Easy Gluten-free Caramelized French Onion Soup
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Easy Gluten-free Caramelized French Onion Soup is filled with sweet onion flavors in a bold broth, topped with crusty bread and all the melted cheese!
These colder months have me craving all the soups. Sometimes I want something heartier, and sometimes I just want something lighter but still warm and comforting. That's where my Caramelized French Onion Soup Comes into play. It's a classic recipe that comes together fast with minimal ingredients, but it is totally comforting on a cold winter's night.
Why You Will Love It Too
I am pretty picky when it comes to soups, lol. I find a lot of time they can be pretty bland or totally over salted. I also like soup not to be total broth unless it's the right soup. When it comes to a French Onion Soup, it needs to have the perfect texture and flavor. You know, worthy of dunking some delicious gluten-free bread into to sop it all up.
This soup has all that while still being totally gluten-free!
What makes a good French Onion Soup?
- Onions - For this recipe, I prefer yellow onions for their sweetness. You can easily use white, red, or a combination of your favorite onions.
- Butter - or ghee.
- Baking Soda - This might sound odd, but it helps the onions caramelize faster without becoming bitter like it would if you were to bump up the heat.
- Beef Broth - You can use another broth if you prefer; I find beef broth has the best flavor in this soup.
- Coconut Aminos - Adds a depth of flavor.
- Arrowroot Starch - This helps the soup thicken just a bit, so it has the perfect thickness to dip your gluten-free bread into.
- Apple Cider Vinegar - At the end, this little bit of acidic pulls the whole soup together, adding that little bit of something.
- Garlic - Use fresh or garlic powder if you prefer. Just make sure that you don't add it too soon; otherwise, it will burn.
- Bay Leaves
- Sage
- Rosemary
- Thyme
- Salt & Pepper
- Gluten-free Bread - Here, I like to either make some of my Grain-free French Bread or toast up some of our girls' favorite from Canyon Bakehouse when I don't have the time, and they want soup quick.
- Cheese - I like to stick with a traditional Gruyère Cheese for this recipe, but it can be expensive and sometimes not easy to find, at least where we are. You can easily sub in provolone, swiss, asiago, parmesan, or even mozzarella if you prefer.
- Wine - This is optional and honestly not something I always add since I don't always have it on hand. You want a good dry wine if you do and make sure it's a wine you like since it adds flavor to the final soup.
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Tips and Tricks
Onions - You want the onions to cook down slowly to get their caramelized color and flavor. It might seem like a good idea to bump up the heat and cook them faster but resist the urge to do this. The slower the onions cook, the better the flavor they will develop. If you go fast, you could end up with a burned onion flavor instead of a nice sweetened caramelized onion.
Stock - Use a good stock. Many broths and stocks don't have the best flavor, so be sure to use a stock that has a flavor you love. Homemade is best but just make sure it has the flavor you want in your final soup.
Take Your Time - This soup does need time to come together, but it's mostly hands-off time so let it go low and slow for the best results.
How to Make French Onion Soup
- Caramelize the onions.
- Deglaze the pan.
- Simmer with the stock.
- Add the vinegar.
- Toast the bread.
- Place the soup into an oven-safe dish, top with bread and cheese, and broil until nice and toasty.
- Enjoy while it's warm.
Make this Vegetarian
You can make this vegetarian by replacing the broth with a vegetable broth.
Make this Dairy-free
You can make this dairy-free by replacing the butter with a dairy-free alternative or olive oil, skipping the cheese, or using a dairy-free alternative. I still enjoy this soup even without the cheese on top.
What if you don't have oven-safe bowls?
That's okay; you can simply toast the bread with or without the cheese on a baking sheet and then place it on top of the individual bowls.
Storing Leftovers
Allow the French Onion Soup to cool before transferring it to a container for storage. It will last in the fridge for about 3 days. If you want to store it longer, place it in the freezer for 2-3 months. Do NOT store with the bread and cheese.
Reheating
The easiest way to reheat French Onion Soup is to place it into oven-safe bowls and let them warm in a 350-degree oven for about 15 minutes. Switch the oven over to broil, top with your desired gluten-free bread and cheese and let it cook until the cheese is nice and bubbly.
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Easy Gluten-free Caramelized French Onion Soup
Ingredients
- 4 TBS Butter
- 4-5 Large Yellow Onions thinly sliced, but not to thin
- ⅛ TSP Baking Soda optional but helps with caramelization.
- 6 C Beef Broth or broth of choice
- 1 TBS Coconut Amnios
- ¼ C Arrowroot Starch or potato starch
- 1 TBS Apple Cider Vinegar
- 2 TSP Garlic minced
- 2 Bay Leaves
- 1 TSP Sage 0r 1-2 leaves fresh
- 1 ½ TSP Thyme or 2-3 springs fresh
- 1 TSP Rosemary or 1 spring fresh
- 1 ½ TSP Salt
- ½ TSP Pepper
- 4-6 Pieces Gluten-free Bread of Choice
- 1-2 C Cheese of Choice Gruyere, provolone , swiss, ect.
- ¾ C Dry Red Wine Optional
Instructions
- In a large pot over medium-low heat place the butter and let it melt.
- Add the sliced onions and baking soda amd let the onions go low and slow, stirring occasionally until they are caremlized. This can take up to 45 minutes. Resit the urge to increase the heat to make it go faster.
- Once the onions have caramelized add the garlic and let it cook no longer than 1-2 minutes, or until it's gragrant.
- Pour the arrowroot starch to the onions and stir until they are completely covered and the flour is cooked.
- Next add some of the broth (or the wine if using) and deglaze the pan making sure to pick the bits off the bottom of the pan.
- Put the remaining broth, coconut amnios, and spices into the pot and bring the heat up to medium. Let it simmer for 15-20 minutes.
- Remove the pot from the heat and stir in the apple cider vinegar.
- While the soup is simmering toast your gluten-free bread.
- Place the soup into oven sage bowls, topped with the toasted bread
- Top the bowls with desired cheese and place them back into the oven to allow the cheese to melt and becoome bubbly.
- Enjoy while it's hot!
Let me know what you think or if you have any questions.