French onion soup is an easy and comforting soup to make at home. The downside to making this rich and flavorful soup the traditional way is that it can take quite a while to make. Instant Pot French onion soup changes all that by caramelizing the onions in just half an hour, instead of the usual two or three hours when done on the stovetop. This results in a comforting, rich, and hearty soup ready in just under an hour.
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Can You Caramelize Onions In A Pressure Cooker?
Due to the amount of time needed to properly caramelize onions on the stove top, french onion soup is not a recipe I would normally make during the week. This all changed though with the appearance of the Instant Pot in my kitchen.
By cooking sliced onions in a pressure cooker, (in this case the Instant Pot), you can drastically reduce the amount of time needed to caramelize the onions. In this case, the caramelized onions are done in just 35 minutes when cooked on 'manual > high' in the Instant Pot.
The high pressure helps break down the onion, while at the same time caramelizing the natural sugars. Since the lid is sealed, and no liquid can escape, you don't have to worry about the onions burning in the pot.
Instant Pot French Onion Soup Ingredients
Making this Instant Pot French onion soup happens in two parts. First, we need to caramelize the onions.
You'll need:
For The Soup
- Instant Pot
- 6 large Spanish onions peeled and roughly julienned
- 4 large cloves of fresh garlic chopped
- 1 bay leaf
- ¼ teaspoon dry thyme
- ¼ teaspoon dry basil
- ¼ teaspoon dry oregano
- ⅛th teaspoon salt
- 2 tablespoon clarified butter
- 4 liters of beef broth
- ½ cup dry red wine
For The Topping - Note: The French Onion Soup is easily kept gluten free and lactose free by using diet appropriate toppings!
- French baguette, thickly sliced
- 4 cups shredded cheddar cheese
Instructions
- To reduce cooking time and make the best use of your time, multitask and pre-heat the Instant Pot while cutting the onions. Press the 'saute' button, and then 'adjust' to switch the heat to high. While the pot heats up, peel and cut the onions as shown in the picture below.
- Add the clarified butter, (or oil) to the hot Instant Pot, and then add the rough cut onions. I use clarified butter instead of whole butter so that it does not burn when it hits the hot surface of the pot. Instead of using clarified butter, you could also use oil. Saute the onions in the pot for ten minutes, just to coat the onions in the fat and get them to start releasing some liquid.
- Turn off the Instant Pot, and add the chopped garlic cloves, bay leaf, and salt to the Instant Pot. Lock the lid in place, and set the pot to cook on 'High' (manual setting) for 30 minutes.
- After the Instant Pot beeps signaling the 30 minutes of pressure cooking are over, quickly release the lid. Be careful not to burn yourself as the hot steam releases! If using a smaller size model of the Instant Pot the onions may have some liquid in them. Turn the pot to saute to cook the water and brown the onions.
Tip: Use a dry dish cloth when moving the pressure release valve to "venting" to reduce the chances of getting burned. - Chef Markus
- Add the beef broth, red wine, remaining herbs, and pepper. Simmer on low for 10 minutes and then re-season with salt and pepper!
- Portion the French Onion Soup into individual oven safe bowls, top with the crostinis, and cheese, and then broil in the oven until melted and bubbly. About 3- 5 minutes.
The Instant Pot French onion soup can either be served right away or easily be stored in the fridge for up to a week. When ready to serve, heat the French onion soup in a pot (if it is in the fridge), and pour the soup into ceramic or heatproof stoneware bowls. Top the soup with some homemade crostinis, and then top with a generous handful of shredded cheese. Cheddar cheese will do just fine, but I would recommend using a cheese that has some sharpness to it such as Gruyere or aged Beemster. Place the filled bowl of French onion soup on a baking sheet (to catch spillage), and bake the soup in a 375F oven until the cheese is melted and slightly browned!
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Recipe
French Onion Soup (Made Easier In The Instant Pot)
Equipment
Ingredients
French Onion Soup Base
- 6 large Spanish onions peeled and roughly julienned
- 4 large cloves of fresh garlic chopped
- 1 bay leaf
- ¼ teaspoon dry thyme
- ¼ teaspoon dry basil
- ¼ teaspoon dry oregano
- ⅛ tspsalt salt
- 2 tablespoon clarified butter
- 4 liters beef broth
- ½ cup dry red wine
For the Topping
- Baguette cut into slices
- 4 cups of shredded cheese
Instructions
- Preheat the Instant Pot by pressing 'saute' and then 'adjust' to turn the heat to high.
- As the pot heats up, thickly julienne the onions, and chop the garlic.
