The BEST Instant Pot French Onion Soup

Instant Pot French Onion Soup with delicious caramelized onions, beef broth, and melty Gruyere cheese croutons is the ultimate comfort food soup recipe. 

Making French Onion Soup is normally super time consuming. You’re required to babysit the stove while your onions caramelize, and then you need to let it all simmer for a bit to let those flavors develop. 

Today I’m here to change that. And while this French Onion Soup is not made in an “instant”, the Instant Pot definitely makes the procedure simpler, since most of the process is hands off. The Instant Pot does most of the work for you with this quick French Onion Soup. 

👩‍🍳 How to Make Instant Pot French Onion Soup

  • Caramelize Onions. Saute onions until softened. Then add garlic and a little broth. Seal the pot and cook on high pressure for 15 minutes. The onions will be deliciously caramelized and concentrated. 
  • Add Flour to Thicken. Once the onions have caramelized, add in some flour and let it saute for a couple minutes so that its raw flavor disappears. This will help create a silky texture and thicken the soup a bit. 
  • Add Wine to Season. Add in a splash of white wine for additional flavor. See tips below if you would prefer your French onion soup with no wine. 
  • Simmer. Add chicken stock (or try using this parmesan broth) and extra seasonings. Seal pot and cook for 0 minutes. This will allow the soup to come to a good simmer, but not overcook. Once the timer goes off, allow the pressure to release naturally then remove the lid. 
  • Make Cheese Bread Toppers. While the soup is simmering, prepare the gruyere croutons. Broil baguette slices that are topped with gruyere cheese until bubbly, about 3-5 minutes. 
Ingredients for french onion soup laid out on baking sheet.

What Wine to Use for French Onion Soup? 

  • I prefer a dry white wine like Sauvignon Blanc or Pinot Gris in my French Onion Soup. You can also use dry vermouth. Red wine also works though! Pinot Noir or Merlot will add delicious flavor. You can also use sherry or cognac. 

Making it Without Wine

  • If you’d like to make French Onion Soup without wine, you can definitely skip that step. You may want to add a splash of balsamic vinegar to brighten up the flavor a bit at the end. 

🍴 How to Serve It

  • Serve French Onion Soup in individual bowls topped with the gruyere croutons
Overhead shot of four bowls of french onion soup on serving tray with spoons and sprigs of thyme.

What to Serve with French Onion Soup

🍾 Wine Pairings for French Onion Soup

  • White Wine – Pinot Gris, Viognier, Gewürztraminer
  • Red Wine – Beaujolais, Gamay, Pinot Noir 

If you loved this French Onion Soup recipe I would appreciate it so much if you would give it a star review! Also, be sure to snap a picture of your finished dish and share it with me on Instagram using the hashtag #platingsandpairings and tagging me @platingsandpairings.

For more great Platings and Pairings recipes, be sure to follow me on Pinterest, Facebook, YouTube and Twitter.

Side view of two bowls of french onion soup in crockery topped with baguette slices & melted cheese.

🍲 More Instant Pot Soup Recipes

Psst… Love this French Onion Soup? You’ve got to try my French Onion Chicken and French Onion Soup Dumplings too!

Side view of two bowls of french onion soup in crockery topped with baguette slices & melted cheese.

Instant Pot French Onion Soup Recipe

Instant Pot French Onion soup with delicious caramelized onions, beef broth, and melty Gruyere cheese croutons is the ultimate comfort food soup recipe.
4.98 from 34 votes
Print Pin
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Time for Pressure to Build: 30 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour 15 minutes
Servings: 6 people

