Halal-conscious recipe
French onion soup without wine
Slow-caramelised onion soup made with Halal beef stock in place of the white wine, topped with toast and melted cheese whose rennet you have checked.
Each method follows published technique for the dish, and every Halal substitution is checked against the ingredient pages we cite. Photographs come from our ingredient library rather than the finished dish.
Why Halal checks matter here
French onion soup is usually deglazed with white wine, the beef stock is only Halal if the beef was, and the Gruyère on top is a rennet check.
French onion soup is mostly patience: a kilo of onions cooked slowly in butter until they turn deep brown and sweet, then simmered in beef stock and finished under toast and melted cheese. BBC Good Food's version adds 250 ml of dry white wine once the onions are done; this one adds the same amount of extra stock, and the caramelised onions carry the flavour.
The other two checks are the stock and the cheese. Beef stock is only Halal if the beef was, so use a Halal-certified stock or cube (see stock cubes). And the cheese on top should name microbial, vegetable or Halal-certified rennet (see cheese).
Don't rush the caramelising: the full 30 minutes is what gives the soup its colour and depth, and a strongly flavoured stock matters more here than in most soups.
Halal-critical ingredients
- Dry white wine The original adds 250 ml of white wine to the onions. Simmering it does not make it Halal on this site. Use more Halal beef stock, as here. See Wine.
- Beef stock Beef stock is only Halal when the beef was slaughtered the Halal way, and the soup uses 1.3 litres. Use Halal-certified stock or cubes. See Stock cubes.
- Gruyère Cheese can be made with animal rennet, and scholars differ on rennet from animals not slaughtered the Halal way. Choose a cheese that names microbial, vegetable or Halal-certified rennet. See Cheese.
Safe substitutes
- Dry white wine → The same amount of Halal beef stock
- Gruyère with animal rennet → A melting cheese with microbial, vegetable or Halal-certified rennet
Allergens
gluten (flour, baguette), milk (butter, cheese)
Ingredients
Soup
- 50 g (3½ tbsp) butter
- 15 ml (1 tbsp) olive oil
- 1 kg (2 lb 4 oz) onions, halved and thinly sliced
- 1 tsp sugar
- 4 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
- 2 tbsp plain flour
- 250 ml (1 cup + 1 tbsp) hot Halal beef stock, in place of the white wine
- 1.3 litres (5½ cups) hot, strongly flavoured Halal beef stock
To serve
- 4–8 baguette slices, depending on size
- 140 g (1½ cups) Gruyère or similar cheese with microbial, vegetable or Halal-certified rennet, finely grated
Method
- Soften the onions. Melt the butter with the oil in a large heavy pan. Add the onions and cook with the lid on for 10 minutes until soft.
- Caramelise. Sprinkle in the sugar and cook for 20 minutes more, stirring often, until the onions are deep golden and soft. Watch them towards the end so they don't burn.
- Add the stock. Add the garlic for the last few minutes, then stir in the flour. Turn up the heat and keep stirring as you add the first 250 ml of stock (where the original adds white wine), then the rest of the stock. Cover and simmer for 15 to 20 minutes.
- Top and grill. Heat the grill and toast the bread. Ladle the soup into heatproof bowls, put a slice or two of toast on each, pile on the cheese and grill until melted.
How this recipe was researched
Method adapted from BBC Good Food's 'French onion soup' (1 kg onions softened in butter and oil, caramelised with a little sugar for 20 minutes, garlic and flour, then 250 ml dry white wine and 1.3 litres beef stock simmered 15 to 20 minutes, served under toasted baguette and grilled Gruyère). We replaced the wine with more Halal beef stock and specified Halal stock and a cheese with microbial, vegetable or Halal-certified rennet. Timings follow the published technique rather than a kitchen test.
Technique and ingredient sources
-
French onion soup — BBC Good Food
Retrieved:
Serves 4: 50 g butter, olive oil, 1 kg onions, sugar, garlic, 2 tbsp flour, 250 ml dry white wine, 1.3 litres beef stock, baguette, 140 g Gruyère; caramelised 30 minutes, simmered 15 to 20. We replaced the wine with Halal beef stock.
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Stock cubes analysis — isithalal.food
Retrieved:
Which stock cubes contain beef fat or chicken, and how to read them.