the red and shallots next time. It is now the 7th of May and l am enjoying French Onion soup. I sauteed some diced bacon pieces and added to the recipe it is divine.

[@josephwisniewski3673]

c'est délicieux

[@ruthwalters9179]

love this onion soup recipe. Have subscribed to you. Enjoy concise way of giving recipe. Will try this. Thank you Ruth

[@philipwood8776]

I will be making this.....ty

[@heatherspence3848]

Count me in!!!

[@robertmccoy9901]

Shopping crocks, I see a few that have covers. Would those give me more options for other uses? (a set I'm leaning towards does not have them, but it leaves me wondering..... - any insight would be appreciated).

[@TiMalice2009]

He broke it down to be so easy!

[@chapasaurus]

Was there a switcharoo when he takes out the soup at @8:17 to when he puts it down? It looks like a lot of the bread corners were sticking out and got pretty burned. But the presentation looks great. Should you pat down the bread before baking it to avoid any of those burnt parts?

[@thedracophile]

The one change I would make is in the dutch oven. Instead of an enameled cast iron one, I use a copper bottomed, stainless steel one. This produced a *LOT* more fond. It takes 30 minutes to get the onions to the caramelization point, then I spend an hour caramelizing them and creating fond. I keep adjusting the heat of the stove, so that about every five minutes, I scrape the created fond off the bottom of the pot, so it doesnt burn. The flavor this fond imparts to the broth is incredible.

[@pamelamarshall471]

That's a good tip. I'll try it.

[@joannekucks4343]

I remember an episode of Gordon Ramsay’s Kitchen Nightmares where he was served French Onion Soup where the chef added raw onions to the cooked ones to fill up the bowl more. He was horrified! 🥰

[@ccbowers]

I was "horrified" when Gordon made a grilled cheese with thick sliced country bread, romano w/pepper berry, asiago, and kimchi. He managed to burn part of the bread, while having the cheese completely unmelted while cooking it in a steel pan over a fire. He said the cheese was "nicely melted" while anyone with eyes can see that it wasn't. If he was served that by another cook, he'd throw a temper tantrum, as is his m.o.

[@LifeHacks-ut4pc]

Who cares about the bully Ramsey

[@annettec9112]

Probably cursed 😳

[@josephwisniewski3673]

Celebrity chefs battle across the generations! That "add some raw onion after the soup is cooked" thing was popularized by "The French Chef" herself, Julia Child.

[@karlamarx5954]

This was the first thing I thought of too! 😂😭💀

[@SRaf-gb4mr]

This looks so delicious!

[@kristieprice8015]

Looks amazing!

[@lisalisalisa7721]

I like the idea of the baguette cut into croutons. I am making FO as I type

[@Mirrokash]

Can’t wait to make the French Onion Soup!

[@french21able]

In France We use Port or sherry wine. Other than that, this recipe is great!

[@susiemarr437]

This looks delish!

[@johnkovalicky3389]

Looks great ! More cheese, I like it nice and brown down the sides. Best part for me!!! Dry sherry for deglazing and a little more thyme. Overall nice ..

[@judithgeldhauser7778]

Excited to MAKE!!!!

[@savannarichard6059]

Yummy

[@cherylguthrie3959]

WOW!!

[@richardm.chernoff7553]

As per usual, this is a great recipe... Thank you 😎

[@andreagirard5324]

I have found that using a good Coniac instead of dry sherry is really good.

[@citibear57]

Hey Bryan, what time can I come over? 😄 French Onion Soup is my favorite, and I just don't get to nice restaurants any more. Costco sells some brand (that looks like a frozen muffin bottom) which aren't too bad, but certainly not the same quality as yours. Excellent video, Bryan!

[@hollymcmackin4427]

I find the Costco French Onion soup a little too salty. However I do like it. I think I will try this and I will be able to control the salt content.

[@khodayehrangekaman315]

I just ❤ love it . Why , because that is the end result of all the work you did to make it the best.. Indeed 💐💖 💟

[@jeromerampersad3540]

I LOVE THE SMALL CROUTONS. IT IS SO MUCH EASIER TO DIP OUT THE SOUP CROUTONS AND CHEESE TOGETHER😊 6:58

[@kimohoganesq]

"Love" it !!!!!!!!! 😍

[@mmmfloorpie]

What colour is that Le Creuset dutch oven? I love it!

