Dish guides
What is soupe à l'oignon?
Soupe à l'oignon is French onion soup: onions cooked slowly in butter until deep brown, simmered in stock and served under a lid of toasted bread and melted, browned cheese. On menus it's often called soupe à l'oignon gratinée, or just gratinée, and it's listed among the starters (entrées).
- At a glance
- Soupe à l'oignon
- Slow-browned onion soup topped with toasted bread and melted cheese.
- Pronunciation
- Say it like soop ah loh-NYOHN · IPA /sup a lɔɲɔ̃/
- Also written as
- soupe à l'oignon gratinée, gratinée à l'oignon, French onion soup, onion soup, caramelized onion soup
What’s in it
Core ingredients
- onions
- butter
- beef stock (or chicken stock or water)
- toasted bread or croutons
- grated cheese (Gruyère, Comté or Emmental)
Often added
- white wine
- a splash of cognac or port
- flour to thicken
- thyme and bay leaf
- egg stirred in (gratinée lyonnaise and other regional versions)
Allergens
| Allergen | How likely |
|---|---|
| Gluten | Typically contains |
| Dairy | Typically contains |
| Sulphites | Often contains |
| Celery | Sometimes contains |
| Eggs | Sometimes contains |
| Mustard | Rarely contains |
| Peanuts | Rarely contains |
| Tree nuts | Rarely contains |
| Shellfish | Rarely contains |
| Fish | Rarely contains |
| Soy | Rarely contains |
| Sesame | Rarely contains |
| Diet | Suitable? |
|---|---|
| Vegetarian | Depends — The classic is made with beef stock. Some kitchens use vegetable stock or water, so ask what the soup is made with; Gruyère and Comté are traditionally made with animal rennet. |
| Vegan | No |
| Pescatarian | Depends — Same as for vegetarians: the stock is traditionally beef, sometimes chicken. |
| Halal | Depends — The stock is usually beef or chicken that isn't halal-certified, and wine or cognac is often added. |
| Kosher | No |
| Gluten-free | No |
Allergen and calorie details are AI estimates based on the menu and typical recipes. They can be incomplete — if you have a serious allergy, always check with the staff.
What's in a French onion soup
Everything depends on the onions. They're sliced thin and cooked slowly in butter, sometimes for close to an hour, until they turn sweet and deep brown. Many cooks sprinkle in a little flour, then add beef stock, often a splash of white wine and sometimes cognac. The soup is ladled into deep ovenproof bowls, topped with slices of toasted bread, covered with grated Gruyère, Comté or Emmental and put under the grill until the cheese bubbles and browns.
The result is a starter that eats like a meal: sweet, savoury broth under a crust of bread and cheese. Some menus list a lighter velouté d'oignon, which is a smooth, blended soup without the bread and cheese topping.
Where it comes from
Onion soup is old peasant food in France, cheap and filling. The gratinéed version with bread and cheese that brasseries serve today took shape in the mid-19th century. It's strongly linked with Paris and its old central food market, Les Halles, where it fed market porters and late-night crowds alike. Regional versions still exist: the richer gratinée lyonnaise from Lyon is finished with egg yolks beaten with port, and tourin from the south-west is a garlic and onion soup.
How to order it
| Phrase | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Une soupe à l'oignon gratinée, s'il vous plaît. | One French onion soup with the cheese topping, please. |
| Le bouillon est à base de quoi ? | What is the stock made with? |
| Il y a de la farine dans la soupe, à part le pain ? | Is there flour in the soup, apart from the bread? |
Not to be confused with
- Velouté d'oignon — A smooth, blended onion soup, usually with cream and without the bread and cheese crust.
- Soupe du jour — Soup of the day: it can be anything, so ask what it is.
- Tourin — A garlic and onion soup from south-west France, usually without the gratinéed cheese topping.
Frequently asked questions
Is French onion soup vegetarian?
Usually not. The traditional recipe uses beef stock, and some kitchens use chicken stock. A few restaurants make it with vegetable stock or water, which makes it vegetarian, though the cheese may still be made with animal rennet. Ask "Le bouillon est à base de quoi ?" (What is the stock made with?) before ordering.
Is soupe à l'oignon gluten free?
No, not as normally served. The gratinéed topping is a slice of bread or croutons, and many cooks thicken the soup with a little flour. Even if the kitchen leaves off the bread, the soup itself may still contain flour. Ask before ordering if you need to avoid gluten.
What is the difference between soupe à l'oignon and gratinée?
They're usually the same dish. "Gratinée" refers to the browned crust of bread and cheese on top, so soupe à l'oignon gratinée, gratinée à l'oignon or simply gratinée all mean French onion soup with that topping. A plain soupe à l'oignon on a menu may come without the bread and cheese, so check the description.
How do you pronounce soupe à l'oignon?
Say "soop ah loh-NYOHN", in IPA [sup a lɔɲɔ̃]. The "gn" sounds like the "ny" in canyon, and the final "on" is nasal, with no n sound at the end. The word oignon is pronounced as if it were spelled "ognon": the i is silent.
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