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    Home » Soups and Salads

    Vegan French Onion Soup

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    Jump to Recipe
    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. It's calls for very simple ingredients & just a little love.

    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'.

    Overhead photo of vegan french onion soup in a white crock. Topped with vegan cheese and fresh rosemary.

    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!


    Side view of vegan french onion soup in a white crock on top of a striped napkin. Rosemary sticking out.

    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?

    INGREDIENTS FOR THE VEGAN MOZZARELLA CHEESE:

    • 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!

    Two white crocks of vegan french onion soup. Topped with bread and vegan cheese.

    HOW TO MAKE VEGAN FRENCH ONION SOUP

    STEP 1: 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.

    STEP 2: Now add the garlic and thyme. Sauté 30-60 seconds.

    STEP 3: 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.

    STEP 4: 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.

    STEP 5: 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. When the soup is done, remove bay leaves and taste for seasoning. Add more if needed.

    STEP 6: Heat the broiler to high and 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. Top each baguette slice with a big scoop of cheese and place the bowls in the oven. Broil for 2-3 minutes to slightly brown and melt the cheese. Watch carefully to avoid burning.

    Vegan French Onion Soup

    Looking for more soup recipes? Here are my faves:

    • Vegan Baked Potato Soup
    • Red Lentil Soup
    • Yellow Split Pea Soup
    • Vegan Clam Chowder
    • Chickpea Curry Soup

    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.

    Recipe

    Two white crocks filled with vegan french onion soup. Striped napkin and bread on the side.
    Print Recipe Rate this Recipe
    4.97 from 92 votes

    Vegan French Onion Soup

    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'.
    Prep Time15 minutes mins
    Cook Time1 hour hr
    Total Time1 hour hr 15 minutes mins
    Course: Soup
    Cuisine: French, Vegan
    Servings: 6 People
    Calories: 323kcal
    Author: Melissa Huggins

    Ingredients

    Soup

    • ¼ cup vegan butter or olive oil (or a blend of both)
    • 4 medium yellow onions , sliced
    • ¾ teaspoon granulated sugar
    • 4 cloves garlic , minced
    • 1 ½ teaspoons dried thyme
    • ¾ cup red wine (*see note)
    • 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
    • 2 quarts vegetable broth , low sodium
    • 2 bay leaves
    • 1 ½ teaspoons sea salt , more to taste
    • Fresh ground pepper , to taste
    • 1 baguette , sliced and toasted

    Cashew "Mozzarella" Cheese

    • ¼ cup raw cashews , soaked in water for 2 hours (*see note for quick method)
    • 1 ¼ 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
    • ½ teaspoon garlic powder
    • ¾ teaspoon sea salt
    Prevent your screen from going dark

    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

    • To soften cashews faster, boil water in a small pot and remove from heat. Add cashews and cover for 15-20 minutes.
    • 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.
    *Cheese adapted from Vedged Out. You can find more delicious recipes on their page.

    Nutrition

    Serving: 1Bowl | Calories: 323kcal | Carbohydrates: 35g | Protein: 11g | Fat: 13g | Saturated Fat: 7g | Sodium: 577mg | Potassium: 397mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin C: 0.7mg | Calcium: 115mg | Iron: 2.8mg
    Tried this recipe?Follow me @veganhuggs and mention #veganhuggs!



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    About Melissa

    I’m Melissa Huggins – the creator of Vegan Huggs. I started this blog to share delicious vegan recipes that everyone will love. Yep, that includes carnivores, too! Read more...

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    Comments

      4.97 from 92 votes (49 ratings without comment)

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      Recipe Rating




    1. David

      April 18, 2020 at 4:53 pm

      5 stars
      Made this tonight, my wife and I loved it!! I didn't do the cheese because my wife is allergic to cashews, so I just used vegan mozzarella shreds. Also I used Better than Bouillon No Beef Beef broth instead of the veggie broth. We both lapped up every drop. Thank you for this recipe, it was so delicious! This is definitely the best vegan French onion soup recipe I've had!

      Reply
      • Melissa Huggins

        June 23, 2020 at 10:53 am

        Wow, this is such a nice compliment. I'm so happy you both loved it. I LOVE that No Beef Broth! Such a great addition. Thank you for making it. 🙂

        Reply
    2. Emma

      February 09, 2020 at 6:24 am

      5 stars
      This is delicious - and I'm not a very good cook. I'm going to share this.

      Instead of making the cheese, I melted some vegan cheese in the microwave (somewhere a Frenchman is turning in his grave), which gave it a nice touch.

