Nothing beats the soul-warming comfort of Panera’s famous French onion soup, especially when you can recreate it perfectly at home. This copycat recipe captures every element that makes the original so beloved: deeply caramelized onions swimming in a rich, savory broth made from chicken and beef stock, topped with golden croutons and bubbling Gruyere cheese. The secret lies in the dual-stock base and generous chunks of perfectly seasoned onions that ensure every spoonful delivers maximum flavor.
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Table of Contents
Why This Recipe Works
The magic happens when you combine chicken and beef stocks, creating layers of complex flavor that single-stock recipes simply can’t match. The generous amount of caramelized onions, chopped rather than sliced, ensures every bite contains substantial onion pieces rather than just broth. The addition of a beef base intensifies the umami flavors, while the flour creates a perfect body without heaviness.
Ingredients you’ll need
Here’s what you need to make this copycat Panera Bistro French onion soup recipe: Click on the recipe card to get the full recipe.
For the Soup:
- Butter – Creates the foundation for caramelizing onions and adds richness
- Yellow onions – Provide the sweet, caramelized base when properly cooked
- Salt – Helps draw moisture from onions and enhances all flavors
- All-purpose flour – Thickens the broth and creates a silky texture
- Beef stock – Delivers deep, savory backbone to the soup base
- Chicken stock – Adds lighter, balanced flavor that complements beef stock
- Dried thyme – Provides earthy, aromatic herbs that enhance onion flavors
- Beef base – Concentrates umami flavors without excessive saltiness
For the Topping:
- Croutons – Add essential textural contrast and absorb delicious broth
- Gruyere cheese – Melts beautifully and provides nutty, complex cheese flavor
- Asiago cheese – Adds sharp notes that complement the mild Gruyere
Ingredient notes
Beef base is sold in the grocery store, it is typically next to the beef bouillon cubes. It has less salt than the bouillon cubes.
When preparing your onions for this recipe, you will find that they are chopped rather large, not sliced. The chopped onions ensure that the onion pieces end up in every bite. It is nice when you can dive into a bowl of soup and get something more than broth in every single bite.
When purchasing the soup’s ingredients, I suggest buying stock instead of broth. Stock has more flavor, and you want all of the flavors you can get with this soup. The soup base also adds a lot of flavor. You will find it sold near the soups.
They top their soup with croutons. You can use store-bought, make them in a skillet or the oven, or learn how to make croutons in an air fryer.
The cheese that tops the soup is Gruyere cheese with a touch of Asiago cheese.
How to make Panera French Onion Soup
- Peel and slice the onions. I like to slice them in half from root to tip and then into half-moon shapes.
- Melt butter in a large pot or a large Dutch oven. When the butter has melted, add the chopped onion.Â
- Sprinkle a little salt over the onions so they sweat and brown.
- Browning onions can take a while. It will take about 20 minutes to sweat the onions. Stir them every few minutes so they brown but do not burn.
- When the onions have browned, add the flour.
- Stir to coat the flour over the onions.
- Cook the onions for about a minute so the flour does not taste raw.
- Add the beef stock, chicken stock, beef base, and thyme. Simmer for about 15 to 20 minutes.
- Top with croutons and cheese. Serve immediately.
Homemade croutons are easy to make
If you would like to make your homemade croutons for the soup in a skillet, you can get a loaf of sourdough bread and cube it up into large pieces.
Add about a tablespoon of butter to a large skillet and then add the bread cubes. Sprinkle in seasoned salt and some garlic powder, and toast the bread until it becomes nice and brown.
You may want to try my air fryer croutons if you have an air fryer.
What you can serve with French Onion Soup
French onion soup can be served with many different things. It goes great with steak as an appetizer or with a salad for a light lunch. I suggest serving it with some Parmesan cheese garlic bread or a baguette.
How to Serve Classic French Onion SoupÂ
Ladle soup into oven-safe bowls or use a bread bowl. Top with a handful of croutons and a heavy sprinkling of cheese. Place the soup under your oven’s broiler, and broil until the cheese begins to brown. Remove the soup from the oven and serve.Â
Storage & Reheating Instructions
- Freezer Storage: Freeze soup base in freezer-safe containers for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator before reheating.
- Refrigerator Storage: Store soup base in airtight containers for 5 days. The flavors improve after the first day as they continue to develop.
- Reheating Method: Warm gently on the stovetop over low to medium heat, stirring occasionally. Avoid microwave reheating, which can create uneven temperatures.
Love Panera Bread soups? Check out these recipes:
- Creamy Tomato Soup
- Broccoli Cheese soup
- Baked Potato Soup
- Autumn Squash Soup
- Black Bean Soup
- Warm Grain Bowl
Popular soup recipes
- Friendship Soup
- Copycat Zuppa Toscana Soup
- Potato Soup from Scratch
- Chili’s Enchilada Soup
- Celery Soup
- Cheese Soup Recipe
- Black Bean Soup
Look at more of my easy homemade soup recipes and the best Panera copycat recipes.
Panera French Onion Soup – Easy Copycat Recipe
Ingredients
- 4 tablespoons butter
- 4 pounds yellow onions chopped
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
- 32 ounces beef stock
- 14.5 ounces chicken stock
- 2 tablespoons beef base
- 1/2 teaspoon thyme
- 1 cup croutons
- 1/4 cup shredded Gruyère cheese
- 1 tablespoon shredded Asiago cheese
Instructions
- Melt the butter in a large stockpot over medium-high heat, Add the chopped onions and salt and sauté for about 20 minutes, or until the onions are golden brown.
