With a simple gluten free crouton this classic French Onion Soup, you can put this back on the list of soups! Made by caramelizing onions it's fairly simple yet with the addition of imported Swiss cheese it's a real treat.

If you're shopping for imported Swiss cheese you might think about having a fun, gluten free, Swiss Cheese Fondue.
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🧅 Ingredients
The Alpine region of France along the Swiss border is famous for its' cheese. French Onion soup was invented there so it is typically topped with Emmental (also called Emmentaler or Emmenthal) and Gruyère.
If you’re a cheese lover buy the imported cheese. Expect to pay good money and this just might be the best French onion soup you’ve ever had.
- butter
- onions
- garlic
- white wine
- beef stock
- thyme
- bay leaves
CROUTONS
- gluten free sandwich bread or baguette
- Emmental cheese
- Gruyère cheese
See recipe card for exact amounts.
🧀 Substitutions
Cheese: North American Swiss cheese, the cheese with the holes, is Emmental and will make a lovely bowl of soup.
Wine: Use additional stock or water if you don't have wine.
🍲 My Year of Soup
If you’re a soup lover, challenge yourself to make a new soup every month of the year. Slowly you’ll find favourites you love and look forward to making, year after year. Mix and match the months to suit yourself. That's what I do.
- January - Leftover Turkey Soup
- February - Leek and Split Pea Soup with Pistou Sauce
- March - Lentil Red Pepper Soup
- April - French Onion Soup
- May - Lemongrass Chicken Noodle Soup
- June - Noodle Soup with Peanut Sauce
- July - Farm To Table Gazpacho
- August - Roasted Tomato Soup
- September - Green Bean Soup with Cilantro
- October - Butternut Squash Soup
- November - Thai Spicy Shrimp Soup
- December - Italian Fish and Shellfish Soup
🧅 Caramelized Onions
Caramelizing onions is a slow process with a sweet reward. If you cheat by cooking them faster on high heat you’ll have sautéed onions with a sharp onion taste.
Be patient, follow the recipe and allow the natural sugar in the onions to be released and slowly caramelize. This creates a sweetness and depth of flavour that tastes amazing.
If you can think ahead you might want to save some of your caramelized onions for a pizza topping or a grilled cheese sandwich.
🍞 Gluten Free Bread
Typically onion soup is topped with a baguette slice. You can certainly make a gluten free baguette at home but for this soup I simply bought a loaf of gluten free white sandwich bread. I cut a 4-inch circle to fit the top of these bowls and put the rest in my freezer container for breadcrumbs.
KITCHEN TIP – Keep the leftover edges of your gluten free bread and buns in a container in the freezer. Keep adding to it and when it's full use your breadcrumbs to make Turkey Tetrazzini or Hazelnut Lemon Halibut. |
👩🏻🍳 Equipment
Every kitchen needs tools. A big stockpot is great for families who do cooking projects like canning salsa, jam or pickles. For most people the largest pot in a typical set of pots is perfect for soup.
I’d love to hear how your soup turned out and what you did to make it extra delicious. Let me know in the comments below.
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French Onion Soup (gluten free)
Ingredients
- ¼ cup butter
- 3 lb onions, thinly sliced* (it's A LOT!)
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- ⅓ cup dry white wine
- 8 cups beef stock
- ½ teaspoon thyme
- 2 bay leaves
- salt and pepper to taste
CROUTONS
- 6 slices gluten free sandwich bread or baguette
- 1 cup shredded Emmental cheese
- 1 cup shredded Gruyère cheese
Instructions
- Melt butter in large pot over medium heat.
- Add onions and cook, stirring often, until they sweat down to about half the amount you started with, about 10 minutes.
- Turn heat down slightly and continue cooking, stirring often, until they brown slightly and caramelize, about 45 minutes.
- Add garlic and cook for 1 minute.
- Add wine and stir, scraping up the brown bits from the bottom of the pot.
- Stir in beef stock, thyme and bay leaves. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer until reduced slightly, about 15 minutes.
- Remove bay leaves. Taste and season with salt and pepper.
PREPARE CROUTONS
- Cut bread into desired size and toast both sides in a toaster.
- Combine cheese, set aside until ready to serve.
- Preheat broiler. Fill soup bowls and place on baking tray. Top with toasted bread.
- Sprinkle with cheese and put under broiler until melted and bubbly. Serve.
Cinde Little
Amazing comfy soup!
Kathy
Hi! I made this today. Thank you for this wonderful recipe. It was amazing. I haven’t had French onion soup in so long. We all loved it!
Kathy
Cinde Little
That's great Kathy! It's not hard but it's not the first soup you think to make when you're gluten free. I'm glad you enjoyed it.