Vegan French Onion Soup
This Vegan French Onion Soup recipe may be the best comfort food available. From the rich, caramelized onions to the crusty bread on top with melted vegan cheese, every bite is better than the last.
Hearty vegan soup recipes make the best all-around dishes because they can be an appetizer, a side dish (for salads or sandwiches), or even the main meal. This veggie French onion soup takes it to another level because it’s all those things and absolutely delicious, too!
When it comes to comfort food, I find soup, vegan loaded potatoes, vegan nachos, and even this vegan beef stroganoff to be my favorites.
Key Ingredients
You can find the full printable recipe, including ingredient quantities, below. But first, here are some explanations of ingredients and steps to help you make this recipe perfect every time.
Here are the ingredients you’ll need for this recipe:
- Olive oil — Any neutral vegetable oil will work, but I prefer olive oil.
- Onions — You’ll need around 5 yellow onions, peeled and thinly sliced.
- Brown sugar — We’ll add a bit of brown sugar to help the onions caramelize.
- Garlic cloves — A key ingredient in most soup recipes, you’ll need around 4 or 5 cloves of garlic.
- Flour — You can use all-purpose or gluten-free as a thickener for the soup.
- White wine — This adds flavor, but it serves a purpose too, in that it helps deglaze the pan after cooking the onions.
- Bay leaves — You’ll need 2 bay leaves.
- Vegetable broth — I recommend a high-quality vegetable broth, like vegetarian Better Than Bouillon combined with water.
- Dried thyme — A bit of dried thyme adds amazing flavor.
- Vegan Worcestershire sauce — Standard Worcestershire sauce is made with fish, so make sure to use vegan Worcestershire Sauce. You can buy it at health food stores or online.
- Baguette — You’ll need one baguette cut into six one-inch slices.
- Vegan mozzarella shreds — We use either Daiya or Follow Your Heart vegan cheese.
Why This Recipe is a Winner
- Onions are sliced thinly and caramelized until golden in color, creating the perfect foundation for this soup.
- Adding white wine adds a savory flavor and deglazes the pan, meaning you get all the delicious morsels in every bite.
- Baguette slices are toasted, creating one large crouton in each bowl of soup. As it soaks up the soup below it, the toasted bread becomes even more flavorful.
Storage Tips
Store soup in an airtight container in the fridge. It will keep up to 5 days. It can be frozen by transferring it to freezer-safe containers where it will keep up to 3 months. To serve, remove soup and let it come to room temperature. Cook until heated through. Then add toasted bread and vegan cheese on top and broil, until the cheese turns golden brown.
Frequently-Asked Questions
Is French onion soup vegan?
Traditional French onion soup is made with beef broth and topped with mozzarella cheese, so it’s not a vegan soup. However, it’s easy to transform this soup into a vegan delight by using vegetable broth and vegan mozzarella.
What can I use instead of wine in French onion soup?
There may be plenty of reasons you prefer not to cook with wine, however, don’t be left behind on the amazing flavor it adds to this soup. Create a decent substitute by combining 4 tablespoons of whine vinegar with a cup of vegetable broth.
Serving Suggestions
Serve vegan French soup with any of the following:
Vegan Soup Recipes
If you love this vegan French onion soup, here are even more tasty plant-based soup recipes you’ll love:
That’s it for this vegan soup. Enjoy!
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Vegan Onion Soup
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 5 large onions , peeled and sliced thin (see notes)
- 2 teaspoons brown sugar
- 4 medium garlic cloves , peeled and minced
- 3 tablespoons flour (all-purpose or gluten-free)
- ½ cup white wine
- 2 bay leaves
- 6 cups vegetable broth (see note)
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1 teaspoon vegan Worcestershire sauce
- 6 slices baguette (one-inch slices)
- ¾ cup vegan mozzarella shreds
Instructions
- Caramelize the onions. Pour the olive oil into a pot over medium-high heat. Add the onions and sauté for 3 to 5 minutes, stirring regularly. Stir in the sugar and cook until the onions are caramelized, stirring regularly.
- Make a Roux. Add the garlic and sauté for 2 minutes. Stir in the flour—cook and stir for about 1 minute. Add the wine. Use a spatula or wooden spoon to get the brown bits in the pan.
- Simmer. Stir in the vegetable broth, Worcestershire, thyme. Add the bay leaf and cook until the soup begins to simmer (low boil). Reduce the heat to medium-low, cover the pot, and simmer for 10 to 15 minutes. Use tongs to remove the bay leaf. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Toast the bread. While the soup is cooking, preheat the oven to 400°F. Place the baguette slices in a single layer on a baking sheet. Bake for approximately 7 minutes, until the bread is toasted and golden around the edges. Remove the pan.
- Broil. Turn the oven to the broiler setting and use oven mitts to place an oven rack on the top tier. Place soup crocks (oven-safe) on a baking sheet. Ladle some soup into the bowls, and top each with a toasted baguette slice. Add about 2 tablespoons of cheese over the top of the bread slices. Place the pan on the top rack and broil for 3 to 4 minutes, until the cheese is melted and golden brown in spots. (Pay close attention, so they don't burn.) Use oven mitts to remove the pan from the oven.
- Serve. Allow the soup to cool for a few minutes, then serve warm.
Recommended Equipment
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Notes
How to cut onions in thin slices:
- Take a whole, unpeeled onion and lay it on its side. Cut off the top and the root end.
- Stand the onion on one of the flat ends. Cut down the onion, cutting it in half, and peel off the outer onion skin.
- Lay one of the halves, cut side down. Slice the onion, beginning on the uncut, rounded edge. Once you reach the middle, tip it over and continue making thin slices. Be careful to keep your fingers out of the way as you reach the end of the onion.
- Repeat with the other half of the onion.
The nutrition information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator and should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
I love french onion soup but didn’t realize it was possible to make it vegan. This recipe is so good!
So glad you like it, Elana!