- Add 1 tablespoon of flour, stir to coat the onions, and sauté for another minute, until the flour becomes fragrant like pie crust.
- Add the beef stock, chicken stock, beef base, and thyme. Reduce the heat to low and simmer for 15 to 20 minutes.
- Serve topped with croutons and shredded Gruyère and Asiago cheese.
I just made this tonight and loved it! I just discovered Panera’s French onion soup last week, but didn’t want to keep spending all of my money there for lunch. This recipe was such a good alternative and a MUCH more cost effective option for this grad student. Thank you!
I am glad you liked it 😉 Going through grad school is tough, best of luck to you. I remember this time, I watched no TV during those years!
I just made this and it is amazing! Thank you so much!
So glad you liked it.
Can’t wait to make this. I lived in France for 3 years as a child (Army Brat) and one of the things I loved when we went to restaurants was the onion soup. Panera has the closest to what I remember, but without crutons and cheese. Thank you for sharing this recipe.
I hope you enjoy this one!
This soup is amazing!!!!! I’ve tried others and this BY FAR is the best. Thanks for sharing 🙂
I am glad you enjoyed the soup!
It’s delicious. I’ll leave the salt till the end and salt to taste. Thank you for posting.
Is it dried thyme or fresh?
Both can work, the recipe is written for dry. If you want to use fresh, use half of what is listed.
This was absolutely amazing. Thank you!
I am so glad you liked this one.
Your
amazing
I had to buy Swiss,mozzarella,and fontinella cheese to substitute,bc store didn’t have asiago and gureye cheese,how would I use those in their place?thank you
Does it take 4 onions or 4lbs of onions?it says 4lbs,but that seems like too much…..
I meant 4 pounds of onions. That should be about 4 large onions.
Thank you!Just wanted to be sure!
Sure no problem!
Tooo
funny
I’m not sure there is such a thing as too much onion! And I feel the same way about garlic!
Judy, you took this over the top. I made this last night and it was a very authentic taste against Panera’s. I made this exactly as written but I crocked it yesterday for the flavor to marinate in the onion and it was incredible. The cheese blend was perfect. The only thing that made me sad was that it precisely fed my family of 6 with no leftovers. I wanted to take some with me to work today! Great job on the recipe!
Is it 4 pounds of onions?! My son recently made this and it was WAY to many onions.
I don’t think there’s such as thing as “too many onions”, “too much garlic”, “too much chocolate”. or “too much sleep”.
Can you use Vidalia onions in this recipe?
They might be too sweet. Yellow/spanish onions are the best.
Thanks so much for the Panera French Onions Soup. Tasted just like it and I loved it!!!!!
You are a master chef!! Thanks so much!!!!!!
Janet
I am glad you liked it.
I love this soup and I am thrilled to find a recipe for it! My husband doesn’t share my enthusiasm so I will be making it just for myself. Can I freeze the leftovers?
The recipe seems to have been removed from the page
There was a glitch, the recipe is back online. My apologies.
Made this recipe as exactly written- very good! Now that I tried it, I will go back and double the broth as lots of onions before I freeze. Good cheese blend too! Thanks for the recipe!
Thank you! I am glad you enjoyed this soup. I love French Onion soup, this one is quite good.
I’ve tried other mock recipes of this soup and this comes stunningly close to the original flavor. I definitely recommend the “Better Than Bouillon” brand beef base and chopping the onions in the shape you want them to appear in the soup. This recipe turns out amazing!
I am a big fan of Better Than Bouillion too!
Absolutely amazing! I couldn’t stop eating it!
Stephanie, this is one of my all-time favorite soups to eat and I order it every time I go to Panera Bread. I decided to try your recipe last night and absolutely LOVED it! I was seriously surprised at just how much it tasted like theirs. Thank you so much for this recipe. I can’t wait to make it again!!
I am so glad you liked this recipe. It is a really good French Onion soup recipe. I like that it does not have any alcohol in it. This way I feel comfortable serving it to people that do not partake of alcohol.
Stephanie, what is the beef base. Is it the same thing as Better Than Bouillon?
Going to try this as a “gift” to some of my family that is so busy working – those young folks !! I am Not adding alcohol, but doesn’t the actual alcohol cook off and not a problem for those who don’t partake?? All the best to you and yours !!
It is a myth that alcohol cooks out fully. It cooks out some. https://www.oasas.ny.gov/admed/fyi/fyi-cooking.cfm I hope y’all enjoy the soup.
Thank You !!
Stephanie it appears that the cut onions are lengthy rather than the cubed look? Or is that cheese in the photo. I will make this and wish to do it correctly, hoping I can find the stock that you speak of and is the base like the jar that has chicken bullion but instead beef?
The onions a chopped onions, they are chopped into larger pieces. The beef base is a paste, it is typically sold near the dry bullion cubes. They make chicken base as well. These have a little less salt, and seem to have a flavor that is richer.
Judy, I think I can help you. It is located in the same aisle that the bouillon cubes are in. It is called ‘Better Than Bouillon’ and it’s an 8 oz. round jar with a black and white lid. When you open it, it’s a nice soft texture, but since it needs to be refrigerated, the texture is harder but with a spoon you can still dig it out. I use it for all my soups that call for broth.. Actually 1 jar lasts me about a year. I hope this helps!