Instant Pot French Onion Soup

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 stove top. 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

• 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 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

1. 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. Resist the urge to thinly slice the onions as they will shrink as they caramelize. Cutting the onions too thin will result in them completely disintegrating as they caramelize. - Chef Markus
2. 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.
3. Turn off the Instant Pot, add the chopped garlic cloves, bayleaf, and salt to the Instant Pot. Lock the lid in place, and set the pot to cook on 'High' (manual setting) for 30 minutes.
4. After the Instant Pot beeps signaling the 30 minutes of pressure cooking are over, quick 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 of 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

5. Add the beef broth, red wine, remaining herbs, and pepper. Simmer on low for 10 minutes and then re-season with salt and pepper!
6. Portion the French Onion Soup into individual oven safe bowls, top with the croustinis, 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 was in the fridge), and pour the soup into ceramic or heatproof stoneware bowls. Top the soup with some homemade croustinis, and then top with a generous handful of shredded cheese. Cheddar cheese will do just fine, but I would recommend using a cheese which 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)

Chef Markus Mueller | Earth, Food, and Fire

A classic soup full of sweet caramelized onions, rich beef broth, and topped with cheesy goodness, making restaurant quality French onion soup couldn't be easier then with this Instant Pot recipe.

4.86 from 7 votes

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Prep Time 15 minutes mins

Cook Time 50 minutes mins

Total Time 55 minutes mins

Course Soup

Cuisine French

Servings 6 servings

Calories 194.1 kcal

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Ingredients

  

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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

 

• Pre-heat 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 bayleaf, 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

Note: The French Onion Soup is easily kept gluten free and lactose free by using diet appropriate toppings!

Nutrition

Calories: 194.1kcal

Nutrition info is auto-generated. This information is an estimate; if you are on a special diet, please use your own calculations.

Keyword best french onion soup, best pressure cooker onion soup

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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.