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This Vegan French Onion Soup recipe is inspired by the original French classic. It’s complete with a rich, umami-packed broth topped with crusty bread and hot, gooey “cheese.” It’s the perfect cozy comfort food made completely vegan!
We’ve put our spin on many classic soup recipes, from Vegan Broccoli Cheddar Soup, Vegan Chicken Noodle Soup, Vegan Chicken Gnocchi Soup, and Vegan Zuppa Toscana. This savory vegan soup recipe is no exception!
Using just 11 simple ingredients and a few ingredient swaps, we’ve recreated the deep, savory flavors and cheesy goodness you expect from the traditional dish. Get ready to dive into a bowl of cozy comfort food!
Ingredients Youโll Need
- Vegan butter: Used to caramelize the onions and adds savory richness to the soup. If you don’t have any vegan butter on hand, olive oil is a great substitute.
- Onions: You’ll need 3 pounds of yellow onions (about 5-6 onions). When slowly caramelized, the onions create a sweet, rich, savory soup broth that is iconic to French onion soup.
- Sugar: A pinch of sugar helps to quicken the caramelization process and brings out the onions’ natural sweetness.
- Dry white wine: Used to deglaze the pan while caramelizing the onions. We recommend sauvignon blanc, pinot grigio, or a dry riesling for their crisp acidity and light, neutral flavor.
- Flour: All-purpose flour helps to thicken the soup broth and give it a velvety mouthfeel.
- Broth: Traditional French onion soup is typically made with beef broth. To mimic that same deep, umami flavor, we made our French onion soup with vegan beef broth, but vegetable broth also works well.
- Thyme: The fresh, aromatic notes of the thyme sprigs balance the sweetness of the caramelized onions and the richness of the broth.
- Bay leaves: Similar to the fresh thyme, bay leaves add an earthy layer to the soup, contributing to the deep flavor profile.
- Dry sherry: While optional, a splash of dry sherry balances the soup’s richness by adding a tangy brightness.
- French baguette: Day-old, crusty French bread works perfectly in this soup recipe.
- Vegan mozzarella: Classic French onion soup is famously topped with gruyere cheese, but that is hard to come by in a dairy-free version. Our recipe testing found that vegan mozzarella was the next best thing. Feel free to opt for store-bought shreds as we did, or try our Homemade Vegan Mozzarella Cheese slices!
Equipment Needed
- Large Dutch oven or pot of choice
- Spatula
- Sheet pan
- Ladle
- Oven-safe soup bowls (optional)
How to Make Vegan French Onion Soup
- Caramelize the onions. Add the vegan butter to a large Dutch oven or pot of choice and melt over medium-low heat. Once melted, add the sliced onions, salt, and sugar. Cook until the onions are deeply caramelized, occasionally stirring with a wooden spoon to scrape the fond at the bottom of the pan. This should take 30-45 minutes. In the beginning, youโll only need to stir the onions occasionally, but once they begin to brown, youโll need to stir more frequently to prevent burning. If the onions begin to burn or stick to the pan, deglaze with water.
- Add wine. Once the onions are a deep golden brown and jammy, add the wine to deglaze the pan and raise the heat to medium. Cook, stirring constantly, until the wine is cooked off, about 3-4 minutes.
- Add the flour. Sprinkle the flour over the caramelized onions and stir to coat. Cook for an additional minute to allow the flour to hydrate.
- Add the broth ingredients. Add in the broth, sprigs of fresh thyme, and bay leaves. Stir together and bring the soup broth to a simmer. Cover and simmer for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Prepare the crouton. While the soup simmers, preheat the oven to 400F. Place the baguette slices on a sheet pan with a drizzle of olive oil and bake for 5-8 minutes or until lightly crispy. Remove from the oven and set aside. If using regular bowls, top the crispy baguette slices with vegan mozzarella cheese and return to the oven for another 10 minutes, until the cheese is melted.
- Finish the soup. After the soup broth has simmered for 30 minutes, remove the soup from the heat. Add the dry sherry, if using, and black pepper to taste. Remove the thyme sprigs and bay leaves.
- Ladle into oven-safe bowls. Ladle the savory broth into oven-safe bowls and top with 1-2 slices of the crispy bread. Pile vegan mozzarella shreds on the bread, about 1/4 cup per bowl.
- Bake until cheesy. Place in the oven for 10 minutes, or until the cheese is melted. If using regular bowls, serve the soup and top with the prepared cheesy baguette slices.
- Enjoy. Remove from the oven and allow to cool slightly before serving. Enjoy!
Serving Suggestions
This soup is hearty enough to be enjoyed as a main dish, but if you’re looking for a few vegan side dishes to pair alongside it, you can’t go wrong with a simple Brussels Sprouts Caesar Salad or Pan-Fried Asparagus. French onion soup pairs beautifully with a glass of red or white wine.
Recipe FAQs
Can I make this vegan French onion soup gluten-free?
Yes! If you are gluten-free or serving gluten-free guests, there are a few ingredient swaps you will need to make to adjust the recipe.
First, replace the all-purpose flour with a 1:1 gluten-free flour blend. Next, swap the french baguette for a gluten-free alternative. Lastly, double check that your vegan beef broth does not contain any gluten.
Can I make this soup oil-free?
While we have not tested an oil-free version of this particular recipe, you may be able to make it oil-free by using our guide for How to Caramelize Onions without Oil.
