If you want to know whether that frozen French Onion Soup from Trader Joe’s is worth the parking lot rage, you’re in the right place. Brutally honest review of Trader Joe’s French Onion Soup below, plus an easy recipe dupe!
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One of the basic premises of Trader Joe’s appeals to me. There are few, if any, national (over-priced) brands at Trader Joe’s. That is cool.
Brands are what distinguish between the privileged and the plebes.
You know how you have to stand in line behind the woman flashing her 9.4-because-that-0.4-counts carat diamond ring and pulling Campbell’s, Chiquita, Contadina, Cheetos and Uncle Ben’s out of her cart and doesn’t need the savings of a keychain card, and right behind her on the black rubber conveyor belt of shame and embarrassment, behind the plastic customers’ grocery divider rod that feels as wide as two sets of train tracks, you, yes you with a stack of coupons and food stamps, start piling up “Condensed Soup,” “Beans,” “Cheese Puffs,” and “Rice,” but not “Tomatoes” because tomatoes are one thing for which you do have standards, and in fact, you never buy canned tomatoes anyway, and the only reason why a women sporting a real 9.4 ct diamond is doing her own grocery shopping is that her housekeeper missed the bus? You know?
Trader Joe’s House Brands
At Trader Joe’s, there is none of that “brand” shame. No, at Trader Joe’s, everyone is the same. You and Mark Cuban both buy Trader Joe’s Chimichurri Sauce. Let’s forget the fact that Mark Cuban has a full kitchen staff that will rub that chimichurri on beef from his own 2 million acre ranch in Argentina, and you will be stirring that chimichurri into a styrofoam cup of instant ramen to make it semi-homemade gaucho sopa de noodles.
I also love that there is this feeling of “elite” and “special” by shopping at Trader Joe’s even though it is dirt cheap.
However.
And this is a huge “however” that will get me excommunicated to for heresy.
There are lots of things about Trader Joe’s that irritate the sh*t out of me, so much so that I very rarely, if ever go there. I don’t see what the BFD about TJ’s is.
*blink blink*
Trader Joe’s Location Location Location
For one thing, Trader Joe’s is pretty far outside the radius of my life. The nearest Trader Joe’s to me is 3.2 miles away, while Ralphs Fresh Fare is 1.1 miles away, and Whole Foods is a mere 0.3 miles, or 51 seconds away (by car, obviously) from my house. And yes, I do realize that I have a very tight living radius. It’s as wide as my apartment. Of course, oftentimes, saving money is a key factor here, but when you’re cooking for a family of oh, you know, one, there is no such thing as saving anywhere, even Costco, unless you have a sugar daddy.
Let’s say I for some odd reason, I happen to be outside my living radius, in or around the area intersected by both Pico Boulevard and 32nd Street on the easternmost edge of Santa Monica and coincidentally had to do some grocery shopping.
Even if I wanted to go into the store, I couldn’t because it is both logistically and almost statistically impossible to park in the Trader Joes’ parking lot because there are a total of seven spaces and each one is as wide as a Big Wheel. So, if you trundle over to Trader Joe’s in a Big Wheel, you are so totally set (!) to go grocery shopping, otherwise, you will find yourself betting on what is known as the Parking Derby, in which cars circle around those seven spots until someone leaves, at which time the Parking Derby transforms into the Ultimate Fighting Championship and two opposing cars battle it out for the spot in between them.
Trader Joe’s Parking Lot is Parking Little
I think to myself, why? Why is it so difficult to build a parking lot with normal-sized spaces, and why must I take part in the Parking Derby? Why, Joe, Why?!?! This is a fucking grocery store!!! It’s not like this is opening day of the Mervyn’s 72 hour-sale.
Okay, I am okay. Because I could dedicate an entire blog with about 174 posts about parking alone, I will simply leave it at that. Parking at Trader Joe’s no matter which location it is, sucks.
