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Caramelized onions simmered with herbs and red wine go into this savory vegan French onion soup that's served with toasty croutons topped with gooey cashew cheese.
There was a time when I thought this couldn't be done, or at least it couldn't be done well and without the use of store-bought vegan cheese, which I try to reserve for those occasions when I'm totally desperate. .
Well, I've learned a bit about vegan cheese over the years spent creating this blog and I was able to come up with a homemade solution that actually works!
I actually tried out a bunch of variations on this recipe and I think what I came up with is the best vegan French onion soup ever.
See, initially I thought I'd do something totally different with the cheese. When I made this lasagna I was pretty impressed at how well the bechamel sauce browned on top but stayed gooey and creamy underneath, and I thought I could make a version of that that worked pretty convincingly as a vegan cheese.
But when I got down to it I had doubts, so I did a side by side smackdown comparison of the bechamel versus vegan cheese with tapioca starch. The tapioca won, big time. And by tweaking the recipe a bit I was able to come up with a cheese that browned nicely but had just the right level of gooeyness. See how good it looks? It tastes just as good!
I've also perfected my basic onion soup recipe: even though the whole cheese thing held me back for a while, I have been making basic cheese-free onion soup here and there, and the recipe has improved and evolved over time. My old recipe used white wine (which is great in a pinch), but red gives it that robustness you thought you could only get in onion soup made with beef broth. Soy sauce intensifies the flavor.
Oh and as for the onions, I recommend caramelizing the heck out of them. I sometimes cheat and crank the burner up to medium (which cuts the cook-time down by half or more), but keeping it in the low to medium low range will give you some intensely savory caramely flavor. It's so worth it.
5 from 7 votes
Vegan French Onion Soup
Caramelized onions simmered with herbs and red wine go into this savory vegan French onion soup that's served with toasty croutons topped with gooey cashew cheese.
CourseSoup
CuisineFrench
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour 30 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 50 minutes
Servings 4
Calories 488 kcal
Author Alissa Saenz
Ingredients
For the Soup
- ¼cupolive oil or vegan butter
- 2 poundsyellow onions, thinly sliced
- 1teaspoon organic granulated sugar
- 2garlic cloves,minced
- 1cupdry red wine
- 2tablespoonsfresh thyme leaves(or 2 teaspoons dried)
- 2bay leaves
- 1tablespoonall-purpose flour
- 6cupslow sodium vegetable broth
- 2tablespoonlow sodium soy sauce
- Salt and pepper to taste
For the Cashew Cheese
- 1 ¼cupwater
- ½cupraw cashews,soaked in water 4-8 hours and drained
- 1 ½tablespoonstapioca starch
- 1tablespoonwhite miso paste
- 1 ½teaspoonslemon juice
- ¼teaspoonsalt
For Serving
- 4-8slicesFrench bread or baguette
Instructions
Begin making the soup by placing the onions, olive oil, and sugar into a large skillet or pot and setting it over medium-low heat. Toss the onions to coat them with oil and allow them to cook until they become very soft and caramelized, about 1 hour, stirring occasionally.
Add the garlic to the pot and raise the heat to medium. Sauté for about 1 minute, until very fragrant.
Stir in the wine, thyme, and bay leaves. Raise the heat and bring the mixture to a simmer. Lower the heat and allow it to cook until the wine is reduced by about half, about 3 minutes. Stir in the flour and allow the mixture to continue cooking until most of the wine has cooked off, about 3 minutes more, stirring frequently.
Stir in the broth and soy sauce. Raise the heat and bring everything to a simmer. Allow it to cook for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
While the soup simmers, make the cheese. Place the water, cashews, tapioca starch, miso paste, lemon juice, and salt into a food processor and blend until smooth. Transfer the mixture to a small saucepan and place it over medium heat. Bring to a simmer, whisking constantly. Allow the mixture to cook at a low simmer until it become thick and stretchy and begins to pull away from the sides of the pot, about 5 minutes.
When the soup has finished simmering, remove it from the heat. Remove the bay leaves and season the soup with salt and pepper to taste. Preheat the broiler.
Place the bread slices under the broiler and broil on each side until toasted, watching them closely to avoid burning. Remove the bread slices but leave the broiler on.
Divide the soup it among oven-safe bowls or crocks. Slather the bread slices with a thick layer of the cashew cheese and set them on top of each soup bowl. You can dollop some extra cheese on top if you have it. Lightly brush or spray the cheese with a bit of olive oil, then place the bowls under the broiler until the cheese begins to brown, watching closely to avoid burning.
