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This vegetarian French onion soup is the ultimate comfort food! It’s got the rich flavor of the classic, topped with a golden crust of cheese.
There’s just something about silky caramelized onions topped golden, crusty cheese that takes your breath away every time. This is classic French cooking at its finest. It’s not just the flavor. It’s the promise that while the outside world is cold and brutal, every spoonful of French onion soup is pure bliss. This vegetarian French onion soup is our spin on the classic: it’s so full of rich, nuanced flavor you won’t miss the traditional beef broth. It’s a bit of a project: but it’s worth every moment of the prep. Promise!
How to make French onion soup: an overview
The modern version of French onion soup was invented in Paris in the 1700’s. It was introduced in the US in the 1860’s in a New York restaurant, and it’s been popular ever since! Of course once you take a bite, you’ll know why it’s a classic even today.
You’ll need about 1.25 hours to make this vegetarian French onion soup. But it is 100% worth the effort, and you can make a few components in advance as time savers. Make it on a cozy day when you have time to prep, or do the advanced prep if you’re serving for a dinner party.
Caramelize the onions | 1 hour |
Make the vegetarian broth | 30 minutes (concurrent while cooking onions) |
Make the soup | 15 minutes |
The key to vegetarian French onion soup: homemade broth
Here’s one important thing to note. Vegetable broths and stocks vary widely in flavor and quality. Try it in a French onion soup, and most purchased veggie broth comes out sweet: not savory like you’d expect! Trust us, we tested a few times and it did not taste right.
Here’s what you’ll have to do: make a homemade vegetable broth! It might sound like overkill, but it makes for just the right flavor. When Alex and I tried it with this homemade broth, we were amazed by the flavor. Don’t skip this step!
Of course, if you want a classic French onion soup: just use beef broth! You can make the same recipe without that step and of course, it tastes great too.
Caramelizing onions: a few tips
The main time-consuming step for vegetarian French onion soup is caramelizing the onions! Sure, you can saute onions in about 10 minutes. But to get them fully dark brown and caramelized takes about 1 hour. Here are the basic steps, and a graphic that shows the color of the onions each phase!
- Thinly slice the onions.
- Sauté the onions in butter for 10 minutes on medium high.
- Reduce the heat to medium low, add salt and saute for 40 to 45 minutes until deep brown and very soft.
Dry sherry brings big flavor (or use white wine)
This vegetarian French onion soup uses dry sherry to bring in complexity and intrigue into the flavor. What is it, and what’s a substitute?
- Sherry is a fortified wine made in Spain that’s made by adding grape liquor to white wine. The flavor is sharp, with a scent of apple cider and a very dry finish. It’s worth finding for this recipe if you don’t have it already.
- How long does sherry last? An opened bottle of sherry lasts in the refrigerator for 2 to 3 months.
- What’s a substitute for sherry? Don’t’ have it? You can use a dry white wine instead (make sure it’s not a sweet wine).
The crouton topping: broil or bake!
The last component to a great vegetarian French onion soup is the crouton topping! That is: it’s topped bread and cheese, broiled to golden perfection. There are a few techniques to achieve this, but I love the one that Alex devised using both Swiss cheese and grated Parmesan. Here’s what to do:
- Place the soup into small oven-safe bowls or ramekins. This is key! Make sure you have some small serving bowls: typically this soup is not served in large vessels.
- Add ½ inch slices of bread, then Swiss or Gruyere and grated Parmesan cheese. The two cheese really makes the perfect melting. Remember: grated Parm is the kind that looks like snow (don’t use shredded).
- Broil for 2 minutes or bake 20 minutes at 400 degrees. The broiling method here is much easier and quicker: we prefer it! But if you don’t have a broiler, go the oven route.
Make ahead tips for vegetarian French onion soup
Last tip before we get to this (very tasty) recipe: here’s how to speed it up! You can make both of the main components in advance:
- Caramelize the onions in advance. This makes the prep time take next to nothing! Caramelize the onions, then refrigerate until serving. Bring to warm before you pick up in the soup recipe.
- Make the homemade broth in advance. Same idea! You can refrigerate until serving, then warm it up and pick right back up in the recipe.
What to serve with French onion soup
Here’s a final important thing to note about French onion soup: it’s not intended as a full meal. It’s generally served as an appetizer to an elegant meal, or as a lunch. How to make it into a light meal? Here’s what to add:
- Salads like Arugula Salad, Goat Cheese Salad with Arugula, Arugula Beet Salad, Pomegranate Salad, Brussels Sprouts Salad, or Fennel Orange Salad
- Sandwiches like Pear & Cheese Sandwich
- Seafood (if you eat pescatarian!) like Quick Broiled Salmon, Seared Scallops, or Pan Fried Cod
This vegetarian French onion soup is…
Vegetarian. For gluten-free, use gluten-free bread.
