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This Vegan French Onion Soup will make you cry happy tears! It’s loaded with savory flavors from caramelized onions, broth infused bread and bubbly gooey ‘cheese’.
French Onion Soup was a childhood favorite of mine and I was kinda bummed after going vegan that I couldn’t have it anymore. However, I quickly learned how easy it was to veganize. I really enjoy turning my past food memories into reality today. This Vegan French Onion Soup lets me reminisce about the past while nourishing my body, mind & soul.
Wow, that’s deep! (who needs chicken soup!)
I love making soup, especially during the cooler months. They are easy to make, inexpensive, comforting and great for make-ahead meals. They freeze really well and make great leftovers, too.
This Creamy Potato Leek Soup is another family favorite, along with my Butternut Squash & Sweet Potato Soup. They are both hearty, savory & satisfying!
Alright, back to the soup – the onions are the star of this show!
They will create a deep, rich & flavorful soup. So, give them thyme and let them do their thing. Just relax and have a glass of that red wine and watch the magic happen.
They will reach a deep golden brown color as they caramelize and they will give off a heavenly, sweet aroma in your kitchen.
They will shine!
Vegan French Onion Soup – No dairy needed
Check out that soft, gooey & stretchy cheese! Doesn’t it look mouth-watering? You can have all that deliciousness without a drop of dairy.
Can you believe it?
The recipe calls for very simple ingredients and it’s really easy to prepare.
To make the vegan cheese, you’ll need:
– Raw cashews
– Tapioca starch
– Nutritional yeast
– Non-dairy milk
– Lemon Juice
– Garlic powder
– Salt
These healthy ingredients will make the most delicious mozzarella-like cheese ever. Just whirl it all up in a high-powered blender and heat it up on the stove for a couple of minutes.
It will start to thicken and stretch just like dairy cheese.
It’s a vegan miracle!
This fabulous stretchy vegan cheese adds the perfect creamy texture to your savory soup. Just toast a baguette slice, drop it into the soup and cover with this gooey goodness.
You won’t be missing the “real” cheese, I promise.
So, are you ready to try this homemade batch of loveliness? You will be happy that you did!
Enjoy!
Looking for more soup recipes? Here are my faves:
I’d love to hear from you
If you make this Vegan French Onion Soup, let me know what you think by ★ star rating it and leaving a comment below. It would really make my day. You can also follow me on Instagram and share your creation with me. Just tag me @veganhuggs and hashtag #veganhuggs so I don’t miss it.
Vegan French Onion Soup
Ingredients
Soup
- 1/4 cup vegan butter or olive oil (or a blend of both)
- 4 medium yellow onions , sliced
- 3/4 teaspoon granulated sugar
- 4 cloves garlic , minced
- 1 1/2 teaspoons dried thyme
- 3/4 cup red wine (*see note)
- 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 2 quarts vegetable broth , low sodium
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 1/2 teaspoons sea salt , more to taste
- Fresh ground pepper , to taste
- 1 baguette , sliced and toasted
Cashew "Mozzarella" Cheese
- 1/4 cup raw cashews , soaked in water 2-4 hours
- 1 1/4 cup unsweetened plant-based milk , hot (be careful not to burn the milk)
- 2 tablespoons tapioca flour/starch
- 1 tablespoon nutritional yeast
- 2 teaspoons lemon juice
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 3/4 teaspoon sea salt
Instructions
- In a large pot, heat the butter or oil over medium-low heat. Add the onions and sugar. Sauté until the onions are very tender & caramelized, about 40-50 minutes. Stir often to avoid sticking or burning.
- Now add the garlic and thyme. Sauté 30-60 seconds.
- Add the red wine and turn heat up to bring to a simmer. Now reduce heat and gently simmer on medium-low for about 10-15 minutes, or until the wine has evaporated.
- Stir the flour into the onions. Turn the heat down to low and cook for 1 minute. Stir constantly so the flour doesn't burn.
- Add the vegetable broth, bay leaves, salt, and pepper. Turn heat up to to get things moving and turn right down to gently simmer for 10-15 minutes.
- Now's a good time to prepare the "mozzarella" cheese. Drain cashews and discard water. Place all ingredients into a blender. Blend on high until smooth. Now pour mixture into a small pot and place over medium heat. Stir often, so it doesn’t stick or burn. Scrape the sides and bottom as needed. The cheese will start to thicken up and get slightly stretchy. This whole process should take about 3-5 minutes. Remove from heat.
- When the soup is done, remove bay leaves and taste for seasoning. Add more if needed.
- Heat the broiler to high. Carefully ladle the soup into oven-safe crocks or bowls. Fill halfway, and place 1-2 slices of toasted baguette into each bowl. Now add more soup, pouring directly over bread. Make sure not to overfill the bowls. Now top each baguette slice with a big scoop of cheese and place the bowls in the oven. I placed a big piece of parchment paper under the bowls. Sometimes the cheese melts over, so it avoids mess in your oven.
- Broil for 2-3 minutes to slightly brown and melt the cheese. Watch carefully to avoid burning.
Notes
- Not all wine is vegan and may contain egg whites. However, there are many that are vegan. Here is a vegan wine directory.
- Leftover cheese can be stored in the fridge for 3-5 days. Just reheat to make it soft and stretchy again. You can add a splash of 'milk' if it's too thick. If you'd like to skip the cheese step, you can use stretchy store-bought vegan cheese. Daiya, Chao and Follow Your Heart make delicious vegan cheese. Just slice and place on top of the soup. Broil for 2-3 minutes to melt.
Nutrition
Jane
Could cornstarch or arrowroot be used in place of tapioca?
Melissa Huggins
Hi Jane. It will work to thicken, but it won’t provide the stretchiness that the tapioca does. The tapioca makes it very close to dairy cheese when melted. Hope this helps. Thanks for stopping by 😀
Shannon
Perfect, so so good. Thanks very much!
Melissa Huggins
Hi Shannon, you’re most welcome! Thank you for making them 🙂
DaveS
Delicious. Took a little longer than suggested but worth it.
Melissa Huggins
Thank you so much! I’m glad you liked it 🙂