Easy French-Style Vegetarian Onion Soup is a simple, budget-friendly recipe inspired by traditional French onion soup, but made with out the beef broth, achieving a rich, using sauteed sweet yellow onions and a savory onion soup mix.
This vegetarian onion soup is a delicious, warm bowl of comfort perfect for any season—whether as an appetizer or a light main course.
While traditional French onion soup often uses beef broth, this meat-free recipe achieves that classic, rich taste using sauteed sweet yellow onions and savory onion soup mix.
It’s budget-friendly and simple to make with just one pot, 3 basic pantry ingredients, and two optional (red wine and crusty toast).
And, if you want to make it a vegan soup, leave off the cheese or use your favorite vegan-friendly cheese.
And onions have some nutritional benefits!
Useful cooking information
What are the different oils used in cooking?
“High-heat” oils have neutral flavors and have been processed in order to handle high temperatures and are good for sautéing, searing, and frying. These include canola oil, vegetable oil, avocado oil, and grapeseed oil, each with its own “best for” with chefs.
Some oils have their own flavor and are good for sautéing and roasting and add a little extra to the dish. These include extra virgin olive oil, coconut oil, and peanut oil. Extra- virgin olive oil works well with roasting or sautéing, but not for deep frying.
Coconut oil is good in dishes where a slightly coconut flavor enhances the dish, and peanut oil is good for deep frying and will add a subtle nutty taste and smell. Many Asian dishes call for peanut oil in the ingredients.
Then there are oils that are not used with heat but rather for dressing up foods, such as sesame oil, flaxseed oil, and walnut oil, among others.
What does it mean when recipes say “to taste” about an ingredient?
When recipes say “to taste,” it means that you can put in as little or as much as you like to your own taste. Some recipes have many ingredients that a cook can adjust to their own taste when cooking (not so much when baking though).
The best way to calculate what your taste is with a recipe that you are not yet familiar with is to first taste the dish and then add the “to taste” ingredient GRADUALLY, a little at a time—a splash of this or a pinch of that—until the dish is just the way you like it.
Make sure to stir the ingredient after each time you add it so that the flavor will distribute evenly and become part of the dish. Then taste again. Repeat until you reach your personal preference.
Note: If you plan on using the recipe again, it is highly recommended to make a note of what and how much you added so that you can refer to it next time.
What does it mean when a recipe says that an ingredient is “optional”?
If an ingredient is “optional,” it means that you can add it in or not based on your own preference. An optional ingredient can be flavor-related (i.e., salty, sweet, spicy, etc.), appearance-related (garnish), or even something like nuts or chocolate chips in baking.
What does “savory” mean?
“Savory” refers to foods that are not sweet, such as foods that taste salty, spicy, or herbal.
What does “sauté” mean?
“Sauté” means to cook quickly in a small amount of oil or fat in a frying pan on a relatively high heat that causes a slight browning of the food on the outside.
What do those silly measurement terms mean?
Drop – ¹/₆₄ teaspoon (or less—it’s however a literal drop comes out)
Smidgen – ¹/₃₂ teaspoon
Pinch – ¹⁄₁₆ teaspoon (what you can grab between your finger and thumb)
Dash – ⅛ teaspoon (what comes out when you shake out of a shaker or bottle)
Tad – ¼ teaspoon
Dollop—a glob on a spoon (like with mayonnaise or ice cream)
Scant—a scant cup is almost a cup, just below the line.
Heaping—above the line of the spoon (teaspoon, tablespoon)*
Everyday pantry essentials
I am not great at meal planning, so I have found it incredibly convenient to have “essentials” ingredients stocked in my kitchen at all times to be able to make many meals without having to run out to the store.
