Julia Child’s French Onion Soup Recipe (With a Genius Serving Tip)
Julia Child’s French onion soup recipe is a classic, but I have made one tiny change which I think makes the eating and enjoying of the soup much easier. Sorry Julia, but I would guess, even she would approve!
I recently went to Santa Barbara and had lunch with my mother and daughter at a lovely little French restaurant on State Street.
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I ordered the French onion soup, which I haven’t had or made in a long time, and it made me think how deplorable that was. I adore French onion soup and everything about it: the beefy broth, the glorious caramelized onions, and of course, the incredibly tasty, melty Gruyère cheese on the crispy, crusty, soup-soaked bread! What’s not to love?
So as I often do, when I came home, it went on the “to-make” list. And I made it. And it was awesome.
Love onions? Try this delicious caramelized onion, pancetta and feta cheese tart!
As the title suggests, Julia Child’s French onion soup isn’t a recipe I followed to the letter. Although Julia claims if you don’t use homemade beef stock, you may as well buy onion soup, I say you’re still better off making the soup at home. Just use whatever stock you have on hand, as long as it’s good quality.
Homemade (red lentil) soup is never a bad idea.
The Problem with French Onion Soup
If you’re like me, you probably don’t like fighting with full-sized pieces of bread covered in melted cheese floating in your soup, right? So I suggest bite-sized toasted pieces of bread instead–they are much more manageable.
Another classic French dish: gratin dauphinois (potatoes au gratin)
How do you make Julia Child’s French Onion Soup?
This is not a five minute soup, so just be prepared to caramelize some onions for a good 45 minutes or so. The rest of the soup making process is easy, and the result is truly worth the time and effort. See the ingredient list and step by step directions below.
How to Make Julia Child’s French Onion Soup
with Step by Step Directions (Almost Like Julia’s)
adapted from Mastering the Art of French Cooking by Julia Child
serves 6-8 FULL PRINTABLE RECIPE BELOW
Ingredients
- yellow onions
- butter
- olive oil
- Kosher salt or sea salt
- sugar
- flour
- beef stock (or water with beef bouillon)
- dry white wine
- cognac or brandy (optional)
- French, Italian or rustic loaf bread
- Gruyere cheese
Special equipment: oven safe bowls (I found some inexpensive ones at Home Goods which were made in Italy, however, these are the only bowls I found on Amazon that weren’t made in China).
Caramelize the Onions
In a large, heavy bottomed Dutch oven (☚ this is the one I have), add the butter and oil, then the sliced onions. Cook slowly, with the lid on, for about 15 minutes. Stir occasionally.
Remove the lid, turn the heat up to medium, add the salt and sugar, and stir often for about 40 minutes (mine took 45), until the onions are a deep golden brown. If anyone tells you that you can caramelize onions in 15 minutes, they don’t know anything about caramelizing onions.
Finish Making the French Onion Soup
Next, add the flour and continue to cook and stir for another 3 or 4 minutes.
Remove from heat and add the stock/water/bouillon and wine.
Add salt and pepper to taste and return to the cooktop, and simmer for an additional 30 to 40 minutes. Just before the soup is ready, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
Prepare the Soup for Serving (Genius Serving Tip)
When the soup is ready, add the brandy/Cognac, if using and check for seasoning; ladle it into ovenproof bowls. Instead of placing an entire slice of bread on top of the soup, I like to top it with the cubes of toasted bread so it’s SO much easier to eat!
Now, don’t go and ruin this lovely French onion soup by using poor quality cheese! Use the best, real Gruyere from Switzerland, please. Julia and I agree on this one! However, if you can’t find proper Gruyere, or can’t afford it, you can substitute Swiss cheese, but even better, try Jarlsberg.
Sprinkle the cheese on top of the toast, as desired. I like everything in moderation (the cheese on the bowl in the photo above, from the restaurant in Santa Barbara was a bit too much for me) so this might be a wimpy amount of cheese for you; if so, add more.
Repeat to make 6 bowls, then place them on a tray and put into the center of the oven for about 15 minutes.
Melt the Gruyère Cheese on top of the Soup
Finally, reset the oven to broil (grill) and move the tray of bowls closer to the top to get a nice golden color on the cheese, which should be watched carefully as it can burn quickly.
Serve immediately and enjoy!
As I said, French onion soup made Julia Child style is well worth the effort!
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Why not make some profiteroles for dessert?
The recipe for Julia Child’s French Onion Soup can be printed here~
French Onion Soup ~ the way Julia made it, sort of...
