Get ready to cry some happy tears, because you have found a Vegan French Onion Soup. This bistro-style classic is rich, savory & downright scrumptious.
French Onion Soup was a childhood favorite
I loved that savory aromatic soup, with bubbly gooey cheese, over broth infused bread. I really enjoy turning my past food memories into reality and 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, warm, 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!
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!
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?
This recipe calls for very simple ingredients and is really easy to prepare.
To make the 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!
I’d love to hear from you
If you make this Vegan French Onion Soup, I’d love to get your feedback. You can leave a comment below and let me know what you think. 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.
*Click photo to pin*
Get ready to cry some happy tears, because you have found a Vegan French Onion Soup. This soup is rich, savory & downright scrumptious. It calls for very simple ingredients and just a little love. This bistro-style classic can be yours in no time.
- 3 tablespoons vegan butter
- 1 tablespoon olive oil (or preferred cooking oil)
- 4 medium yellow onions , sliced
- 3-4 cloves of garlic , minced
- 1/2 teaspoon sugar
- 1 1/2 teaspoons Himalayan salt (or preferred salt), more to taste
- Fresh ground pepper , to taste
- 1 1/2 teaspoons dried thyme
- 2 bay leaves
- 3/4 cup red wine (*see note)
- 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 2 quarts vegetable broth , low sodium
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 baguette , sliced and toasted
- 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 + 1 teaspoon tapioca flour/starch
- 1 tablespoon nutritional yeast
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 3/4 teaspoon Himalayan salt
-
In a large pot, heat the butter and oil over medium heat. Add the onions, garlic, thyme, sugar, salt, and pepper. Sauté until the onions are very tender & caramelized, about 40-50 minutes. Stir often to avoid the onions sticking to the pot. If they start to stick, you can add a few splashes of wine or vegetable broth and turn heat a little lower. Keep pot uncovered
-
Add the red wine and bring to a simmer. Now reduce heat and 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 another 1-2 minutes. Stir often so the flour doesn't burn.
-
Add the vegetable broth, bay leaves and lemon juice. Turn heat back to medium and simmer for 10-15 minutes. Taste the soup to see if it needs any more salt or pepper and add if needed.
-
Now's a good time to prepare the "mozzarella" cheese. Drain cashews and discard water. Place all ingredients into a blender. Blend until smooth, about 1-2 minutes. 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. Place heat on medium-low. When it becomes stretchy and thick, remove from heat. This whole process should take about five minutes.
-
Heat the broiler to high. * Remove bay leaves. Carefully ladle the soup into oven-safe crocks or bowls. (small Pyrex bowls work great) Fill half way, and place 2 slices of toasted baguette into each bowl. Now add more soup, pouring directly over bread. Make sure not to overfill the bowls. You don't want it to spill over and get burned. 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. Be careful not to burn the cheese.
*Top with some fresh green onions or fresh thyme.
*Not all wine is vegan and may contain egg whites. However, there are many that are vegan. Here is a vegan wine directory.
*Vegetable Broth: I like to use low sodium broth, so I can control the salt taste. Some broths are too salty and can ruin a good recipe. If you would like to use a regular broth, make sure to cut down the added salt in the recipe. Taste as you go along. Another option, is to blend low sodium and regular broth together.
*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 would like to skip the "cheese" step, you can use stretchy store-bought vegan cheese. Daiya and Follow Your Heart make delicious vegan cheese. Just slice and place on top of soup. Broil for 2-3 minutes to melt.
*Cheese adapted from Vedged Out. You can find more delicious recipes on their page.
Thank you for the awesome recipes. I just found your site and love it.
Hi Agnes, You’re welcome! Thank you for visiting my site. I’m so happy you like the recipes. 🙂
I used to love French Onion Soup in my pre vegan days. Its one of those frustrating recipes that sounds like it would be vegan without the cheese but is often made using beef stock. I love that you’ve veganized it and that cheese looks awesome :O)
Thank you, Melanie. I used to love it in my pre-vegan days, too. So nice to enjoy it today without harming anyone.
This soup is a special treat. I have never tried it with flour or wine. Definitely something that’s gonna be bubbling on my stove soon :).
Thank you so much. The wine really kicks up the flavor. You can use red or white 🙂
Oh wow! Love french onion soup! This version with the home-made vegan moz sounds awesome!
Thank you. It’s a big-time favorite around here, especially with the cooler weather on its way. 🙂
I used mushroom broth! Yum!
Hi Chrissy, wow, that sounds good with mushroom broth. I’ll have to try it that way next time. Thank you for making it and for commenting. It’s always nice to hear. 🙂
We just had this delicious soup for lunch. We really liked it, it is nice and creamy and flavorful, a really special treat for fall time.
Thanks for the recipe, I will make this again!
Thank you so much for making it and commenting. It’s always nice to hear what other people think. I’m glad you loved it as much as I do 🙂
Craving French onion soup and found this recipe, it came out so perfectly and the instructions were super user friendly for someone who had never made this soup before. I am a vegan with a gluten intolerence and I substituted Bob’s Red Mill All Purpose Baking Flour and it came out perfectly! Thank you!
