Warm up with a steaming hot bowl of Vegan French Onion Soup topped with toasted bread and stretchy, gooey vegan cheese. It’s easy to fall in love with this savory, caramelized onion-packed comfort food!
Treat yourself to more warm and cozy vegan soup recipes, like my Vegan Broccoli Cheddar Soup, Spicy Peanut Soup, and Vegan Pumpkin Soup.
The cold winter weather has nothing on this Vegan French Onion Soup. Deeply flavorful and oh-so-comforting, there’s no better way to warm up than with a big bowl full!
Now, traditional French onion soup is not known for being a vegan-friendly meal. It’s made with beef broth and a layer of melted Gruyère cheese on top, which means we vegans don’t usually get to enjoy its layers of wonderful warming flavors. That is, until now…
A handful of simple vegan substitutions were all it took to make this soup vegan-friendly! Made with a savory, herbaceous, caramelized onion-infused vegetable broth, toasted baguette slices, and a stretchy “cheese” inspired by my Easy Stretchy Vegan Mozzarella Cheese recipe, you’re left with a big bowl of comfort food that’s just as decadent as the classic.
Why this is the best vegan French onion soup recipe
- A French classic made vegan – This dairy-free French onion soup has everything you love about the classic. You’ll find savory broth, caramelized onions, toasted bread, and a layer of melted “cheese” in every slurp!
- Instantly warms you up – Just like my Mushroom Bourguignon, this vegan French onion soup is a warming cold-weather meal the whole family will adore.
- A must-try during soup season – There’s no such thing as “too much soup” when it’s cold outside! Go ahead and treat yourself to as much vegan French onion soup as you want, as well as my Vegan Potato Leek Soup, Vegan Mushroom Soup with Wild Rice, and other soup recipes.
How to make vegan French onion soup
Find the complete recipe with measurements in the recipe card below.
To caramelize the onions, add the sliced onions to a large pot over medium heat. Once they’ve softened, turn up the heat and cook until they’re starting to brown. Sprinkle the sugar and salt over top and continue cooking until the onions are caramelized.
Time-saving tip: Caramelizing onions takes at least 45 minutes, if not longer (about 1 hour in this recipe). If you’re short on time, you can caramelize the onions up to 4 days in advance and keep them in the fridge until it’s time to make this soup.
To make the soup, add the garlic to the pot and cook until fragrant. Stir in the flour. Deglaze the pan with the wine, using a wooden spoon to scrape up any browned bits stuck to the bottom.
Stir in the broth, thyme leaves, bay leaf, and black pepper. Heat to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer.
While you wait, toast the baguette slices in the oven until they’re lightly golden. Set aside.
To make the stretchy cheese topping, blend the soaked cashews with the water, lemon juice, salt, and tapioca starch until smooth. Pour the mixture into a small pot and heat over medium-high. Stir the cheese constantly until it thickens and becomes a stretchy, gooey mass of cheese. Immediately take it off the heat.
Spoon a big scoop of cheese onto each piece of toasted bread. Place the bread back in the oven and broil just until the cheese is a bit browned on top.
Ladle the warm soup into bowls and top with 1 or 2 pieces of cheesy toast. Enjoy!
For an authentic French onion soup experience, ladle the soup into oven-safe bowls, top with a toast and a scoop of cheese, and place under the broiler until the cheese is bubbly and slightly browned.
Frequently asked questions
No, French onion soup is not traditionally vegan. The soup is made with beef broth and it’s served with a generous helping of Gruyère cheese on top. Luckily, my vegan version swaps these for simple plant-based alternatives, like vegetable broth and a stretchy cheese topping similar to my Easy Stretchy Vegan Mozzarella Cheese recipe.
French onion soup just wouldn’t be the same if you didn’t take the time to properly caramelize the onions. This process enhances the onions’ natural flavors and brings out their hidden sweetness, which adds so much depth to the soup.
Yes, you can easily make an alcohol-free French onion soup. Simply deglaze the pot with an equal amount of vegetable broth instead of wine. The wine does add a subtle tangy brightness to the soup, and you can easily mimic this by stirring in a splash of lemon juice or apple cider vinegar at the end.
The caramelized onions, soup, and toasted bread can all be made 4 to 5 days in advance. Keep the onions and/or onion soup in an airtight container in the refrigerator and the bread in a sealed bag on the counter.
As for the cheese, it’s easiest to work with and the most stretchy when made fresh. However, you can make it 4 to 5 days ahead of time and keep it covered in the fridge if you’re really short on time.
Vegan French Onion Soup
Ingredients
- 6 large yellow onions
- 4 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 teaspoon granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 5 cloves garlic minced
- 3 tablespoons all purpose flour
- 1/2 cup dry white wine or broth
- 6 cups vegetable broth
- 1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves or 1 tsp dried
- 1 bay leaf
- 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
- additional salt, to taste
- 1 baguette sliced
Stretchy Cheese Topping
- 1/2 cup raw cashews
- 1 1/2 cups water
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 4 tablespoons tapioca starch
Instructions
- Caramelize the onions. Peel and thinly slice the onions. In a large pot, heat 4 tablespoons of olive oil over medium heat. Add the onions and toss to coat in the oil. Cook, stirring often, for 15 minutes until they have softened. Increase the heat to medium-high and cook, stirring every few minutes, until the onions start to brown, about 30 minutes. Sprinkle with sugar and salt and cook for another 10-15 minutes until caramelized.
- Make the rest of the soup. Add the garlic and sauté for 1-2 more minutes, then stir in the flour. Pour in the wine to deglaze the pan. Use a wooden spoon or spatula to scrape any browned bits off the bottom of the pan. Add the broth, thyme leaves, bay leaf and black pepper. Stir well and bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for 15 minutes. Discard the bay leaf and add salt, to taste.
- Toast the bread. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F and slice the baguette. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper and add the baguette. Place in the oven to toast for about 5-7 minutes, until the bread is a bit golden. Remove and set aside.
- Prepare stretchy cheese topping. Soak the cashews in boiled water for at least 5 minutes. Drain the cashews and add to a blender along with the water, lemon juice, salt and tapioca starch. Blend well. Pour into a small pot/pan and bring the heat to medium-high. Stir constantly until it thickens and then becomes a stretchy, gooey mass of cheese. Remove from heat immediately.
- Finish the soup. Spoon a big scoop of cheese on each toasted baguette, on the parchment lined pan. Place the pan in the oven and broil for just a few minutes. To serve, ladle soup into bowls and transfer 1 or 2 cheesy toasts on top of each bowl. Alternatively, use oven-safe bowls and ladle the soup into the bowls, add a toast and a scoop of cheese, then place in the oven on a baking sheet and broil for a few minutes.
Notes
- For a gluten free soup, use gluten free flour or a cornstarch slurry near the end of the soup cooking instead (2 tbs cornstarch mixed with 1/4 cup water).
- To avoid having to make your own cheese, you can use a store-bought vegan cheese instead. Simply melt it on top of the bread pieces before serving.
