French Onion Soup with Beer | Chef Sous Chef (2024)

Published: Nov 3, 2018 · Modified: Jul 10, 2021 by Philip Lago and Mystique Mattai · This post may contain affiliate links

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Known for its richness, elegance and meaty broth, our French Onion Soup with Beer boasts flavorful pairings and funky ingredients that truly make it the best.

French Onion Soup with Beer | Chef Sous Chef (1)

Comfort food at its finest, the best French onion soup is luxurious yet simple, and a bistro favourite that involves caramelizing onions, adding broth, a splash of wine or sherry, and topping it with a cheesy piece of toasted bread. Aside from a list of on-hand ingredients, our keys to a pot of the best French Onion Soup involve patience, time and substituting alcohol for a couple of cups ofSaison beer.

Known for its richness, elegance and meaty broth, French Onion Soup boasts super caramelized onions, a crispy toasted baguette and a stringy cheese topping. To eat a bowl of French Onion Soup is to have an experience, and while it may seem like a dish best suited to experienced chefs, our French Onion Soup is a recipe worth sharing and impressing those around your holiday table with its simplicity and thoughtful flavour combinations.

French Onion Soup with Beer | Chef Sous Chef (2)

How to Make the Best French Onion Soup:

Caramelize the Onions

Melt the butter in a large pot set to medium-low heat. Add the onions, season with salt and allow them to cook down for 30-40 minutes, until lightly browned and tender. Stir the onions every few minutes. Don't rush this step, having nicely caramelized onions will result in a more flavourful soup.

French Onion Soup with Beer | Chef Sous Chef (3)

French Onion Soup with Beer | Chef Sous Chef (4)

Turn Onions into Soup

Once the onions are caramelized, turn the heat to medium-high. Sprinkle the onions with the flour and cook for 1-2 minutes. Add the Peppercorn Rye Saison and bring to a boil. Scrape any bits of flour left on the bottom of the pan. Add the stock, bay leaves, and thyme. Simmer covered for at least 30 minutes.

French Onion Soup with Beer | Chef Sous Chef (5)

French Onion Soup with Beer | Chef Sous Chef (6)

All the Cheese

This is where the magic happens - creating the beautifully melted, cheesy crust that tops the French onion soup. For this, you need to butter both sides of your baguette slices. Toast in a preheated oven until browned. Using oven-proof bowls on a baking sheet, fill them with the soup, leaving about a quarter inch of space. Top with a couple of slices of baguette and smother with a handful of Swiss cheese. Switch your oven to broil and melt the cheese until golden and bubbly, about 3-4 minutes. They'll be hot so allow them to cool for at least 5 minutes before serving.

French Onion Soup with Beer | Chef Sous Chef (7)

Recipe Card

The Best French Onion Soup with Beer

5 from 5 votes

Philip Lago and Mystique Mattai

Known for it's richness, elegance and meaty broth, the best French Onion Soup boasts super caramelized onions, a crispy toasted baguette and a stringy cheese topping, and while ours honours the traditional, it's the addition of Saisons Beer that adds soul, flavour and funk.

Servings: 6 servings

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 20 minutes mins

Cook Time 1 hour hr 15 minutes mins

Ingredients

▢ ¼ cup salted butter + additional for buttering bread
▢ 3 lbs red onions thinly sliced
▢ 2 cloves garlic
▢ 3 tablespoon flour
▢ 2 cups beer Exchange Brewery Peppercorn Rye Saison Beer
▢ 4 cups beef stock
▢ 2 bay leaves
▢ 1 tablespoon chopped thyme
▢ 1 teaspoon salt
▢ ½ teaspoon black pepper
▢ ½ baguette sliced
▢ 12 oz Swiss cheese grated

