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This Creamy French Onion and Mushroom Soup is the best bowl of cozy french onion soup. It has everything you love about a warming, cheesy bowl of French onion soup…only better. There’s a touch of cream to make every spoonful rich and creamy. Slowly caramelized onions in wine with fresh herbs deliver the most delicious flavor. Then add that classic cheesy bread topping, and you’ll have the perfect bowl of soup. Great for both fall and winter days!
You guys, this creamy French onion and mushroom soup!
This isn’t your average bowl of French onion soup. Not that French onion soup could ever be average, it’s always delicious, but this bowl is a step up. It took me a while to get this one figured out, but once I did, I knew it was special. It’s funny, my process for developing recipes can be all over the place. Sometimes I have a solid idea in my head. One that already really excites me and I don’t think twice about creating the recipe.
Other times I have an idea that I like, but don’t love. Often times it’s these recipes that take me a little longer to get just right. That was kind of the case with this French onion soup. I wanted to make a French onion soup with mushrooms and lots of herbs. Of course, that would have been delicious, but I needed something to really make me excited.
After many texts back and forth with my sister-in-law, who has really become one of my best sources to help me think even more outside the box, we landed on this soup. A creamy french onion and mushroom with double the amount of herbs. With a few simple tweaks to the recipe, I was finally excited…so excited. It’s hard to make a classic recipe like french onion soup any better, but this recipe might just do it.
OK, the simple(ish) details.
If you’ve ever made french onion soup, you know two things. One, it’s really pretty straight forward and there’s nothing too complicated. Two, the onions take a second (or two) to really caramelize down. It can take a little more time than the usual thirty-minute start to finish dinner, but it’s worth the wait.
And I don’t know, something about caramelizing onions on the stove is very relaxing and cozy. However, I am weird…I’m probably the only one that feels that way.
Anyway, I’ve made a lot of French onion soup over the years. Sometimes I’ve taken shortcuts with the onions, but with this soup, I wanted to deeply caramelize them to ensure they make for the most flavorful French onion soup.
So, start with sweet yellow onions, butter, a touch of honey, and dry white wine.
The butter is used for obvious reasons…fat, flavor, and deliciousness. The honey helps to cook and caramelize the onions faster. I always find these ingredients to be key when trying to achieve perfectly caramelized onions. Now, the wine…use a dry white wine, which is pretty traditional in most French onion soups. You’ll cook about half of the wine into the onions. Not only does this help the onions to caramelize quickly and evenly, it also infuses the onions with incredibly rich flavor.
It’s delish.
If you prefer not to cook with wine, I recommend using about half a cup of apple cider or apple juice to caramelize the onions. For the remaining amount of wine (another half cup), use chicken or vegetable broth.
Once the onions have been caramelized, toss in the herbs and those mushrooms. The mushrooms add such a rich flavor, they help to highlight the caramelized onions and herbs.
Now add the broth. You can use vegetable broth to make this vegetarian, or use chicken broth…either one works really well. Simmer the soup for ten or so minutes, then add the cream. The cream is the key to this soup. It’s not heavy, but it adds a rich creaminess that really makes this soup just a touch better, a touch more indulgent, and truly just delightful.
Finish it up.
Once the soup has simmered for a bit, transfer it to small oven-safe ramekins. These are the mini Staub cocottes I sometimes like to use. But I adore these mini pumpkin cocottes as well, so cute. Top with crusty french bread, and a layer of cheese. Then place under the broiler to melt. Watch closely, the broiler works fast.
If you don’t have any oven-safe bowls, simply melt the cheese onto the bread, then add the cheesy bread to the soup.
Then simply pull these out of the oven and experience the bubbling cheese and the deliciousness of a truly good bowl of French onion soup. And guys, that’s it. This soup is truly one of those roll your eyes back, crave-worthy, fall/winter comfort foods.
It’s going to make the best Sunday night dinner, but will be equally great for the upcoming holidays and for low-key entertaining. I already have plans to make this on both Thanksgiving and Christmas. It’s a soup that everyone loves!
Looking for other warming fall/winter soups? Here are my favorites:
Healthier Slow Cooker Creamy Tortellini Vegetable Soup
Creamy Wild Rice Chicken Soup with Roasted Mushrooms
Cream of Mushroom Soup with Garlic Herb Breadcrumbs
Lastly, if you make this Creamy French Onion and Mushroom Soup, be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!
Creamy French Onion and Mushroom Soup.
Servings: 6
Calories Per Serving: 630 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Ingredients
- 6 tablespoons salted butter
- 4 medium yellow onions, thinly sliced
- 1 1/4 cups dry white wine, such as Pinot Grigio or Sauvignon Blanc
- 3 cloves garlic minced or grated
- 2 cups cremini or wild mushrooms, sliced
- 2 tablespoons fresh thyme leaves
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh sage
- 1 teaspoon honey
- 6-8 cups low sodium chicken or vegetable broth
- 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce (or soy sauce)
- 2 bay leaves
- kosher salt and black pepper
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- 6 slices french bread
- 2 cups shredded Gruyère cheese
Instructions
- 1. Melt together the butter, onions, and honey in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Cook, stirring occasionally until softened, about 10 minutes. At this point, you want to slowly add 3/4 cup of the wine, 1/4 cup at a time, until the wine cooks into the onions. Continue to cook another 10-15 minutes until you've used the 3/4 cup of wine and the onions are deeply caramelized.2. Add the garlic, mushrooms, thyme, and sage. Season with salt and pepper, cook another 3-4 minutes. Add the remaining 1/2 cup wine, the broth, Worcestershire sauce, bay leaves, and a pinch each of salt and pepper. Increase the heat to medium-high and return the soup to a simmer, simmer 10 minutes, then stir in the cream and cook another 5-10 minutes. Remove the bay leaves and discard. Season to taste with salt and pepper.3. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Arrange the bread on a baking sheet and toast for 10-15 minutes, until very dry. Switch the oven to broil. 4. Ladle the soup into oven safe bowls. Add a slice of bread to each, and top evenly with cheese. Place each soup bowl on a baking sheet and transfer to the oven, broil until bubbly and golden brown, 3 to 5 minutes. Top with fresh thyme. Eat!