Vegetarian French Onion Soup
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 1 hour 15 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour 20 minutes
- Yield: 6 1x
Description
This vegetarian French onion soup is the ultimate comfort food! It’s got the rich flavor of the classic, topped with a golden crust of cheese.
Ingredients
For the caramelized onions
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 3 pounds yellow onions (5 medium)
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ cup dry sherry (or white wine)
- 1 tablespoon flour
For the soup
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 8 ounces mushrooms
- 1 carrot
- 2 celery ribs
- 6 garlic cloves
- 9 cups water, divided
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1 teaspoon each garlic powder and onion powder
- 1 teaspoon vegan Worcestershire sauce (purchased or use this substitute)
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 6 slices Swiss or Gruyere cheese (or shredded)
- 6 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
- 6 large or 12 small slices bread, sliced about 1/2” thick
Instructions
- Caramelize the onions: Thinly slice the onions about 1/8-inch thick (we used a French cut by slicing stem to root; go to minute 1:40 of the linked video for a tutorial). In a soup pot, heat the butter over medium high heat. Add the onions and sauté for 8 to 10 minutes, stirring often, until very soft and just starting to brown on the bottom. Reduce to medium-low heat and stir in the kosher salt. Cook for 40 to 45 minutes, stirring every 5 to 10 minutes and adjusting the heat so they continue to cook slowly without burning. The onions will change from raw to golden to light brown to very dark brown, and reduce in volume by about 1/4. (Make ahead tip: Make the caramelized onions in advance and refrigerate until ready to make the soup. Reheat in a pan and go to step 3.)
- Meanwhile, make the homemade broth: Slice the mushrooms. Wash and cut the carrot in half length-wise, then into large chunks. Cut the celery into large pieces. Smash and peel the garlic. In a second pot, heat the butter over medium heat. Add the mushrooms and sauté until browned, about 6 to 7 minutes. Add 8 cups water, kosher salt, mushrooms, carrot, celery, garlic, tomato paste, garlic powder, onion powder, and Worcestershire sauce. Bring to a boil and simmer for 30 minutes. (Make ahead: Make the broth in advance and refrigerate until serving. Then warm before proceeding to Step 3.)
- Simmer the soup: When onions are very reduced and dark brown, stir in the sherry and deglaze the pan by scrape all the bits off the bottom of the pan. Sprinkle with the flour and stir until the onions are coated. Strain the homemade broth into the onions (discarding the vegetables). Add the remaining 1 cup water and bring to a simmer for 2 minutes.
- Broil the topping: Place the soup into 6 oven-safe small bowls or ramekins. Preheat a broiler to high or an oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Top with bread slices (about 1/2-inch thick), 1 slice Swiss or Gruyere cheese, and 1 tablespoon grated Parmesan per bowl. Broil 1 to 3 minutes (or bake for 20 minutes) until the cheese is melted and browned. Place on a plate and serve immediately, taking care since the bowls are very hot.
- Category: Main Dish
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: French
- Diet: Vegetarian
This recipe did not specify when to add the garlic, so I added it with the vegetables (shiitakes shine here!); next time I might add the garlic as I finish the onions. I also added a Tbsp miso paste, and it came out so incredibly beefy, impossible to tell it was vegetarian. I will make it again.
Thanks for writing! The “add the vegetables” was an umbrella term that included the fresh garlic — I updated the instructions so it was more clear! Miso paste is a perfect idea; would love to try it that way next time. Thanks for making!
Excellent. So tasty. I used the food processor (thin slicing blade) to slice the onions, which made the prep a little easier. I would disagree with the “Prep Time: 5 min” listed at the top of the recipe, though – it takes a bit longer than that to cut up the veggies and measure the ingredients. I used Baby Bella mushrooms, Whole Foods 365 vegan Worcestershire sauce, and Sauvignon Blanc to deglaze – because that’s what I had on hand. Bought imported cheese. Baked instead of broiled. The result was outstanding – great depth of flavor – definitely a keeper.
Excellent best French onion soup i ever tasted
Thank you!
This was delicious, and perfect for a day that started off snowing and ended up raining. Although it takes some time to make, it is not at all difficult. Served with Spanish Waldorf salad, for a vegetarian meal that even the meat eaters in the family enjoyed. Thanks for a great recipe!
Have A Good Day
Am I missing the step when the Worcestershire/tomato paste/garlic & onion powders are added?
This was a typo and is fixed! Thank you!
Are the vegetables strained from the stock before making the onion soup?
Yes (step 3)