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    Home » Recipes » Single Serving Soups

    By Joanie Zisk Published: Nov 2, 2018 · Updated: Nov 9, 2021 · This post may contain affiliate links · Please read my disclosure

    French Onion Soup For One

    Jump to Recipe
    french onion soup

    Easy recipe showing how to make the best French Onion Soup. This classic soup is made with plenty of caramelized onions and comes complete with a thick piece of toasted bread loaded with creamy Gruyere cheese. Easy step-by-step video included in this single serving recipe.

    A bowl of french onion soup on a metal tray with a glass and bottle of red wine and a spoon

    A hot bowl of French onion soup is the perfect meal on a crisp, cool day. It's especially nice with a thick slice of toasted bread loaded with melty Gruyere cheese and plenty of caramelized onions.

    This soup is a bistro classic and is surprisingly easy to make.

    Why This Recipe Works

    • Easy: This French onion soup is absolutely delicious and so easy to make.
    • Made with just 1 small onion: We use just one small onion which cooks low and slow and beautifully caramelizes giving the soup a wonderful flavor. Caramelizing the onions is one of the most important steps in making a good French onion soup. Caramelizing is a chemical process that occurs when the sugars in the onion turn brown when heated. The more caramelized the onions, the more flavorful they are.
    • Recipe can be doubled: This small batch soup recipe yields one large bowl of soup but if you'd like to make a second bowl, just double the ingredients.

    Ingredient Notes

    See below for ways to use leftover ingredients.

    • Butter: I recommend using salted butter.
    • Onion: Use 1 small yellow onion, thinly sliced.
    • Garlic: 1 clove of garlic adds great flavor.
    • Seasonings: Dried thyme, salt, and black pepper.
    • Red wine: This helps to deglaze the pan after the onions have cooked. If you don't want to use alcohol, it is fine to use broth instead.
    • Flour: To thicken the soup. I typically use all-purpose flour but you can you a gluten-free blend instead.
    • Broth: Typically, french onion soup is made with beef broth but good store-bought beef broth is hard to come by. I've found that most packaged beef broth has a slightly "tinny" taste. Instead, I use chicken broth. It makes the soup perfect every single time.
    • French bread and cheese: The best cheese to use for French onion soup is Gruyere - it is traditional. However, if you don't have any, use Gouda, Swiss, Fontina, or Mozzarella.

    For this soup recipe, I use a 2-quart saucepan. For best results use a pot of similar size.

    RELATED: Single Serving Comfort Food Recipes

    A spoonful of french onion soup from a bowl on a metal tray with a glass and bottle of red wine
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    How To Caramelize Onions

    The first step to making classic french onion soup is to caramelize the onions. Essentially, you're taking the sliced raw onions and transforming them into sweet, decadent, and completely irresistible onions that serve as the base of this dish.

    Since this french onion soup recipe yields a single serving, I use one small onion. In truth, the size of the onion doesn't completely matter. It could be small or it could be medium - in the case of french onion soup, the more onions the better.

    The onion is sliced into thin strips and added to a small saucepan with melted butter. The onions caramelize which means that as the onions slowly cook, the natural sugars in the onions release and result in a wonderful sweetness that will transform any dish they are added to. The process of caramelizing onions takes a little bit of time, for this soup recipe I recommend cooking the onions for 25 minutes.

    How To Make This Recipe

    See the recipe box below for ingredient amounts and full recipe instructions.

    1. Melt the butter in a 2-quart saucepan over medium heat. Add the onions, garlic, thyme, salt and pepper and cook until the onions are very soft and caramelized, about 25 minutes.
    2. Add the wine, bring to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer until the wine has evaporated, about 5 minutes.
    3. Sprinkle the flour over the onions and stir. Reduce the heat to medium-low and cook for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally so that the flour doesn't burn.
    4. Stir in the chicken broth and bring the soup back to a simmer, cook for 10 minutes.
    5. Taste and add additional salt, if necessary.

    How To Prepare The Bread

    While the soup is simmering, prepare the bread.

    1. Heat the broiler. Place the slice of French bread on a baking sheet. Sprinkle the Gruyere cheese over the top and broil until bubbly and golden brown, 3-4 minutes.
    2. Place the bread in a soup bowl and pour the soup over the top. 
    a wedge of french bread topped with melted cheese on a baking sheet.

    Expert Tips

    • Traditional french onion soup calls for Gruyere cheese and I highly recommend it. Gruyere is rich, it's smooth and it melts easily. See the Ingredient Notes section above for cheese alternatives.
    • Another key ingredient to a good french onion soup is the broth. Typically, french onion soup is made with beef broth but good store-bought beef broth is hard to come by. I've found that most packaged beef broth has a slightly "tinny" taste. Instead, I use chicken broth. It makes the soup perfect every single time.

    RELATED: The Best Soup Recipes For One

    Frequently Asked Questions

    What Kind Of Onions Do You Use For French Onion Soup?

    You can use white, yellow, or red onions for French onion soup. My preference is to use a sweet yellow onion.

    What Should I Do With Leftover Wine?

    Leftover wine…is there really such a thing? Sure, you could always pour a glass for yourself and sip on it while cooking or relaxing. But what if you only use wine for recipes?

    If that’s the case, you can freeze wine by pouring the wine into plastic ice cube trays and placing the trays in the freezer. When you want to use a little wine in a recipe, pop out one of the frozen wine cubes and add it to your recipe.

    Do I Have To Use Wine?