Ingredients

  • 1/2 stick (1/4 cup unsalted butter)
  • 2 pounds onions (halved, then thinly sliced)
  • 6 cloves garlic (minced)
  • 2 Tablespoons flour
  • 3/4 cup dry white wine or dry vermouth
  • 4 cups reduced-sodium beef broth (32 ounces)
  • 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
  • 3 sprigs fresh thyme
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 3/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
  • 2 Tablespoons dry sherry or cognac (optional)
  • 6 1/2-inch-thick diagonal slices of baguette
  • ½ pound Gruyère cheese (grated)
  • 2 tablespoons grated Parmigiano-Reggiano (grated (optional))

Instructions

  • Set Instant Pot to SAUTE. Add butter and melt. Add onions and a pinch of salt and saute until softened, 5-6 minutes.
  • Add garlic and cook 1 minute longer. Hit CANCEL.
  • Add 1/4 cup stock to the onions, scraping any browned bits from the bottom of the pot. Place lid on pot and set to seal.  Press MANUAL high pressure and cook for 18 minutes. When time is up, quick release the pressure and remove lid. Hit CANCEL.
  • Set Instant Pot to SAUTE and add flour. Cook for 1-2 minutes.
  • Add wine and cook for 5 minutes, scraping up any brown bits from the bottom of the pot.
  • Add remaining broth, Worcestershire sauce, thyme, bay leaf and salt and pepper. Place lid on pot and set to seal.  Press MANUAL high pressure and cook for 0 (zero) minutes (not a typo). Quick release the pressure before removing lid. Stir in sherry (if using). Taste and season with additional salt and pepper, as needed.
  • Meanwhile, preheat the broiler. Arrange the baguette slices on a baking sheet in a single layer. Sprinkle the slices with the Gruyere and parmesan and broil until bubbly and golden brown, 3 to 5 minutes.
  • Ladle the soup into bowls and place Gruyere toasts on top.
Did you make this recipe?Mention @platingsandpairings or tag #platingsandpairings!

Equipment

Pressure cooker

Nutrition

Calories: 336kcal | Carbohydrates: 19g | Protein: 15g | Fat: 21g | Saturated Fat: 13g | Cholesterol: 61mg | Sodium: 939mg | Potassium: 606mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 7g | Vitamin A: 627IU | Vitamin C: 12mg | Calcium: 337mg | Iron: 1mg

11 thoughts on “The BEST Instant Pot French Onion Soup”

  1. 5 stars
    Since the shelter in place order, I’ve been making a lot more meals from scratch. I’d love to try this French onion soup recipe. I especially like your suggestion to include a splash of white wine. I always forget about adding wine to my recipes but it can really deepen the flavors!

    Reply
  2. 5 stars
    I have to admit that I’ve never really been a French onion soup fan, however I think these droolworthy photos are enough to convert me! This soup looks AMAZING, Erin! And I love how easy it is to make in the Instant Pot. Adding this to the list to make soon!

    Reply
  3. In step 6 it states to cook on manual high pressure for 0 minutes. Obviously a typo… what should yhe actual cook time be?

    Reply
  4. I wish I would’ve trusted my gut & made a slurry before adding the flour. I ended up with lumps all over the place. Taste was great, but I would definitely add the flour to a small amount of the broth, whisk, then add.

    Reply
  5. 4 stars
    This recipe doesn’t line up exactly with newer Instant pots, and I think I should have sautéed until the onions were caramelized, but OH MY!! The aroma when I popped open the lid after the final pressure cooking!!

    Reply
  6. 5 stars
    This recipes is out of this world!!! I’m so glad you shared this instant pot version. I will definitely be making this many times over!

    Reply
  7. 5 stars
    This was So easy and yummy! no more standing over the stove for hours for this girl! Thank you for sharing this recipe. I did not use wine. I used the balsamic vinegar also I didn’t have fresh thyme on hand so I used McCormick gourmet organic dried. It turned out fabulous! The only thing I would change is I sliced my onions a little too thin on my mandoline. That was my bad not the recipe! 😉 THIS SOUP IS DEFINITELY ON MY LIST OF ALL TIME FAVORITES!

    Reply

Leave a Comment

Recipe Rating




This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.