[@larsolivius]

Looks really good! A question thought, the temperatures you mention ib the video are they in Centigrades or the F-temperature used by only three countries (Myanmar, Liberia and the US) on planet Earth?

[@1111MeditationPortal]

I love Onion soup but never had this one, thanks for the recipe.

[@oldshovelhead]

This looks great!! Is there a non-alcohol replacement for the wine?

[@laurao3274]

Maybe try a sherry vinegar? I haven't made this soup before, but I find that a good sherry vinegar can be used in many applications that call for wine. You just want to use a smaller amount.

[@lindachick8889]

Sounds and looks wonderful. Can the soup be put in the freezer for leftovers?

[@name.terrie]

We have the soup without the toppings. Then when we reheat it in the oven, we add the cheese and bread toppings.

[@andy4717]

Hi, can you please tell us where your crocks are from? We want to buy that specific set. Thanks

[@user-bo8nm5cs7y]

Yum❤

[@IFIXCASTLES]

Delicious!

[@UltraViolet.100]

Can you please name a "good quality beef broth" we can buy at the store?

[@KindCountsDeb3773]

2025 I found a NEW beef BONE Stock by Zoup that I will use. It's bone broth, but hoping it enhances the stock. Carried at the big W M store.

[@JoeRiordan]

You have me watching an onion soup video on a 95 degree day in July. Please come back in fall.

[@Paulguynj]

Exactly. Nothing like a bowl of hot French onion soup when it's 95 degrees. 😄😄 What were they thinking airing this now?

[@gingerp1601]

*You* come back in the fall (the video will still be here). FWIW, the full episode this segment was a part of was also posted here in April. BTW, it originally aired on TV on PBS last fall. Just think of it as a good old-fashioned summer repeat. 📺

[@harveyh3696]

Decades ago, at my first date at a 'fancy' restaurant I ordered French onion soup. As I ate it a sliver of onion 'jumped' onto my chin and hung on for dear life. Hadn't had that soup since.

[@markorr7564]

I want that

[@name.terrie]

Great tips and thanks for sharing this recipe. Say, when developing this recipe, did you try it with sherry vs dry red wine? I've only ever used sherry. Soooo good.

[@Valencenliberty]

I like Guiness I use sherry for mussels

[@name.terrie]

@@Valencenliberty that sounds really good.

[@urbanurchin5930]

Some one mentioned cognac......but dry vermouth might work well too.

[@FunAtDisney]

This all looks great! But why does ATK have the habit of just dumping salt and spices all in one clump as you did with the salt and sugar into the onions and then the same with the bread cubes? Wouldn’t the seasonings disperse more efficiently if you sprinkled them evenly over the food? You all have done this for years and it always seems counter-productive.

[@MadisonFalcoFoods]

A lot of cooking shows do it! Been annoying me for 15 years lol I agree

[@steveraglin7607]

Also, the teensy bit of salt and pepper he adds at the end to adjust seems just silly... how could that actually affect the taste of the entire pot? Regardless, this looks terrific!!

[@Zw1d]

@@steveraglin7607 my thoughts exactly

[@GrahamWalters_]

That really bugs me as well. I can’t tell if they’re going for that inconsistency (sometimes nice) or if they don’t taste what they’re recording. You can see at 5:29 there’s a cube with most of the pepper on

[@FunAtDisney]

@@GrahamWalters_ I saw that too! Maybe for the sake of time within the video they just dump it all in, but it is really better to sprinkle it around. In fact when I have a large bowl of something I will usually salt half of it first then add the rest and put a bit more slat on to really season it evenly.

[@TheStormyDebris]

There's two things I differ on: #1 I use Applejack Bourbon to deglaze, not red wine. I loathe Red wine, I prefer a white wine or bourbon. #2 I like ripped up or rustic croutons and not uniform precision cut croutons, all the juices and cheese hangs on better to the nooks and crannies of torn up bread than the conventional style crouton.... Other than that, this is classic French Onion soup!!