    No, you can use dry vermouth or brandy instead. Using alcohol in French onion soup is totally optional. You can leave the alcohol out altogether and use a little bit of broth to deglaze the pan as instructed in Step 2 of the recipe.

    How Do I Store And Reheat French Onion Soup?

    Store the soup without the bread in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3 to 4 days. To reheat, bring to a boil on the stovetop. The cheesy bread is best when made fresh.

    What To Do With Leftover Ingredients

    If you have any ingredients leftover from this French onion soup recipe, you might like to consider using them in any of these single serving recipes:

    • Onions: Vegetable Casserole, Meat Sauce, Pan Fried Okra
    • Garlic: Chicken Cacciatore, Hummus, Baked Beans
    • Chicken broth: Chicken and Dumplings, Lentil Stew, Chicken Fricassee
    • Bread: French Bread Pizza, Breakfast Bread Pudding, Croutons
    • Gruyere cheese: Ham and Cheese Scones, Crustless Quiche Lorraine, Baked Pasta with Roasted Vegetables

    Other Single Serving Soup Recipes

    • Curried Butternut Squash Soup
    • Thai Shrimp Soup
    • Curried Carrot Soup
    • Broccoli Cheddar Soup
    • Minestrone Soup
    • Chicken Noodle Soup
    • Potato Soup
    • Clam Chowder
    • Zuppa Toscana

    Serving Suggestions

    • Mini Irish Soda Bread
    • Avocado Salad With Berries

    If you would like additional information on the cooking and baking dishes I use in our “recipes for one”, please visit our FAQ page.
    For examples of the dishes used at One Dish Kitchen, please visit our Store page.

    If you’ve tried this small batch French onion soup or any recipe on One Dish Kitchen please let me know how you liked it by rating the recipe and telling me about it in the comment section below.

    If you take a picture please tag us on Instagram (@onedishkitchen) we’d love to see it!

    a blue bowl filled with french onion soup with a piece of french bread topped with melted cheese floating on top

    French Onion Soup For One

    French Onion Soup with caramelized onions, broth, French bread and creamy Gruyere cheese. A single serving version of a bistro classic.
    4.9 from 19 votes
    Print Pin Rate
    See the post above for expert tips,
    FAQs and ways to use leftover ingredients.
    Prep Time: 10 minutes
    Cook Time: 50 minutes
    Total Time: 1 hour
    Course: Main Course
    Cuisine: French
    Servings: 1 person
    Calories: 628kcal
    Author: Joanie Zisk

    Video

    Equipment

    • 2 quart saucepan

    Ingredients

    • 3 tablespoons salted butter
    • 1 small yellow onion , halved lengthwise, then thinly sliced
    • 1 clove garlic , chopped
    • ½ teaspoon dried thyme
    • ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
    • ⅛ teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper
    • ¼ cup red wine
    • 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
    • 2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
    • 1 thick slice French bread
    • ¼ cup shredded Gruyere cheese
    US Customary - Metric

    Instructions

    • Melt the butter in a 2-quart saucepan over medium heat. Add the onions, garlic, thyme, salt and pepper and cook until the onions are very soft and caramelized, about 25 minutes.
    • Add the wine, bring to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer until the wine has evaporated, about 5 minutes.
    • Sprinkle the flour over the onions and stir. Reduce the heat to medium-low and cook for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally so that the flour doesn't burn.
    • Stir in the chicken broth and bring the soup back to a simmer, cook for 10 minutes.
    • Taste and add additional salt, if necessary.
    • Heat the broiler. Place the slice of French bread on a baking sheet. Sprinkle the Gruyere cheese over the top and broil until bubbly and golden brown, 3-4 minutes.
    • Place the bread in a soup bowl and pour the soup over the top. 

    Notes

    Expert Tips
    • Traditional french onion soup calls for Gruyere cheese and I highly recommend it. Gruyere is rich, it's smooth and it melts easily.
    • Another key ingredient to a good french onion soup is the broth. Typically, french onion soup is made with beef broth but good store-bought beef broth is hard to come by. I've found that most packaged beef broth has a slightly "tinny" taste. Instead, I use chicken broth. It makes the soup perfect every single time.
    Nutrition Facts
    French Onion Soup For One
    Amount Per Serving (1 serving)
    Calories 628 Calories from Fat 423
    % Daily Value*
    Fat 47g72%
    Saturated Fat 28g175%
    Cholesterol 126mg42%
    Sodium 1145mg50%
    Potassium 584mg17%
    Carbohydrates 21g7%
    Fiber 1g4%
    Sugar 4g4%
    Protein 21g42%
    Vitamin A 1365IU27%
    Vitamin C 6.1mg7%
    Calcium 379mg38%
    Iron 2.2mg12%
    * Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

    The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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    About Joanie Zisk

    Joanie Zisk is the creator of OneDishKitchen.com, the number one go-to site for single serving recipes. The aim of One Dish Kitchen is to inspire individuals with access to single serving recipes that will enable them to enjoy the preparation of a meal that will nourish both body and soul. Her website is filled with hundreds of easy, flavorful recipes that are tailored for those cooking for one. Joanie is the author of "The Ultimate Cooking For One Cookbook" and her recipes and food photography have been featured in various publications including, TODAY.com, Huffington Post, Real Simple, Self.com,Women’s Day, Buzzfeed, and others. Come say hello and follow Joanie on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Instagram and LinkedIn.

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Christina says

      March 01, 2022 at 4:18 pm

      This tasted amazing!

      Reply
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