If you are looking for the best French soup recipes to make at home, you have come to the right place. From a bubbling bowl of French Onion Soup Gratinée to a simple Potage aux Légumes made with whatever vegetables you have in the fridge, soup is an essential part of French home cooking.

Being married to a French chef has taught me that French cooking doesn't have to be complicated. Some of the dishes we make most often at home are also the simplest.

And soup is perhaps the best example.

From the first cool days of fall until well into spring, you will almost always find a big cocotte of soup simmering in our kitchen on the weekend. It might be my French grandmother-in-law's simple vegetable soup, a hearty French lentil soup or a silky butternut squash soup finished with crispy sage.

Soup is nourishing, economical and an excellent way to make the most of seasonal vegetables. It can also be elegant enough to begin a dinner party with the addition of the right garnish, bien sûr.

Below I am sharing 15 of my favorite French and French-inspired soup recipes from Le Chef's Wife, including traditional recipes from our French family as well as some of the recipes that have become favorites of our #SoupSundayChallenge community.

What are the most popular soups in France?

When most Americans think of French soup, French onion soup immediately comes to mind. It is certainly one of the most iconic French soups, but French home cooking includes so many more.

Potage aux légumes is a simple blended vegetable soup found in many French homes. Soupe au pistou is a Provençal vegetable and bean soup fragrant with basil and garlic. Soupe aux lentilles is a hearty lentil soup, while poule au pot combines chicken and vegetables in a beautiful homemade broth.

And then there are the simple vegetable soups that French families make without following much of a recipe at all. A few vegetables, water or stock and some seasoning can become dinner.

That simplicity is one of the things I love most about French home cooking.

Which French soup should I make?

If you are not sure where to begin, here are some of my favorites:

For the ultimate French Bistro classic: French Onion Soup Gratinée

For an easy weeknight dinner: Potage aux Légumes

For something hearty and filling: French Lentil Soup

For a traditional French family recipe: La Soupe de Mamie

For a taste of Provence: Soupe au Pistou

For entertaining: Creamy Butternut Squash Soup with Crispy Sage

For a nourishing chicken soup: La Poule au Pot

For using up summer vegetables: Ratatouille Soup

Now, let's make soup!

15 French Soup Recipes

1. French Onion Soup Gratinée

If there is one soup that immediately transports me to a French bistro, it is French Onion Soup Gratinée.

Le Chef perfected his version while working in a three-Michelin-starred restaurant in Courchevel in the French Alps. We then worked together to make the recipe approachable for home cooks without professional culinary training, like me!

The onions are cooked slowly to bring out their sweetness before being combined with a fragrant chicken-stock-based broth. Finish each bowl with bread and plenty of bubbling, golden cheese.

This is the soup I make when I want something deeply comforting and unmistakably French.

Best for: Cold evenings, entertaining and anyone craving a French bistro classic.

[READ THE FRENCH ONION SOUP RECIPE]

2. La Soupe de Mamie - French Grandmother's Vegetable Soup

This recipe comes from Le Chef's grandmother, Pierrette, and it is French home cooking at its simplest.

Fresh seasonal vegetables are cooked until tender and blended into a creamy soup with very little added to them. The vegetables themselves provide the flavor.

This is the kind of soup that reminds me why simple French cooking can be so good.

Serve it with a crusty baguette and some cheese and you have a beautiful, nourishing meal.

Best for: Family dinners, children and using beautiful seasonal vegetables.

[READ LA SOUPE DE MAMIE RECIPE]

3. Potage aux Légumes

Potage aux légumes is one of the recipes I think every home cook should know how to make.

It is a simple French vegetable soup blended until smooth, and it is one of my favorite ways to use vegetables at the end of the week.

Carrots looking a little tired? Half a leek left over from another recipe? A potato or zucchini waiting in the vegetable drawer?

Make a potage.

Once you understand the basic method, you don't really need a recipe. It is economical, nourishing and one of the easiest ways I know to get more vegetables onto the table.

Best for: Weeknight meals, meal prep and reducing food waste.

[READ THE POTAGE AUX LÉGUMES RECIPE]

4. French Lentil Soup

French lentil soup, or soupe aux lentilles, is one of my favorite meal-in-a-bowl recipes.

Made with French green lentils, vegetables and herbs, this soup is hearty enough to serve as dinner while still feeling wonderfully simple.