[@29JoeBoo]

When I hear "medium high" I'm not sure if that actually means "medium" or "half way between medium and high." Do you mind explaining that to me? For me, "medium low" is halfway between medium and low. Thank you for your help!

[@annettec9112]

1/2 way between medium & high

[@29JoeBoo]

@@annettec9112 Thank you! I appreciate it!

[@kathybridges3343]

Yummm 😋

[@josemartinhalle7923]

Fantastic recipe, I do miss the interaction of more folks on this show though.

[@gingerp1601]

They've been back together on the test kitchen set for a while as evidenced by ATK now showing on PBS. That season started airing in January and was filmed months before that.

[@KeefyKat]

I wanna know who got the other five bowls! lol!

[@scottgoodwin4799]

9:03 First let me say I love ATK, CC, CI. Am a digital member. But sometimes ….. 1/4 tsp pepper to the croutons before baking them? Bad enough that it is only 1/4 tsp but then they are just “dumped” in heap. Look at the video when they are pulled out of the oven. It looks like the entire 1/4tsp was collected on one lone crouton. LOL.

[@shanetapatterson5932]

I added stew meat to mine to make it heartier. It was delicious and very filling.

[@whocares0692]

Oh My ! 😋

[@vernalongwell1648]

What IS a good quality beef broth? Any suggestions?

[@yt650]

I’ve read all of the comments. This is one way of doing it I’m sure there are a dozen other ways or recipes. Some of the comments are degrading and unnecessary. The only question that I have is I live alone and I’m not so sure it’s possible to make one or two bowls of this without having lots of leftovers so the question is can just be put in the freezer in a vacuum sealed bag or container?

[@slugbiker]

yes, you can easily freeze the soup. defrost and reheat before adding cheese & croutons.

[@pamelamarshall471]

Pulling it out of the freezer and adding cheese and croutons is wonderful when you want something good and don't have hours to cook. This soup certainly qualifies!

[@yt650]

@@slugbiker 👍

[@yt650]

@@pamelamarshall471 👍

[@gregorioavalos1256]

I agree with the red wine.

[@hexzerone7034]

Now I know what I’m making this weekend, only I’m going to make grilled cheese

[@robertsterner2145]

Which beef stock is "high quality"? I've never had a commercial beef stock that I liked very much but perhaps I've tried the wrong brands. Maybe better than bullion? I rarely eat beef so the chances of making my own are slim.

[@ThreeDee912]

ATK’s taste test results for beef broth showed none of them were very good, except for Better Than Bouillon, but even that wasn’t exactly beefy but still had a decent savory flavor. I think in this video they actually used a homemade broth as it doesn’t look like anything I’ve seen from a box or can.

[@robertsterner2145]

@@ThreeDee912 Thank you. D don't remember seeing that taste test for some reason and I watch religiously (it now occurs to me I could have looked it up in the ATK cookbook, but I'm slow on the uptake today).

[@jerriecook6908]

If you use the Better than Boullion take into count the sodium is quite intense. Your going to want to cut the salt back in other areas of the recipe.

[@adria89]

Make sure to use the low sodium version.

[@patmarkham519]

@bflogal18--What a good idea! I'll have try carmalizing my onions in my slow cooker, like you said! I always hated having to spend all that time at the stove doing that! Thanks for the tip!

[@pbkayakyer]

Wow this video was uploaded 10 hours ago! The last time I made French Onion Soup, it took 10 hours to make!!

[@afriend621]

What brand is a good beef stock without making your own, please ?

[@deedeeb9980]

So what brand of Sherry should I use? I don't drink Sherry so I don't know what to buy. Thanks.

[@barney6888]

It is an elegant soup, for a more civilized age

[@blake1771]

not to brag, but my French onion soup gets a lot of raves. The most important piece of advice I can give is to take your time with the onions. It takes what at first looks like an obscene amount of onions, but they reduce down. Depending on how much onion you're starting with, I'm talking like probably 1.5 to 2 hours to reduce and caramelize the onions. It's a PITA but it's well worth it in the end.