Copycat Applebee's French Onion Soup Recipe (2024)

This simple copycat recipe tastes as close to the exact Applebee's French onion soup recipe as you can get!

By: AllFreeCopycatRecipes.com Test Kitchen

6 Comments

Copycat Applebee's French Onion Soup Recipe (1)

Copycat Applebees French Onion Soup

By: AllFreeCopycatRecipes.com Test Kitchen

Love that French onion soup you get at restaurants like Applebee's? Now you can make your very own French onion soup with this Copycat Applebee's French Onion Soup Recipe. Copycat restaurant recipes are perfect for weeknight dinners and more. Serve up a smile with this warm and comforting meal. It's the perfect starter to pair with an entree of chicken or steak, like Applebee's bourbon street steak, but it also works great a la carte.

To make French onion soup the way they do at Applebee's, you'll need the right balance of cheeses and soft, sautéd onions that add those extra layers of caramelized flavor and texture.You can create a restaurant-quality meal but still keep the comfort of home with this Copycat Applebee’s French Onion Soup recipe. Plus, because you make this recipe at home, you don't have to worry about the price tag that comes with eating out for dinner, and you have more control over what goes into your soup, like the amount of sodium and the number of calories.

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Serves10

Cooking Time1 hr

Copycat Applebee's French Onion Soup Recipe (2)

Ingredients

  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 2 1/2 pounds mild onions, peeled, cut in half lengthwise and thinly sliced
  • 2 cloves garlic, very finely minced
  • 8 cups beef stock
  • 1 cup water
  • 2 teaspoons salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
  • 5 hamburger buns
  • 10 thin slices of Provolone cheese
  • 10 teaspoons Parmesan cheese

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.

  2. In a large heavy bottom soup pot, heat the oil and sauté the onions over medium low heat, stirring only a few times, until they begin to brown, about 15 minutes (see note). Add the garlic and stir for 1 minute until very fragrant. Raise the heat, add the beef stock, water, salt, and pepper and bring soup to a boil, then lower heat and simmer for 45 minutes.

  3. While soup is cooking, slice the “crown” top off each of the hamburger buns, giving you 10 rounds of approximately the same size. Place on a cookie sheet and bake 20 minutes.

  4. Remove and change oven temperature to broil.

  5. When the soup is cooked, taste and adjust seasonings as desired. (see note)

  6. Ladle soup into individual soup bowls, top each with a crouton, then witha slice of Provolone and a sprinkle of Parmesan. Broil about 5 minutes until cheese is melted and beginning to become a golden brown.Sprinkle each with a bit more Parmesan and serve immediately.

Notes

  • To increase the sweet onion flavor, you may extend the cooking time to 25 minutes or longer, but keep an eye on the pot so that the onions get a lovely gold caramel color and do not burn and get bitter. Stir only occasionally so that they brown evenly.
  • If you wish your soup to have a deep rich beef-y flavor, using the best beef broth possible is the key. You can also add a few drops of Worcestershire sauce and or soy sauce - you will not taste these ingredients but they will add a deep “meaty” flavor to the soup.

This recipe will give you the coziest and most filling soup ever, and the easy cheesy homemade croutons complement the savory broth perfectly. It's just the thing to warm up you and your family on a chilly afternoon!

Up next:

Copycat Applebee's Smothered Steak Skillet
What's your favorite thing to order at Applebee's?
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Edmund K

Aug 31, 2017

Onion soup is one of my favorites, though I could probably eat quite happily the cheesy, bready top all by itself. This is a good version of French Onion soup, and I was pleased to note that the writer recommends adding a bit of Worcestershire sauce to the soup while cooking. I've always done this and it adds just a subtle bit to the taste of the soup. I've not tried using soy sauce, but I think it might make it a bit saltier than I'd like.

Copycat Applebee's French Onion Soup Recipe (8)

asoley 3922608

Feb 22, 2017

I love French onion soup - it's one of my favorites - but I might cut back on the cheese a bit, since I find too much cheese overwhelming.

Copycat Applebee's French Onion Soup Recipe (9)

caitlinmm

Oct 29, 2015

Not my favorite version of French onion soup, but the cheesy crouton was genius! I bet it would taste good with any soup.

Copycat Applebee's French Onion Soup Recipe (10)

CreativityGoddess

Oct 28, 2015

Didn't have the full, rich flavor that I love in restaurant French onion soups, but this was really good for a homemade version!

Copycat Applebee's French Onion Soup Recipe (11)

ErinJ

Oct 28, 2015

I LOVED the cheesy "crouton", it's full of flavor and perfect for dipping in soup!

Copycat Applebee's French Onion Soup Recipe (12)

amatlin

Oct 28, 2015

This was a great soup for a cool day. I especially loved the large, cheesy "crouton"!

