This super delicious Vegetarian French Onion Soup is rich, decadent, comforting it is all you need to be warm and cozy during this winter. We replaced the traditional beef broth with a rich mushroom broth which made this Vegetarian French Onion soup simply irresistible.
How to Make Vegetarian Onion Soup Video
Vegetarian French Onion Soup
Now that we have finally gotten deeper into heavy winter weather ( thank you winter storm Jonas!), we wanted to warm you up with a delicious soup recipe. If you’re like us, you probably love the warm, comforting taste of a hot bowl of soup when it’s chilly outside. I know that the colder it gets, the more I crave something warm and flavorful!
There’s something special that only a steaming bowl of soup can offer when snow is falling outside. As much as I love tomato-based and vegetable soups, I’m not always in the mood for them. They’re of course great, but after we have had weeks of winter, I usually have exhausted my collection of favorite cold-weather comfort food recipes, and there are only so many ways to approach vegetable or tomato soups in their traditional forms.
As I was thinking about new soup ideas, my cousin Adriana came to mind. Growing up in Barcelona, our cousins were practically the only family we had, and they became more like siblings to us than anything else. Adriana is our youngest cousin and even has a child had the most spunky, witty personality. Being around her always meant a guaranteed laugh and there was never a dull moment with her. Luckily for us, she now lives in New York City, and we always look forward to her visits.
As a child, Adrianna LOVED vegetarian French onion soup, and always ordered it when we were out if it was available. She also despises the cold weather, so you can see where our inspiration came from!
Now as you probably know, French Onion soup is traditionally made with a beef broth or beef stock base. With that as a key ingredient, most recipes put this soup out of the running for us. However, we were determined to create a vegetarian alternative that would be just as savory and delightful as the original inspiration.
What people often look for in French Onion Soup is richness. We believe we’ve mastered that with this recipe, and the inclusion of cheese allows us to stay close to the roots of this dish. We chose Sincerely Brigitte's Tarragon Ginger cheese to make it super rich, creamy and, just like our dear cousin, a little spicy. Combining all of the ingredients should provide you with a deep, full flavor that is perfect for keeping you and your family warm on the freezing days which are still on their way!
Hope you enjoy it!
Vegetarian French Onion Soup
- Total Time: 2 hours
- Yield: 4-6 1x
- Diet: Vegetarian
Description
This super delicious Vegetarian French Onion Soup is rich, decadent, comforting it is all you need to be warm and cozy during this winter. We replaced the traditional beef broth with a rich mushroom broth which made this Vegetarian French Onion soup simply irresistible.
Ingredients
- 4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 4 large sweet onions, sliced
- ½ tsp salt
- 1 tsp sugar
- 2 tbsp all purpose flour
- 6 cups mushroom broth
- 1 tbsp Vegan Worcestershire sauce
- ⅓ cup dry white wine
- ⅛ tsp ground black pepper
- 1 tsp sugar (optional)
- 1 French Baguette
- 14 ounces Sincerely Brigitte Tarragon Ginger cheese or if you cannot find this cheese, you may use swiss cheese.
Instructions
- Heat olive oil in a large soup pot. Add onions and salt and cook over medium heat for 30 minutes. Add 1 teaspoon of sugar and continue cooking for about 50 minutes, stirring frequently. Add flour, mix well and cook for another 5 minutes
- Add mushroom broth, Worcestershire sauce, wine and pepper and simmer for 20 minutes. Taste your soup and adjust salt and pepper and sugar if necessary ( remember the the cheese will add saltiness to it)
- While the soup is cooking place cheese in the freezer for 20 minutes (so it's easier to shred). Shred cheese and set aside in the fridge
- Slice baguette in ½ inch rounds and toast until crunchy.
- Preheat oven to 350F
- Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil. Place 4-6 oven proof bowls on the baking sheet and ladle soup into the bowls. Add 3 tablespoon shredded cheese to each bowl, mix well
- Gently place one or two pieces of bread on top of soup and cover bread with ¼ cup of cheese per bowl
- Place baking sheet in the oven and bake for 10 minutes
- Broil for 1-2 minutes, keeping an eye so the bread doesn't burn. Serve immediately
Notes
The soup base can be made ahead of time, add bread and cheese and bake just before serving.
- Prep Time: 15 mins
- Cook Time: 1 hour 45 mins
- Category: Soup
- Method: Stove Top
- Cuisine: French
Keywords: vegetarian French onion soup, kosher
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Lisa Jay says
Delicious.