It takes about 10 minutes to prepare before simmering on the stove, making it especially good for meal prep. It also freezes beautifully.

Serve with crusty French bread and you have a satisfying cold-weather meal.

Best for: Meal prep, busy weeknights and a hearty meatless meal.

[READ THE FRENCH LENTIL SOUP RECIPE]

5. La Poule au Pot

La Poule au Pot is classic French comfort food: a whole chicken gently cooked in a flavorful broth with generous pieces of root vegetables.

The chicken becomes incredibly tender while simultaneously creating a beautiful homemade broth.

This recipe also includes some of Le Chef Sébastien's tricks for making excellent chicken broth at home.

It is exactly the sort of food you want when the weather turns cold or someone in the family needs a little extra care.

Best for: Sunday cooking, cold weather and feeding the whole family.

[READ THE POULE AU POT RECIPE]

6. Soupe au Pistou

If you want a soup that tastes like the South of France, make Soupe au Pistou.

This Provençal classic is filled with vegetables, beans and pasta and finished with pistou, the intensely fragrant Provençal mixture of fresh basil and garlic.

Unlike many of the soups on this list, this is one I especially love in late summer when tomatoes, zucchini and basil are abundant.

Every garlicky, basil-filled spoonful reminds me of Provence.

Best for: Late summer, garden vegetables and anyone who loves Provençal cooking.

[READ THE SOUPE AU PISTOU RECIPE]

7. Creamy Butternut Squash Soup with Crispy Sage

This is one of those recipes that demonstrates how easily a simple soup can become dinner-party worthy.

The butternut squash creates a silky, comforting soup while the crispy sage garnish adds texture and makes the finished bowl feel special.

I love serving this throughout the fall. It is easy enough for a family meal but elegant enough to serve as the first course of a dinner party.

Best for: Fall dinners, Thanksgiving and entertaining.

[READ THE BUTTERNUT SQUASH SOUP RECIPE]

8. Pumpkin and Honeynut Squash Soup with Rosemary

This soup tastes like fall in a bowl.

Pumpkin and honeynut squash give it a gorgeous deep-orange color, while rosemary adds an unexpected savory note that makes the soup feel particularly elegant.

It is another wonderful example of taking simple seasonal produce and turning it into something that feels special enough to serve guests.

Best for: Fall entertaining and holiday meals.

[READ THE PUMPKIN AND HONEYNUT SQUASH SOUP RECIPE]

9. Provençal Tomato Soup with Goat Cheese Tartines

Think of this as tomato soup transported to the South of France.

Fresh basil or pesto gives the tomato soup a Provençal brightness, and I serve it with thick slices of grilled baguette topped with creamy goat cheese.

The tartines are particularly important because they are perfect for dunking into the soup.

Best for: Rainy days, an easy lunch and tomato season.

[READ THE PROVENÇAL TOMATO SOUP RECIPE]

10. Ratatouille Soup with Homemade Pesto

Ratatouille is one of the iconic dishes of Provence, made with vegetables including eggplant, zucchini, tomatoes, peppers and onions.

Inspired by my French grandmother-in-law Pierrette's cooking, I turned those familiar flavors into a satisfying vegetable soup finished with homemade pesto.

It is colorful, vegetable-forward and tastes unmistakably of the South of France.

Best for: Using summer vegetables and anyone who loves ratatouille.

[READ THE RATATOUILLE SOUP RECIPE]

11. Magical Leek Soup

Leeks appear constantly in French cooking, and this simple leek soup has become one of the most popular soup recipes I share.

My version is vegan and gluten-free while still tasting comforting and satisfying.

If you first heard about "magical leek soup" through Emily in Paris or French Women Don't Get Fat, this is a much more delicious way to enjoy it!

Best for: A light meal and leek lovers.

[READ THE MAGICAL LEEK SOUP RECIPE]

12. Broccoli and Blue Cheese Soup

Broccoli and blue cheese are wonderful together.

The broccoli creates a creamy, comforting base while a little blue cheese gives the soup just enough bite and that certain je ne sais quoi.

It is easy enough to prepare during the week but interesting enough to serve for lunch or as the first course of dinner.

Best for: Cheese lovers and an elevated weeknight dinner.

[READ THE BROCCOLI AND BLUE CHEESE SOUP RECIPE]

13. Fancy Cream of Cauliflower Soup

This is what happens when you give an everyday cauliflower soup a French restaurant treatment.

