French Onion Soup is a warm bowl of comfort food made by serving caramelized onions in beef stock. The right cheese on top is what truly makes this soup irresistible. Keep reading for suggestions of the Best Cheese for French Onion Soup.
French Onion Soup is an ancient soup made with caramelized onions and beef broth and topped with a slice of French bread and melted cheese. It’s a popular dish in many French restaurants and my French Onion Soup Recipe makes it quick and easy to put together (and it’s especially good when served alongside my Escargot recipe!).
What makes this soup truly unique and delicious is the mouthwatering, melty cheese on top of the soup. A heaping spoonful of that cheese with the oniony broth is melt-in-your-mouth perfection.
You probably have an image of what that broiled cheese looks like at the top of your bowl, but if you’ve been hunting for the perfect cheese to use for the best flavor, here are a few tips to help achieve the perfect meal!
The Best Cheese to Use: Gruyere
A great French onion soup is made with Gruyère cheese.
Gruyère is a type of Swiss cheese. It is a semi-hard cheese that has a slightly nutty, salty flavor and a creamy texture. Just like common Swiss cheese, it is slow melting. Unlike the Swiss cheese you find in most stores, it has very few holes.
Gruyère is the perfect kind of cheese for French onion soup because it grates well, melts well, and adds a creamy flavor to the soup–without overpowering the taste of the onions. This is always the cheese I choose when making French Onion Soup!
You can usually find Gruyère in the deli of your local supermarket, alongside the specialty cheeses.
Alternatives to Gruyère
While there’s really no true replacement for the nutty flavor and richness of Gruyère you might try these cheeses:
- Comtè: This semi-firm French cheese is very similar to Gruyère and is often used in French onion soup recipes.
- Swiss: Gruyère is a type of Swiss cheese so it makes sense that it can be used as a substitute. In general, many Swiss cheeses you’ll find at the store are more processed than Gruyère and will lack the rich depth of flavor
- Provolone: Provolone is a mild cheese that makes a decent replacement
- Fontina: Fontina is another white cheese that melts well
- Mozzarella: Mozzarella cheese melts much quicker than Gruyère and may be greasier when it melts.
- Monterey Jack: Melts well but the flavor may be too overpowering
- Gouda, Jarlsberg, Raelette or Beaufort also make good substitutions
Ingredients for French Onion Soup
- Onions: You can use any kind of onions but the most popular are sweet onions. Yellow onions and even red onions can be used.
- Wine: I like to use white wine but red wine is also popular.
- Beef broth: I also like to include worcestershire sauce and many recipes call for a dash of balsamic vinegar. Some recipes also call for chicken broth to add more depth to the savory broth.
- Baguette or croutons: I like to use a baguette that has sat out overnight and is just a tad stale. Many other recipes call for croutons! Crispy baguette slices will hold their shape and stay at the top of your soup bowl.
- Butter: Cooking your onions over medium heat in unsalted butter is what really brings out that caramelized flavor and the perfect golden-brown color. You might be tempted to use some olive oil instead, but this soup is not the same without the rich flavor of butter.
- Herbs and Spices: Thyme, garlic, black pepper
FAQs
Grate it on the finest setting and make sure it is sitting on a nice thick slice of bread. If your bread is too thin or too soft it may fold into your soup under the weight of the cheese. If your cheese is still starting to melt into your soup, your soup may also be too thin. Try using more onions next time or less broth to thicken it up.
Most classic French onion soup recipes tell you to add the bread to the soup, then the cheese, then broil. If you don’t have soup crocks that are safe for broiling, you can instead place the cheese on top of the bread and let that broil in the oven–then add each slice to your soup.
Other Uses for Gruyère
If you’re not used to using Gruyère, you may not know what to do with the leftovers. The good news is once you’ve loaded your soup up with a heaping pile of grated Gruyère, there are several recipes that you can use this flavorful cheese for.
- Cheese fondue recipes (check out What to Eat with Cheese Fondue!)
- Cordon Bleu
- Macaroni and Cheese: It adds great creaminess and melts so beautifully.
- Cheese Spaetzle from Germany
- Instant Pot French Onion Chicken
- It’s also delicious on Pizza: Pair it with white or red sauce
- Put it atop spaghetti
- Use it to cover Mashed Potatoes
- Bake it into a Ham and Cheese Quiche
Try making your French Onion Soup with Gruyere on top and let me know what you think! My recipe for the BEST French Onion Soup is below.
