Some nights I don't have forty minutes to stand at the stove stirring onions until they turn deep gold. This is the onion soup I make on those nights: no wine, no hour of caramelizing, just six ingredients and twenty minutes, and it still tastes like something worth serving with real bread and melted cheese on top.
Wake me up for a good onion soup and I'll order it, every time it's on a restaurant menu. A proper onion soup has to be packed with flavor, no exceptions and that's exactly what I was after here, even with just six ingredients and twenty minutes on the clock. I usually make a big bowl of it for lunch, with a slice of bread and melted cheese on top, on the kind of cold day where you just want something hot in front of you.
One reader, Sue, said it "really hit the spot" and specifically called out not skipping the broiled bread-and-cheese step, which is exactly right: that's where the last bit of richness comes from.
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Vegetarian French Onion Soup
This vegetarian French Onion Soup is rich, flavorful, and the ultimate comfort food. It's one of the most luscious soups. And it's so easy to prepare! You only need SIX ingredients for this easy french onion soup.
And when do you want to make it even more decadent? Top it with slices of bread with melty cheese.
French soup is one of the most famous recipes; beef stock is usually added to this soup. That gives a lot of flavors.
To ensure this soup gets that great flavor, the first step is to bake the onion and garlic in butter. The brown bits, which we scrape from the bottom, will enhance the flavor of this soup. You don't even miss the traditional beef broth.
And do you prefer a traditional French onion soup (with beef stock)? You can find here a good recipe for a classic French onion soup with cheesy toast.
Why this works without caramelizing the onions
The flavor here doesn't come from long caramelization, it comes from the browned bits (the fond) left in the pan after the onions and garlic cook, which get scraped up and dissolved into the broth when you add the stock and Worcestershire.
That's where the deep, savory flavor comes from, even in twenty minutes. The trade-off: if you skip stirring those brown bits loose, the soup will taste flatter, so don't rush that one step.
What do you need for this Quick French Onion Soup?
To prepare this vegetarian French Onion soup, you need the following ingredients. You can find the correct amounts in the recipe card at the bottom of the blog:
- Butter: For adding a bit of creamy touch to the soup
- Garlic: Adds extra flavor.
- Onions: Traditionally, a Yellow onion is used for French onion soup. This onion is mild and becomes sweet when caramelized. The white onion is a bit milder compared to the yellow ones. Shallots are tangy and give a bit of spice. Red onions give a deeper flavor but, when baked, are still sweet. I opted for the yellow onions, but you can use an onion mixture to get the best of everyone.
- Worcestershire sauce (vegan): Worcestershire sauce contains fish. Vegan Worcestershire sauce doesn't, so use it for a genuinely vegetarian recipe. Of course, you could make your substitute, and here you can find an easy recipe.
- Vegetable stock: Use homemade vegetable stock or mushroom broth, or prepare it from store-bought cubes (and add 4 cups water). This will add a lot of flavor to the soup. However, every vegetable broth is different. So make sure to taste the soup just before serving and add black pepper and a pinch of salt when necessary.
- Baguette: The baguette is topped with grated cheese and put in the onion soup bowl. This way, it will absorb all the great flavors of the onion soup with a crispy gratin topping. The surprising touch of an authentic onion soup.
- Thyme: Use dried thyme to add lots of flavor to the soup.
- Gruyère cheese: A Swiss cheese, a bit sweet and salty. And this gooey cheese is ideal for melting and using for a gratin. It's not vegetarian because it's prepared using rennet. You could replace it with Emmentaler, it has a vegetarian variant and is also great with onion soup.
How to prepare Vegetarian Onion Soup
You can find a printable recipe with a step-by-step description at the bottom of this blog.
- Cut the onions into rings and chop the garlic finely. Melt the butter over low heat in a large saucepan and add the sliced onions. Cook for 3 minutes until the onions are translucent. Then add the garlic, stir it well, and fry for 30 seconds. Frying the onions and garlic gives them more flavor.
- Next, pour the veggie broth and Worcestershire sauce with the onions. Stir with a wooden spoon, so the browned bits will come loose from the bottom (this will give a deep flavor and golden brown color). Also, add the dried thyme (or thyme sprigs). Bring to a boil and simmer for 15 minutes.
- Meanwhile, cut the baguette into thick slices and sprinkle with the grated cheese. Finally, cut the baguette diagonally so that the slices look even better.