★★★★★
Heidi K says
My son is BEGGING me to make this. He's 16 and had his braces tightened this morning (ow!), so today's the day! I'm not sure he's ever even had french onion soup since you never see vegetarian out there. We're excited!
Sissi says
As an avowed carni/piscivore I must say this is one of the most luscious looking vegetarian dishes I've ever seen!
Vicky & Ruth says
Thank you so much!
Tzivia says
What is hechsher on the sincerely bridgette cheese?
Vicky & Ruth says
It's circle K
ZazaCook says
Wow, your vegetarian French onion soup is fantastic! Looks so tasty!
Choclette says
That looks gorgeous. I love soup. Squash is possibly my favourite, but I'd be more than happy to tuck into a big bowl of this. I think I only ever tried French onion soup once. I'm guessing it wasn't great as I've never made it again.
★★★★★
Meghan | Fox and Briar says
You grew up in Barcelona? I loooove Barcelona. I was able to visit when I was studying in Spain years ago. What a cool city! And this soup looks so perfect for cold weather! I could dive into a bowl of it right now!
★★★★★
Vicky & Ruth says
Yes, we did! Barcelona is a great City!
Katarina Stuart says
This recipe is not truly vegetarian. Worcestershire sauce has anchovies in it.
Vicky and Ruth says
We used a vegan Worcestershire sauce
Mark, CompassandFork says
An old favorite, made with such simple ingredients. I love the idea of the tarragon, ginger cheese. Lovely photo too.
★★★★★
Vicky & Ruth says
Thanks Marc!
Shawn says
OMG this soup looks so delicious! I only have three words to say... Tarragon...Ginger... Cheese! How amazing is that. Tarragon is very French and ginger is very Asian, so the combination of the two is very bold! I will have to pick some up to make this pronto!
★★★★★
Kate says
looks delicious. What do you recommend to replace the worcestershire sauce with to make it vegetarian?
Vicky & Ruth says
Hi Kate, you can use vegan Worcestershire sauce, soy sauce and even some porcini mushroom powder ( just grind dried porcini mushrooms into a powder). you need that umami flavor for this soup since French Onion soup is usually made with beef broth.
Heidi says
Better than Bullion makes a no beef base that is vegan and I used it for this recipe and it’s fabulous!
Alexandra says
Worcestershire sauce isn't vegetarian, btw! It's made with anchovies!
Vicky & Ruth says
Hi Alexandra,
Thank you for your comment. If you check the link we have for the Worcestershire sauce, you'll notice it's a vegan one by Edward & Sons.
Mary Ann Garren says
FYI to the vegetarian community, most worcestershire sauces contain anchovies...
Read your labels.
Vicky & Ruth says
Hi Mary Ann,
Thank you for your comment. If you take a look at the link we have for Worcestershire sauce, you'll see that it takes you to a vegan one by Edward & Sons. Please let us know if you have any questions.
Alison says
Worcestershire sauce contains anchovies.
It’s not necessarily vegetarian.
Vicky & Ruth says
Hi Alison, thank you for your comment. The Worcestershire sauce we use here is vegan ( the link will take you to it). We will make sure to specify it on the ingredient list. Sorry about that!
Heather olsen says
I don't understand why so many people are indignantly pointing out that Worcester sauce has anchovies. Read the recipe--it says to use VEGAN Worcester sauce. It's sold in any health food store; I've tried several brands and always have it on hand. The author has politely pointed this out several times in response to these comments. Might as well comment, "French onion soup! But that's made with beef stock! It's not vegetarian!"
Jane Youn says
This is absolutely scrumptious! I’m not a vegetarian but am always looking good veggie options. This is actually the best French Onion soup I’ve tried at home! Even without cheese and bread!
Vicky & Ruth says
So happy to hear you enjoyed it!
Viciousbee says
This soup is delicious! I had to use yellow onions instead of sweet onions and sherry for the white wine but it still turned out amazing!
★★★★★
Samantha says
This soup is out of this world good!
★★★★★
Amber says
I’ve gone through most of my life having never tried French onion soup before, given the fact that I have pretty much always been vegetarian. I finally got to try my first veg French onion soup from a restaurant a couple weeks ago and it was truly divine. After that, I was DETERMINED to find a good recipe that I could make at home that would taste just as good and darn it, this is the one! I made the mushroom broth and basically followed the recipe to a T and it came out wonderfully! Will certainly be making again in the future. (:
★★★★★
Vicky & Ruth says
Hi Amber!
