French Onion Beef Stew
, Updated Nov 23, 2025
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French Onion Beef Stew combines the heartiness of rich beef stew with the delicious caramelized onions and cheesy bread topping of French onion soup. This insanely delicious culinary mash-up is well worth the effort – probably be the tastiest stew you will ever make!
👉 If you love this French classic, make sure to check out my French Onion Pasta and French Onion Chicken recipes!
If you love French Onion Soup and adore beef dishes then you are in the right place! This French Onion Beef Stew brings together all the elements of the French classic but adds beef to create a hearty stew. It’s basically the comfort food of my dreams and I am so glad to finally share the recipe!
This is a slow-cooked stew that requires a bit of work so I usually make this recipe only on weekends or whenever we have friends over. But I love taking the time to properly caramelize the onions – they are the key to adding layers upon layers of flavor to this dish, making it taste luxuriously rich and delicious.
Apart from the onions you must also properly brown the beef cubes – which has to to be done in batches as they need some space in the skillet to get that golden-brown crust. The resulting “browned bits” (known as the fond in culinary terms) stuck to the pan are the other secret weapon in this recipe. But enough chit-chat – let’s get down to business, shall we?
French Onion Beef Stew Ingredients
- Beef – we need to use a cut suitable to long slow cooking braising steak or chuck steak. Luckily that’s an economical option as well!
- Salt and pepper to season.
- Olive oil and butter.
- Wine – white wine, Marsala or sherry.
- Onions – I need to warn you there’s A LOT of onions in this recipe. The amount will seem excessive when you slice them, but they will cook down as you sweat them. A mandoline will speed up the process of slicing them (but please be super careful when using one!).
- A little sugar – helps to caramelize the onions but you can skip it if you prefer.
- Garlic – fresh minced garlic.
- Dijon mustard and Worcester sauce for flavor. You can also add a little tomato paste, for color mostly.
- A little flour to thicken our stew.
- Beef broth – good quality beef broth or the Knorr Rich Beef stockpot to make stock.
- Bay leaves and fresh thyme.
- Baguette or other crusty bread for topping the stew.
- Gruyere and Parmesan for gooey cheesy goodness!
How to Make French Onion Beef Stew
Slice the onions
- Cut the top end of the onions but keep the root end intact. Peel the skin off and cut the onion in half without slicing all the way through (the root should keep the two halves of the onion together).
- Use a mandoline or sharp knife to thinly slice the onions (apologies as this will likely cause a few tears… unless you are wearing contact lenses!).
Sear the beef
- Cut the beef into cubes and pat dry with paper towels. Season liberally with coarse sea salt and freshly ground pepper.
- Heat the olive oil in a large casserole dish or Dutch oven. Sear the beef over high heat, in batches to avoid overcrowding, until properly browned and set aside. You might need to use a splatter guard here.
- Deglaze the pan with wine, scraping the browned bits stuck to the pan loose with your spoon. Simmer for a few minutes so they wine cooks down and is almost evaporated.
Prepare the bread
- Preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C). Slice the bread and discard the ends. Brush with olive oil and place on a baking tray. Toast in the oven for 15 minutes, turning over halfway, until the bread is golden. Set the bread aside, for now.
Caramelize the onions
- Add butter to the pan and melt. Add all the sliced onions, a good pinch salt and the sugar and cook over relatively high heat, stirring often, until they start to brown.
- Add the minced garlic, thyme and wine and reduce the heat. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 20-30 minutes or until the onions are soft and caramelized. Reserve a few spoonfuls of the onions in a small bowl.
Cook the stew
- Reduce the oven temperature to 320°F (160°F). Stir the Worcester sauce, mustard and flour then add the beef broth. Bring to a simmer and return the browned beef and any juices to the pan.
- Add the bay leaves, cover the pot and transfer to the oven for 90 minutes, or until the beef is very tender. Discard the bay leaves and have a taste of the gravy to check if you need to adjust the seasoning.
Finishing touches
- Spread the toasted bread with Dijon mustard and pile with the Gruyere and grated Parmesan. Divide the beef stew between six ovenproof bowls and top with the bread slices to cover.