French Onion Soup (Stovetop Version)
Equipment
- Dutch Oven
- Cast Iron Skillet
- Soup Crocks
- Baking Sheet
- Oven Mitt
- Wine Opener
- Pan(s)
Ingredients
- 5 tbsp salted Butter
- 4 large sweet onions, sliced thinly
- 1 tbsp granulated sugar
- 1 tbsp all-purpose flour
- ¼ cup Dry white wine, Try to find a younger bottle from the Burgundy region for a really authentic choice
- 8 cups beef stock, two quarts
- 1 Tbsp Garlic, about 2 cloves, minced
- 2 Bay leaves
- 2 sprigs Thyme
- ¼ tsp Salt
- ¼ tsp Pepper
- Stale Baguette, cut into slices
- 10 oz Gruyere cheese , block, shredded, or more if you like to go heavy on the cheese
Instructions
- Add a large pot or dutch oven to your stove over medium heat. Add 5 tbsp butter to the pot and allow it to melt. Then, add 4 large sliced onions.
- Stir the onions in the pot until they start to really whither and brown. You can add extra butter if you think it’s necessary. This step could take anywhere from 30-60 minutes depending on the size of your onions, the type of pot you use, and the heat level you are using.
- Once the onions have started to brown, add 1 tbsp granulated sugar and stir for another 20-30 minutes until the onions caramelize.
- Once the onions have caramelized, add 1 tbsp all-purpose flour and stir for 30 seconds until the onions are coated.
- Add ¼ cup of dry white wine to deglaze the pan. Stir for a few seconds to scrape up any browned bits on the bottom of the pan. Continue sauteeing until the wine cooks down.
- Once the wine is gone from the pot, add the 8 cups beef stock, 1 tbsp minced garlic, 2 bay leaves, 2 sprigs thyme, ¼ tsp salt, and ¼ tsp black pepper.
- Add the lid onto the pot and bring it to a boil. Reduce the heat to a simmer and simmer for 20 minutes.
- Set out 6 oven-safe bowls. Put about 2 tablespoons of gruyere cheese in the bottom of the bowl, then evenly distribute the soup amongst the bowls. Place enough bread slices to cover the top of the soup, then sprinkle more gruyere cheese on top. Some people will add the bread to the bottom of the bowl instead. You can do this if you’d like.
- Place the soup crocks on a cookie sheet and turn the oven to a High Broil. Place in the oven under the broiler and broil until the cheese starts to bubble and toast.
- Enjoy!
Notes
- Sweet Onions: I love the flavor of sweet onions but you could use yellow onions or red onions as well
- Sugar: Granulated Sugar
- Dry White Wine: Try to find a younger bottle from the Burgundy region for a really authentic choice
- Beef Stock or Beef Broth: Taste your stock before you use it to make sure you like it. Good soup requires good stock.
- Garlic: You could use pre-cut garlic but fresh will definitely taste best. I recommend mincing your own garlic for best results.
- Baguette: It’s best if your baguette is stale. I like to purchase a baguette the day before and leave it on the counter overnight for the perfect texture.
- Cheese: Gruyere cheese is the best choice for French Onion Soup. Check out this article about the Best Cheese for French Onion Soup for other options as well!
- Stir the onions periodically when caramelizing, but do not stir too much. You want the onions to have a chance to caramelize with the browned bits on the bottom of the pot. Just make sure to not wait too long for your onions to start to burn instead of caramelize!
- You can also use Comte cheese and add parmesan cheese to the top if you wish, though this is not traditional.
- This recipe calls for fresh herbs. If you decide to use dried you may want to use slightly less as dried herbs are a little bit concentrated.
- To deepen the flavor even further you could add a bit of sherry or red wine vinegar in with the broth.
Suzanne says
I found this very helpful! It was exactly the info I was looking for. Perfect reading! Lol Thank you!
Lara Croft says
WAAAAYYY too many words.
The Foreign Fork says
Hahahaha it’s definitely in depth, but hopefully you’ve learned all you’re ever going to need to know 😉
Josephine Willows says
Rude.