Special Equipment
- 1 heavy bottomed Dutch oven
Ingredients
- 3 Tbsp butter
- 1 Tbsp olive oil
- 5 cups yellow onions (thinly sliced, do not use sweet onions)
- 1 tsp Kosher salt (added to the onions in the pot)
- ¼ tsp sugar (added to the onions in the pot)
- 3 Tbsp flour
- 2 quarts beef stock (or water with beef Better Than Bouillon)
- 4 oz dry white wine
- ½ tsp Kosher salt (to taste)
- ⅛ tsp pepper (to taste)
- 1 Tbsp Cognac (or brandy- optional, Julia's recipe has 3 Tbsp, but I prefer less)
- French bread (Italian or rustic bread, cut into bite sized cubes, toasted or croutons)
- 1 ½ cups Swiss Gruyere (grated - if you can't find it, use Swiss cheese or even better, Jarlsberg)
Instructions
- In a large, heavy-bottomed Dutch oven, add the butter and oil, then the sliced onions. Cook slowly, with the lid on, for about 15 minutes. Stir occasionally.
- Remove the lid, turn the heat up to medium, add the salt and sugar, and stir often for about 40 minutes (mine took 45 min), until the onions are a deep golden brown.
- Add the flour and continue to cook and stir for another 3 or 4 minutes. Remove from heat and add the stock/water/bouillon and wine.
- Add salt and pepper to taste and return to the cooktop, and simmer for an additional 30 to 40 minutes. Just before the soup is ready, preheat the oven to 350℉/ 175℃.
- When the soup is ready, add the brandy/Cognac, if using and check for seasoning; ladle it into ovenproof bowls, and GENIUS SERVING TIP - top with the cubes of toasted bread - not an entire slice. It's so much easier to eat this way!
- Sprinkle the cheese on top of the toast, as desired.
- Repeat to make 6 bowls, then place them on a tray and put into the center of the oven for about 15 minutes.
- Reset the oven to broil (grill) and move the tray of bowls closer to the top to get a nice golden color on the cheese, which should be watched carefully as it can burn quickly.
- Serve immediately.
Notes
- The results of this soup really depend on the quality of ingredients, most importantly, the cheese and bread. Try to find Gruyère from Switzerland, if possible.
Nutrition
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Julia Child’s French Onion Soup Recipe
HI Christina, I just made this, and I have to say it’s the best French Onion Soup ever. I had a bit of trouble caramelizing the onions, I ended up doing them in batches in a smaller skillet and that worked. I also added a couple of sprigs of thyme just because I like it. I agree with you about the cognac, I went with two tablespoons and that was perfect for me. I think three would be a bit too much, maybe Julia liked a wee tipple. :-) Thanks again for the delicious recipe.
It does take a long time to caramelize the onions, but glad you loved the finished product, it is very tasty! And yes, I bet Julia did like a wee tipple! haha! Thank YOU, Linda!
I’ve been looking for a really good French Onion Soup recipe. This looks and sounds delicious, I will give it a try next weekend. Thanks Christina (and Julia).
Yes, Julia gets the credit, I’m just the messenger! Enjoy Linda, I know you’ll love it!
Can this be made the day before, then be put in bowls and finished? I would think it would be more flavorful.
Yes! In fact, I did this for my husband before I left 3 days ago! Enjoy!
I too love FRENCH ONION SOUP. But it is hard to find outside of Paris. I assumed Julia would have the best recipe and would like to “try” hers once. I am an “advanced” Senior Male and have my limitations and got stopped at her “WHITE STOCK”.
I was able to follow her rather well until I hit her “WHITE STOCK”. Could you enlighten us on a good commercial substitute for it?
Hi Patrick, to be honest, I’ve never heard of “white stock”. White sauce, yes, but not white stock. I even googled it and found nothing. That said, this recipe is Julia Child’s recipe and there’s no white stock needed. I think you’ll be very happy with the results. :)
In Mastering the Art of French Cooking V1, she actually goes over several white stocks in the sauce section (namely a veal and chicken option). A lot of the difference is in preparing the stock components where the brown stocks typically brown the meat and veg before going into the water where as the white stocks omit this step.
I should really be making more of her recipes, but I focus so much on British and Italian cuisine. Too many recipes and too little time! Ugh!
oh my gosh! love this recipe. i just make it but changed it to 32 oz chicken broth, 32 oz beef stock, w barefoot pinot grigio. the gruyere cheese really adds to it. nothing but compliments.
You can’t go wrong when it’s a solid recipe, Anna! Glad you and your diners enjoy it! Thanks so much!