Instructions

Melt the butter in a large heavy bottom pot set to medium-low heat. Add the onions, garlic and a half teaspoon of salt. Cook down for 30-40 minutes, stirring every few minutes, until lightly browned and tender.
Turn the heat to medium high. Sprinkle the onions with the flour and stir until the the onions get a deeper brown colour, about 1-2 minutes. Pour in the beer and stir, scraping any bits from the bottom of the pot. Add the stock, bay leaves and thyme. Bring the soup to a boil, then lower to a simmer, cover and cook for 30 minutes. Taste the soup for seasoning and add salt and pepper as desired.
Preheat your oven to 350°. Butter both sides of each slice of baguette, and lay them on a baking sheet. Place in the oven to toast until golden brown, about 5 minutes per side.
Switch the oven to broil. Spoon the soup into oven safe bowls, leaving about a quarter inch of space. Top the soup with two slices of baguette, slightly overlapping. Place a handful of cheese on top and set the bowls on a baking sheet. Broil in the oven for 3-4 minutes, until the cheese is bubbling and beginning to brown.
Allow the soup to cool for at least 5 minutes before serving.

Recipe Notes

3 lbs of onions will be about 10 cups when sliced.
Belgian style sour beers work best with this recipe

Nutrition

Additional Information

Course: Appetizer, food and drink, Main, Soup

Cuisine: Canadian, French, north american

Servings: 6 servings

Calories: 502

Tried this recipe?Leave a comment and let us know!

More Best Soup Recipes

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Roasted Tomato Soup and Grilled Cheese Croutons
Chicken Fajita Soup

Reader Interactions

Comments

Stacey says
See Also
From Buicks to Beaujolais How to Keep Wine, for a Day or a Decade | Cup of Jo Ultra Luxe Napa Wine Tastings | Travel.Luxury 16 Ways To Cook with Wine
November 10, 2018 at 9:40 am

Wow... I cannot believe how easy it was to make this soup. I always thought French onion soup would be hard to make but it wasn't. Thanks for the recipe... delicious!
Reply
- Chef Sous Chef says
  November 10, 2018 at 9:44 am
  
  Thanks Stacey. We agree, definitely an easier recipe than you would expect!
  Reply
Konstantina says
December 12, 2018 at 2:33 pm

Beer goes with everything!! This is such a great recipe for the cold winter days.
Reply
- Chef Sous Chef says
  December 12, 2018 at 4:11 pm
  
  The best of cold days!
  Reply
Maggie Unzueta says
December 12, 2018 at 4:18 pm

Wow! This Onion Soup with Beer looks soooo delicious! I should try making this at home and let my taste buds do the tasting!
Reply
- Chef Sous Chef says
  December 12, 2018 at 4:55 pm
  
  Thanks Maggie. It's not only delicious but actually pretty simple to make. Enjoy ?
  Reply
Liz Bayardelle says
December 13, 2018 at 2:57 am

I'm so glad to hear someone who cooks like you do is also a chicken tender fan. Gives me hope for my culinary tastes!
Reply
- Chef Sous Chef says
  December 13, 2018 at 8:40 am
  
  Thanks Liz. We love tenders!
  Reply
Chloe @callmecoco.co says
December 13, 2018 at 3:00 am

This recipe looks easier than I thought it would be! I'm French but I never tried to make this staple recipe. Also, I love the style of your pictures 🙂
Reply
- Chef Sous Chef says
  December 13, 2018 at 8:40 am
  
  Thanks so much Chloe.
  Reply
Rhian Westbury says
December 13, 2018 at 3:42 am

It's been such a long time since I had french onion soup as I don't tend to eat a lot of soup. This looks so tasty though x
Reply
Samantha Donnelly says
See Also
Dionysus: Wine and Grape Braised Chicken
December 13, 2018 at 5:57 am

I have never made french onion soup with beer before it sounds amazing
Reply
- Chef Sous Chef says
  December 13, 2018 at 8:41 am
  
  It's pretty simple to make and the beer adds a wonderful flavour.
  Reply
Lexa Fish says
December 13, 2018 at 6:03 am