Seasoning and flavoring:
- salt (my recipes use regular table salt)
- ground black or white pepper
- granulated garlic or garlic powder (I prefer granulated)
- onion powder
- sweet paprika and/or sweet pepper flakes (paprika is ground dried red pepper, pepper flakes are crushed dried red pepper)
- hot paprika, hot pepper flakes, or cayenne pepper (moderately spicy dried ground chili pepper) for those occasional spicy dishes
- ground turmeric
- ground cumin
- ground cinnamon
- ground ginger
- ground nutmeg
- ground cloves (for pumpkin flavors)
- sugar (granulated)
- brown sugar
- chicken consommé powder / beef bouillon powder (regular or vegetarian)
- onion soup mix
- onion flakes (substitute for fresh onion—3 tablespoons for 1 medium onion).
- various herbs
- additional spices to adapt taste to preference
Misc:
- oil / margarine / butter / cooking spray
- coconut cream as a dairy-free cream substitute
- flavorless milk substitute as a dairy-free milk alternative
- cornstarch as a thickening agent
- flour
- baking powder
- baking soda
- bread crumbs or cornflake crumbs (you can make these with your blender or food processor) for coating
- condiments, such as ketchup, mustard, and barbecue sauce
- tomato sauce/tomato paste/canned tomatoes—diced or crushed/pasta sauce
- soy sauce (makes a great flavoring for savory foods)
We always have eggs in the fridge and ingredients that store well, such as onions, rice, potatoes, and pasta. I also make sure to keep main dish ingredients in my freezer, such as ground beef and chicken.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Can I make this soup vegan?
Yes, you can easily make this a vegan soup by leaving off the cheese completely or by substituting it with your favorite plant-based, vegan-friendly cheese alternative.
How do I get rich flavor without beef broth?
While traditional French onion soup relies on beef broth, this vegetarian version achieves that same classic, rich taste by using thoroughly sautéed sweet yellow onions combined with a savory onion soup mix.
Can I use a different type of onion?
Sweet yellow onions are recommended because they caramelize beautifully and provide the best depth of flavor, but you can substitute them with standard yellow onions if that is what you have available.
Is this recipe budget-friendly?
Yes, this dish is very budget-friendly because it relies on inexpensive, everyday kitchen staples rather than costly specialty ingredients.
Can I add wine to the soup?
Yes, red wine is included as one of the optional ingredients to elevate and deepen the savory flavor profile of the soup base.
What is needed to make vegetarian French-style onion soup?
I hardly ever meal plan, and that’s why I like to keep a cupboard full of ingredient essentials in my kitchen.
But these are all you need to have on hand to make this recipe even last-minute!
sweet yellow onions
onion soup mix
shredded/grated cheese (for topping, optional)
red wine (optional)
toast (for topping, optional)
Oil for frying
Love soup?
Try these:
- Vegetarian Pea Soup
- Israeli Vegetable Soup
- Vegetarian Mushroom Barley Soup
- Egg Drop Soup
- Israeli White Bean Soup
- Creamy Potato Soup
Easy Vegetarian French-Style Onion Soup Recipe
Vegetarian French-style onion soup with three basic ingredients.
Ingredients
- 6 large sweet yellow onions, peeled
- 1/2 cup onion soup mix or to taste
- 1/2 cup shredded/grated cheese*
- 1/4 cup red wine (optional)
- 4 pieces of toast (optional)
- water
- Oil for frying
Instructions
- Slice onions into "1/4"-wide rings
- Pour a little oil just to coat the bottom of a suitable-sized pot.
- Put the onion rings in and sauté on medium until they have caramelized (until they have browned and are translucent).
- Drain excess oil.
- Add onion soup mix (and wine, if desired) and combine it with the onions.
- Add 6 cups of water to the pot and bring to a boil (add more onion soup mix, if desired).
- Turn the heat down to medium-low and simmer for approximately 10 minutes (or according to the instructions on the package of onion soup mix).
- Pour into bowls.
- Top with toast (optional)
- Top with cheese.
Notes
*If you want to make the soup vegan, just leave off the cheese.
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
4Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 332Total Fat: 10gSaturated Fat: 3gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 6gCholesterol: 14mgSodium: 2496mgCarbohydrates: 51gFiber: 5gSugar: 12gProtein: 10g