Thank you so much for sharing your feedback. We're so happy to hear you like our recipe!!! So glad you found it. Enjoy!! 🙂
Ron Deen says
Thank you for this recipe. I love French Onion Soup. I have made this soup twice thanks to you.
★★★★★
Vicky & Ruth says
Thank you so much! Enjoy!
Amanda says
Absolutely delicious! Thank you for the recipe.
★★★★★
Vicky & Ruth says
Thank you Amanda, we love these French Onion recipe as well, it is a staple in our house.
Lulu says
The recipe sounds amazing! I can’t wait to make it! But, I have a quick question. What can I use to replace the wine? Thanks.
★★★★★
Vicky & Ruth says
Hi Lulu, you may want o replace the wine with vegetable broth or non-chicken broth.
Kimberly Rezentes says
This was amazing. The flavor was rich and sweet. Best soup I’ve made this season. Thanks for sharing.
★★★★★
Vicky & Ruth says
We are so happy you enjoyed it1
EKR says
Have been looking for a good vegetarian onion soup recipe for years. Made this one today and it was delicious!
Thanks!
★★★★★
Vicky & Ruth says
Thank you very much! We are happy to hear that you enjoyed our vegetarian onion soup recipe.
Carmelina Macario says
So rich and comforting! The onions cooked faster so the recipe didn't take as long!
★★★★★
Vicky & Ruth says
Thank you so much Carmelina, so glad you enjoyed our vegetarian French onion soup
Lisa Jay says
Love this!
★★★★★
Vicky & Ruth says
Thank you!
Abigail says
Outstanding flavor!
★★★★★
ali says
this is the best french onion soup ever. I had to sub sherry for the white wine, but even with the sub it was delectable.
★★★★★
Vicky & Ruth says
Thank you so much ALi, we love this recipe as well!
Mike says
Worcester sauce isn't vegetarian 🙁
★
Vicky & Ruth says
Hi Mike,
For this recipe we used vegan Worcestershire sauce by Wizard's. You can find the link on the recipe card 🙂
GM says
This soup was really delicious! Thanks so much! Actually didn`t have time for the baguette on top, so sprinkled cheese instead. Much appreciated . Your recipes are super.
Vicky & Ruth says
Happy hear that you enjoyed our vegetarian onion soup recipe. Keep Cooking!
Jennifer says
What would you suggest I sub the Sincerely Brigitte Tarragon Ginger cheese with as I can't find it in my town. Look forward to making if for Christmas Eve!!
Vicky & Ruth says
Hi Jennifer, you can substitute de Tarragon Ginger cheese with Swiss cheese, you can either use a slice or shredded. You can also try gouda cheese. Use a cheese that has a little more distinct flavor. Mushroom broth is sometimes hard to find, so make sure you shop early for this recipe. Enjoy! Happy Holidays!
dylan says
would vegetable broth be okay to use in place of the mushroom broth? how different would it taste?
Vicky & Ruth says
The mushroom broth really adds a nice flavor to this recipe, but we think that the vegetable broth should work. If you are going to use vegetable broth try adding (if you have it available) some very finely ground dried mushrooms or a mushroom powder or bouillon. Please come back and let us know how your Vegetarian French Onion Soup came out. Happy and Healthy New Year!
Rebeca says
I added dry thyme to the soup while cooking. OMG, sooooo good! Absolutely amazing
★★★★★
Vicky & Ruth says
Thyme, sounds delicious! Enjoy!
Neta says
This soup is one of the best soups ever! So tasty, so comforting, so good I just love it.
★★★★★
Vicky & Ruth says
Thank you! We love it too!
Carol says
This looks and sounds so delicious. Do you have any thoughts about thickener if you are trying to make this gluten free?
Thank you!
Vicky & Ruth says
Hi Carol, you may use corn rice flour or any gluten-free flour you may have.
JD Barton says
Hi - this soup looks delicious - I have always enjoyed French onion soup and am glad to find a vegan version. The link to the mushroom broth takes me to a Vitacost shopping cart page with no recipe. I would like to make this broth. Can you provide the link to the recipe for the mushroom broth? Thanks
Vicky & Ruth says
We are so sorry for the broken link. Here's a link to the mushrooms broth, we don't actually have a recipe for mushroom broth. https://amzn.to/395V6Lq
JD says
Hi - this looks delicious. The link to the mushroom broth takes me to a Vitacost cart and not the recipe. Can you provide the broth recipe?