I'm so blown away right now. I love french onion soup and I order it everytime I see it at a restaraunt. I like cooking a lot of things from scratch though and I'm soooo up for making this. Your photographs are stunning, I'm in love with your site!!
Reply
- Chef Sous Chef says
  December 13, 2018 at 8:41 am
  
  Thanks so much Lexa ?
  Reply
Surekha Busa says
December 13, 2018 at 6:22 am

Thank you for sharing this step-by-step guide. It looks so yummy i hope i could perfectly cook it.
Reply
- Chef Sous Chef says
  December 13, 2018 at 8:43 am
  
  Thanks Surekha. I'm sure you would make a great soup ?
  Reply
aisasami says
December 13, 2018 at 9:44 am

I never had French Onion Soup before. I have to try it this winter!
Reply
Brandy says
December 13, 2018 at 9:46 am

I love french onion soup, this is such a delicious idea to enjoy during the cold winter months.
Reply
- Chef Sous Chef says
  December 13, 2018 at 2:34 pm
  
  Thanks Brandy! It's so comforting on cold winter days ?
  Reply
Luci Westphal says
December 13, 2018 at 10:26 am

That looks scrumptious! All your photos of the detailed steps are beautiful, too. I like the beer-addition twist. Also, wasn't familiar with the brewery. Learned a lot here and feel inspired. Thank you!
xx Luci
Reply
- Chef Sous Chef says
  December 13, 2018 at 2:34 pm
  
  Thanks Luci. Appreciate the kind words!
  Reply
Erin Haugerud says
December 14, 2018 at 3:48 pm

Yum! Wow! This looks so good I can barely stand it! Now all I want is that soup!
Reply
Fashion and Style Police says
December 15, 2018 at 1:19 pm

I love the sound of this recipe. Never tried anything like this before. Looks really yummy.
Reply
Lali says
December 15, 2018 at 2:33 pm

Wow this looks absolutely amazing! I am going to try this out because I have been looking for a new soup recipe to try and this one looks like it has a deep flavor.
Reply
- Chef Sous Chef says
  December 16, 2018 at 8:59 am
  
  Thanks Lali. Give it a try and let us know what you think!
  Reply
Jennifer Prince says
December 15, 2018 at 7:42 pm

Oh my word. I love cheese, and the top of that looks so great! I could just eat that and be good to go. Lol!!
Reply
Elizabeth O says
December 18, 2018 at 3:15 pm

I love onion sup and yours looks divine. I will definitely try to make it.
Reply
Liliana says
October 28, 2019 at 8:52 am

I love this soup too. Hey guys, your blog it's soooo beautiful to look at. I don't actually need the recipe for this soup because I cooked it many times, but just looking at your pictures makes me feel oh good!!!! Everything is so tidy and well organized and the food looks always delicious 🙂
Reply
- Chef Sous Chef says
  October 28, 2019 at 9:22 am
  
  Thanks for the kind words Liliana. So glad our photos give you all the feels! Thanks for stopping by.
  Reply
Vicki says
November 07, 2019 at 7:18 pm

I've been trying to find a good recipe for an experiment using left-over wort when we make our Pretty Purple Porter at our brewery (ManyFriends Brewing Company), and this is perfect! Wort is not as tasty as beer, but it still made an excellent base for this delicious soup. Thanks for the inspiration!
Reply
- Chef Sous Chef says
  November 08, 2019 at 10:44 am
  
  Love it! Thanks Vicki, so glad you enjoy the recipe. It works with lots of beers but we love the taste a sour beer gives the soup.
  Reply
Maxine says
April 15, 2023 at 6:16 am

Wow.. Looks fantastic!!! I have a Hugh Box of red onions and was looking for different receipts! In fact I have 'French onion soup on the stove tonight' And I am going to Can it up... I have a big supply of the red onions so I am going to make this one also! Hard to find receipts for the "French onion soup other then Yellow onions'.. I like to see the end results with reviews on it.. Love this one.. Thank you, Cannot wait to try it...
Reply

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