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Think of these like your favorite bowl of French onion soup meets a flaky, savory pastry. The perfect holiday appetizer! Buttery puff pastry filled with caramelized onions, mushrooms, herbs, and melty Gruyère cheese — baked until golden and bubbling. Everyone loves these cute little pies! Bring them to your next holiday dinner and they’ll disappear fast.
We’re continuing on with all things Thanksgiving this week — I’m trying to get the recipes to you as fast as I can. Can you believe Thanksgiving is already so close?
Every holiday meal needs a few easy appetizers, and these little pies are one of my new favorites. Normally, my go-to is a retro three-ingredient recipe that my Nonnie used to make for her parties (it’s in Half Baked Harvest Super Simple). I’ll be sharing an update on that one soon!
But for now, we have these cozy French Onion Soup Mini Pies. I’ve had them on my Thanksgiving menu since the moment I started planning. For some reason, as soon as November hits and the days turn cold and short, I always crave French onion soup.
I know so many of you love caramelized onions, and while my mom isn’t the biggest fan (so I don’t often make onion-forward dishes), these were simply too good not to share. I made them again this week, and we’ve been loving them!
They’re such a wonderful, cozy appetizer to serve this month — and again next month, too. Simple, impressive, and full of flavor.
These are the Details
Ingredients
- salted butter
- yellow onions
- white wine – or use apple cider
- garlic
- mushrooms
- fresh thyme
- fresh sage
- broth
- heavy cream – milk is nice too
- Gruyère cheese
- puff pastry – or skip mini pies and make pastry cups
- an egg
Kitchen Tools
For this recipe, use a skillet and a sheet pan. Not much else is needed here.
Steps
Step 1: caramelize the onions
So many people get intimidated by caramelizing onions, but it’s really not tricky at all. Start by thinly slicing sweet yellow onions. Cook them down slowly in butter until they soften. Then, pour in a splash of dry white wine — or, if you don’t cook with wine, apple cider works beautifully!
Let the wine (or cider) cook down into the onions. The natural sugars help them caramelize evenly and turn a deep, golden brown.
Step 2: add everything else
Next, stir in the garlic, mushrooms, thyme, and sage. Pour in a bit of broth and cream to create a rich, savory onion soup–style base. Let everything simmer together to bring out all those cozy, French onion flavors.
Step 3: make the pies
Now for the fun part — assembling the pies! Unroll your puff pastry and cut each sheet into circles (you should get around 8 per sheet). Spoon the caramelized onions onto half of the circles, then top with a little Gruyère cheese. You can fill them generously — they’ll bubble up a bit in the oven, but that’s part of the charm!
If you’re feeding a crowd, double the recipe and use two boxes of puff pastry.
Step 4: bake
Before baking, brush the tops of each pie with a beaten egg — this gives them that glossy, golden finish. Sprinkle over more cheese and a few fresh thyme leaves.
Bake until the pastry is puffed, flaky, and beautifully golden brown, and the cheese has melted over the tops.
To serve
These bake up quickly and are best served warm with a pinch of sea salt and freshly cracked black pepper. Guests can easily grab them by hand — perfect for nibbling and chatting during cocktail hour!
Make them ahead
These are great for prepping ahead! Assemble the pies completely, then chill them in the fridge until you’re ready to bake. Or freeze for longer storage — just bake straight from the freezer, adding about 10 extra minutes of baking time.
You can also bake them off and serve them at room temperature. They’re delicious either way!
Looking for other easy holiday appetizers?? Here are my favorites:
Whipped Goat Cheese Candied Bacon Dip
Sweet and Savory Cheesy Bacon Wrapped Puff Pastry Twists
Goat Cheese Stuffed Bacon Wrapped Dates
Pull Apart Roasted Garlic Pizza Dip Sliders
Lastly, if you make these French Onion Soup Mini Pies, be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love hearing from you guys and always do my best to respond to every comment. And, of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!
French Onion Soup Mini Pies
Servings: 16 mini pies
Calories Per Serving: 307 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Ingredients
- 6 tablespoons salted butter
- 3 yellow onions thinly sliced
- 1 cup dry white wine
- 3 cloves garlic, chopped
- 1 cup sliced cremini mushrooms
- 2 tablespoons fresh thyme leaves
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh sage
- 1 cup broth
- 3/4 cup heavy cream
- sea salt and pepper
- 1-2 cups shredded Gruyère cheese
- 1 box frozen puff pastry, thawed
- 1 egg beaten
Instructions
- 1. Preheat the oven to 375° F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. 2. Melt together the butter and onions in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 5 minutes. At this point, slowly add the wine, 1/3 cup at a time, until the wine cooks into the onions.3. Add the garlic, mushrooms, thyme, and sage. Cook another 10 minutes until the onions are deeply caramelized. Add the broth. Increase the heat to high and bring to a low boil. Simmer for 5 minutes, until the sauce has reduced. Stir in the cream. Season with salt and pepper. 4. Lay the pastry sheets flat on a clean surface. Gently roll the sheets out to stretch slightly. Cut each sheet into 3-inch circles. Spoon the onions over each circle, top with cheese, leaving a 1/4-inch border around the edges. Brush the edges with egg. Fold the top half over the onions. Crimp the edges of the crust with a fork to seal.5. Place the pies on the prepared baking sheet and brush the tops with beaten egg. Make 2 small slits on the top of the pastries. Sprinkle it with any remaining cheese. Freeze for 15 minutes. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown.6. Serve warm, topped with fresh thyme, sea salt, and pepper.
