Vegetarian French Onion Soup

A sweet caramelized onion soup with toasty bread and broiled, melty cheese overtop, this Vegetarian French Onion Soup is both cozy and delicious!

I don’t know about you but as the seasons change I begin craving alllll the warming soups and cozy evenings which is the perfect excuse to make this french onion soup recipe. And even if it’s not cooling down yet where you live, just turn up the A/C a bit and settle in on the couch with this soup. What more could you ask for?!

Not to mention, there’s so many ways to adapt this recipe *and* you could technically make it any time of the year! If you’re looking for more cozy meal inspiration though, check out this 6 Ingredient Vegan Alfredo Sauce or this equally delicious and easy Shakshuka Recipe.

Ingredients in this French Onion Soup Recipe

Yellow Onions – I recommend using yellow onions because when you caramelize them, they become super soft and sweet, which is perfect for French Onion Soup!

Olive Oil (or Butter) – I used olive oil but regular butter or a vegan variety will work as well. Whatever you use is needed to caramelize the onions and enhance the flavor of this soup.

White Wine – Is used to deglaze the pot (after carmelizing the onions) and adds flavor!

Baguette – If you don’t have a mini baguette, feel free to use whatever bread you have available and simply cut it into small squares. And for a gluten free French Onion Soup be sure to use gluten-free bread.

Swiss/Aged Cheddar Cheese – While gruyere cheese is more traditional, I used aged cheddar and loved it! But once again, just use whatever you have in your fridge. And to make this dairy-free French Onion Soup, use a vegan cheese.

Best Onions for French Onion Soup

Oftentimes when it comes to onions, recipes fail to specify what variety to use. For this Vegetarian French Onion Soup, however, I’m being *real* specific and urging you to use yellow onions.

When raw, yellow onions are crisp and have a spicy flavor, but when you caramelize them (such as in is this recipe), they become soft and perfectly sweet. That sweet onion flavor pairs with the white wine and the bread/cheese combination on top to make this French Onion Soup recipe so delicious!

How to Make French Onion Soup

1. In a large pot on medium high, add olive oil, onions, pepper and salt. Brown onions until dark brown, scraping brown bits from bottom and sides of pot as you go (~45 – 60 minutes)

2. Patience! The browner, the better. The sides of the pot will get very dark and your spoon will accumulate a brown paste. All this brown stuff will add depth of flavor to your soup.

3. When browning is complete, add white wine. Deglaze pot, “cleaning” browning off sides with wine/onion mixture. Make sure you get all brown paste off the spoon too!

4. Add water and bring to a boil. Simmer uncovered on medium low for 20 minutes.

5. Topping: Slice baguette into ¼” slices. Brush both sides of each slice with olive oil. Place slices on a baking pan in a single layer, and sprinkle tops with grated cheese (sub dairy free cheese to keep vegan!)

6. Broil for 3-5 minutes, or until the cheese starts to brown. Top bowl of onion soup with cheese bread slices. Enjoy!

What Cheese Should I Use?

Traditionally, French Onion Soup is made with gruyere cheese, a hard yellow Swiss cheese that is slightly sweet yet salty too. For this recipe though, I used aged sharp cheddar cheese and loved it! The bold and sharp bite of cheddar pairs well with this soup in my opinion.

That being said, you can truly use any cheese that you have in the fridge. And if you need this French Onion Soup to be dairy-free or vegan, use vegan cheese!

How to Serve French Onion Soup

While the presentation of French Onion Soup can look fancy and intimidating at times, the soup itself is easy to serve! Once the soup has finished cooking, simply leave a lid on to keep it warm and set aside.

Meanwhile, slice your bread into  ¼” slices and brush both sides with olive oil. Place the bread slices on a baking pan in a single layer and sprinkle grated cheese over top of them. Broil the cheese bread for 3-5 minutes or until the cheese starts to brown. Then top your bowl of onion soup with the cheese bread slices and enjoy!

Can you make this soup Vegan?

This soup can easily be made vegan with one simple substitute. For the cheese on top simply swap in a vegan cheese of your choice and tada, Vegan French Onion Soup! That being said, make sure to use olive oil or vegan butter when caramelizing the onions and toasting the bread as well.

If you’re looking for more tasty, vegetarian meal inspiration, check out this recipe for Spicy Tahini Rice Noodles that’s both easy and cozy! This Vegetarian Spaghetti Sauce Recipe is also a classic that tastes oh so delicious for a cozy night in.

And if you try this recipe, please let me know by leaving a comment and rating in the boxes below! I always love to hear from you and it helps other people find this recipe when they search online for the BEST Vegetarian French Onion Soup 🙂

Vegetarian French Onion Soup

Prep: 15 minutes minutes

Cook: 1 hour hour 20 minutes minutes

Total: 1 hour hour 35 minutes minutes

Servings: 7 sides

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Sweet caramelized onion soup with toasty bread and broiled, melty cheese overtop, this Vegetarian French Onion Soup is both cozy and delicious!

Ingredients

Vegetarian French Onion Soup

• 4 lbs yellow onions cut into 1/8” half-rounds (~10-12 cups)
• ½ cup olive oil or butter
• 1 tsp black pepper
• 2 tsp salt
• 1 ½ cup white wine
• 6 cups water

Topping

• 1 ea mini baguette or use whatever bread you have!
• olive oil or butter
• swiss or aged cheddar cheese grated (or use whatever you have!)

Instructions

Vegetarian French Onion Soup

• In a large pot on medium high, add olive oil, onions, pepper and salt. Brown onions until dark brown, scraping brown bits from bottom and sides of pot as you go (~45 - 60 minutes)
• Patience! The browner, the better. The sides of the pot will get very dark and your spoon will accumulate a brown paste. All this brown stuff will add depth of flavor to your soup.
• When browning is complete, add white wine. Deglaze pot, “cleaning” browning off sides with wine/onion mixture. Make sure you get all brown paste off the spoon too!
• Add water and bring to a boil. Simmer uncovered on medium low for 20 minutes.

Topping

• Slice baguette into ¼” slices. Brush both sides of each slice with olive oil. Place slices on a baking pan in a single layer, and sprinkle tops with grated cheese (sub dairy free cheese to keep vegan!)
• Broil for 3-5 minutes, or until the cheese starts to brown. Top bowl of onion soup with cheese bread slices. Enjoy!

Notes

• To keep vegan/dairy-free, use a vegan cheese 
• To keep gluten-free, use a gluten free bread. And it doesn’t have to be a mini baguette, can use whatever bread you have on hand, cut into small squares.
• While gruyere cheese is more traditional, I used aged cheddar and loved it. 

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