The Organizational Economics of Trader Joe’s
Trader Joe’s stores are small, cramped, crowded, and it should be illegal for them to use regulation size grocery carts in those aisles that require that you have no personal space requirements whatsoever. When they start handing out free samples of grapes, you can forget about trying to maneuver you and your chuckwagon through the store because the entire customer population has Sample-dar and you will be like a very small salmon trying to swim up Niagara Falls if you go in the opposite direction.
If the free samples happen to be trail mix, it’s over.
So now you know. I am a slave to convenience and comfort when it comes to grocery shopping. Sure, I love the hustle and bustle of a farmers’ market. I love the charm of a tiny little Mom & Pop, but when it comes to everyday grocery shopping, I cannot handle the so-called “charm” of Trader Joe’s. Look, I am all about Economics, and have complete faith in the Hotelling Phenomenon.
I won’t even write about shrink-wrapped bell peppers at Trader Joe’s. That makes me so mad I can hardly type, and if I get started, I might explode.
Here comes another “however.” Smaller, though.
Trader Joe’s Frozen French Onion Soup
However, despite all the icky things about Trader Joe’s, I might find myself going there a little more often than before. Now that I have tried the frozen French Onion Soup, not just a literal taste, but a taste of how effin’ efficiently easy and convenient it is. I just might drive down Sepulveda Boulevard to National Boulevard, to go to CVS and pick up an aloe gel for my sensitive skin, just so that I can conveniently drop into Trader Joe’s, which shares the same corner with Long’s, just for that French Onion Soup that is frozen into a solid dark brown cylinder that could knock someone out if hurled with the right velocity.
I just might do that because when you place that frozen iceberg of beef broth, perfectly shaped as a cylinder, into an oven-proof bowl with frozen cheese confetti side up, then slide it into a preheated oven for 45 minutes, then remove the burbling bowls from the oven, you will feel like Julia and Jacques maybe didn’t make that soup from scratch for you right there in your kitchen, but you will at least feel like they unwrapped the package for you.
Trader Joe’s frozen French Onion Soup in vacuum packaging
Trader Joe’s French Onion Soup Review
The cheese didn’t melt completely into a smooze surface—that’s “smooth” and “ooze” for those uninitiated to The Delicious Life mashcabulary, but it did melt, and it most certainly crusted into a deep dark San Tropez crust around the edges of the uppermost layer. I should have let the soup cool to human-tolerant temperatures, but I couldn’t. Who has patience to cool when faced with melted, crusted cheese?!?! Spoon in a death grip, I sunk it straight into the cheese, which tried bending, heaving, resisting the insistence, before finally breaking to the urgency.
It is no surprise that the 350° broth burnt every internal surface of my mouth. It was a surprise, though, that there was also a tiny piece of toast in the bottom of the bowl that I had not seen in the broth-bergs’ cryo state. The toast had soaked up the soup for those 45 minutes and had rendered it into a tenuous carbohydrate cloud that would eventually disintegrate with nothing more than a gentle press against the roof of my mouth with my tongue.
Normally, onions in French onion soup are sliced latitudinally into thin rings, and you know how I feel about the only correct direction in which onions are cut, but these had been sliced longitudinally. They were much easier to eat, since the onions didn’t hang in sloppy loops from the spoon, dripping broth onto the table on the way from bowl to mouth, but still, I am not sure how I feel about Trader Joe so brazenly going against tradition. Brazen! Then again, the soup was frozen to begin with, duh.
Trader Joe’s French Onion Soup in oven-safe ramekins
Trader Joe’s Frozen French Onion Soup Ingredients
These are the ingredients listed on the label of Trader Joe’s French Onion Soup; there are a LOT:
Vegetable soup base (water, cooked vegetables [onion, carrot, celery], seasonings [yeast extract, sea salt, spices, vegetable oil], salt, natural flavors [sunflower oil, natural flavors, canola oil, natural extractives of carrot], sunflower oil, onion powder, sugar cane, brown sugar, canola oil, roasted malted barley, cellulose gum, garlic, spices), Swiss cheese (milk, salt, bacterial culture, microbial enzyme, calcium chloride, cellulose), crouton (enriched flour [wheat flour, niacin, reduced iron, thiamine mononitrate, riboflavin, folic acid], sugar, sunflower oil, yeast, salt, ascorbic acid, may contain sesame and soy).
