Vegan French Onion Soup

By meticulously layering umami flavors, I’ve crafted a vegan French onion soup that’s loved by meat eaters and a convincing stand-in for the real thing. You’ll just have to try it to believe it!

Vegetarian French onion soup is one of those things that I assumed for a long time would be excluded from my life forever. As a dish that basically revolves around beef and gruyere cheese, there’s not much a vegan can do.

I’ve seen vegan French onion soup recipes online and I’ve just never been convinced that it would be worth making. For the most part they just sound like vegetable soup, often with gross looking vegan cheese on top. Y’all know I don’t settle when it comes to these matters. Things changed when I saw that America’s Test Kitchen had created a meatless onion soup recipe. There are a few recipe sources that I trust strongly, and ATK is one of them. They test everything a lot and have very high standards for their plant-based fare.

I’ve modeled my own vegan French onion soup off of the one from ATK, although I’ve made many changes, including to eliminate the mushrooms. To make a plant-based version of this classic French soup, here are the components you’ll need:

Homemade umami croutons, made with fresh sourdough bread and tossed with a smattering of savory seasonings before roasting to golden brown perfection. These croutons take the place of cheese-topped bread in our plant-based soup.

Perfectly caramelized onions, slow-cooked the proper way. I make my caramelized onions in the oven as of late, so I’ve included those instructions here, but use your preferred method. Just don’t rush the process. There is literally, from a scientific standpoint, no way to caramelize onions rapidly. Shortcuts provide an inferior product.

Vegan beef broth to simmer the onions in. I highly, highly recommend making my homemade vegan beef broth which requires sourcing a couple of odd ingredients but is so, so deep/rich/flavorful/amazing. However, if there is a store-bought beef-less broth that you like, you can use that instead.

A splash of dry sherry is a crucial counterpoint to the sweet flavor of the onions.

Fresh thyme and bay leaves are simmered in the soup to infuse a hint of freshness.

Is this vegan French onion soup easy to make? Hmm, depends on your definition. There are definitely several steps involved in this recipe and it certainly isn’t quick. There’s not really any way to speed it up with the Instant Pot or make it more hands-off with the slow cooker, so I would say that labor is required. It is pretty simple in terms of technique, though, so I believe that most home cooks should be able to prepare this. A lot of the time is spent just relaxing and waiting for onions to cook, so put on some music and enjoy!

Most importantly, this recipe is just the best. I’ve been disappointed by all of the vegan French onion soup that came before and after this one, but this is the real deal. Obviously, this is not 100% authentic French food, but I’m proud to say this recipe is incredibly flavorful and rich without any animal products or waxy fake cheese.

I’ve been keeping this recipe from you for literally a year. I was making it regularly during Pandemic Autumn #1 and even fed it to a bunch of meat eaters [in my quarantine bubble] for Christmas, but didn’t get around to publishing it until today. I hope that you enjoy it!

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5 from 3 votes

Vegan French Onion Soup

Made with a rich, savory plant-based broth and funky seasoned croutons instead of fake cheese, this lovingly-made vegan French onion soup ticks all of the boxes!

Course Soup

Cuisine American, dairy-free, French, nut-free, vegan, vegetarian

Keyword vegan french onion soup, vegetarian french onion soup

Prep Time 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time 1 hour hour

Hands-Off Cook Time 2 hours hours 30 minutes minutes

Total Time 3 hours hours 45 minutes minutes

Servings 6 servings

Calories 343kcal

Author Yup, it's Vegan

Equipment

• Dutch oven (or casserole dish & soup pot)
• Baking sheet

Ingredients

For the onions:

• 4 pounds white or yellow onions sliced (about 1/4" thick)
• 3 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tsp salt

For the soup:

• 2 tsp olive oil (optional)
• 1/2 tsp freshly-ground black pepper
• 2 and 1/2 cups water divided
• 1/2 cup dry sherry
• 6 cups vegan beef broth (homemade recommended)
• 6 sprigs fresh thyme
• 1 bay leaf
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp brown sugar

For the croutons:

• 6 oz sourdough bread cubed
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 2 tbsp nutritional yeast
• 1 tbsp miso paste
• 1 tsp prepared mustard
• 1 tsp tomato paste
• 1 tsp white vinegar
• 1/4 tsp garlic powder
• 1/8 tsp salt

Instructions

Caramelize the onions:

• (Use your own preferred method for caramelized onions, if you prefer). Set the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. In a Dutch oven, combine the sliced onions, olive oil, and salt. Cover with the lid and bake for 1 hour. Remove from the oven and stir, especially making sure to scrape the sides.
• Return onions to the oven, with the lid slightly ajar to let steam escape. Cook for another 60 minutes, then stir again and return to the onion. Continue cooking for about 30 more minutes, or until onions are soft and golden brown.
• Continue making the soup using the caramelized onions in the same pot, or store them in the refrigerator (including oil) for up to 3 days.

Cook the soup:

• Move the pot with the caramelized onions to the stove over medium heat (medium-low if using a gas stove). If using stored onions from the refrigerator, add the additional 2 tsp of olive oil to help keep them from sticking. Add the black pepper.
• Cook the onions until nicely browned, stirring frequently and scraping the bottom and sides, about 10-12 minutes. Turn the heat to medium, stir in 1/2 cup water and scrape the bottom and sides well. Then, stir in the dry sherry and cook until the liquid is mostly evaporated, about 3-4 minutes.
• Add the broth, thyme, bay leaf, salt, brown sugar, and 2 cups of water. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to low, cover, and simmer for 30 minutes. Season to taste with additional salt and pepper if needed. Discard the thyme and bay leaf. Prepared soup keeps well in the fridge for up to 4-5 days.

Make the croutons:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
• In a mixing bowl, combine all of the ingredients except for the bread. Stir into an even mixture, then add the bread to the bowl and toss to combine. Use your hands to massage the seasoning into the bread.
• Transfer the seasoned bread cubes to a baking sheet and bake for about 15 minutes, or until golden brown and slightly crisp. After cooling, store any leftovers in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.

Notes

MAKE AHEAD: The onions, croutons, and homemade broth (if using) can all be made in advance and stored for a couple of days, which means that soup day is actually pretty quick.

 

BREAD CHOICE: I always use my boyfriend's homemade 50% whole wheat sourdough for these croutons, and it's simply amazing. Any type of sourdough will be great here, but do try to use bread that isn't pre-sliced; it will be much more moist and flavorful.

 

CARAMELIZED ONIONS: Use a stovetop caramelized onion method if you prefer or don't have time to use the oven method. However, be sure to use the full quantity of olive oil listed in the recipe, as it is necessary for the flavor and texture of the soup. 

 

BROTH: My homemade vegan beef broth is what makes this recipe truly stupendous. However, if you need to use a premade option, I urge you use to use something labeled as beef-style broth, rather than vegetable broth. A vegetable broth would need to be doctored up with high-glutamate ingredients to provide the desired flavor.

 

NUTRITION: Recipe nutrition facts include the croutons.

Nutrition

Serving: 1sixth recipe with croutons | Calories: 343kcal | Carbohydrates: 43g | Protein: 7g | Fat: 15g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 10g | Sodium: 649mg | Potassium: 541mg | Fiber: 7g | Sugar: 14g | Vitamin A: 505IU | Vitamin C: 21mg | Calcium: 750mg | Iron: 0.6mg