- Add some extra cheese for good measure and place the broiler (grill) for a few minutes, until the cheese melts and starts to brown (keep a close eye on the cheese as it can easily burn). Scatter with the reserved caramelized onions before serving and prepare for everyone to congratulate you on this amazing meal!
Recipe Tips
- Drop the oven temperature by 15-20 degrees if you are using a fan-forced oven.
- You can toast the bread slices in an air fryer if you prefer – air fry for 10 minutes at 350°F (180°C), turning over halfway. You can likewise melt the cheese on the assembled French Onion Beef Stew bowls in the air fryer. Crank up the heat to the highest and air fry for 3-4 minutes, keeping a close eye on the cheese.
- For epic cheese pulls, pile extra cheese on the bread before melting 🙂
- You can use yellow onions or sweet Vidalia onions or even a combination of yellow and red onions.
- Traditional French Onion soup uses both white wine and brandy. I used dry Marsala here as it sort bridges the gap between the two.
- The stew will keep for 2-3 days in the fridge, without the bread topping. You can also freeze it for up to three months.
- Serve the stew with the cheesy bread slices on the side if preferred.
Related Recipes
HAVE YOU MADE MY FRENCH ONION BEEF STEW RECIPE? Please leave a rating, post a photo on my Facebook page, share it on Instagram, or save it to Pinterest with the tag #supergoldenbakes and make my day! If you have any questions, message me on Instagram and I will do my best to answer them quickly.
French Onion Beef Stew
French Onion Beef Stew combines the heartiness of rich beef stew with the delicious caramelized onions and crusty cheesy bread topping of French onion soup. This insanely delicious culinary mash-up is well worth the effort – it may well be the tastiest stew you will ever make!
Video
Equipment
Ingredients
For the beef stew
- 1 ½ lbs (1.4 kg) chuck steak , cubed
- 2 tsp coarse sea salt
- 1 tsp black pepper
- 2-3 tbsp olive oil , or as needed
- ½ cup (120ml) dry Marsala , divided
- 2 tbsp unsalted butter
- 5 large onions
- large pinch salt
- 1 tsp brown sugar
- 1 tbsp fresh thyme
- 4 garlic cloves , minced
- 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
- 2 tsp Dijon mustard , or more to taste
- 1 tbsp tomato paste (optional)
- 1 tbsp flour
- 2½ cups (620ml) beef broth (stock)
- 2 bay leaves
For the cheesy bread topping
- 1 white baguette , sliced
- olive oil as needed , to brush on the bread
- 2 tbsp Dijon mustard , or as needed
- 1 ½ cups (150g) Gruyere cheese , coarsely grated
- 3 tbsp Parmesan cheese , freshly grated
- ½ tbsp fresh thyme , to garnish
Instructions
Slice the onions
- Cut the top end of the onions but keep the root end intact. Peel the skin off and cut the onion in half without slicing all the way through (the root should keep the onion together).5 large onions
- Use a mandoline or sharp knife to thinly slice the onions (apologies as this will likely cause a few tears… unless you are wearing contact lenses!).