I think I counted 27 separate ingredients, some of which you don’t normally include in version you’d make at home like “cellulose gum.” You know how I feel about store-bought processed foods that have too many ingredients.
HOWEVER. The ingredient that the Trader Joe’s Frozen French Onion Soup is free from is time. Because if/when you actually make French Onion Soup from scratch, it takes an extraordinary amount of time to 1) caramelize the onions and 2) wash the 47 pots, pans, utensils, and otherwise you had to dirty to make the soup.
Conclusion and Recommendation
Conclusion: 6/10. The Trader Joe’s French Onion soup TASTES okay for the trade-off that making it at home requires a LOT of time, and if I happen to have braved the parking little for other products, I might add one to the cart.
Recommendation: Make Vegetarian French Onion Soup yourself, double the batch, freeze the extra into your own instant Frozen French Onion Soup!
If you have it in you to make the soup yourself, grab these ingredients while you’re at Trader Joe’s, and if you happen to throw the frozen version into your cart “just in case,” I won’t hate. At least not to your face.
Ingredients You Need for French Onion Soup
Only 10, not the 27+ in the frozen Trader Joe’s store-bought soup!
onions, 3 pounds or 4-5 large onions sliced
garlic, 4-5 cloves minced
bay leaf, parsley and thyme
mushroom stock, 2 quarts
white wine, 1 cup
apple cider vinegar, 1 tablespoon
tamari or soy sauce, 1 tablespoon
avocado oil, 4 tablespoons
sea salt 1 teaspoon, black pepper optional
baguette, 4- 8 slices
Gruyère cheese or other Swiss cheese, 1 cup shredded
What Kind of Onions are Best for Caramelizing into French Onion Soup?
I use basic brown-skinned yellow onion that you can buy in any grocery store.
Onions come in a wide range of varieties and colors, though, so use whatever kind you like from white onions, which have the mildest flavor, to red, which have a sharper flavor and will give the soup and even deeper darker color. The one type of onion i would avoid is any variety labeled “sweet” which might not give you enough of that onion-y pop in flavor.
Additional Ingredients Notes and Resources
Mushroom Stock. I make my own Mushroom Stock with dried mushrooms, and stems and pieces of fresh mushrooms you usually cut off and discard. For store-bought, this is a good, organic one that only has water, mushrooms, garlic and salt as ingredients. If you can’t find Mushroom Stock, a very good, rich, roasted vegetable stock will work in this recipe, too.
Herbs. You can use either fresh or dried bay, parsley and thyme, or a combination of both. If you have access to fresh herbs, tie together 3-4 sprigs of each of bay leaf, parsley, and thyme with kitchen twine into a “bouquet.” In the the winter when fresh herbs are a little harder to come by, use 1 teaspoon each of dried versions of the herbs.
White Wine. Crisp, dry white wine like Sauvignon Blanc or an unoaked Chardonnay works best for cooking. Open a bottle you want to drink, measure a cup of it for the soup, and drink the rest while caramelizing the onions. I am currently having a love affair with this California Sauvignon Blanc. This Sauvignon Blanc is a little pricier so I wouldn’t necessarily want to donate a cup of it to a soup, but then again…
Apple Cider Vinegar. Acid helps taste-balance the sweetness from the caramelized onions, and the funk from the vinegar fermentation adds umami. This is the organic, raw unfiltered apple cider vinegar brand I use.
