This vegan french onion soup with homemade mozzarella is everything french onion soup should be: packed with caramelized onions, salty, savory, and topped with a thick crouton and generous mound of melted cheese.
Prep Time15mins
Cook Time2hrs30mins
Total Time2hrs45mins
Course: Soup
Cuisine: plant-based, Vegan
Servings: 4–8
Ingredients
For the Soup
1/4cupcoconut oil
4large yellow onions, thinly sliced
3/4cupdry white wine
4cupswater
1/2cupreduced-sodium soy sauce or tamari or to taste*
2tbspbalsamic vinegar
2sprigs fresh thyme
2clovesgarlic, minced
3/4 - 1tspsea salt or to taste
For the Vegan Mozzarella
2/3cupwater
1/2cupraw cashews
1tablespoonwhite wine vinegar
1tablespoonnutritional yeast
1tablespoonarrowroot powder
1/2teaspoonsea salt
Additional Ingredients
thickly-sliced seeded or gluten-free baguette, toasted
thyme sprigs
Instructions
To Make the Soup
Preheat oven to 425F.
Melt the coconut oil in a dutch oven or large oven-safe pot over medium heat. Add the sliced onions to the pot, cover, and cook for 25-30 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Transfer the pot to the oven and keep the lid slightly ajar. Bake the onions for 45 minutes to 1 hour, stirring occasionally to prevent sticking and burning.
Carefully remove the pot from the oven and return it to the stove.
Before turning on the heat, add in the white wine to deglaze the pan. Scrape at the bottom and sides of the pan to release all of the flavorful onion bits (that's the good stuff).
Turn the heat on medium-low and simmer for 5 minutes to cook off the alcohol.
Add in the water, soy or tamari, balsamic vinegar, thyme sprigs, minced garlic, and sea salt. Bring the mixture to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer (partially covered) for 40-45 minutes.
To Make the Vegan Mozzarella
While the soup simmers, make the mozzarella by adding the water, cashews, white wine vinegar, nutritional yeast, arrowroot powder, and sea salt to a high-powered blender** and blend on high for 2-3 minutes or until the mixture is completely smooth.
Pour the mixture into a medium sauce pan over medium heat, and whisk continuously for 5 minutes or until the mixture becomes thick and stretchy.
Remove the mixture from the heat and cool slightly.
To Finish the Soup
Heat broiler to high.
Once the soup has finished simmering, turn off heat, and carefully remove the thyme stems.
Ladle the soup into little oven-safe crocks, top with 1-2 pieces of toasted baguette, place a large dollop of the vegan mozzarella on top (reheat the cheese if it has become too thick to easily dollop on top and spread), and place the crocks on a baking sheet.
Place the pan in the oven and broil for 2-3 minutes or until the cheese is golden and bubbly, making sure to watch carefully to avoid burning.
Remove from oven, place hot crocks on individual plates, top with a thyme sprig, and serve.
Notes
*Use tamari for a gluten-free option. **If you don't have a high-powered blender, be sure to soak the cashews in hot water for 30-45 minutes before blending.