French Onion Potato Soup Recipe

Name: This French Onion Potato Soup Is My Favorite Winter Weekend Project
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 60 min
Total time: 75 min
Ingredients: 3 pounds yellow onions, sliced 1/2-inch thick; 1 cup water; 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided; 2 teaspoons salt, divided, plus more to taste; 1 teaspoon light brown sugar; 6 cups beef broth, divided; 1 clove garlic, minced; 2 1/4 pounds russet potatoes, peeled and sliced into 1-1/2-inch pieces; 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus more to taste; 3/4 cup half and half, warmed; 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce; 4 to 6 (1-inch-thick) slices baguette; 1 to 1 1/2 cups freshly grated sharp cheddar cheese; Fresh thyme, for serving, optional

A bowl of French onion potato soup topped with melted cheese herbs and a slice of bread — Simply Recipes / Nancy Mock

Caramelized onions and beef broth bring classic French onion flavor and richness to this homemade potato soup.
Broiling melty cheese over crusty baguette slices creates a gooey, savory topping for each serving.
The onions caramelize faster with an easy steam-then-sauté method.

We’re deep into comfort food season, and there’s nothing quite as cozy as a hot bowl of soup. This recipe takes two favorite cold-weather soups and combines them into one hearty and flavorful dish!

My French onion potato soup has all the melted cheese and caramelized onions of classic French onion soup, combined with the creamy texture of homemade potato soup—truly the best of both worlds.

Bowl of French onion potato soup with bread and melted cheese on top garnished with herbs — Simply Recipes / Nancy Mock

Two Great Soups Become One

I’ve long loved a good, hot bowl of French onion soup, overbrimming with melted, bubbling cheese that hides a crusty wedge of bread. And beneath all that, mounds of caramelized onions filling the beef broth with texture and sweet-savory flavor.

It’s hard to improve on such a good soup, but I think merging it with an old-fashioned potato soup might just do that! Potatoes bring a hearty, creamy texture and old-fashioned flavor to the beef and onion soup, and they perfectly complement these classic ingredients.

Tips for Making My French Onion Potato Soup

Choose the right broth: Though I normally make potato soup with vegetable or chicken stock, for this recipe, I use beef broth to give it that real French onion soup flavor. Once the potatoes cook in the flavorful broth, they’re puréed to create a smooth, creamy soup.
Speed things up: Making caramelized onions the traditional way can take as long as 45 minutes. This recipe gets it done more quickly by first steaming the onions in a covered pan to quickly soften them.
Top it off: I like to top my soup with sharp cheddar since the flavor is so delicious with beef and onion. However, you can also choose to top the soup with more traditional options, such as Gruyère, Gouda, or Fontina.

Can't Get Enough French Onion?

French Onion Potato Soup

Prep Time 15 mins

Cook Time 60 mins

Total Time 75 mins

Servings 4 to 6 servings

Yield 2 quarts

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3 pounds yellow onions, sliced 1/2-inch thick
1 cup water
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
2 teaspoons salt, divided, plus more to taste
1 teaspoon light brown sugar
6 cups beef broth, divided
1 clove garlic, minced
2 1/4 pounds russet potatoes, peeled and sliced into 1-1/2-inch pieces
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus more to taste
3/4 cup half and half, warmed
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
4 to 6 (1-inch-thick) slices baguette
1 to 1 1/2 cups freshly grated sharp cheddar cheese
Fresh thyme, for serving, optional

Steam the onions:

Add the sliced onions to a large nonstick skillet. Pour in the water, then add 1 tablespoon of the olive oil, and 1 teaspoon of the salt. Set the skillet over medium-high heat and bring the water to a simmer. Cover the pan with a lid and cook the onions until soft, about 10 minutes.
Caramelize the onions:

Remove the lid and sprinkle the brown sugar over the onions. Use a rubber spatula to spread the onions across the bottom and up the sides of the pan in an even layer. Let them cook for about 1 minute, then stir, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom. Repeat these steps until the onions are deep brown in color and caramelized, 15 to 20 minutes. Transfer the onions to a small bowl and set aside.
Deglaze the pan:

Pour 1 cup of the beef broth into the skillet set over high heat. Use the spatula to scrape up all the browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Remove from the heat and hold this liquid aside in the skillet.
Cook the potatoes:

Heat the remaining 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a large soup pot or Dutch oven set over medium-high heat. When it’s hot, add in the minced garlic and sauté it until fragrant, 30 seconds to 1 minute.

Pour in the sliced potatoes and stir to coat them with the oil and garlic. Add in the remaining 5 cups of beef broth, the remaining 1 teaspoon of salt, the black pepper, and the deglazing liquid from the skillet. Bring the mixture to a boil.

Reduce the heat to keep the mixture at a simmer and cook the potatoes until they’re very soft, about 10 minutes.
Blend and finish the soup base:

Remove the pot from the heat. Use an immersion blender to purée the soup until smooth. (You can also purée it in batches in a stand blender.)

Slowly add in the warmed half and half to the blended soup base, whisking constantly. Then, add in the Worcestershire sauce and reserved caramelized onions. Return the pot to the burner set to medium heat. Stir and simmer the soup until warmed through, about 5 minutes. Taste and adjust the seasoning with additional salt and pepper if needed, and remove the pot from the heat.
Broil and serve:

Set the oven broiler to high and arrange oven-proof soup crocks on a rimmed baking sheet. Ladle the soup into each crock, leaving about 1 inch of space at the top. Float a slice of baguette on the soup, then top each with about 1/4 cup of the cheese.

Place the baking sheet with the crocks under the broiler until the cheese is melted, browned, and bubbling, 2 to 4 minutes. Remove them from the oven. Sprinkle a little fresh thyme over each bowl, if using, then serve the soup immediately.

It’s best to store any leftover soup before adding the bread and cheese to the top. Allow the soup to cool completely, store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. It will thicken as it chills. When reheating, add a splash of beef broth to loosen it up, then top with the bread and cheese and broil as directed.

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Nutrition Facts (per serving)
683	Calories
23g	Fat
94g	Carbs
27g	Protein

Nutrition Facts
Servings: 4 to 6
Amount per serving
Calories	683
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 23g	30%
Saturated Fat 11g	54%
Cholesterol 48mg	16%
Sodium 2267mg	99%
Total Carbohydrate 94g	34%
Dietary Fiber 9g	31%
Total Sugars 17g
Protein 27g
Vitamin C 26mg	132%
Calcium 434mg	33%
Iron 5mg	30%
Potassium 1596mg	34%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.

Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate. In cases where multiple ingredient alternatives are given, the first listed is calculated for nutrition. Garnishes and optional ingredients are not included.