Instant Pot French Onion Soup
Instant Pot French Onion Soup gives you all those classic flavors in this French onion soup recipe. Beefy broth, onions, and cheese. Instant Pot French Onion Soup is so easy to make!
If you are looking for a crowd-pleasing soup or something to warm your bones after a chilly day, this recipe is it!
Instant Pot French Onion Soup
Whip this up any day of the week in a hurry. The pressure cooker gives it that low and slow simmered taste you want.
Love Instant Pot Soup?
Check out my Panera’s Broccoli and Cheddar Soup, Chicken and Wild Rice Soup, and Tuscan Zuppa Soup.
Why Is It Called French Onion Soup
This version of Onion Soup dates back to the 18th century in France. Before then Onion soups have been around longer than anyone can remember.
They call it Onion Soup because the main ingredient is onions. French because it came from France.
Why Do You Caramelize Onions for French Onion Soup
You need to caramelize the onions to add depth and flavor to the soup. This step is what gives French Onion Soup that rich and savory flavor. See my How to caramelize onions recipe.
It takes time to caramelize onions but you can skip this step and just add all your onions to the instant pot. You will not get that deep flavor like at Panera’s or restaurants. Most of my soup recipes are a dump and go but for this Instant Pot French Onion Soup, it makes a huge difference to make your onions ahead of time. You can carmelize your onions on saute in the instant pot or do them right on the stovetop.
Can I Swap Beef Broth For Chicken Broth in French Onion Soup
Yes and no. Beef broth is one of the stars of this soup, and it would completely transform the flavor. If you swap with chicken broth make sure to keep in mind it will change the overall flavor of the soup.
Do I need to use Wine in French Onion Soup?
Yes, you will need to use wine to get the deep flavor of french onion soup. You can use cooking wine.
How to Make French Onion Soup Vegetarian
If you want a vegetarian soup then swap beef broth with a vegetarian broth. It will then give you that vegetarian recipe you are wanting.
What Type Of Cheese Can I Top Instant Pot Onion Soup With
Grated Parmesan, Swiss, Gruyere, provolone are all great options. I have even mixed provolone and Swiss together and then at the end before serving added extra Parmesan. For this recipe, I did use Gruyere.
What Is Best Served With French Onion Soup
Many love serving seafood, Hard Crusty bread, or steak next to French Onion Soup. But if you want to skip meat, reach for a side of vegetables, salad, or a bowl of pasta.
What Wine Goes With French Onion Soup
A sweet and savory soup that generally is paired with crusty bread. This soup is paired normally with a drier red wine!
How To Store Leftover Onion Soup
If you have leftover soup simply transfer to an airtight container and store in the fridge. This soup will last 4-5 days in the fridge.
To Reheat simply warm in microwave or stove. If you want the added cheese on top. Once it is warmed make sure ramekins are oven safe and top with cheese and broil in the oven.
It will taste even better than night one as the flavors blend more.
Can You Freeze French Onion Soup
Yes. If you want to extend the shelf life of this soup simply freeze it. I recommend freezing the soup without cheese on top.
Allow soup to cool down and then transfer it into an airtight container, that is freezer friendly. Or reach for a freezer bag to save less space. This soup can store up to six months when frozen properly. 
Instant Pot French Onion Soup
Instant Pot French Onion Soup gives you all those classic flavors in this French onion soup recipe. Beefy broth, onions, and cheese. Instant Pot French Onion Soup is so easy to make!
Ingredients
- 5 large sweet onions
- 1/2 cup red wine
- 5 tbs butter
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 5 cups beef broth
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 sprig thyme
- 1 cup Gruyere cheese
Instructions
I caramelized my onions on the stovetop first. You can do this in the instant pot on saute.
- Melt butter and mix with olive oil.
- Add onions.
- Cook on medium to low heat stirring often for 10-15 minutes.
- Add 1 tbsp sugar.
- Continue cooking on low for 30 minutes or until onions are golden brown.
To make the Soup:
- Add Caramelized onions to your instant pot.
- Stir in broth and wine.
- Add bay leaf and thyme.
- Cook on manual high pressure for 5 minutes.
- Do a quick release.
- Turn your oven on broil.
- In oven-safe bowls add onion soup.
- Add a slice of a Baggett and top with cheese.
- Place in broiler until cheese melts about 2-3 minutes.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 6 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 306Total Fat: 19gSaturated Fat: 10gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 7gCholesterol: 47mgSodium: 986mgCarbohydrates: 22gFiber: 3gSugar: 14gProtein: 11g
Hi! This looks great, but I am not a fan of wine. I understand it changes the flavor, but what is something that I can replace the wine with. I’m one of those that can spot wine the moment it touches my tongue, and I just hate it, LOL. Thanks!!!!
You can use beef broth
Can beef bone broth be used? Is it any healthier or pretty much the same as regular beef stock?
Please tell me the serving size of the French onion soup. Is it 1 cup(8 oz) or 2? I count my carbs.
8 oz
You should make sure you say brown sugar and not just sugar in your recipe. Just wasted an hour trying to get the onions to caramelize.
I used white sugar?
@Adventures of a Nurse, I use white sugar, too?
@Adventures of a Nurse, I’ve always used white sugar. Worked well. But I added garlic.
@Debbie, for other uses,I have caramelized onions without any sugar. Just takes a little more patience.
I have this in the pot now and it smells so good. I did have trouble getting my onions to caramelize in 30 minutes and after about 35 I increased the heat on the stove top. Maybe I had too deep of a pan?? Can’t wait for this to be ready though! Thank you for the recipe!
try this
I made this and it was very good, just a bit on the sweet side. Is there a way to cut that down? Should I made put in a bit of salt?
I would not recommend using cooking wine for anything. It is just wine with a bunch of salt added. Use real wine and control your own salt input. I will make this in the near future.
5 min cook time and 5 min prep time, yet the directions call for 30 mins to caramelize onions, 5 mins in the pressure cooker and 2-3 under a broiler. Not to mention the time to cut all the onions and gather ingredients.
The time was for the pressure cook time ☺️ it’s well worth it
I thought it ended up too sweet, I wouldn’t add the sugar at all next time. We’re a vegetarian household so we use fake beef broth- but otherwise super simple and a delicious meal.
I made this as a first try of my Instant Pot. It was very easy. It did take a little longer to get the onions caramelized. I did add a little Worcestershire Sauce after, it was a little too sweet for me. Thank you for posting the recipe, it was a hit.