Hi Cara, thank you so much for your feedback. I’m so happy you like this soup. It’s good to know that the GF Bob’s Red Mill worked well in it. I will give it a go next time I make it. Have a great day! 🙂
Being french and vegan is not easy, trust me haha but I am so happy I have found your recipe!
One question though, I live in Dubai and we can’t buy alcohol here, what would you suggest to replace the wine..? Thank you for your help and congratulations, your website is awesome 🙂
Hi Oriane, I could only imagine. 😉 I’m glad you found my site, too. Welcome! I haven’t used anything other than wine, but I have read that some people will use red grape juice (unsweetened). I probably wouldn’t use the whole 3/4 cup, but I would do half that & half vegetable broth. I looked online and some people have suggested a tablespoon of balsamic vinegar, but I haven’t tried it. Good luck to you. I’d love to know how it turns out. Thank you for stopping by 🙂
Maybe red wine vinegar
Just made a batch. We both ate two bowls. Omg. Only change was I put the “mozzarella” in my silicon muffin dishes to set a bit more. Thank you for helping me find my latest replacement!!
Hi Steve, oh wow, I just found this in my spam folder. I’m sorry for the late reply. Thank you for making this soup. I’ve actually been craving it all day. Soups on tomorrow! Have a great weekend! 🙂
Grandpa said it tasted just like the best onion soup he’d had at the bank of the Seine in his youth (ehem, ultimate compliment). Subbed the vegan mozzarella for camembert for my non-vegan familiars though.
Also, my alcoholic self couldn’t help but pour a bit more wine with the broth.
Great recipe!!!
Hi Daniela, wow, tell your Grandpa that I said, thank you!!!! That is such a nice compliment. I’m really happy you all loved the soup. I’m all about adding more wine too. It’s what makes cooking fun 😉
I made this soup and it was delicious! I changed it a bit because I didn’t have the ingredients for the cheese so I just used Daiya. I let the onions cook down for an hour, adding splashes of broth or wine to keep them from burning. My husband said it was the best French Onion soup he has ever had!
Hi Margie, Thank you for making it and sharing your feedback. I’m so happy that you and your hubby loved it. Daiya is a perfect substitute and much easier too. 🙂
Made this last night and loved it! My mom refused to believe it was vegan! Lol
Hi, Kris! Yay, thank you for making it! I’m so happy that it’s mom-approved 🙂
I made this for dinner last night, it was really good! I didn’t make the cashew cheese and instead used a vegan mozzarella I already had on hand. I have not had French onion soup since becoming vegan a few years ago and was always a favorite. Thank you for the recipe!
Hi Lisa! Thank you for making it! It was always a favorite of mine too so I just had to veganize it. Have a wonderful weekend! 🙂
Hey Melissa! thank you for the recipe! I liked it a lot so I am going to make it for my christmas dinner. My mom is going to love it!
I also added your recipe to my latest blog. You can see it here: https://omdetox.com/21-vegan-christmas-recipes/
Merry christmas!
Hi Dominique, thank you so much! I’m so happy you liked it! Thanks for including it on your blog too. Have a wonderful holiday! 🙂
Hello! My hubby absolutely loves French Onion Soup – but I only buy red onions (more antioxidants!). Would it still work with red onions? Thanks! Looking forward to trying this recipe!! 🙂
Hi Rebecca, I haven’t tried it with red onions, but I’m sure it would work. The only thing is that the red onions have a milder flavor when cooked, so that could change the flavor a bit. I’d love to hear how it turns out for you. Thanks for stopping by 🙂
I’ve tried a few recipes for vegan French onion soup but this is the best by far! Just had it for dinner & will definitely be making it again 👍🏼
Hi Cate, thank you for making it! So happy you enjoyed it! It’s my favorite wintertime soup 🙂
Can I use potato starch instead of tapioca?
Hi Desiree, the tapioca gives the ‘cheese’ a slight stretch. The potato starch will work to thicken, but it will be missing the stretch.
Made the French Onion soup today. Fabulous. My spouse loved it, too!
So happy to hear this! Thank you for making it! 🙂
” …soft and stretchy again. You can add a splash of milk, if it’s too thick.”
Sure hope you mean vegan milk…..
The ingredient list lets you know what kind of milk to use for the recipe. Writing vegan milk in every sentence is just redundant. All my recipes are 100% vegan 🙂
Great recipe! This was the first french onion soup I’ve made. As I was eating, the soup got better with each spoonful. Something to make again! Maybe will also make the ‘cheese’ since I used a vegan cheddar this time.
Hi Katie, thank you for making it. I’m so happy you liked it. Have a lovely week 🙂
This was SO SO SO good! I don’t like to cook with oil, so I caramelized the onions in water and a bit of wine instead. I also omitted the sugar. It was absolutely out of this world divine, and I can’t wait to make it again.
Thank you, Nadia! I’m so happy you liked it! Thank you for sharing your method without the oil. It’s really helpful to know. 🙂
My roommate and I just made this soup and it’s the best vegan recipe of any food I’ve ever made! We lived it and so did our non vegan roommate so it’s a winner!
Yay! This is wonderful to hear! Thank you so much for making it and sharing your feedback. 🙂