Vegan French Onion Soup (With Vegan Gruyère)
September 24, 2025
This French onion soup recipe is made with sweet and savory caramelized onions, a rich broth, and a crusty baguette slice topped with melty homemade vegan Gruyère cheese. It's not the fastest vegan French onion soup you can make, but it may be the tastiest!
When the weather starts getting chilly, there's nothing quite like a comforting bowl of soup, and this vegan French onion soup definitely hits the spot. Whether you have a small bowl as a starter or an entrée-sized bowl, these caramelized onions, rich broth, and cheesy bread will warm you right up!
French onion soup traditionally uses beef broth and Gruyère cheese, so it took a bit of testing to recreate its flavor in a vegan version. To get the perfect savory broth, I used a combination of sherry, vegetable broth, soy sauce, and Worcestershire sauce. Then I topped it with my homemade vegan Gruyère, which is made with hazelnuts, miso, nooch, vinegar, and plenty of seasonings to reproduce the flavor of traditional Gruyère.
Ingredient Notes & Substitutions
Do you need more information about an ingredient or want to know whether you can make a substitution? Check this section first, and if you don't see an answer, feel free to ask in the comments section!
vegan butter: Used for caramelizing the onions. Most store-bought brands will work. If you want to use my homemade vegan butter, make sure you use 1/2 cup of unsweetened non-dairy milk instead of water and cashews.
onions: I used yellow onions, but you can also use sweet onions or white onions if you prefer.
garlic: While I recommend using fresh garlic, you could also use 1/2 teaspoon of garlic powder in a pinch.
all-purpose flour: To thicken the broth; cornstarch or rice flour would also work if you're making a gluten-free version. If you're using cornstarch, be sure to make a slurry to avoid clumps.
vegan sherry wine: Other types of wine would work also, but I prefer the flavor of sherry in this recipe. Since some wine is processed using animal ingredients, you should check to make sure the wine you're buying is vegan before you purchase it. You can search thousands of wines to find out whether they're vegan on barnivore.com. If you want to make the soup alcohol-free, you can just use additional vegetable broth.
low-sodium vegetable broth: The base of the soup; if you can't get low-sodium, skip the salt (or add it to taste).
low-sodium soy sauce: Adds a savory, umami flavor to the broth. Tamari or coconut aminos will also work for a gluten-free version.
vegan Worcestershire sauce: Several brands of Worcestershire sauce are vegan, like Tonnelli or 365. If you need a vegan and gluten-free Worcestershire sauce, try The Wizard's brand.
bay leaves, thyme sprigs, salt, and pepper: For flavor.
baguette slices: If you're gluten-free, you'll need to substitute with a gluten-free baguette.
vegan Gruyère: For a more authentic flavor and melty cheese, I recommend using my homemade vegan Gruyère recipe. You could also use a store-bought vegan cheese like mozzarella if you prefer.
Frequently Asked Questions & Alternate Methods
Can I make this recipe without caramelizing the onions? Caramelizing the onions brings out their flavor, and it's what makes this soup so delicious. If you need to save time, I recommend either using a larger pot or cutting the recipe in half, which will save about 15 to 30 minutes in caramelization time, depending on the size of your pot.
If you absolutely don't have time to caramelize the onions, softening and browning the onions will save you around 45 to 60 minutes. Just use a slightly higher heat to brown the onions. Because these onions won't have as much sweet flavor, you'll want to add 2 tablespoons of brown sugar to the soup when you add the broth and sherry.
Can I use store-bought vegan cheese with this recipe? For the most authentic flavor, I recommend making my homemade vegan Gruyère. It only requires about 15 minutes of work, and it chills in the fridge while you're making the soup. However, if you don't have time or can't get all the ingredients, you can also use a store-bought vegan cheese such as mozzarella.
What if I don't have oven-safe bowls? Add the grated cheese to the tops of the toasted baguette slices on a baking tray, then melt the cheese under the broiler without the soup. Put the soup in bowls and use tongs to place the cheese-covered baguette slices on top of the soup.
Can this recipe be made gluten-free? If you have a gluten-free baguette or a recipe for one that you like, then yes, you can make it gluten-free. In addition to swapping the baguette, you'll need to use rice flour instead of all-purpose flour, tamari or coconut aminos instead of soy sauce, and gluten-free Worcestershire sauce.
Storing Leftovers
Because baguettes tend to dry out quickly, this recipe is best when it's fresh. The soup itself, however, will do well in the fridge in an airtight container for 3 to 5 days. If you also want to store the baguette slices, I recommend toasting them first and then storing them in the refrigerator in a zip-top bag.
