isithalal.food · Recipes

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.

French · Main · Easy · 4 bowls · 70 min

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.

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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.

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.

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 (1 tsp) sugar
• 4 (4) garlic cloves, thinly sliced
• 2 tbsp (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 (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

1. 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.
2. 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.
3. 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.
4. 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.

Allergens

gluten (flour, baguette), milk (butter, cheese)

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.

Photograph from our ingredient library: French onion soup, not the finished dish.