FRENCH ONION SOUP (Dairy-Free and Vegan-Friendly)

French Onion Soup is a CLASSIC - here's my dairy-free version with homemade dairy-free cheese that really browns under the broile!

Good

% Daily Values based on a 2,000 calorie diet

Step 1

Melt butter in a heavy bottomed pot or dutch oven over medium heat. Add onions and salt, stir to coat with butter and lid on for 5 mins to soften onions. Lid off and caramelise onions, stirring often over 20-30 minutes, although this will depend on the size and thickness of your pot.

Step 2

Add garlic and stir through for a minute. Add in wine to deglaze pan, stir in flour and allow to thicken for a minute. Add stock, bay leaves, thyme and simmer for 30 minutes uncovered.

Step 3

If making the cheese, blend all cheese ingredients except water and agar in a blender until very smooth and not grainy. If you don't have a high-speed blender this may take a whole minute or more.

Step 4

In a small pan, heat the water and agar til agar has dissolved. Have a whisk ready and add in the cheese mix, whisking immediately. Whisk until the sauce thickens and set aside.

Step 5

If your soup isn't thick enough after 30 minutes you may like to thicken it. Mix 1/4 cornstarch with 1/4 cup water. Add 1tbsp of the cornstarch slurry to the soup at a time, stirring for a minute to gauge how thick you want your soup. Stop when it's thick to your liking

Step 6

Preheat the oven broiler to 180-200ºC. Spread your slices of baguette with some of the cheese sauce. (if you don't use it all, you can refrigerate it and will firm up like a soft cheese for later use). Fill a few oven proof bowls, 3/4 ways with onion soup and top with the baguette. Broil for around 5 mins, keeping close watch on the cheese to make sure it doesn't burn. Top with some extra fresh thyme and season with pepper and serve IMMEDIATELY and enjoy :)