Tamari. Tamari is a Japanese-style soy sauce that is made without wheat so it is gluten-free. This is the organic brand I use (links to a six-pack!). Most regular soy sauces are brewed with wheat so if you’re ok eating wheat, you can use regular soy sauce.
Salt. I use this Kosher salt.
All other vegetables, herbs and produce I get from the the regular grocery store.
easy homemade vegetarian French Onion Soup
How to Make French Onion Soup
Here is how to make Vegetarian French Onion Soup:
If you haven’t already, peel and cut onions into ¼-inch slices. My personal preference is to slice lengthwise, but cross-wise is fine too.
Heat 4 tablespoons avocado oil in a heavy Dutch oven or other large heavy-bottom pot over medium-low heat. Add sliced onions along with 1 teaspoon sea salt and sauté until onions are translucent, about 15 minutes.
Reduce heat to low. Add chopped garlic and cook until onions are deep golden brown, about 45 minutes.
Pour 1 cup white wine and simmer for about 5 minutes, stirring to scrape up any caramelized browned bits of onion stuck to the bottom of the pot.
Pour in 2 quarts mushroom stock, 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar, 1 tablespoon tamari, and fresh herbs. Bring to a gentle boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes.
Taste and if the soup needs it, add salt a pinch at a time. Remove bay leaf, parsley and thyme sprigs.
Pro-tip: Make double, triple, or even quadruple the amount of caramelized onions, whatever will fit into your pot, because if you’re going to spend the time to caramelize onions, you might as well do it all at once. Use what you need for this French Onion Soup recipe, and save/freeze/use the rest for later, so you don’t have to spend another 45-60 minutes caramelizing onions!
Make French Onion Soup Bowls
Preheat broiler and move an oven rack to the top.
Ladle French Onion Soup into oven-safe serving bowls or ramekins. Place bowls onto a baking sheet
Top each bowl with a slice of toasted bread and sprinkle each toast with about ¼ cup shredded cheese.
Set baking sheet with bowls under broiler until cheese melts and browned bubbly in some spots, 3-5 minutes.
Remove soup bowls from oven. Garnish with chopped fresh herbs like parsley and/or thyme. Serve, with a warning that it’s very very hot!
If you don’t have oven-safe bowls or a broiler for French Onion Soup
Make the toasts separate. Toast slices of bread, top with shredded cheese, and melt in a toaster oven or air fryer. Serve alongside the soup in bowls.
Advance Prep, Leftovers, and Storage
Make a huge pot of French Onion Soup in advance then store and/or freeze in single serving containers to thaw and eat all through soup season.
How Long Can You Keep French Onion Soup in the Refrigerator? You can store leftover French Onion Soup in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to five days. Re-heat in a pot on the stovetop, and proceed with broiler instructions.
How Long Can You Freeze French Onion Soup? You can freeze French Onion Soup in an airtight container or plastic zipper bags for six months. Re-heat in a pot on the stovetop with a splash or two of water or broth so the frozen soup doesn’t burn before thawing out.
Tools and Equipment
As I always say, you don’t need any special equipment to make Vegetarian French Onion Soup. You can simply use a knife and cutting board to slice the onions. However, that doesn’t mean there are a couple of gadgets and tools that might make it easier to get your French Onion Soup from board to bowl.
Oven-safe bowls. These are the cutest little cocottes that come in different colors for serving French Onion Soup, even with a little lid!
Ramekins. 8- to 10-ounce ramekins are a good size, making sure you don’t “over-serve” and these come in a few colors beyond just white. These are simple ramekins that have smooth sides, which I love.
Stock Pot. I use a very large stock pot by this cookware company. It has a heavy bottom and easy-to-hold handles. Any large pot that fits the ingredients will do.
Dutch Oven. If you’d like to make the investment into a Dutch oven, this large oval Dutch oven is the one I use all the time.
Chef’s Knife. This is my workhorse chef’s knife, slightly more pricey than others, but definitely worth it. I have had it for more than 10 years and use it every day.
