Oh so simple and oh so good. Take this crock pot French onion soup out for a spin today and impress your friends and family.
I love a good French onion soup. I mean really love it. If it’s on the menu, I usually make sure I have it. Unfortunately, that means the good, the bad and the ugly. I should put adequate on that list too. I can live with adequate, but most seem to be wanting and falling into the bad/ugly range.
This is more than a beef broth with some cooked onions. You need to get the caramelization going, or you have nothing. You need some long cooking. While many techniques require multiple rounds of caramelization on the stove top, you can do it in a crock pot. I’m lazy… I pick number two.
Start by loading a slow cooker with some chopped up onions. Cook with butter, salt, pepper, and thyme. Add a little Worcestershire sauce to deepen the flavor. Cook on high for a long time add the broth and cook a little longer. The serve your favorite way. Yum…
Rating
Very nice solid 4. Maybe a 4.5. You can make a little better French onion soup but with a lot more work. Much better than most restaurants.
Notes:
This recipe can be easily double but could also be cut in half. Some type of crusty bread is used to float cheese on top. You can use what you want, but a nice crusty French baguette is my choice. For the cheese we like provolone, but some prefer gruyere or some Swiss.
Crock pot temperature: One reader, Dan in the comments, had trouble with 9 hours on high burning. So be advised that some crock pots may run hotter so watch for ‘softened and deep golden brown” as the end point for the onions being done.
Start with simple ingredients.
Chop 1 1/2 pounds of onions. That would be about three medium onions.
Add to a smaller crock pot. Add one teaspoon coarse salt, two tablespoons butter, 1/2 teaspoon pepper, 1 1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce and 1/2 teaspoon thyme. The butter can go in unmelted, but you will need to stir in 1 hour or melt it first in the microwave.
Cook on high for 9-10 hours until nicely darker brown. Then add 4 cups of beef broth and cook on high for at least one hour more.
Preheat broiler to high. Arrange ramekin or oven safe bowls on a cookie sheet. Ladle hot soup it into the bowls, float toasted crusty bread on soup and covered each bowl with cheese of your choice.
Broil until cheese is bubbly and golden, 2-4 minutes.
- 1 1/2 pounds onions about 3 medium size onions
- 1 teaspoon coarse salt
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper
- 1 1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1/2 teaspoon thyme
- 4 cups beef broth
- Crusty bread
- Cheese of choice for topping
- Start with simple ingredients.
- Chop 1 1/2 pounds of onions about 3 medium size onions.
- Add to a smaller crock pot. Add one teaspoon coarse salt, two tablespoons butter, 1/2 teaspoon pepper, 1 1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce and 1/2 teaspoon thyme. The butter can go in unmelted, but you will need to stir in 1 hour or melt it first in the microwave.
- Cook on high for 9-10 hours until nicely darker brown. Then add 4 cups of beef broth and cook on high for at least one hour more.
- Preheat broiler to high. Arrange ramekin or oven safe bowls on a cookie sheet. Ladle hot soup it into the bowls, float toasted crusty bread on soup and cover each bowl with cheese of your choice.
- Broil until cheese is bubbly and golden, 2-4 minutes.
Be advised that some crock pots may run hotter so watch for softened and deep golden brown as the end point for the onions being done.This recipe can be easily double but could also be cut in half. Generally, some type of crusty bread is used to float cheese on top. You can use what you want, but a nice crusty French baguette is my choice. For the cheese we like provolone, but some prefer gruyere or some Swiss.
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All nutritional information are estimates and may vary from your actual results. This is home cooking, and there are many variables. To taste ingredients such as salt will be my estimate of the average used.
If you like this recipe or find it useful, the pleasure of a nice 4 or 5 rating would be greatly appreciated. Rating is done by clicking on the stars above.
Last Updated
September 11, 2016
Hi All, I'm DrDan and welcome to 101 Cooking for Two. We present some of the best recipes with easy to follow step by step photo instructions to make your everyday cooking needs easier. 
Cheryl S.
LOVE the onion soup. Even my very picky 10 year old gave it a definite thumbs up! Who knew it could be so easy?!?
DrDan
Thanks for the note and rating. I have repeated this several times.
Steven House
I LOVE french onion soup, but rarely make it since caramelizing the onions is almost a day long affair. For some reason I never considered using my crock pot. I can’t wait to try this. Many thanks!
Peg
Do you leave it covered or open?
DrDan
Covered.
Kathy Heiber
This is delicious….I have always loved French Onion Soup and now I can have it whenever I want….YAY!!!
rating…+10
Dan
You must have a typo. When you cook onions on high for 9 hours you get burnt onions. I know because I did it. I’m mad that I didn’t use my own common sense. You should change that to say LOW for 9 hours. Please fix this so others like me dont have their whole house smelling of burnt onions.
DrDan
Hi Dan…
Sorry it didn’t work well for you but high is correct. I did it twice and 9 hours on high worked great in two different pot I have. I check some references before I replied and they are all over the place. 8 hours on low to 14 hours on high. Cooks Country does high for 10-12 hours…
So what went wrong. 1) your crock pot runs hot and/or 2) some variation in the onions.
I’m putting an advisory on the recipe stating to cook to “softened and deep golden brown”. You want the caramelization.
Thanks for the note
DrDan
Dr. Horshenschwartz (from the clinic)
Excellent. Made it a couple months ago, making it again today with 6 pounds of onions. Smells amazing!
Willie Mitchell
Sound delious.. Only thing I dislike onions ?
Nicole
So I’m like Dan, mine burned a lil. I started it at 730am, it is now 111pm can i add the broth and let it sit on low all day? The onions are pretty camerlized but my husband and son don’t get home till about 5pm
DrDan
I think some crock pots run too hot for this recipe on high. With your pot, do low next time. Remove from heat now since they are caramelized and refrigerate. Then about an hour and a half before you need it, add the broth and cook on low. It does need to simmer some with the broth and not just reheat.
Jennifer
Should I use yellow onions??
DrDan
Yellow or white.
Paige
What kind of cheese and bread do you prefer to use? And how much of each?
DrDan
I like a crusty French or Italian bread with Provolone cheese. About 1/2 to 3/4 inch thick slice of the bread to cover the dish and just enough cheese to cover also.