Then double check your broth and vegan cheese of choice does not contain oil. If you give this a try, leave us a comment down below to share your results!
I don’t have any oven-safe bowls. What can I use?
If using regular bowls, we recommend baking the baguette slices for 5-8 minutes, then topping with the cheese and returning to the oven to bake for another 10 minutes, or until the cheese is melted. Then, ladle the soup into your bowl of choice and top with the prepared cheesy baguette slices.
Storage Instructions
Leftover soup will keep for up to 5 days in an airtight container in the refrigerator. For best results, store the soup broth and bread separately.
When reheating, heat the soup until warm on the stovetop or in the microwave, then transfer to an oven-safe serving bowl, top with leftover bread and cheese, and bake at 400F for 10 minutes, or until the cheese is gooey.
Quick Tips
- When caramelizing the onions, you’ll only need to stir them occasionally at first. Once they begin to brown, you’ll need to stir more frequently to prevent burning. If the onions begin to burn or stick to the pan, deglaze with a bit of water.
- Shredding a block of vegan cheese rather than using pre-shredded cheese may help it melt more quickly and look most similar to dairy cheese. Check out this helpful article to find a vegan cheese that melts well: Best Vegan Cheeses That Melt.
- Don’t skip toasting the bread! This helps it hold up when placed on top of the soup and baked with cheese.
More Vegan Soup REcipes You May Enjoy:
Gluten Free
Cream of Mushroom Soup – Easy & Vegan
Gluten Free
Mushroom Farro Soup
30 Minute Meals
Healthy Cabbage Soupย
Appetizers and Sides
Hearty Lentil Soup
Make sure you tag us on Instagram @sweetsimplevegan and @consciouschris and hashtag #sweetsimplevegan if you make this recipe. We love to see your photos!
PrintVegan French Onion Soup Recipe
- Total Time: 2 hours 10 minutes
- Yield: About 6 servings
- Diet: Vegan
Description
This Vegan French Onion Soup recipeย is inspired by the original French classic. Complete with a rich, umami-packed broth topped with crusty bread and hot gooey “cheese”. It’s the perfect cozy comfort food made completely vegan!
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup (1/2 stick) vegan butter
- 3 lbs yellow onions (about 5–6 onions), sliced
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ยฝ teaspoon sugar
- 1 cup dry white wine
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 8 cups vegan beef broth (or vegetable broth)
- 4 sprigs of thyme
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 tablespoon dry sherry (optional)
- 1 French baguette, sliced
- Vegan mozzarella shreds
Equipment
- Large Dutch oven or pot of choice
- Spatula
- Sheet pan
- Ladle
- Oven-safe soup bowls (optional)
Instructions
- Caramelize the onions.ย Add the vegan butter to a large Dutch oven or pot of choice and melt over medium-low heat. Once melted, add the slicedย onions, salt, and sugar. Cook until the onions are deeply caramelized, occasionally stirring with a wooden spoon to scrape the fond at the bottom of the pan. This should take 30-45 minutes. In the beginning, youโll only need to stir the onions occasionally, but once they begin to brown, youโll need to stir more frequently to prevent burning. If the onions begin to burn or stick to the pan, deglaze with water.
- Add wine.ย Once the onions are a deep golden brown and jammy, add the wine to deglaze the pan and raise the heat to medium. Cook, stirring constantly, until the wine is cooked off, about 3-4 minutes.ย
- Add the flour.ย Sprinkle the flour over the caramelized onions and stir to coat. Cook for an additional minute to allow the flour to hydrate.ย
- Add the broth ingredients.ย Add in the broth, sprigs of fresh thyme, and bay leaves. Stir together and bring the soup broth to a simmer.ย Cover and simmer for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Prepare the crouton.ย While the soup simmers, preheat the oven to 400F. Place the baguette slices on a sheet pan with a drizzle of olive oil and bake for 5-8 minutes or until lightly crispy. Remove from the oven and set aside.ย If using regular bowls, top the crispy baguette slices with vegan mozzarella cheese and return to the oven for another 10 minutes, until the cheese is melted.
- Finish the soup.ย After the soup broth has simmered for 30 minutes, remove the soup from the heat. Add the dry sherry, if using, and black pepper to taste. Remove the thyme sprigs and bay leaves.ย
- Ladle into oven-safe bowls.ย Ladle the savory broth into oven-safe bowls and top with 1-2 slices of the crispy bread. Pile vegan mozzarella shreds on the bread, about 1/4 cup per bowl.ย
- Bake until cheesy.ย Place in the oven for 10 minutes, or until the cheese is melted.ย If using regular bowls, serve the soup and top with the prepared cheesy baguette slices.
- Enjoy. Remove from the oven and allow to cool slightly before serving.
Notes
- Storage: Leftover soup will keep for up to 5 days in an airtight container in the refrigerator. For best results, store the soup broth and bread separately.
- Reheating: Heat the soup until warm on the stovetop or in the microwave, then transfer to an oven-safe serving bowl, top with leftover bread and cheese, and bake at 400F for 10 minutes, or until the cheese is gooey.
- Serving Suggestion: This soup is hearty enough to be enjoyed as a main dish, but if you’re looking for a few vegan side dishes to pair alongside it, you can’t go wrong with a simpleย Brussels Sprouts Caesar Saladย orย Pan-Fried Asparagus. French onion soup pairs beautifully with a glass of red or white wine.
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 100 minutes
- Category: Soup, Entree
- Method: Stovetop and Oven