      Reply
      • Melissa Huggins

        March 07, 2020 at 11:57 am

        Hi Emma, I'm so glad it worked out for you. Thank you for giving it a try. 🙂

        Reply
    3. Ivor

      January 13, 2020 at 12:57 pm

      This is one of the best recipes I've tried - thank you so much for sharing x

      Reply
      • Melissa Huggins

        January 16, 2020 at 10:48 am

        So glad you liked it! Thank you so much 🙂

        Reply
    4. Jeanine Reed

      January 09, 2020 at 3:05 pm

      5 stars
      My family has a long running tradition of French Onion Soup, Quiche, Bouche De Noel for Christmas Eve. My aunt usually hosts this amazing dinner - but she was unable to this year. I felt a lot of pressure to get it "right", My husband and I are vegans along with another family member. We were hosting 16 people. Originally, I was going to make two versions - a vegan and a traditional with beef broth. However, time was crunched, and I decided that I'd make only the one soup base. I'd have gruyere cheese for the non-vegans. It was a HUGE success! I didn't tell anyone that it was vegetable broth. But, people were commenting on how good it was and asking what I used etc. The vegan cheese was amazing, I was very surprised as I've tried vegan cheese before and have never liked it. This recipe is one I'd make again and again. Thank you veganhuggs!

      Reply
      • Melissa Huggins

        January 11, 2020 at 6:53 pm

        This is the greatest compliment! I'm so glad everyone loved it! Thank you for making it for your special dinner tradition. 🙂

        Reply
    5. Jessica

      December 16, 2019 at 6:47 am

      This looks delicious, I've never had onion soup before like this but have always wanted to make it. I found your recipe and am wondering if I can use some white wine instead of red or will they make it less rich? Thank you 😊

      Reply
      • Melissa Huggins

        December 16, 2019 at 10:37 am

        Hi Jessica, Yes, you can use white wine too. The flavor will be equally delicious, just a tad less bold. Thank you for stopping by 🙂

        Reply
    6. Liza Shaw

      October 19, 2019 at 8:07 pm

      5 stars
      Amazing! Even my meat-eater boyfriend loved it! Love the cashew cheese. Thanks for sharing the recipe!

      Reply
    7. Jesse

      March 25, 2019 at 9:52 am

      5 stars
      Delicious!

      Reply
    8. Jane

      March 09, 2019 at 7:51 pm

      Could cornstarch or arrowroot be used in place of tapioca?

      Reply
      • Melissa Huggins

        March 09, 2019 at 8:31 pm

        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 😀

        Reply
    9. Shannon

      March 04, 2019 at 7:10 pm

      5 stars
      Perfect, so so good. Thanks very much!

      Reply
      • Melissa Huggins

        March 12, 2019 at 11:10 pm

        Hi Shannon, you're most welcome! Thank you for making them 🙂

        Reply
    10. DaveS

      January 28, 2019 at 7:27 pm

      5 stars
      Delicious. Took a little longer than suggested but worth it.

      Reply
      • Melissa Huggins

        January 28, 2019 at 7:56 pm

        Thank you so much! I'm glad you liked it 🙂

        Reply
    11. Jo

      January 06, 2019 at 8:01 pm

      Loved this recipe... thanks!!!

      Reply
    12. Janice Graham-Welsh

      December 19, 2018 at 2:02 pm

      5 stars
      Hi I loved your vegan onion soup recipe. i made the cheese as well and it was delicious. My husband enjoyed the soup as well and he does not usually eat vegan meals. Thanks I will make this soup again.

      Reply
      • Melissa Huggins

        December 29, 2018 at 9:31 am

        Hi Janice, I'm so happy that you both loved it! Thank you so much 🙂

        Reply
    13. Samantha

      September 05, 2018 at 11:17 am

      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!

      Reply
      • Melissa Huggins

        September 09, 2018 at 8:21 pm

        Yay! This is wonderful to hear! Thank you so much for making it and sharing your feedback. 🙂

        Reply
    14. Nadia

      September 02, 2018 at 3:25 pm

      5 stars
      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.

      Reply
      • Melissa Huggins

        September 05, 2018 at 11:02 am

        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. 🙂

        Reply
    15. Katie

      May 03, 2018 at 8:28 am

      5 stars
      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.

      Reply
      • Melissa Huggins

        May 09, 2018 at 9:14 pm

        Hi Katie, thank you for making it. I'm so happy you liked it. Have a lovely week 🙂

        Reply
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