Famous-Barr French Onion Soup (Stovetop & Slow Cooker)

If you grew up in St. Louis, you already know this soup. Famous-Barr French onion soup was thick, buttery, deeply savory, and buried under a layer of Swiss cheese so stringy it never wanted to leave the spoon.

This copycat is built on the recipe chef Manfred Zettl gave the St. Louis Post-Dispatch in 1973, scaled and tested for a home kitchen. You can make it two ways: on the stovetop in a Dutch oven, or in the slow cooker so the onions caramelize while you’re at work.

It’s not a quick soup. The onions take their time, and the soup tastes even better the next day, just like the original. But every step is simple, and the payoff is a pot of the most famous soup St. Louis ever ate.

What Is Famous-Barr French Onion Soup?

Famous-Barr was a St. Louis department store chain, and its tea rooms served a French onion soup that became a local institution. Tea room menus listed an “Onion au Gratin” soup as early as 1942.

Several people shaped it. Executive chef Thomas Ferrario and food and beverage director Erich Dahl, a German Jewish refugee who escaped the Nazis in 1938, developed the early version. In 1963, Austrian-born chef Manfred Zettl became executive chef and perfected it. Zettl died on October 30, 2026, at 85.

The soup was so popular that Famous-Barr ran soup stands inside the store, so shoppers could eat it while they browsed. It arrived in a brown drip-glaze crock with two slices of baguette under bubbling cheese. When Famous-Barr was sold to Macy’s in 2006, the soup disappeared with it.

Luckily, Zettl shared his recipe with the St. Louis Post-Dispatch in its January 3, 1973 edition, and St. Louis home cooks have been making it ever since.

What Makes Famous-Barr’s Soup Different

This isn’t a thin, brothy bistro soup. A few choices give it that St. Louis character:

• A big roux. Three-quarters of a cup of flour cooked into the buttery onions makes the soup thick and velvety, almost like a gravy-based stew.
• Paprika. Two tablespoons of sweet paprika go into the roux. It adds warmth and a rich, reddish-brown color you won’t find in classic French versions.
• A long, slow simmer. The original simmers for two hours, so the broth reduces and concentrates.
• Swiss, not Gruyère. Zettl’s recipe tops each bowl with a slice of imported Swiss cheese over three slices of French bread.
• An overnight rest. The original recipe says to refrigerate the soup overnight before serving. The flavor deepens, and the soup thickens a little more.

Ingredients for Famous-Barr French Onion Soup

• Yellow onions: Sliced very thin. Yellow onions caramelize sweet and deep, and a mandoline keeps the slices even.
• Butter: Salted or unsalted both work; adjust the salt at the end.
• All-purpose flour: This is what makes the soup thick. Don’t skip it.
• Sweet paprika: Use regular sweet paprika, not smoked or hot.
• Black pepper: Freshly ground.
• Bay leaf: Adds a subtle herbal note; remove it before serving.
• Beef broth: Use a good-quality broth or bouillon base, since it’s most of the flavor. The slow cooker needs less than the stovetop.
• Dry white wine (optional): Swap in more broth if you’d rather skip it.
• Browning sauce: Kitchen Bouquet gives the soup the deep color of the original.
• Salt: To taste, depending on how salty your broth is.
• French bread: A baguette, sliced and toasted.
• Swiss cheese: Sliced. Imported Swiss is closest to the original.

Equipment: a large Dutch oven or soup pot (stovetop), or a 6-quart slow cooker plus a skillet. You’ll also need oven-safe soup crocks and a baking sheet.

How to Make Famous-Barr French Onion Soup on the Stovetop

Step 1: Caramelize the onions. Melt the butter in a large Dutch oven over medium-low heat. Add the onions and cook slowly for about 1 1/2 hours, stirring every 10 minutes, until soft and deep golden brown. Lower the heat if they start to scorch.

Step 2: Build the roux. Sprinkle the flour, paprika, pepper and bay leaf over the onions. Stir and cook over low heat for 10 minutes, until the flour smells toasty.

Step 3: Add the broth. Slowly pour in the beef broth and wine, stirring constantly so no lumps form.

Step 4: Simmer. Bring to a gentle simmer and cook uncovered for 2 hours, stirring now and then, until reduced to about 8 cups and thick enough to coat a spoon.

Step 5: Season. Stir in the browning sauce until the soup is a rich brown. Remove the bay leaf and add salt to taste.

Step 6: Rest (recommended). Cool, cover and refrigerate overnight, then reheat gently.

Step 7: Broil and serve. Heat the broiler. Ladle 1 cup of hot soup into each oven-safe crock on a baking sheet. Top with three slices of toasted bread and a slice of Swiss. Broil 3 to 5 minutes, until bubbling and browned.

