Cheese Fondue
Dunk into this easy, meltingly delicious Swiss Cheese Fondue at home. This classic fondue recipe is crazy simple to make at home in under 30 minutes and perfect for parties large or small!
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Cheese Fondue
Cheese lovers…..this one’s for you! The perfect party starter, Swiss cheese Fondue is as simple as it gets. Melty goodness that’s savory, salty, buttery perfection.
We love going to our local Melting Pot for the whole fondue experience but our favorite thing ever is the cheese fondue. This recipe is totally inspired by the Melting Pot Cheese fondue recipe and you may never need to leave your house again.
What is cheese fondue?
Cheese fondue is simply cheese sauce….or cheese that’s been melted in wine. Or beer, if you’re making a Beer Cheese Fondue, for instance.
A favorite for hosting friends during the holidays, there’s no food that brings a group together better than a pot of melty fondue. It’s the perfect centerpiece to your Christmas or New Year’s Eve party.
We like to have a big pot on the table for Christmas morning brunch for everyone to dip into while I’m getting the rest of the spread together. It keeps everyone busy and satisfied if things take a little longer than expected. And who doesn’t love a big vat of bubbling cheese to dip bread into?
Plus, history states that if a woman drops a dipper into the pot, she must kiss every man at the table. However, if a man drops the dipper into the pot, he must buy everyone a round of drinks. You can use these rules as you see fit, or make up your own. I like to think the dipper dropper has to do the dishes….and I’m sticking to that.
What Cheese To Use for Fondue
The first rule of fondue making, use a high quality cheese. Using a low grade cheese will lead to lumpy, grainy fondue. Since this recipe is highly dependent on the cheese, stick with one that has a high meltability, great flavor and finish.
Since this is a Swiss Cheese Fondue, I like to use a blend of mild and stronger flavored Swiss cheeses like Jarlsberg and Gruyere.
Grate the cheese using your food processor or the coarse side of the box grater. Grated cheese will melt easily and quickly eliminating clumping.
How To Make Cheese Fondue
- Grate the cheese and toss with cornstarch.
- Bring the wine to a boil over medium heat.
- Remove the wine from the heat and stir in small amounts of cheese until melted.
- Add the nutmeg and mustard.
- Rub the inside of a fondue pot or mini crock pot with a cut garlic clove.
- Transfer the fondue to the pot and serve with dippers.
Pro Tips for Perfect Cheese Fondue
To ensure your cheese fondue turns out perfectly, follow these easy tips.
- Grate – Coarsely grate the cheese for easy meltability.
- Cornstarch – Toss the cheese in cornstarch to coat evenly. The cornstarch helps prevent the cheese from clumping and allows the fondue to become velvety smooth.
- Wine – The wine you choose is important here….use a white that you love the flavor of. Choose something dry with a high acidity which helps the cheese remain smooth while it’s simmering in the fondue pot.
- Non-alcoholic Fondue – If you don’t want to use wine, you can substitute with apple cider for a more traditional flavor or chicken stock for a more savory flavor.
- Beer – Looking for something more hoppy? Try subbing the wine with beer and the cheese with cheddar for a Beer Cheddar Fondue!
- Grate – Coarsely grate the cheese for easy meltability.
- Cornstarch – Toss the cheese in cornstarch to coat evenly. The cornstarch helps prevent the cheese from clumping and allows the fondue to become velvety smooth.
- Wine – The wine you choose is important here….use a white that you love the flavor of. Choose something dry with a high acidity which helps the cheese remain smooth while it’s simmering in the fondue pot.
- Non-alcoholic Fondue – If you don’t want to use wine, you can substitute with apple cider for a more traditional flavor or chicken stock for a more savory flavor.
- Beer – Looking for something more hoppy? Try subbing the wine with beer and the cheese with cheddar for a Beer Cheddar Fondue!
What To Dip In Fondue
This is the fun part….the sky’s the limit but here are a few of our favorites!
- Bread – Pumpernickel is traditional but we love lightly toasted brioche cubes, too. The buttery flavor is perfect with the cheese
- Vegetables – Anything from carrots to blanched broccoli florets will work here. Or use leftover roasted baby potatoes for starchy heaven.
- Fruit – Sliced apples and pears are heaven in cheese fondue.
- Pickles – Any type of pickle will work here and definitely give it a try even though it seems weird. We, especially, love this Pickled Okra for dipping!
What Fondue Pot To Use
You don’t have to own a fondue set to enjoy fondue but it does help keep your cheese melty smooth until you’ve enjoyed every last drop.
- Electric Fondue Pot – While I love the temperature control of most electric fondue pots, the cord does limit where you can place your pot. This type of pot can be used for cheese, oil and chocolate fondue so it’s incredibly versatile. (affiliate link)
- Classic Fondue Pot – I prefer this type of pot which comes in ceramic, metal or cast iron because I can plop it right in front of my guests wherever we may be. You will need to use a single use Sterno can and keep an eye on it because it will burn out causing the temperature to drop. I recommend this ceramic fondue pot because it’s simple and elegant. (affiliate link)
- Crock Pot – I LOVE the mini Crock Pot for fondue, too. It’s an incredibly versatile tool that you can use for many other things if you don’t want the unitasker that a fondue pot tends to be.
I love this electric Fondue Pot because of the temperature control. This keeps your fondue from burning around the sides and can be uses for oil, cheese and chocolate fondue, as well as, hot dips for parties.
More Easy Appetizer Ideas
If you love this Cheese Fondue, you should also try this easy White Queso (Queso Blanco) recipe. It’s like Mexico’s version of fondue. Or try this Beer Cheese Dip!
For a bigger crowd, we love to make an epic charcuterie board or smaller, personal sized boards for a more intimate gathering.
You may also love this easy, cheesy Crab Dip.….sooooooo good!
Round it out with a pot of Chocolate Fondue, it’s so smooth and decadent.
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Get the Recipe: Cheese Fondue Recipe
Ingredients
For the Fondue:
- 1/2 lb grated Gruyere cheese
- 1/2 lb grated Swiss cheese, recommended Jarlsberg or similar
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- 1 cup dry white wine
- 1 tsp dry mustard
- 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
- 1 garlic clove
For the Fondue Dippers:
- Cubed Bread, Pumpernickel, sourdough, baguette, brioche
- Blanched Broccoli
- Blanched Cauliflower Florets
- Steamed asparagus
- Sliced Apples and Pears
- Assorted pickled vegetables
Equipment
- fondue pot
Instructions
- Grate the cheeses and place in a large bowl. Sprinkle the cornstarch over the cheese and toss to coat. Set aside.
- Add the wine to a medium saucepan and bring to a simmer over medium high heat.
- Add the cheese, a little at a time, to the simmering wine stirring each time until smooth. Once all the cheese has been added, remove from the heat.
- Stir in the mustard and nutmeg.
- Cut the garlic in half and rub the inside of the fondue pot with the garlic.
- Pour the cheese into the fondue pot. Serve with assorted dippers and fondue forks.
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