Onion Goggles. There are goggles specifically designed for use as “onion goggles” in the kitchen, but why not go ahead and get full-on professional grade safety goggles (amazon) or these that fit like glasses with legs (homedepot) that you can also use when you’re in the garage building a bookshelf or something.
Stainless steel tongs to fish out a bouquet garni or transfer larger ingredients between pots and bowls.
What to Serve with French Onion Soup
I am an executive member of the “Soup is a Meal” club, so I generally would serve the soup perfect as-is, with nothing more than the suggested garnishes. However, if French Onion Soup is a starter at your table, or you want to add something a little more, here are a few additional dishes that work particularly well with French Onion Soup:
French Onion Soup Dietary Considerations
As published, this recipe for Vegetarian French Onion Soup is:
vegetarian
vegan-adaptable if you use plant-based cheese
dairy-free if you use plant-based cheese
gluten-free adaptable when you make sure to use tamari which is gluten-free, not soy sauce which is brewed with wheat and therefore not gluten-free, and serve with gluten-free toast garnishes
refined sugar-free
FAQ
What kind of onions should I use for French Onion Soup?
No, you do not have to soak split peas before cooking like you have to do for dried beans. Split peas will cook until soft and broken down in about two hours.
How long can you store leftover French Onion Soup?
You can store leftover French Onion Soup in an airtight container in the refrigerator for three days, or in the freezer for two months.
Can you freeze French Onion Soup?
Yes! You can freeze French Onion Soup in an airtight container or plastic zipper bags for two months.
More Caramelized Onion Recipes
Sfincione, caramelized onion and anchovy focaccia
Pissaladière, French Provençal Onion and Anchovy Tart
Print Recipe
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French Onion Soup Recipe
Inspired by the ease of Trader Joe’s French Onion Soup, here’s a recipe for cozy, comforting Vegetarian French Onion Soup with more natural flavor and fewer un-pronounceable ingredients!
Prep Time10 minutes mins
Total Time1 hour hr 10 minutes mins
Course: Soup
Cuisine: American, French
Keyword: soup, trader joe’s
Servings: 4 -6 servings
Ingredients4 tablespoons avocado oil3 pounds onions, thinly sliced length-wise 4-5 onions, depending on each onion’s size1 teaspoon sea salt plus more to taste, probably up to a tablespoon4 cloves garlic, chopped1 cup dry white wine2 quarts mushroom or other rich vegetable stock1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar1 tablespoon tamari or soy sauce3 sprigs fresh thyme1 sprig parsley1 baguette, cut into ½-inch slices1½ cups grated Gruyere or other Swiss cheese
InstructionsMake French Onion Soup
Heat 4 tablespoons avocado oil in a heavy Dutch oven or other large heavy-bottom pot over medium-low heat.
Add sliced onions and 1 teaspoon salt, stir and cover, letting onions soften for 15 minutes.
Remove lid, stir in garlic, and cook, stirring regularly, until onions are deep golden brown, about 45-60 minutes more.
Once onions are caramelized, add wine. Increase the heat to medium and using a wooden spoon, scrape up the browned bits of onions that are stuck to the pot. Allow wine to boil almost until evaporated, about 5 minutes.
Pour in 2 quarts mushroom stock, 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar, 1 tablespoon tamari, and fresh herbs. Bring to a gentle boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes. Taste and if the soup needs it, add salt a pinch at a time.
Broil French Onion Soup Bowls
Move an oven rack to the top. Turn on broiler to high. Place individual serving-size ovenproof bowls or ramekins on a baking sheet. Ladle soup into casseroles. Place 1-2 slices of baguette on top of soup in bowl. Sprinkle each casserole generously with ¼ cup each of shredded Gruyere cheese.
Broil French Onion Soups for 1 minute, or until cheese melts, and gets browned and bubbly. Garnish with additional chopped fresh thyme and parsley if using. Serve immediately.