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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?
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!
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.
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
Vegan French Onion Soup
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
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.
Nutrition
Arturo
I found that the recipe was great, but I am a big salt / umami fan. Adding a little liquid amino and / or miso paste made this PERFECT for my taste buds. Thanks for the recipe, I will definitely be making it again!
Support @ Vegan Huggs
Hi Arturo! We're so glad to hear that you liked the recipe. Thanks for stopping by 🙂
Alex
I made it tonight and you’re right it was delicious! I can’t wait to make it again when I have some oven safe bowls
Support @ Vegan Huggs
Hi Alex! We're so happy that you liked the recipe! Thanks so much for trying it out, and yes the oven safe bowls are so handy! 🙂
Alex
Do you think this would still be good if you are unable to broil it at the end?
Melissa Huggins
Hi Alex, Yes, it'll still be delicious! It's mostly to melt the cheese and broil the top of it. 🙂
Phil
When do you add garlic?
Melissa Huggins
Hi Phil, the garlic is added in Step 2 after the onions have cooked for 40-50 minutes. Hope this helps. Thanks for stopping by. 🙂
Sarah
Hello,
Im thinking of making this soup as a meal prep, if that makes sense? Can I reheat the soup with the homemade cheese on top in the microwave? Please note I will not be adding the baguette.
Thank you!!
Melissa Huggins
Hi Sarah, I'm sorry for the late reply. I haven't tried reheating it with the cheese in the microwave. I think it would work, but I'm not sure if the cheese will dry out or melt into the soup. I wish I could be more helpful. I'll have to experiment the next time I make it. Thank you for stopping by. 🙂
Christine
Thank you - This soup is amazing! My 5 year daughter loved it. I paired it with onion and sage Sourdough.
Alex
Soooo delicious! Used Miyoko's fresh mozz bc I already had some 😋 this will definitely become a go-to for me
Support @ Vegan Huggs
Hi Alex! We are so happy to hear that you loved the recipe and will be making it again! Thanks so much for stopping by 🙂
Just Sierra’s Mom Loralei
Vegan French Onion Soup (and vegan cheese:)
My 16 yr old daughter and I made this tonight and it is amazing. Incredible how much it tastes better than non-vegan version. No guilt eating real food here.
Recipe was well written, easy to follow and wouldn’t change a single thing.
Support @ Vegan Huggs
Hi! Thank you for trying it out! So fun that you and your daughter cook together 🙂 We are so happy to hear that you loved the soup!
Sara-Ann Cook
ok, wow! this was one of the best dishes i think i’ve ever made. I have never had french onion soup before, vegan or not. the soup has amazing depth, a beautiful combo of sweet and savory. my only sub was that i used herbs de provence in place of just thyme (didn’t have any.) It took me about 1 hour and 15 min just to cook the onions down, and to be honest i could’ve still let them go longer, but i tried to be as patient as possible. in the cheese, i had to sub some cornstarch in place of tapioca, it didn’t get stringy but did get thicker. the combination of the soup and cheesy flavor is INCREDIBLE. This is the first recipe i’ve made of yours and can’t wait to come back for more. Gonna go eat another bowl of this now....thanks for the amazing recipe.
Support @ Vegan Huggs
Hi Sara-Ann! This is such an amazing compliment! Thank you so much for trying out the recipe, and we are so happy to hear that you loved it 🙂
Jenn
This was the best French soup I’ve ever made! Thank you!!!
Support @ Vegan Huggs
Hi Jenn! What an awesome compliment, we're so glad you loved the recipe! Thank you for sharing 🙂
Andy K
Wow, this recipe is fabulous! Vegans and non-vegans in our household loved it. I used Ripple brand non dairy milk for the cashew cheese and it turned out great, Thank you for posting.
Melissa Huggins
Yay!I'm so happy it was a hit. I LOVE Ripple milk, but I haven't tried it for the cheese yet. It's on my list now! Thank you for giving it a try. 🙂
Lisa
Made the soup only and it was delicious and easy!
Melissa Huggins
Hi Lisa, I'm so glad it worked out for you. Thank you for giving it a try! 🙂
Anna
Love love love this soup! We used a port wine, Edward & Sons “Not Beef” bouillon cubes and Miyokos Creamery vegan fresh Mozzarella. I definitely over ate until I was uncomfortable but it was worth it😅 The soup was so rich and savory, absolutely delicious. Cannot wait to have this again and again. Thank you!
Melissa Huggins
Hi Anna, I'm so glad you liked the soup. It sounds incredible with the port wine, no-beef bouillon, and Miyoko's cheese. Thank you for making it and sharing your modifications. 🙂
Sonia Stoltz
This soup is amazing! Even the non vegans on my family were impressed!
Melissa Huggins
Hi Sonia, thank you for giving it a try. I'm so happy it was a hit with your family! 🙂
Kathy
Love the french onion oup recipe....very tasty and the red wine gave a nice rich flavour! I also made the vegan mozzarella as well. I used soy milk, but wasn’t a huge fan of the taste with the cashews and nutritional yeast combination. The texture is great, and it thickened nicely, but next time I will use water rather than non dairy milk in the cheese mixture. Will def make the soup again!
Melissa Huggins
Hi Kathy, thank you for giving it a try and sharing your feedback. So glad you liked it! 🙂