• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
Shutter + Mint
  • Recipes
  • About
  • Subscribe
menu icon
go to homepage
  • Recipes
  • About
  • Subscribe
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
  • subscribe
    search icon
    Homepage link
    • Recipes
    • About
    • Subscribe
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
  • ×

    Vegan French Onion Soup - With Gruyere Cheese

    December 1, 2019 by Lauren 6 Comments

    This post may contain affiliated links. If you click a link and make a purchase, assume we make a commission.

    An entirely plant-based French Onion soup? It's true! And other than a bit of a time-commitment, it's so easy!


    Jump to Recipe Print Recipe

    ***For your convenience, this post contains affiliate links. This means that if you click a link and make a purchase, I'll make a commission. Thanks for supporting this site!

    If you thought that French-food was off limits to plant-based eaters, I urge you to rethink it.   Because this French Onion soup is freakin’ amazing! 

    It’s got everything: stretchy, melty “cheese”, caramelized onions, sweet + salty broth, broth-soaked bread, and a deep infusion of fresh herbs. 

    I mean, c’mon.  What more could you want from a little bowl of soup?

    CARAMILIZING ONIONS

    Caramelizing onions is a task, it really is, but with a glass of wine and a podcast (see recommendations below), it’s really not that bad. 

    THE VEGAN "GRUYERE CHEESE"

    This cheese is 100% plant-based, but tastes a lot like a real cheese.  It’s not cultured so it’s very, very quick to throw together. It contains:

    • Dry white wine
    • Onion powder
    • Raw cashews
    • Nutritional yeast 
    • Maple syrup
    • Salt
    • Tapioca flour
    • And water

    That’s it! All of these ingredients in a blender and a quick heat on the range and bam--you have a stretchy, thick, melty Gruyere cheese!

    Does it taste exactly like Gruyere? No, I don’t think it’s identical but it is perfect for broiling.  It will melt, brown, and act just like real cheese.

    SOUP CROCKS

    Let’s talk about these soup crocks real quick, shall we?

    I bought them on a whim but I’m so happy to have them! You can put them under the broiler, they’re sturdy, they look great on the table, and they’re necessary for making French Onion soup, properly.

    You can find them right here on Amazon.

    After all, what is French Onion soup without browning some cheese on top?

    Vegan French Onion Soup with Vegan Gruyere

    A delicous, herb-infused, entirely plant-based French Onion Soup - perfect for all eaters!
    5 from 2 votes
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe
    Prep Time 15 minutes mins
    Cook Time 1 hour hr 45 minutes mins
    Course Appetizer, Soup
    Cuisine French, French-American
    Servings 4 people
    Calories 328 kcal

    Equipment

    • French Onion Soup Crocks (linked in the post)

    Ingredients
      

    FOR THE SOUP

    • 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil or plant-based butter
    • 5 yellow onions sliced
    • ½ shallot sliced
    • 2 tbsp flour
    • 6 cups vegetable broth
    • 1 cup dry red wine
    • t tbsp pure maple syrup
    • 1 tbsp soy sauce
    • 1 sprig rosemary
    • 1 bay leaf
    • salt + pepper to taste

    FOR THE VEGAN GRUYERE CHEESE

    • ½ cup dry white wine
    • ½ cup raw cashews soaked for six hours or boiled for 20 minutes (if you don't have a high-powered blender)
    • ½ cup water
    • 1 tsp onion powder
    • 1 tsp nutritional yeast
    • 1 tsp pure maple syrup
    • 2 tsp tapioca flour

    Instructions
     

    • add the sliced onions and shallot to a stock pot over medium heat and saute with oil or butter, stirring every three minutes or so, until the onions caramelize - this will take about 45 minutes
    • while waiting for the onions to caramelize, put all of the ingredients for the vegan gruyere into a blender and blend until it's completely smooth. then transfer the mix to a sauce pan over medium heat and whisk until it's thick and bubbly (about five minutes), then set it aside
    • once the onions caramelize, coat the onions with the flour, then add the red wine to the stock pot and turn the heat to high, allow the wine to reduce to half (about five minutes) and turn the heat back down to medium
    • add the rest of the broth, spices, soy sauce, rosemary, and bay leaf
    • simmer for 15 minutes and turn on the broiler
    • remove the rosemary sprig and bay leaf, then ladle the soup to soup crocks on a baking tray and top with crusty bread + a dollop of the cheese
    • broil until the cheese is toasty and bubbly
    • serve immediately

    Notes

    * store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to five days
    *nutrition facts are automatically calculated

    Nutrition

    Calories: 328kcal | Carbohydrates: 31g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 14g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Sodium: 1673mg | Potassium: 372mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 11g | Vitamin A: 756IU | Vitamin C: 11mg | Calcium: 48mg | Iron: 2mg
    Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

    More Recipes

    • Protein soda on a pink background
      Dirty Coke Protein Soda
    • Hero Image for Dutch Oven Tarragon and Dijon Mustard Chicken Thighs.
      Dutch Oven Tarragon and Dijon Chicken Thighs
    • The best house burger with homemade burger sauce.
      House Cheeseburger with Homemade Sauce
    • Hero Image of Yellow Coconut Curry Salmon in a black pan.
      Lent Friday Coconut Curry Salmon

    About Lauren

    Lauren is the freelance writer, photographer, and recipe developer behind Shutter + Mint. Thanks for stopping by!

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. calinhorely

      December 04, 2019 at 7:53 am

      It lookes amazing ! Thanks for sharing !

      Reply
      • Lauren

        December 04, 2019 at 6:57 pm

        Thanks so much, Calin! xoxo!

        Reply
    2. Romy K.

      December 31, 2020 at 4:44 am

      I made the cheese sauce and it was AMAZING and easy. Thank you! I doubled the recipe and added a dollop of white miso paste because I love the added umami. I will make this again.

      Reply
      • Lauren

        March 17, 2021 at 9:03 pm

        Thanks so much, Romy! 🙂

        Reply
    3. Charlene Sumida

      December 09, 2021 at 7:54 pm

      what is the serving size for this recipe?

      Reply
      • Lauren

        December 10, 2021 at 8:44 pm

        Hi Charlene! I've updated the recipe card within the post with nutrition info and serving sizes! This recipe serves 4 people. Each serving is about 1 cup. Thank you!

        Reply

    Leave a Reply Cancel reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    Recipe Rating




    Primary Sidebar

    Hi, I'm Lauren! Shutter + Mint is a food blog I created to help you create easy, practical recipes at home. Thanks for stopping by!

    More about me →

    Popular

    • Hero image of boursin chicken and potatoes in a dutch oven.
      Boursin Chicken and Potatoes
    • Relaxing Tart Cherry Juice Sleepy Mocktail in a pink coupe glass with a lime garnish.
      Relaxing Tart Cherry Juice Mocktail
    • Dutch Oven Meatballs in Sauce.
      Dutch Oven Meatballs with Marinara
    • Creamy Ranch Chicken and Potatoes in a dutch oven. In a staub Cookware braiser.
      Dutch Oven Creamy Ranch Chicken and Potatoes

    Footer

    ↑ back to top

    About

    • About
    • Terms and Conditions
    • Privacy Policy
    • Affiliate Disclosure
    • Meta

    Newsletter

    • Sign Up! for emails and updates

    Contact

    • Contact + Services

    As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

    Copyright © 2025 Brunch Pro Theme