Vegetarian French Onion Soup

several bowls of french onion soup topped with bread, cheese, and fresh herbs

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4.96 from 21 votes

An easy and delicious VEGETARIAN French Onion Soup that's vegan friendly and SO so good on cold winter nights!

Prep Time15

Cook Time1 10

Total Time1 25

Course: dinner

Cuisine: American

Diet: Vegetarian

Servings: servings

Author: Brita Britnell

Ingredients

3 pounds yellow onions about 5 large, peeled and sliced (I cut mine in half and then slice them into half moons)
4 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons butter use vegan where applicable
1 teaspoon sugar you can use coconut sugar here if you’d prefer
1 ½ teaspoons salt
4 cloves garlic minced
8 cups vegetable broth*
½ cup red wine**
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce***
2 bay leaves
1 tablespoon fresh thyme can use dried if desired
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
4 slices French bread or something similar, cut into thick slices
1 cup Gruyere cheese freshly grated (optional or sub for vegan cheese)

Instructions

In a large pot, heat the olive over medium high heat. Once hot, add in the sliced onions and begin to caramelize. Cook, stirring often, until the onions start to soften, about 20 minutes.
3 pounds yellow onions, 4 tablespoons olive oil
Add in the butter and continue to cook the onions until they begin to brown, about 15-20 additional minutes. Really watch it and adjust the heat if the onions are starting to burn at all. You want them to slowly cook so that they brown slowly.
2 tablespoons butter
Stir in the sugar and salt and continue cooking for 15 more minutes until the onions become well browned. During the last couple of minutes, add in the garlic and continue to stir.
1 teaspoon sugar, 1 ½ teaspoons salt, 4 cloves garlic
Deglaze the pot by stirring in the red wine and use a wooden spoon to scrap any bits and flavor from the sides and bottom of the pot. Stir in the veggie broth, worchestire sauce, bay leaves, thyme, and black pepper. Bring the mixture to a simmer, cover, and cook for 30 minutes. Stir every few minutes.
8 cups vegetable broth*, 1/2 cup red wine**, 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce***, 2 bay leaves, 1 tablespoon fresh thyme, 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Pre-heat the oven to 400 degrees F. Brush or spray the slices of bread with oil or cooking spray and place on a baking sheet. Toast for 10 minutes, flipping halfway through. You want the bread to be lightly toasted. Once done, set aside.
4 slices French bread
Season soup to taste with additional salt and pepper as needed. Ladle the soup into oven proof bowls, top with the toasted bread, and even sprinkle the cheese across the 4 bowls. Place the bowls on a large baking tray and broil in the oven until the cheese is melted and bubbling around the sides.**
1 cup Gruyere cheese
Serve immediately and ENJOY!

Notes

*More so than other broths, I've noticed that veggie broths have a great range of sodium levels. If yours is low sodium then you may need a smidge more salt to the soup
**I like something like merlot or pinot noir here
***Check to make sure it’s vegetarian as some have anchovies in them
**if you don't have oven proof bowls or don't want to fiddle with it, you can melt the cheese on the toast before placing it on top of the soup and then not worry with that final step of broiling the soup.

Nutrition