Name: French onion soup
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 45 min
Total time: 50 min
Cuisine: French
Ingredients: 1 tbsp of butter; 4 yellow onions (sliced); 1 tsp of sugar; 1/2 tbsp of flour; 1/2 cup of white wine; 1 vegetable bouillon cube (3 cups of vegetable stock); 1 bay leaf; 2 slices of bread; 1 cup of gruyere cheese (or other cheese that melts easily); Salt and black pepper to taste

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Vegetarian French onion soup is a vegetarian version of a French classic soup. The cosiest of comfort foods, we absolutely love that moment when you dip your spoon into a hot bowl of French onion soup filled with onions and topped with a delicious slice of grainy bread and a generous helping of hot, melted emmental cheese. Pure Heaven! Check out our favourite French soups here.

Table of Contents

What’s in vegetarian French onion soup?

French onion soup is a combination of these tasty ingredients.

Butter
Yellow onions
Sugar
Flour
White wine
Vegetable bouillon cube
Bay leaf
A slice of bread for each bowl of soup
Gruyère cheese

How to make French onion soup

Step 1 – Heat the butter in a medium sized sauce pan on medium heat.
Step 2 – Add the onions, with a pinch of salt, and cook for 5 minutes.
Step 3 – Add the onions with a pinch of salt and cook for 5 minutes.
Step 4 – Add the sugar, flour and cook for another minute.
Step 5 – Pour in the white wine and cook for another 5 minutes.
Step 6 – Pour in the vegetable stock and a 1/2 tsp of black ground pepper, add the bay leaf and cook for 30 minutes.
Step 7 – Preheat oven to 400°F with the broiler.
Step 8 – Pour onion soup into 2 bowls.
Step 9 – Put a slice of bread in each bowl and top with a half cup of cheese.
Step 10 – Bake for 5 minutes.

Take a peek at Julia Child making onion soup!

Isn’t she the absolute best? I love watching her cooking videos. Did you know that you can rent out her house in Provence, France?

Tips to make this vegetarian onion soup recipe

As always, we recommend using a high quality cheese for this recipe. We love Swiss gruyère and can find it easily here in France but you can absolutely replace it with your favorite cheese.
This soup would be lovely topped with mozzarella, cheddar or even a smoked cheese, such as provolone or scamorza if that’s your thing.

What kind of cheese is in French onion soup?

Are you wondering what the best cheese for French onion soup is? We have you covered! Swiss gruyère is traditionally used on French onion soup, however, like we said before, feel free to experiment with adding your absolute favorite cheese to this recipe.

What are the best onions for French onion soup?

You can use several different types of onions for this soup recipe. We used yellow onions here.

Yellow onions : lots of flavor, combined with a sweetness and slight bitterness.
Red onions : deeper flavor, also slightly bitter flavor.
Sweet onions : sweet and mellow with a tangy pop of the flavor at the end.

Make this homemade French onion soup your own by mixing things up a little :

Toss in some chicken to make French onion soup with chicken.
Top with croutons for extra crunch.
Use it as a base for a French onion soup burger.
Use it as a base for a French onion soup chicken bake.
Use it as a base for a French onion soup casserole.
Use it as a base for a French onion soup dumplings.
Use it as a base for a French onion soup meatloaf.

Is this French onion soup vegetarian?

This onion soup is 100% vegetarian.

Is it possible to make vegan French onion soup?

Our recipe is not vegan but it is possible to make a vegan version by skipping the butter (replace it with olive oil to cook the onions) and topping the onion soup with a vegan cheese or skipping cheese all together. You’ll need to make sure you use a vegan wine as well or skip the wine as well.

Is it possible to make French onion soup recipe without wine?

Yes, just leave the wine out of the recipe.

Is French onion soup gluten free?

The classic onion soup recipe calls for a 1/2 tbsp of flour, however, you can skip the flour and leave out the slice of bread to make the recipe gluten free.

What to serve with French onion soup?

Although the soup is lovely alone and a full meal, you can absolutely pair it with a nice grainy bread or baguette.

Where to get French onion soup in Paris

If you are looking for the best French onion soup in Paris, we recommend :

Au Pied de Cochon, 6 rue Coquillière, 75001 Paris
Au Rocher de Cancale, 78 rue Montorgueil, 75002 Paris