- Sautee the julienne onions & chopped garlic in some clarified butter or oil in the hot Instant Pot for 10 minutes, just to slightly soften them.
- Add the bay leaf, and salt, to the pot. Close and latch the lid on the Instant Pot with the vent switch pointing to 'sealed'.
- Switch the program to 'manual' and set the time to 30 minutes.
- Once the onions have caramelized and the Instant Pot beeps, release the pressure using the instant release method.
- If the onions have a lot of liquid in them, use the saute function to cook of the liquid and brown the onions. This may occur if using a smaller size model of the Instant Pot.
- Add the remaining ingredients to the Instant Pot and switch the program to sautee. "Adjust' the heat to LOW. Simmer the French onion soup for 10 minutes.
- To serve pour the french onion soup into heat proof bowls, top with fresh cut baguette and shredded cheese.
- Bake in a 375F oven until the cheese is golden brown.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition info is auto-generated. This information is an estimate; if you are on a special diet, please use your own calculations.
This post contains affiliate links for which I may be compensated if a purchase is made through the links provided. For more information please read my affiliate disclosure.
Amanda
When you are freezing it, do you put bread on top or do your freeze the soup first and add bread on top ? Or wait until you are going to eat it and use the bread the day of ?
Chef Markus Mueller
Hi Amanda, when freezing the Instant pot French Onion Soup, freeze only the soup itself. The bread and cheese topping are always added last minute right before serving. So after freezing you would thaw the soup, heat it until boiling, then pour the hot soup into bowls, top with the bread and cheese, broil to melt the cheese and then serve. Hope that helps!
Amy
Where did you find the soup pots? They’re perfect!
Chef Markus Mueller
Hey Amy, I actually found the bowls at Homesense! They are a great pair of bowls!
Karen
Going to try it now but 4 litres is a lot more liquid than other recipes call for. Just confirming the amount
Chef Markus Mueller
Hi Karen
The amount is correct. You'll notice that my recipe uses twice as much onion a as the other recipes: 6 large Spanish onion( 1 large Spanish onion, about the size of a grapefruit is about 16oz)
Hope you enjoy the recipe!
Eileen
What a great idea to caramelize the onions that way but don't you need to add a little water to the onions when cooking in the pressure cooker?
Chef Markus Mueller
Usually you do. I found that if I add water to the onions in my Ip -Lux80 that the onions don't caramelize and just get mushy and watery. Different models heat differently though, so you can add a tiny splash of water if you want to ensure it wont burn
Lizzy
Caramelized onions in 35 minutes?! I must get myself and Instant Pot now!! I think I would be caramelizing onions all the time 🙂
Kristen
French onion soup is my actual favorite. I will have it anytime, but especially love it on a cold winter day.
Vanessa | Zest & Simmer
Having fallen in love with my instant pot, I am always looking for new recipes to use it and this is definitely going on the list! I adore French onion soup!
Chef Markus Mueller
Fantastic! It's a great recipe for the IP and makes cooking a batch so much easier!
Jo Vanderwolf
We are huge fans of French onion soup around here. I would have never thought to make it in the instant pot. You have convinced me to give it a try! 🙂 Your pics are making me drool.
Elaine
I love my Instant Pot---but only for certain recipes! Caramelizing onions in it is a brilliant idea! This recipe is drool-worthy!
Marilynn
I made this today, but substituted vermouth because had no wine. Absolutely delicious! Best I ever had and my husband had two bowls of it. Thank you so much.
Markus Mueller
Fantastic! I'm glad you both enjoyed it! Tag me on social media (@earthfoodandfire) I'd love to see pics of your soup!
Karen
Can the wine be exchanged for water?
Markus Mueller
It certainly can be Karen! Tue resulting broth just may not be as flavorful. You could also add a dash of vinegar to add a little acid to the broth and bring out the flavors. Not a lot though!
Lisa
Looks amazing and ready to go get some butter and cheese. My question is this, "I thought the caramelization of the onions is what makes this dish." If one has plenty of time and caramelizes the onions and then moves forward with the rest of the steps, does it change the flavor? Thank you
Markus Mueller
Hi Lisa, You are right, the caramelization is what makes the Onion Soup so tasty! You can of course caramelize the onions the traditional way in a pot on the stove, though depending on how many onions you are caramelizing, this can take quite a while! The Instant Pot lets you caramelize the onions in just half an hour by cooking the onions at high temperature while under pressure. Cooking under pressure speeds up cooking times. If you prefer to cook the onions in a pot on the stove though, that works just as well with the remaining steps in this recipe!