Pressure-Cooker French Onion Soup

Pressure-cooker French onion soup is an update on an old recipe. Classic French onion soup has been in existence for a few hundred years, although the concept of boiling onions for soup has been around even longer. The exact origins of French onion soup are unknown, but various theories have it first appearing in the years before the French Revolution, with different members of the French court credited for its introduction to wider society.

French onion soup takes a long time to make, although fans will say it’s worth it. If you don’t want to spend that much time cooking it though, this is the recipe for you. This is a pressure-cooked version that takes less than half an hour to make and doesn’t require any fancy ingredients to complete. You might need to buy more onions, because you’ll need a few pounds worth, but you may already have everything else you need in your pantry.

Pressure-Cooker French Onion Soup Ingredients

• Butter: Butter serves as the initial cooking fat. It also gives the vegetables and the soup as a whole a rich, buttery flavor.
• Onions: These are the main ingredient of the soup. You’ll use a lot of onions, but they’ll cook down. Remember to slice them thin so they don’t take too long to soften and caramelize.
• Garlic: Garlic adds that wonderful garlic flavor; mince it first to get the most flavor out of each clove.
• Sugar: Sugar helps with caramelization.
• Beef and chicken stock: You’ll combine beef and chicken stock in this recipe; each has its vocal fans, so using both provides the best of both worlds.
• White wine: Wine lends an acidic flavor to counter the sweetness of the onions and sugar.
• Salad croutons (optional): These are optional, but they do provide a nice, crunchy contrast to the rest of the soup if you’re not adding the traditional bread on top.
• Parmesan cheese (optional): Also optional, a little Parmesan adds that umami flavor and creates a top layer of melty cheese.

Directions

Step 1: Combine the ingredients and pressure-cook the soup

On a 6-quart pressure cooker, select the saute setting and set the temperature to medium heat. Add the butter, then the onion, and cook, stirring, for six to eight minutes, until the onions are tender. Add the minced garlic and sugar, and cook for another six minutes. Add the chicken stock, beef stock, wine and salt, and stir to mix it all together. Hit cancel, lock the lid and close the pressure-release valve. Adjust the settings to pressure-cook on high for eight minutes.

Step 2: Release the pressure and garnish the soup

Let the pressure release naturally for three minutes, then quick-release any remaining pressure. Serve the soup, garnished with croutons and Parmesan cheese, if you like.

Pressure-Cooker French Onion Soup Variations

• Go traditional with a baguette and more cheese: If you want to try a more traditional French onion soup, ladle the finished soup into broiler-safe bowls (don’t add croutons and Parmesan), top each with a slice from a baguette, then top that with grated cheese. Use either Gruyere or a mix of mozzarella and Parmesan. Place the bowls on a baking sheet and broil for no more than three minutes.
• Try red wine: White wine is usually the winner in debates about which to use. However, if you want to give red wine a try, you certainly can. The flavor will be more intense, and you may want to look for a less acidic wine, such as merlot.
• Use a nonalcoholic substitute: If you or someone you’re serving this to doesn’t drink alcohol, you can use a nonalcoholic substitute. However, you’ll need to do some testing, as the “right” substitute seems to be a matter of preference. White wine vinegar or red wine vinegar are popular choices, as is Concord grape juice.

How to Store Pressure-Cooker French Onion Soup

You can store this soup in the refrigerator or freezer, but you have to remove the croutons first. If you leave those in, they’ll continue to absorb soup and become gummy and soft. They won’t reheat well, either. So, either before adding the croutons, or after you’ve removed the crouton layer, place the soup in an airtight container. If you’re freezing the soup, the container needs to be freezer-safe. Use leftover refrigerated soup within three to four days, and use leftover frozen soup within two to three months.

How do you reheat pressure-cooker French onion soup?

Add the leftover soup to a pot and bring it to a boil. If you want the bread-and-cheese topping, place the soup in a broiler-safe container, place that on a baking sheet, top the soup with the croutons and cheese, and broil for a couple of minutes.

Pressure-Cooker French Onion Soup Tips

How much of the alcohol will burn off?

Not a whole lot. Cooking does cause alcohol to burn off, but it’s not a fast process. You’d need at least three hours to burn off all the alcohol in a dish, and the wine here is cooked for only eight minutes. The majority of the alcohol is likely still present. If you’re serving this to someone who can’t have alcohol, be it for religious, medical or legal reasons, don’t assume that a little alcohol will be OK. Use a nonalcoholic substitute instead.

How do you avoid crying when chopping several onions?

For this recipe, you’ll need to chop up 3 pounds of onions, which is no small feat, even if the onions are heavy and you don’t have to chop up that many. You may want to look into getting onion goggles. Regarding the other home remedies for avoiding crying when cutting onions, such as placing a slice of bread in your mouth, you can try those, but people tend to have mixed results with them.

How does using medium heat instead of low heat to cook the onions change the recipe?

The onions may cook faster and dry out more quickly, as any moisture that seeps out will evaporate a little more quickly. Onions for French onion soup are usually cooked over low heat for a long time, but you’re cooking these over medium heat for a few minutes. Keep stirring them as they cook to reduce the risk of them sticking to the bottom of the pressure-cooker.