Vicky & Ruth says
We are so sorry about the broken link, here's the link: https://amzn.to/395V6Lq
JD Barton says
Thanks for the link!
AS says
Exceptional French onion recipe. So flavorful and satisfying.
★★★★★
Vicky & Ruth says
Thank you! So happy to hear you enjoyed our French Onion Soup!
Kevin says
Worchershire sauce has anchovies in it. Not a vegetarian dish. Still sounds good though.
Vicky and Ruth says
Hi Kevin, we used a vegan Worcesshire sauce for this recipe.
V says
Is there a replacement for wine? We do not keep wine at home.
Thank you,
★★★★★
Vicky and Ruth says
Just add the more mushroom broth and a splash of apple cider vinegar for acidity.
Marion says
Wow, this is a perfect onion soup, the stock is rich and flavourful, in every way at least as good as an onion soup with meat-based stock. So for me: better! I used 1/2 mushroom stock 1/2 vegetable stock. Worked well.
★★★★★
Vicky and Ruth says
Thank you so much Marion!
Sheirin says
I’m looking forward to making this recipe, it looks amazing and sounds perfect with the cooling weather. Most of the non-vegetarian recipes I found use red wine, a few use white. Any reason to choose one over the other? How does white vs. red wine affect the flavor of the soup? I have plenty of both, but am too lazy to experiment with both :’)
Vicky and Ruth says
White wine gives the soup a lighter more subtle flavor than red wine. Plus we like the neutral color of white wine for this recipe.
Marion says
I wanted to make French onion soup for my roommate who is vegetarian and never has had it before. It was delicious!!! I didn’t have any wine so I just used a little extra mushroom broths, and used a vegetarian friendly steak sauce instead of Worcestershire sauce. Also used bagged croutons and circular provolone cheese to save a little time. It turned out great
★★★★★
Vicky and Ruth says
Happy to hear. Thank you for sharing your experience!
Delphine says
Best ever onion soup!!
★★★★★
Delphine says
Best ever onion soup!!
★★★★★
Vicky and Ruth says
Thank you! We love it too!
Eileen Shanley says
Absolutely Delicious! My husband and I loved it!!
★★★★★
Vicky and Ruth says
So happy to hear. Thank you for sharing!
Brenda says
This is absolutely delicious! I made it last night to have on hand today for a friend who will be recuperating from surgery at my home. She’s vegetarian and loves French onion soup. Of course I had a small serving when it was done. I can’t tell the difference between vegetarian and non vegetarian. I’m sure she’ll be requesting more next week!
★★★★★
Vicky and Ruth says
We hope your friend feels better soon and that she enjoyed the soup!
Toni says
I made this last night for the second time. The first time, it was amazing! Last night, I had to use a new brand of vegetable broth (I can't find my old favorite anywhere anymore) and it came out a bit too salty; I have to remedy that for the rest of the pot. But that's not the fault of the recipe. The additions of a flour roux, which thickens the soup slightly, and white wine, which provides a bit of brightness and acidity, really make the difference in this soup recipe! I never use the vegan Worcestershire sauce as I can't bring myself to buy it, so I sub soy sauce or even teriyaki sauce in a pinch. It's not quite the same, I'm sure, but it's worked so far. If you like your onions with a little bit more texture, as I do, I would recommend starting cooking with roughly 4/5 of the onions and then adding the last 1/5 in about the last 10 minutes of sauté time. That way the last batch will get partially cooked before the broth goes in, but hold their shape and texture a little better than the fully caramelized ones.
Speaking of the onions, do you really cook your onions for 30+50 = 80 minutes total?? I cooked mine for 30 minutes total and they looked about the same as those in your video.
Thanks for a great recipe!
Vicky and Ruth says
It's funny you ask me about the onions, sometimes onions take me forever to cook and other times they cook faster. It is probably the type of onions used. Do what works for you. Enjoy!
Leslie says
Fantastic, rich and full flavor. You'd swear it was made from homemade beef stock. Caveat: I make homemade mushroom stock. I'm about to make it again with store-bought, so we'll see if that makes a big difference.
★★★★★
Vicky and Ruth says
Thank you! I would love to hear how it came out!