This post was originally published on November 12, 2025
I just tried these in advance of Thanksgiving and I have to say they were a bust for me. The only mixture was so soupy and you could barely put anything in the rounds. I have so much filling left over. Didn’t let it simmer enough. Should there be any liquid in the pan when you’re done before you add the cream?
Hi Jen,
Oh no, so sorry to hear this! There really shouldn’t be any liquid left before adding the cream. I have a video on IG for reference if you want to try again!
Please let me know if you have any other questions!
Thank you! Tried again and used a cast iron pan – what a difference! I only used 2 onions as people mentioned that there was extra filling and I used the Goya 5″ empanada puff pastry rounds so that I didn’t need to roll out any dough. Worked great!
Yay! So glad to hear this!
These were delicious!! And fairly easy. We had run out of mushrooms, so I added rotisserie chicken to the onion mixture right before filling the pastry rounds. They were a hit! Thank you!
Hey Ashley,
Love to hear this! Thanks a bunch for making this recipe and your comment!
Happy Sunday!
These mini pies are absolutely amazing!!! I would make it again but maybe make half the filling. I needed 2 packages of puff pastry (10 oz pack) and still had a ton of filling left (made 24). The pies can’t handle that much filling or they won’t seal properly. But other than that they are phenomenal!!!
Hey Christina,
Awesome! Love to hear this recipe turned out well for you, thanks for making it and your comment!
Have a great weekend!
Hi! How far ahead can these be prepped and refrigerated before baking off? Thank you!
Hi Kristen,
You could prep these 24 hours in advance, just be sure to keep in an airtight container.
Please let me know if you have any other questions!
I made these last night as a practice to make sure I could pull them off. They were INCREDIBLE!! Can’t wait to make them for Thanksgiving!
Hey Ashley,
Thanks so much for making this recipe, I am so glad to hear this turned out nicely for you!
I had to make a ton of edits to this. Can’t type it all out because the site always crashes, but biggest change was less cheese/more mushrooms. Definitely no cheese on top. Used a lot of black pepper as that’s our preference. Broth instead of cream so it tasted like an actual French onion soup center.
Hi Nicole,
Thanks for trying this recipe and sharing your feedback, sorry to hear they were not enjoyed! Please let me know if there is anything that I can help with!
Is there a video? I think it would be easier if I could watch a video. I’m cooking for Thanksgiving and a couple people are vegans. If I use vegetable broth, how do I make it taste as rich as beef or chicken broth? Add Worcestershire sauce? If so how much?
Hi Ashley,
Yes, I have a video for these over on IG. I would just use the veggie broth, it will be just fine! I hope you love this recipe!
I love the sound of this, i made them a couple of times and they have been amazing. X
Thanks so much, Sameera! Love to hear this! Have a great week!
I’m obsessed! I can’t wait to make this. Your pastry cups suggestions sounds easier (for novices!) can you provide more details. Are these purchased or made (or either). Thanks, loving your content!
Thanks so much, Gail!! So sorry, I am not sure what you are asking…are they purchased?
Please let me know how I can help!
Hi Tieghan! Curious if you’d have any (cheaper) alternatives to gruyere? also do you think some shredded chicken or rotisserie would be good in here too? Thanks so much!
Hey Carly,
Sure, chicken might be a yummy option for you! Swiss cheese is perfectly okay to use in place of the gruyere.
I hope you love this recipe, please let me know if you give it a try!
These are on my Thanksgiving menu! I love all your recipes but the most recent ones seem so manageable and I am loving it
Thanks so much, Marla!! I hope you love this recipe, let me know how they turn out for you!
These look so good! I’d like to make them for Christmas. I always do lots of baking well in advance of Christmas and freeze everything. Could these be baked as instructed, cooled, and then frozen for several weeks? Then pull out and reheat when needed? Thanks, Tieghan! I make lots of your recipes, and they are always delicious!
Thanks so much, Kris! You bet, that will work nicely for you! These are great for prepping ahead! Assemble the pies completely, then chill them in the fridge until you’re ready to bake. Or freeze for longer storage — just bake straight from the freezer, adding about 10 extra minutes of baking time.
Please let me know if you have any other questions!
You always have the best appetizer recipes! Can’t wait to make these!
Thanks so much, Sandra! I hope you love these mini pies!
Hi! I have a lot of extra onions. Do you have any suggestions for how to reuse them? They are absolutely delicious!
Thanks so much, Jennifer! You could use them to make French onion soup! Or bake with some chicken!
You didn’t mention
WHAT KIND OF BROTH?
APPLE CIDER? – vinegar or juice
Hi Sharon,
You can use any broth that you enjoy for this recipe, I like to use beef or chicken broth. You will either want to use wine or apple cider juice, not vinegar.
Please let me know if you have any other questions! I hope you love this recipe!
These sound amazing for Thanksgiving! Wondering… do you think they can they be prepped in advance and then cooked day-of? Maybe put in the fridge after they’ve been made? Thanks!
Thanks so much, Melissa!
You bet! These are great for prepping ahead! Assemble the pies completely, then chill them in the fridge until you’re ready to bake. Or freeze for longer storage — just bake straight from the freezer, adding about 10 extra minutes of baking time.
You can also bake them off and serve them at room temperature. They’re delicious either way!
Please let me know if you have any other questions!