To freeze the soup for up to 2 months, store it in individual portions in freezer-safe containers or bags. Before you reheat it, let it defrost in the refrigerator overnight.
You can reheat the soup with a little extra water or vegetable broth in a saucepan on the stove over medium heat until it's heated all the way through. Then, you can put it in an oven-safe bowl, add the baguette slices and vegan Gruyère cheese, and broil as usual. Leftover baguette slices may be a little dry, but they'll absorb some of the liquid from the soup. Alternately, you can buy a fresh baguette to serve with leftover soup.
More Cozy & Comforting Vegan Recipes
If you're looking for more recipes that are perfect for cold weather, check out my collection of vegan soups and vegan fall recipes. You might also like:
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Vegan French Onion Soup (With Vegan Gruyère)
Yield8 small bowls or 4 large bowls (1.2 L/5 cups)
Prep Time10 minutes
Cook Time2 hours, 25 minutes
Total Time2 hours, 35 minutes
Pin itIngredients
- 1/4 cup vegan butter sticks
- 3 lb. yellow onions, sliced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour (or rice flour for gluten-free)
- 1/2 cup vegan sherry (use additional vegetable broth for alcohol-free)
- 6 cups low-sodium vegetable broth
- 2 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce (use coconut aminos or tamari for gluten-free)
- 1 teaspoon vegan Worcestershire sauce (such as Annie's or 365) (use gluten-free, if needed)
- 2 fresh thyme sprigs
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
For Topping
- 8 baguette slices (gluten-free if needed)
- extra-virgin olive oil
- vegan Gruyère cheese (or use store-bought vegan mozzarella)
Instructions
If you're using homemade vegan Gruyère, prepare it before you begin the recipe.
Add vegan butter to a large heavy-bottomed stock pot and heat over medium. After the butter has melted, add the onions and toss them to coat them in the butter. Once the onions have softened, reduce your heat to medium-low and continue cooking, stirring occasionally, until the onions are caramelized (about 1 to 1.5 hours). If the bottom of the pot starts to dry out, use water or additional vegetable broth to deglaze the pot.
Add in your minced garlic and cook for 1 minute. Then, add the flour and cook for 1 minute more, stirring frequently.
Add the sherry, vegetable broth, soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce, bay leaves, thyme sprigs, salt, and pepper to the pot and stir. (If your broth or soy sauce isn't low sodium, skip the salt and add it to taste later if needed). Bring the soup to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for 45 minutes.
Towards the end of your simmer, preheat your oven to 400°F (205°C). Brush or spray baguette slices with olive oil (use 1 slice per small bowl of soup or 2 slices per large bowl), then place on a baking tray. Toast the slices in the oven for about 3 minutes per side, then remove the baking tray and turn on the oven's broiler to the highest setting.
Remove the bay leaves and thyme sprigs from the soup, then transfer the soup to individual oven-safe serving bowls. Place the bowls on a large baking sheet, then top each bowl with 1 or 2 baguette slices (depending on the size of your bowls). Add shredded vegan Gruyère cheese on top of the baguette slices and soup.
Place your baking tray and soup bowls on a middle to high rack so that the tops of the bowls are about 6 to 8 inches under the broiler. Once the cheese has melted and browned (about 1 to 2 minutes), remove the bowls from the oven and serve. (Be careful, the bowls will be hot!)
Notes & Hints
To get the vegan cheese extra melty, you can spray a little bit of water on top of the cheese before you put the bowls in the oven.
This soup is best served fresh, so I recommend preparing only as many bowls as you will eat. For leftovers, store the soup (without bread and cheese) in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3 to 5 days.
Nutrition Data
Serving Size 1/8 of recipe
| Amount Per Serving | ||
|---|---|---|
| Calories 211 | Calories from Fat 108 | |
| % Daily Value* | ||
| Total Fat 12g | 15% | |
| Saturated Fat 6g | 30% | |
| Trans Fat 0g | ||
| Cholesterol 0mg | 0% | |
| Sodium 499mg | 21% | |
| Total Carbohydrate 20g | 7% | |
| Dietary Fiber 4g | 16% | |
| Sugars 8g | ||
| Protein 2g | 4% | |
| Vitamin A 0mcg RAE | 0% | |
|---|---|---|
| Vitamin B12 1mcg | 42% | |
| Vitamin C 11mg | 12% | |
| Vitamin D 0mcg | 0% | |
| Calcium 27mg | 2% | |
| Iron 2mg | 11% | |
| Potassium 288mg | 6% | |
| Zinc 0mg | 0% | |
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.
Note: This data should be used only as an estimate. Please see the nutrition section of my terms and conditions for more information on how this data is calculated.
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