This soup is delicious…restaurant worthy!
We simply loved it!
The onions took about an hour to deeply caramelize with frequent scraping with a wooden spoon to deglaze the Dutch oven. I did add about a 1/4 cup of sherry and didn’t add as much sage (not our favorite spice flavor). I also doubled the mushrooms to 4 cups.
This is a keeper recipe and I will serve to company the next time I make it.
Thank you!
Hey Kathleen,
Happy Monday!! I am so glad to hear that this recipe turned out well for you, thanks for making it! xx
This recipe is AMAZING! She nails the flavors in this! I took me a bit longer to caramalize my onions, so my second batch turned out better. This will be a staple.
Hey Christine,
Amazing!! So glad to hear that this recipe was tasty and thanks a lot for trying it out! xT
Turned out so very good. Followed the recipe with the exception that I used a beef bouillon. Very easy to make.
Hey Richard,
Awesome!! Love to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks so much for making it! xT
Best French onion soup!! Made it without honey and without cream. Loved the mushroom addition. First time making French onion soup. So delicious!
Hey Jenkins,
Happy Friday!!❄️🧑🎄 I appreciate you making this recipe and sharing your review, so glad to hear it turned out well for you! xx
Absolutely perfect on a rainy day in December!
Hi Christina,
Happy Friday!!❄️🧑🎄 I appreciate you making this recipe and sharing your review, so glad to hear it turned out well for you! xx
I am not exaggerating when I say this is 100% my new favourite soup!! I had to cut the recipe in half because my husband doesn’t like mushrooms to French onion soup and I also have two small children who are dramatic about food, but I treated myself to this because I’m sick and it was SO comforting and delicious and is literally like a little hug in a bowl. Thank you for this recipe!! I already can’t wait to make it again 🙂
Hey Shelley,
Wonderful!! Thanks a bunch for making this recipe and sharing your feedback! Love to hear that it was enjoyed! Happy Holidays!🎄🎁
Absolutely delicious and perfect for the first snow in MA
Hey Alison,
Love it!! Thanks so much for making this recipe and sharing your feedback! So glad it was enjoyed:) Happy Monday!🎄
So delicious! I caramelized the onions for an hour, using all the wine to deglaze the pan- so I added a little extra at the end. I let it simmer for another hour to make the onions tender and melty before adding the cream. Perfect for a snowy Saturday in the mountains!
Hey Denica,
Happy Monday!!☃️ I truly appreciate you making this recipe and sharing your review, so glad it was enjoyed! xT
My husband is making this soup as I type and the house smells wonderful! I have to know where you got the bowls that are pictured. I clicked on the link, but the ones that come up are not the same as yours. I love the wooden handle!
Hi Katie,
Here is the link for the bowls that I used! Just a heads up, the wooden handle is not oven safe so I wrap those in foil!
https://food52.com/shop/products/3718-food52-x-dansk-kobenstyle-saucepan?sku=16496&gclid=CjwKCAjw0On8BRAgEiwAincsHBe3a8SuK74DVnhhA2PAv19u6Swe9MBN9o-zsXgTkAEYTMR-AiwApBoC9x0QAvD_BwE
Please let me know if you have any other questions! xT
Followed exactly…really good. Will add more mushrooms next time.
Hey Brittney,
Happy Sunday!!☀️🧁 I appreciate you making this recipe and sharing your review, so glad to hear that it turned out well for you! xT
Delicious. I love the depth of flavor
Hey Clare,
Happy Monday! Thanks so much for giving this recipe a try, I am so glad it turned out well for you! Thanks for your comment! xT
This is an excellent soup! Very flavorful and easy to make – I did substitute Beef Broth for the last 2 cups of Chicken Broth as that added a little more savory. Will definitely be making it again! Thanks Tieghan 😀
Hey Tracey,
Happy Monday!! Thanks a bunch for trying this recipe out, I love to hear that it was enjoyed! xT
delicious recipe and very easy to make! but in reality it takes about 2 hours, caramelizing the onions takes about 60 minutes on its own but is so worth it to get them truly caramelized!
Hey Olivia,
Awesome!! 🍂 I love to hear that this recipe turned out well for you, thanks a bunch for trying it out! xx
Amazing! I only skip the wine for my kids and they love it!
Hey Marcela,
Happy Wednesday! I love to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks so much for making it and sharing your feedback! xx
I just made this for the second time – thank you! I pulsed my mushrooms into tiny bits because my husband (thinks he) doesn’t like them. 🙂 Wonderful flavor! Our family of six all loved it!
Hey Aria,
Happy Monday!! 🍁 Love to hear that this recipe turned out well for you, thanks a bunch for making it! xT
i was wondering what the actual size of the dutch oven was, i don’t have one and i’d like to make sure to buy the right size!! thanks
Hi Kira,
Happy Friday!! I am thrilled to hear that this recipe was a winner, thanks so much for making it and sharing your review:)