Roasted cauliflower, slivered almonds, Espelette pepper and fresh parsley transform a simple creamy soup by adding flavor and texture.

This is exactly the kind of recipe I love: uncomplicated to make but impressive when it reaches the table.

Best for: Dinner parties and an elegant meatless meal.

[READ THE CREAM OF CAULIFLOWER SOUP RECIPE]

14. Healthy Broccoli and Cauliflower Soup

This simple broccoli and cauliflower soup is packed with vegetables and has a wonderfully creamy texture without relying on dairy.

It is an easy recipe to make when you want something light, warm and nourishing.

Best for: Easy lunches, vegetable-packed meals and meal prep.

[READ THE BROCCOLI AND CAULIFLOWER SOUP RECIPE]

15. Chicken Macaroni Soup

This homemade chicken macaroni soup is pure comfort food.

We use a whole chicken to create the broth from scratch, so you get tender chicken and a flavorful homemade stock in the same pot. The addition of leeks gives it the French grandmother touch that makes it especially good.

Best for: Family dinners, cold days and when someone needs a warm hug in a bowl.

[READ THE CHICKEN MACARONI SOUP RECIPE]

The Soup Sunday Challenge

Soup has been part of Le Chef's Wife almost from the beginning.

In January 2021, I started making a pot of soup live on Instagram every Sunday. At the time, we were all craving warmth and connection, and cooking together became a small way to create both.

I called it the #SoupSundayChallenge.

What started as a simple Sunday ritual grew into a wonderful community of people making soup together and sharing what was bubbling away in their kitchens.

I still love the ritual.

There is something incredibly comforting about putting a big cocotte on the stove on Sunday and knowing that you are not only making dinner, you are giving yourself a head start on the week ahead.

I often make a large batch and freeze a few portions for busy nights. Future you will be very grateful!

[LINK: HOW TO FREEZE SOUP]

What do French people serve with soup?

One of my favorite things about soup is that you don't need much to turn it into a complete meal.

In our house, I will often serve soup with a fresh baguette and cheese. A simple green salad dressed with French vinaigrette also works beautifully.

For a heartier dinner, you can add a tartine: a thick slice of toasted bread topped with goat cheese, Comté or another favorite cheese.

And yes, a beautiful bowl of soup can absolutely be served as the first course of an elegant French dinner. The difference is often simply in the presentation. A drizzle of good olive oil, fresh herbs, crispy sage, homemade croutons or a little cheese can completely transform a simple potage.

[FRENCH VINAIGRETTE]
[BAGUETTES FOR BEGINNERS]

My Essential Equipment for Making Soup

You don't need much specialized equipment to make great soup.

The pieces I use most are:

• A large stockpot for big batches, broth and freezer soups.
• A heavy-bottomed cocotte for recipes such as French onion soup where slow, even cooking matters.
• An immersion blender for puréeing soups directly in the pot. This is so much easier than transferring hot soup into a traditional blender.
• A large, stable cutting board for preparing all those vegetables.

If you make soup regularly, an immersion blender is probably the piece of equipment I would buy first.

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Frequently Asked Questions About French Soup

What should I serve with French soup?

Keep it simple. A crusty baguette, a little cheese, a green salad with French vinaigrette or a tartine can turn a bowl of soup into a complete French-inspired meal.

More French Recipes to Make This Fall

If soup season has officially begun in your house too, you may also enjoy my 30 Simple French Fall Recipes, Cozy French Soups and Stews, Classic French Recipes You Can Make at Home and, of course, my Baguettes for Beginners recipe.

There are few things I love more than a big pot of soup bubbling away on the stove and a fresh baguette on the table.

I hope these recipes inspire you to make your own Soup Sunday this week.

Which French soup is your favorite? Let me know in the comments. I love hearing what you are cooking.

Bon appétit,

Anina Belle
Le Chef's Wife

ABOUT LE CHEF'S WIFE

Bonjour! I am Anina Belle. I translate the fancy cooking of my Michelin-star trained French Chef Husband, Le Chef, into easy to make dishes that busy people with no culinary training (like me!) can make at home. We have two young kids (8 and 6) and I run a marketing company in addition to this blog. I strongly believe that even busy people deserve to eat well at home.

Look inside our Kitchen with this Washington Post Article. We were recently featured on the TODAY SHOW for our recipes of French Onion Soup Gratinée and Moelleux au Chocolat. You can watch our full segment here:

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