Copycat Applebee's French Onion Soup Recipe (13)

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Copycat Applebee's French Onion Soup Recipe (2024)

FAQs

Does Applebee's have good French onion soup? ›

Applebees French Onion Soup is a classic French Onion soup, so flavorful and so perfect for when you want a light meal.

How do you deepen the flavor of French onion soup? ›

A few sprigs of thyme and a bay leaf elevate the soup even more, but I take it a step further, adding a splash of fish sauce for complexity and depth—don't worry, it won't taste fishy—and a hit of cider vinegar to balance some of that oniony sweetness.

Why do you put baking soda in French onion soup? ›

The caramelized onions for this soup cook more quickly due to a pinch of baking soda but still have that deep, slow-cooked flavor. Topping the soup with hot, cheesy toasts prepared while the soup simmers, eliminates the need to bake the soup in specialty French onion soup bowls.

Why does French onion soup taste so good? ›

French onion soup is the ultimate comfort food. Onions get slowly cooked until sweet and caramelized, then simmered in rich broth until they're practically falling apart. To finish it off, toasted bread is added to give it that lovable crisp-gone-soggy texture and a generous amount of Gruyère cheese is melted on top.

What is the difference between onion soup and French onion soup? ›

What is the Difference Between Onion Soup and French Onion Soup? French onion soup is always made with beef stock. Other onion soups can be made with chicken, vegetable, or beef stock. Additionally, French onion soup typically contains wine or sherry, which isn't typical or necessary in other onion soups.

What bowl is used for French onion soup? ›

French onion soup is traditionally served in lionhead bowls, which are deep but not very wide porcelain bowls. Here are four reasons why these bowls are perfect: Plenty of soup. Even as the bread on top starts to soak up some of the soup, there's still plenty left underneath.

What is the best wine to use in French onion soup? ›

Wine is optional to deglaze the pan and add flavour to the soup. I recommend a dry white or red wine, such as a good quality Pinot Grigio/Gris, Sauv Blanc, Sémillon, Chardonnay, Merlot or Pinot Noir. Generally, if you can't drink it, don't cook with it.

Why does my French onion soup taste bitter? ›

Why is my French onion soup bitter? Either the onions have been burned or a bad-quality broth has been used.

Why does my French onion soup taste sour? ›

Soup can become acidic due to a variety of factors such as using acidic ingredients like tomatoes, vinegar, or lemon juice, overcooking certain vegetables, or adding too much of ingredients like wine or citrus. It can also be caused by fermentation or spoilage of soup over time.

Why do you put lemon juice in soup? ›

In this case, however, the lemon provides more of a flavor undertone that enhances other seasonings like thyme, parsley, and turmeric. According to trained chef Leetal Arazi, who spoke with Real Simple, you can bring a "zesty flavor" to your soup simply by adding lemon.

Is French onion soup good for you? ›

Well, you'll be pleased to know that french onion soup is, in fact, a highly nutritious choice. Onions, as part of the Allium family, contain Quercetin which is a powerful anti-inflammatory and should not be overlooked as a vegetable when considering your daily 7-a-day.

What are the best onions for soup? ›

Yellow is the ideal variety for caramelizing. When you are sauteing onions to build flavor as a base for your dish (soup, tomato sauce, you name it), the yellow onion is your friend. That being said, white onions are a totally acceptable substitute for yellow, especially if you're cooking them.

Why is French onion soup so expensive? ›

First, French onion soup calls for a ton of onions. While onions aren't expensive, there's a lot of labor involved in halving, peeling, and slicing 10, 12, 50, or one billion onions (I don't know how much soup you make).

Do people in France eat French onion soup? ›

It has even become a trendy dish that tourists are eager to try to experience French gastronomy. However, onion soup is in fact not part of French people's daily meals. It was originally meant to be eaten after a family reunion in the middle of the night to cure hangovers…

What is the etiquette for eating French onion soup? ›

With such a soup, a knife is your friend, not your enemy. Using both the soup spoon and the knife, push the baked cheese against the rim of the cup or bowl and cut it gently with the knife. Once you've broken the cheese barrier, you can use the knife again to nudge bits of cheese onto the spoon.

Does applebees have onion soup? ›

Applebee's™ has one of the best tasting onion soup restaurant recipes around.

How many calories in a bowl of French onion soup at Applebee's? ›

Applebee's French Onion Soup (1 Serving) contains 26g total carbs, 24g net carbs, 22g fat, 16g protein, and 360 calories.

Can you buy French onion soup? ›

Waitrose French Onion Soup600g

CHILLED. GENTLE HEAT. Empty contents into a pan. Heat gently, stirring occasionally, until piping hot.

Does French onion soup keep well? ›

To store: store any leftover French onion soup in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3-5 days without the baguette on top. Reheat in the microwave and then top with cheesy baguette as instructed.

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