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a bowl of Vegan French Onion Soup topped with toasted vegan cheesy bread.
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5 stars (5 ratings)

Vegan French Onion Soup

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!
Prep Time20 minutes
Cook Time2 hours
Total Time2 hours 20 minutes
Course: Soup
Cuisine: French
Servings: 6 servings
Calories: 378kcal
Author: Nora Taylor

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
US Customary - Metric

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 about 1 cup of boiling hot water for at least 5 minutes. Drain the cashews and add to a blender along with the fresh 1 1/2 cups 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

  1. 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). 
  2. 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.

Nutrition

Serving: 1of 6 servings | Calories: 378kcal | Carbohydrates: 51g | Protein: 8g | Fat: 15g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 10g | Sodium: 1200mg | Potassium: 386mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 12g | Vitamin A: 561IU | Vitamin C: 16mg | Calcium: 97mg | Iron: 3mg