- Ladle soup into bowls. Place a single layer of slices of crusty bread with cheese on top of the soup and slide it under the grill for 3 minutes to get that gooey melted cheese. Serve immediately, and beware, it is burning hot! Make sure you use oven-safe bowls. Put them on a baking tray so that drippings will be caught on the tray.
Garnish with fresh parsley.
Even more flavor - Add four tablespoons of dry white wine when adding the stock.
Serve the soup when very hot. TIP: Toast extra baguette slices. When using a baguette, toast some additional baguette in the oven. You should only put two to three baguette slices in each cup, but I find them so delicious that three is not enough. So I bake some more and serve them as a side, to dip in the onion soup.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Why isn't my soup as rich as a classic French onion soup? This version trades hours of caramelization for a much shorter cook time. Scraping up every brown bit when you add the broth (see above) is what carries most of the flavor, don't skip it.
- Can I make this ahead? Yes. Make the broth base up to two days ahead and store it in the fridge; add the bread and cheese fresh just before serving so it stays crisp.
- My soup tastes a little flat, what went wrong? Vegetable broths vary a lot in salt and flavor by brand. Taste right before serving and adjust with salt, pepper, or an extra splash of Worcestershire.
📖 Recipe
VIDEO
RECIPE CARD
Recipe Help
Two easy tools to make cooking even easier. Cooking mode keeps the screen on. The easy-step recipe displays the recipe step by step, including the ingredients needed. And you can adjust servings easily
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 3 onions, sliced in rings
- 1 clove garlic, chopped finely
- 4 cups vegetable stock
- 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce, * worcestershiresauce contains fish. Use vegan sauce for a vegetarian version. Look in the tips for a replacement.
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
optional
- 1 baguette
- 2 ounces Gruyère cheese, grated
All my recipes are written both in Metric (gram / ml) and US Customary (cups / pounds). Here you can select which type of amount you would like to see.
Instructions
Easy onion soup
- Heat butter in a pan on low heat.1 tablespoon butter
- Bake the onion at medium heat until they are translucent in 3 minutes.3 onions
- Add the garlic and stir-fry for 30 seconds.1 clove garlic
- Pour the stock and Worcestershire sauce with the onions. Stir so the brown bits will come loose from the bottom and give even more flavor.4 cups vegetable stock, 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
- Sprinkle with thyme.1 teaspoon dried thyme
- Bring to the boil and let it simmer for 15 minutes.
- Taste, and if necessary, add some salt and pepper to the taste.
Grated Cheese Baguettes
- Preheat the broiler.
- Cut the baguette into thin slices.1 baguette
- Top the baguette slices with grated cheese.2 ounces Gruyère cheese
- Pour the soup into ovenproof bowls and top with the baguette slices.
- Let the cheese melt for about 3 minutes under the broiler.
Notes
- Refrigerator: store in an airtight container for up to two days.
- Freezer: Store the soup (or leftovers) in an airtight container for up to 3 months.
- Reheat: Reheat the soup on the stove, and ladle the soup into soup bowls. If you want to add the baguette topping, use heat-proof soup bowls. Add the baguette and cheese and grill.
Nutrition
Amanda Marie Boyle says
So quick and easy! Love it!
Sue says
I made this for lunch and it really hit the spot. So delicious and fast! Definitely don't skip the bread and cheese under the broiler step - so yummy!
Jaime says
We love a good soup and the fact that this one only needed 6 ingredients - it made a perfect easy weeknight dinner!
michele says
Really easy and delicious!
Sarah James says
We loved this soup, thanks for sharing.
Mama Maggie's Kitchen says
Oh my! I need this in my life. Must print your recipe. Thanks for sharing.
Marie says
This looks really satisfying, and perfect for the weather we've been having!
Andréa says
Thank you Sarah, it's one of our favorites to.
Andréa says
Thank you for your nice words!
Andréa says
It's indeed a great recipe when weather becomes colder. Thank you Marie for your nice words.
David Haines says
Just made this for lunch - my first time attempting French Onion Soup. I added a teaspoon of marmite and a small dollop of tamarind to give it a bit more umami flavour. I didn't have the right cheese but grated a combination of Stilton, Cheddar and hard Italian cheese. Delicious, and much appreciated by my partner.
Thanks!
Andréa says
Sounds delicious!