How to Make Famous-Barr French Onion Soup in the Slow Cooker

Slow-caramelize the onions. Add the onions and 4 tablespoons of the butter, cut into pieces, to a 6-quart slow cooker. Cover and cook on HIGH for 8 to 10 hours. For the last 2 hours, prop the lid open with a wooden spoon so the liquid evaporates. Stir once or twice if you’re home.

Make the roux on the stove. In a skillet over medium-low heat, melt the remaining 4 tablespoons of butter. Whisk in the flour, paprika and pepper and cook for 5 minutes. Slowly whisk in 2 cups of the broth until smooth.

Combine. Scrape the roux into the slow cooker. Stir in the remaining 6 cups of broth, the wine and the bay leaf.

Cook. Cover and cook on HIGH for 2 hours, until thick.

Season, broil and serve. Stir in the browning sauce and salt, remove the bay leaf, then broil in crocks as in step 7 above.

The slow cooker uses less broth because almost nothing evaporates with the lid on.

Tips for the Best Famous-Barr Copycat

• Don’t rush the onions. Turning up the heat browns the edges but leaves the onions harsh. Low and slow is what gives the soup its sweetness.
• Add the broth gradually. With this much flour, dumping the broth in all at once causes lumps. Pour a little at a time and stir.
• Taste before salting. Broth and bouillon vary a lot in salt, and the soup reduces. Season at the end.
• Toast the bread first. Toasted slices hold up under the cheese instead of turning to mush.
• Watch the broiler. Cheese goes from bubbly to burnt in under a minute.
• No crocks? Toast the bread, top it with Swiss, broil it on a sheet pan, then float it on bowls of soup.

Variations

• Gruyère topping: Swap in Gruyère, or mix it half and half with Swiss, for a nuttier bistro-style top.
• Alcohol-free: Leave out the wine and add 1 more cup of broth plus a teaspoon of red wine vinegar.
• Vegetarian: Use a rich mushroom or vegetable broth and skip the browning sauce if it isn’t vegetarian.

Storing, Freezing and Reheating

• Refrigerator: Store the soup without bread or cheese in an airtight container for up to 4 days.
• Freezer: Freeze the soup base in portions for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge.
• Reheating: Warm on the stovetop over medium-low heat, stirring often. The soup thickens as it sits, so add a splash of broth if needed. Then top and broil as usual.
• Make ahead: Make the soup a day or two before a party, then just toast, top and broil when guests arrive.

Famous-Barr French Onion Soup FAQs

Who created Famous-Barr French onion soup? Executive chef Thomas Ferrario and food and beverage director Erich Dahl developed the early version. Chef Manfred Zettl, executive chef from 1963, perfected it and published his recipe in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch in 1973.

What cheese did Famous-Barr use? Zettl’s published recipe calls for imported Swiss cheese. Other accounts of the tea room soup describe Gruyère, so either one is authentic.

Why is there paprika in Famous-Barr French onion soup? The paprika goes into the roux and gives the soup its warm flavor and reddish-brown color. It’s one of the things that sets this version apart from French bistro onion soup.

Why is Famous-Barr French onion soup so thick? A large butter-and-flour roux and a 2-hour simmer that reduces the broth. It’s meant to be hearty, not brothy.

Can I still get Famous-Barr French onion soup in St. Louis? Famous-Barr closed when Macy’s bought it in 2006. In 2018, Union 30 at the Hotel Saint Louis brought back a version with its own twists. Check the restaurant’s current menu before you go.

Can I make it without wine? Yes. The wine is optional in the original. Use extra broth instead.

Can I make it in the Crock-Pot? Yes. Follow the slow cooker method above. It works in any 6-quart Crock-Pot or slow cooker.

More Copycat Soup Recipes

If you love restaurant soups made at home, try these next:

• Longhorn French Onion Soup: Steakhouse-style onion soup with a bubbly Gruyère crust.
• Jason’s Deli French Onion Soup: A lighter broth topped with melted provolone, from a deli favorite that’s no longer on the menu.
• Outback Steakhouse Walkabout Soup: Outback’s creamy, cheesy onion soup.
• Copycat Cracker Barrel Chicken Noodle Soup: Homestyle chicken, egg noodles and vegetables in a savory broth.
• Schlotzsky’s Tomato Basil Soup: Rich, velvety tomato soup in about 35 minutes.
• Red Lobster Bacon Potato Soup: Creamy crockpot potato soup loaded with bacon and cheddar.
• True Food Kitchen Butternut Squash Soup: A dairy-free slow cooker soup with coconut milk and warm spices.
• Lipton Onion Soup Mix Copycat: A homemade onion soup seasoning blend for burgers, dips and roasts.