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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
cCathy
Another great recipe Melissa! Made it tonight! Big flavors! I browned my onions in a slow cooker at high for 4 hours. No oil or sugar necessary. Will be making this again!
Melissa Huggins
Hi Cathy, I'm so glad you loved it! I'll have to try the slow cooker method. Sounds good! Thank you for trying the recipe and sharing feedback. 🙂
Kelby
Delicious! Even the non-vegan husband liked it. It turned out wonderful. I did not have soup crocks that were broiler safe, so I had to improvise and use a Pyrex bowl at only 425*F because Pyrex is not broiler safe (I guess). So I didn't get the crispy cheese effect, but otherwise it was delicious. I've ordered some soup crocks and will be making again soon!
Melissa Huggins
Hi Kelby, I'm so happy it was a hit! Good call on lowering the temp with the Pyrex for safety. You new crocks will get the job done! Thanks for trying the recipe. 🙂
Shannon
The best
Melissa Huggins
So glad you love it Shannon! Thank you for trying it 🙂
Teri
The best vegan French onion soup I have ever made. Incredible recipe, thank you for sharing!
Melissa Huggins
Hi Teri, you feedback made my day! I'm so glad you loved it. Thank you for making it and sharing your feedback. 🙂
Leanne
So good - thank you for the recipe!
Melissa Huggins
you're most welcome, Leanne! I'm so glad you enjoyed it! 🙂
Regine
Hi,
This looks great! Is it possible to put the vegan cheese under the broiler?
Andrea
This has been my go to French onion soup recipe since you came out with it. I have some cooking on the stove right now! Yum!
Melissa Huggins
That is great to know Andrea! hope you enjoyed that batch. :)Happy weekend.
Burgundy
Great base recipe! I didn't follow exactly and I didn't do the "Mozza" because I didn't have all the ingredients but man was it ever good!
Melissa Huggins
I am pleased that you liked it even without the mozzarella topping, Burgundy. 🙂 You are right, the base onion soup is delicious on its own too.
Rachel
Delicious! My non-vegan husband loved it! I used miyokos mozzarella this time, but will make my own next time. Made my own umami croutons in air fryer! Thank you!
Melissa Huggins
Hi Rachel, thank you for trying it out and giving this recipe great feedback! Bet those umami croutons are delicous. Glad you and your husband enjoyed it.
Heather Clark
I am excited to try this recipe. I am not vegan, but I am on a Gluten Free diet and it is impossible to find beef broth that does not contain wheat. Your recipe using vegetable broth is a great alternative. Whenever I make onion soup, I serve it with cheesey nacho chips on the side instead of the baguette as Gluten free bread would just turn to mush if used the regular way.
Melissa Huggins
Hi Heather, I have lots of gluten-free recipes for you to try so I hope you can browse through and make them. 🙂 Let us know how it goes.
Lei
Currently cooking this and it smells amazing so far... but what on earth is a quart? Please change the recipe to litres! Many thanks 🙂 x
Elizabeth
Delicious! I doubled the onions - I think it’s just a bit brothy. Also a little tip, add a splash of balsamic vinegar with the wine and onions when you’re reducing and it somehow makes it a bit richer. Excellent recipe. Will definitely make it again!
Melissa Huggins
Thank you Elizabeth, glad you liked this recipe. 🙂 And thanks for the additional tips too.
Troy Williams
Super Good. I used miyokos mozerrela warmed and spread on the baguette to save a bit of time!
Melissa Huggins
I'm so glad you liked the recipe! I love Miyoko's Mozz! Thanks for giving the recipe a try! 🙂
Ashley
SO GOOD!!! Easy to make, though it takes some patience. I have made it twice and it has been to die for each time. I used store-bought vegan cheese and even my dairy-eating friends loved it and the soup!
Support @ Vegan Huggs
Hi Ashley! We are so happy that you and your friends all love the recipe - thanks so much for stopping by!
Myriam
Simply delicious!
Support @ Vegan Huggs
Hi Myriam! We are happy that you liked the soup! Thanks for trying it out 🙂
Bryanna Connor
Hello!! I am wondering if it is possible to make this recipe without the wine?
Thank you!
Melissa Huggins
Hi Bryanna, yes, you can omit the wine step altogether and you don't need a replacement. If you want to add extra depth of flavor, you can add 1-2 tablespoons of balsamic vinegar. I hope this helps. Thanks for stopping by 🙂