Let this healthy, soothing slow cooker French onion soup cook itself while you’re busy with other things. Make it with bone broth for a boost of collagen. 

Let this healthy, soothing slow cooker French onion soup cook itself while you’re busy with other things. Make it with bone broth for a boost of collagen. 

When you’re in the mood for some warm and savory comfort food, this slow cooker French onion soup is a great choice as it’s a classic and amazingly delicious. This is a long, slow dish to cook that adds a nice aroma to your home. Despite the length of time, this is an easy recipe with mostly hands-off time while the slow cooker does the work.

This recipe only takes 10 minutes to prep and then you let it cook in the slow cooker. A good French onion soup starts with caramelized onions. If you do it on the stove, this single step will take around 40 minutes. I don’t have the patience for that. So a better way of cooking the onion, in my opinion, is to caramelize it in a slow cooker, completely hands off.

Slow Cooker French Onion Soup - caramelized onions

You start with putting chopped onions in a slow cooker, add butter and olive oil, season with salt and pepper, and then let it cook on low for 12 hours. Do it at night before you go to sleep.

The next day, you simply pour some broth over the onion, add balsamic vinegar and Sherry (which is optional) in the slow cooker and let the soup cook when you are at work.

Let this healthy, soothing slow cooker French onion soup cook itself while you’re busy with other things. Make it with bone broth for a boost of collagen. 

In the end, when you get home from work, you take over by ladling the soup into oven-safe bowls, adding a piece of good baguette and Gruyere cheese to each bowl, and then cooking it in the oven.

I love how this slow cooker French onion soup is mostly hands-off and the way the flavors fuse together over such a long time. If you don’t have the patience to cook French onion soup in a traditional way, I think you are going to love this slow cooker version. Try it and let me know what you think in the comments below.

Let this healthy, soothing slow cooker French onion soup cook itself while you’re busy with other things. Make it with bone broth for a boost of collagen. 

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Let this healthy, soothing slow cooker French onion soup cook itself while you’re busy with other things. Make it with bone broth for a boost of collagen. 

Slow Cooker French Onion Soup

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  • Author: Sharon Chen
  • Prep Time: 10 minutes
  • Cook Time: 20 hours 22 minutes
  • Total Time: 20 hours 32 minutes
  • Yield: 10 - 12 servings 1x
  • Category: Soup
  • Method: Slow Cooker
  • Cuisine: French
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Description

Let this healthy, soothing slow cooker French onion soup cook itself while you’re busy with other things. Make it with bone broth for a boost of collagen.


Ingredients

Units Scale
  • 3 pounds yellow onions, peeled and sliced
  • 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 teaspoon salt, plus more to taste
  • Freshly ground black pepper
  • 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
  • 10 cups beef bone broth or homemade beef bone broth or low sodium beef broth
  • 3 tablespoons Sherry, optional

For assembling the soup:

  • 6 baguette slices for each bowl
  • 1 1/3 to 2 cups grated or shaved Gruyere cheese
  • Chopped parsley for garnishing

Instructions

  1. Place onions in a 6-quart slow cooker. Stir in butter and olive oil. Season with salt and pepper. Cover and cook on low for 12 hours.
  2. Add balsamic vinegar and beef bone broth into the slow cooker. Add Sherry if using.
  3. Cover and cook on low for another 6-8 hours.
  4. Preheat oven to 350°F.
  5. Portion and ladle the soup and onions into oven-safe bowls and place the bowls on a baking sheet.
  6. Top each bowl with a slice of toast and a generous amount of grated or shaved Gruyere cheese.
  7. Bake on a rack in the upper third of the oven for 20-30 minutes or until the cheese is melted.
  8. Switch oven to broil and broil the soup for 2-3 minutes until the cheese is browned.
  9. Garnish with chopped parsley and serve warm.

Notes

Recipe adapted from The Kitchn.


Nutrition

  • Serving Size: 1
  • Calories: 167
  • Sugar: 5.3g
  • Sodium: 363mg
  • Fat: 6.6g
  • Saturated Fat: 2.7g
  • Trans Fat: 0
  • Carbohydrates: 19.7g
  • Fiber: 2.8g
  • Protein: 6.7g
  • Cholesterol: 13mg

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Let this healthy, soothing slow cooker French onion soup cook itself while you’re busy with other things. Make it with bone broth for a boost of collagen. 

About the Author

Sharon Chen, StreetSmart Kitchen

Sharon Chen is an Integrative Nutrition Health Coach and author of the Complete Sous Vide Cookbook. She believes food not only brings healing but also connection. As the creator of StreetSmart Kitchen, she aims to make meal prep easier than ever and help you find balance, ease, joy, and simplicity in the kitchen as you improve your well-being.