A French Onion Grilled Cheese sandwich is more than just your average grilled cheese! It's filled with sweet caramelized onions on crispy, toasted bread with provolone and gruyere, which is often used to top a bowl of French onion soup. This recipe takes lunch or even dinner and turns it into a gourmet meal you'll want to enjoy on repeat.
Recipe Essentials
- 🍽️ Course: Lunch
- ⏱️ Cooking Time: 50 minutes
- 🍴 Servings: 4
- 🧄 Flavor Profile: Deep, savory caramelized onion sweetness with rich, melty Gruyère and buttery toasted bread.
- 🍚 Best Served With: Tomato soup, French onion soup, a simple green salad, or roasted veggies.
- 🧊 Make Ahead?: Yes, prepare onions in advance; assemble and grill just before serving for the best texture.
Summarize and Save This Content On
I like to make this recipe for grilled cheese with caramelized onions, not just to capture the French onion soup flavor, but to add depth and texture. The subtle sweetness balances the savory perfectly. It's one of my favorite sandwiches to make on a chilly day.
Some other melts you should try are this turkey melt and this juicy and cheesy chicken melt.
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Why You'll Love This Recipe
- It's easy yet gourmet: This is a simple recipe that feels like it should be served at a fancy restaurant. The flavor and texture are so impressive!
- It uses just a few ingredients: You don't need a long laundry list of items to make a stunning French onion soup sandwich.
- It's customizable: Get creative and make this recipe your own by switching up the bread and cheese used, or adding a different condiment to make it more bold and fun.
Ingredients
Below are the important ingredients needed to make a perfect caramelized onion grilled cheese. They can all be found at any local grocery store with ease.
- Onions: Yellow onions are preferred here because they develop a lovely natural sweetness when they caramelize, which complements the other savory ingredients. Slice them thinly so they cook down better and faster!
- Cooking wine: I like to use Sherry cooking wine for this recipe because it's the perfect balance of sweet and savory, and adds similar notes as regular Sherry wine.
- Thyme: To get that classic French onion flavor, fresh thyme is a must. It infuses a fresh herbal flavor into the caramelized onions. Dried thyme can be used in a pinch, but fresh is always better.
- Bread: I enjoy a country-style bread for this French onion sandwich recipe. Sourdough is my favorite as it has a lovely chew and gets nice and crispy.
- Mayo: Spreading mayo on both sides of every slice of bread adds richness to the grilled cheese sandwiches and helps the bread to get a lovely golden color and crunch.
- Cheese: The combination of provolone and gruyere gives you a gooey grilled cheese sandwich. The sharpness of the provolone and the nuttiness of the gruyere add that classic French onion soup flavor, too.
See the recipe card below for exact ingredient amounts, nutritional information, and detailed instructions.
Variations
- Add bacon: Throw a couple of slices of bacon onto your French onion melt for saltiness and crispiness.
- BBQ: Drizzle some of your favorite BBQ sauce for a smoky flavor and complements the onions.
- Add apples: Thin slices of apple add crunch and freshness to the sandwiches.
How to Make French Onion Grilled Cheese
These are the steps needed to prepare and cook your French onion grilled cheese sandwiches. Peel and slice your onions ahead of time so they are ready for you to cook them.
Step 1: Cook the onions. Heat a skillet over medium-low heat and add the butter and oil. Once hot, put the sliced onions in and cook them for 35-40 minutes or until they're soft and jammy.
Step 2: Add the wine and thyme. Now you can add the cooking wine and fresh thyme, and then let it cook down for 3-4 minutes, deglazing the pan.
Step 3: Prepare the bread. Spread mayo on both sides of each slice of bread.
Step 4: Top with onions. Divide the onions equally between the sandwiches.
Step 5: Add gruyere. Place the gruyere on top of the onions.
Step 6: Add provolone. Add a slice of provolone to each sandwich.
Step 7: Top with bread. Then, top the cheese with the second slice of bread.
Step 8: Brown the sandwiches. Cook your grilled cheese sandwiches over medium heat for about 3 minutes per side. Once golden, you may serve and enjoy!
Recipe Tips
- Bake the sandwiches: Instead of browning the grilled cheeses in a skillet, you can arrange them on a sheet pan and bake them instead. Bake them at 425 degrees for 10 minutes, flipping the sandwiches halfway.
- Don't crowd the pan: If you want to get a good crust on your caramelized onion sandwich, don't crowd the pan. Only brown 1-2 sandwiches at a time so the heat can be more evenly distributed.
- Use sturdy bread: Any bread you choose must be sturdy enough to hold the caramelized onions and gooey cheese without getting soggy.
If you love the flavors of traditional French onion soup, you'll enjoy this crockpot French onion chicken.
Storage Directions
- Storing: You can store your sandwiches in an airtight container or Ziploc bag for up to 3 days in the refrigerator. I don't recommend freezing them!
- Reheating: Reheat them gently in the air fryer at 400 degrees for 3 minutes per side or in a skillet over medium heat for 3-4 minutes per side.
Serving Suggestions
- Soup and a sandwich are one of my favorite combinations. Prepare a filling dinner or lunch with a side of roasted butternut squash soup or slow cooker tomato soup to accompany your grilled cheese.
- Enjoy a bright salad on the side instead! I enjoy this Greek pasta salad and mixed green salad.
- Try this grilled cheese recipe with garlic mayo instead of regular for even more flavor!
Recipe FAQs
The onions should reach a jammy consistency when they're done. If there's still extra moisture, this can cause the bread to become wet and soggy.
Allow the cheese enough time to start melting so it acts almost like a glue for the onions, so they stay in place. Flip carefully, too!
Just watch the heat and adjust it as needed. I find that medium heat gives them the perfect color in just a few minutes!
More Delicious Grilled Cheese Recipes
Do you like grilled cheese recipes? Here are some recipes you may also like to try.
If you try this recipe and love it please leave a star rating in the recipe card below or even better, drop a review in the comment section. I always appreciate your feedback. Be sure to follow along with me on Facebook, Pinterest, and YouTube for more easy recipes!
French Onion Grilled Cheese
Equipment
- Supplies:
Ingredients
- Ingredients -
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter softened and divided
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 large yellow onions thinly sliced
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ cup cooking wine
- 1 teaspoon fresh Thyme
- 8 slices country-style bread
- ¼ cup mayonnaise
- 4 slices Provolone cheese
- 4 ounces gruyere cheese sliced
Instructions
- Add butter and olive oil to a large skillet, melt over medium-low heat.
- Add onion slices and salt and cook stirring occasionally until jammy and golden brown, about 35-40 minutes.
- Add cooking wine and fresh thyme, use a wooden spoon to deglaze pan and continue heating for 3-4 minutes.
- Set aside and clean pan for next step.
- Arrange bread slices on a flat surface, and spread mayonnaise on both sides of each slice of bread then flip over.
- Divide caramelized onions evenly over 4 slices of bread.
- Divide gruyere evenly over onions,.
- Top gruyere with slice of provolone, then top with bread.
- Heat skillet over medium heat. Cook sandwiches 3 minutes on each side, flipping carefully. You may need to cook in batches.
- Cut in half and serve warm.
Notes
- Cook the onions until they reach a jam-like consistency. This will remove any excess moisture and keep them from making the bread soggy.
- Try baking the sandwiches in the oven instead of browning them in a skillet.
- Ensure that the bread you choose is sturdy enough to stand up to the ingredients. A thick country-style bread is best.
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