Serve immediately.
Recipe Notes
If you're using a large blending device you may want to double the cheese portion of the recipe and freeze half for later.
Nutrition Facts
Vegan French Onion Soup
Amount Per Serving
Calories 488Calories from Fat 198
% Daily Value*
Fat 22g34%
Saturated Fat 3.6g18%
Sodium 1591mg66%
Potassium 556mg16%
Carbohydrates 56g19%
Fiber 6.8g27%
Sugar 13.1g15%
Protein 10.7g21%
Calcium 90mg9%
Iron 4.9mg27%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
« Butternut Squash Risotto with Roasted Brussels Sprouts
Vegan Spinach Puffs »
About Alissa Saenz
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Reader Interactions
Comments
Indu saysThis looks so good! You had me at 'vegan' french onion soup. I have been missing this fave of mine ever since I became dairy free! I am going to give this a try soon! thanks for this recipe!
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- Alissa Saenz says
Thank you!! I hope you enjoy it!
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- Anne Percival says
Is the 1-14 cups of water in the cashew cheese recipe for soaking? or is this added to the food processor?
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- Alissa Saenz says
It goes in the food processor. I just edited the recipe to clarify. :)
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- Anne Percival says
ManyThanks.
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- Nancy says
I know it would change the taste, but what would you suggest as a substitute for the red wine. I am recovering, and even though the alcohol supposedly cooks off, I wouldn't want to take a chance.
Thank you
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- Alissa Saenz says
I think your best option would be to try a non-alcoholic cooking wine if you can find one. If not you could also leave it out - the flavor won't be as intense, but still tasty I'm sure!
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- Kate says
a good balsamic vinegar works! Congrats on your recovery
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- Paula says
Ini Alissa,
I made this soup last night and it was delicious. You have absolutely nailed the cheese sauce! The creamy texture and the smooth buttery taste was better than regular melted cheese by a long shot.
Thanks for sharing
Regards PaulaReply
- Alissa Saenz says
Yay!! I'm so glad you enjoyed it!! Thanks Paula!
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- Dacia S. says
WOW girl! This is amazing. Grateful to you for sharing your talents with me. A make again and again recipe. Also lends itself to other ideas such a simple gravy using your soup (purée and thicken) or the cheeze on pizzas.
We made this tonight to get a load of onions and garlic in to ward off the many viruses going around. Prevention AND pleasure. So good. Many thanks!Reply
- Alissa Saenz says
Thank you so much Dacia!! I'm so glad you enjoyed it! I really like the cheese on pizza too!
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- Liz says
Is there a substitute for the tapioca flour?
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- Alissa Saenz says
I'm not sure! You might be able to get it to work with cornstarch or even all-purpose flour, but it could take some experimentation.
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- Gwen says
Do you think i could use tahini as a substitute for the miso paste? I know it won’t have the same flavor but my main concern would be messing up the consistency.
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- Alissa Saenz says
I'd try something like soy sauce or liquid aminos instead. Even just table salt (though much less - 1/2 to 1 teaspoon). The flavor/texture would be completely different with miso. :)
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- sabrina huddleston says
Mild Miso or sweet miso paste?Reply
- Alissa Saenz says
Either should work, but I'd go with sweet - that's usually the same thing as white miso. :) Enjoy!!
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- sabrina says
Thanks, trying this tomorrow night and CAN NOT wait to eat it!
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- Alissa Saenz says
Enjoy!!
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- Christine says
This was really delicious! I also added a couples points of nutritional yeast to the cheese, which added a nice flavour. Will definitively make again, thanks for the recipe!Reply
- Alissa Saenz says
Awesome! I'm so glad you enjoyed it!
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- Alexandra Jackson says
Can you make the soup part a day ahead?
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- Alissa Saenz says
Absolutely!
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- Jason says
bar none one of the most satisfying recipes for anything i've found!!!
THANK YOU
doubled the garlic but otherwise followed the directions carefully and wouldn't change a thing. will definitely make again and again.
(finished off the baguette with some soy based brie from a shop in NYC called Riverdel which i'd recommend to anyone too)Reply
- Teresa says
Any thoughts on how we would pre-cook and freeze? We like to make a couple of soups on the weekend and pull them out for quick weekday dinners. Do you think to freeze the soup and cheese separately and then assemble once thawed?
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- Alissa Saenz says
Yup! That's exactly what I'd do!
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