Sear the beef
- Cut the beef into cubes and pat dry with paper towels. Season liberally with coarse sea salt and freshly ground pepper.1 ½ lbs (1.4 kg) chuck steak, 2 tsp coarse sea salt, 1 tsp black pepper
- Heat the olive oil in a large casserole dish or Dutch oven. Sear the beef over high heat, in batches, until properly browned and set aside.2-3 tbsp olive oil
- Deglaze the pan with ¼ cup (60ml) of the wine, scraping the browned bits stuck to the pan loose with your spoon. Simmer for a few minutes so they wine cooks down and is almost evaporated.½ cup (120ml) dry Marsala
Prepare the bread
- Preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C). Slice the bread and discard the ends. Brush with olive oil and place on a baking tray. Toast in the oven for 15 minutes, turning over halfway, until the bread is golden.1 white baguette, olive oil as needed
Caramelize the onions
- Add butter to the pan and melt. Add all the sliced onions, a good pinch salt and the sugar and cook over relatively high heat, stirring often, until they start to brown.large pinch salt, 1 tsp brown sugar, 2 tbsp unsalted butter
- Add the minced garlic, thyme and rest of the wine and reduce the heat. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 20-30 minutes or until the onions are really soft and caramelized. Reserve a few spoonfuls of the onions in a small bowl.4 garlic cloves, 1 tbsp fresh thyme
Cook in the oven
- Reduce the oven temperature to 320°F (160°F). Stir the Worcester sauce, mustard, tomato paste and flour then add the beef broth. Bring to a simmer and return the browned beef and any juices to the pan. Add the bay leaves, cover the pot and transfer to the oven for 90 minutes, or until the beef is very tender.1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce, 2 tsp Dijon mustard, 1 tbsp tomato paste, 1 tbsp flour, 2½ cups (620ml) beef broth , 2 bay leaves
- Discard the bay leaves and have a taste of the gravy to check if you need to adjust the seasoning.
Finishing touches
- Spread the toasted bread with Dijon mustard and pile with the Gruyere and grated Parmesan. Divide the beef stew between six ovenproof bowls and top with the bread slices to cover.2 tbsp Dijon mustard, 1 ½ cups (150g) Gruyere cheese, 3 tbsp Parmesan cheese
- Add any extra cheese on top for good measure and place the broiler (grill) for a few minutes, until the cheese melts and starts to brown (keep a close eye on the cheese as it can easily burn).
- Scatter with the thyme and reserved caramelized onions before serving and prepare for everyone to congratulate you on this amazing meal!½ tbsp fresh thyme
Notes
- Drop the oven temperature by 15-20 degrees if you are using a fan-forced oven.
- You can toast the bread slices in an air fryer if you prefer – air fry for 10 minutes at 350°F (180°C), turning over halfway. You can likewise melt the cheese on the assembled French Onion Beef Stew bowls in the air fryer. Crank up the heat to the highest and air fry for 3-4 minutes, keeping a close eye on the cheese.
- For epic cheese pulls, pile extra cheese on the bread before melting 🙂
- You can use yellow onions or sweet Vidalia onions or even a combination of yellow and red onions.
- Traditional French Onion soup uses both white wine and brandy. I used dry Marsala here as it sort bridges the gap between the two.
- The stew will keep for 2-3 days in the fridge, without the bread topping. You can also freeze it for up to three months.
- You can serve the stew with the cheesy bread slices on the side if preferred
Nutrition
Calories: 663kcal | Carbohydrates: 36g | Protein: 40g | Fat: 38g | Saturated Fat: 17g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 16g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 125mg | Sodium: 1682mg | Potassium: 885mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 8g | Vitamin A: 601IU | Vitamin C: 11mg | Calcium: 465mg | Iron: 5mg
Nutritional information is always approximate, and will depend on quality of ingredients and serving sizes.
I made a double batch of this and it’s PHENOMENAL! I split it with my (Cordon Bleu chef trained) daughter and we both loved it! Froze it in 2-quart tubs (I got 5) and will eat it on a cooler day here in Ohio. Thanks so much for this recipe!
I’m not good at following recipes, but this one I stuck pretty close to. I didn’t use bagette ( diff to get one where I am.) I used halved soft rolls. But overall it was excellent. I’ll do it again.
For those interested, I did a veggie version for my veggie wife….obviously no beef or beef stock. Replaced them with chunky veg and veg stock. Very well received.
Next time I might add baby whole onions or shallots ( as it’s basically an onion sauce) and button mushrooms in the veggie version.
That sounds great, thank you so much for your feedback!
Great recipe with excellent detailed instructions. We loved it and will be repeating this!
So glad to hear it Deb!
Outstanding! So rich and full of flavour with the most delicious deep gravy. I’ve made it now for the second time and am going to serve it on Boxing Day, it is that good! I cooked it in my Ninja pressure cooker for 30 minutes and it was fall apart deliciousness. Thank you Lucy for a recipe that will become one of my go to favourites.
Thanks very much Maria, glad to hear it turned out well!