How to Make Swiss Cheese Fondue
This is our all-time favorite recipe for an authentic Swiss cheese fondue that you can easily make at home!
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We love cheese fondue! It is the perfect dish to share with family and friends during the winter months.
Over the years, I have tried various recipes, and this is our all-time favorite Swiss cheese fondue recipe. It comes out perfect every time.
Why You Will Love This Recipe
- it’s easy to make
- it is authentic
- it’s fun for the whole family
- the perfect dish for a special occasion, Christmas Eve, New Year’s Eve, or Valentine’s Day
Ingredients for Swiss Cheese Fondue
- Cheese: My preferred cheese mixture is a combination of good quality cheeses such as Gruyere, Emmental cheese, and Vacherin Fribourgeois.
- Garlic: For a very traditional Swiss cheese fondue, you will rub the inside of your caquelon with garlic
- White wine: Any light, dry white wine will work such as Sauvignon Blanc
- Corn starch: This ingredient keeps the liquid from separating from the hot cheese
- Kirsch: We always love adding a splash of Kirsch which is a dry cherry brandy
- Bread: We love using lots of crusty bread as a “delivery device” for the cheese fondue and often we like to serve two different types of bread such as a baguette (French bread) and a darker, rustic type of bread
- Fondue pot: Instead of a traditional fondue pot you can also use and electric fondue pot or any other stainless steel pot.
How much cheese per person?
A good rule of thumb is about 7 oz (200g) of cheese per person. However, this might depend on the appetite of your dinner guests, how much bread you serve, whether you are serving other foods to be dipped into the cheese fondue, and whether you are serving appetizers and/or dessert for your fondue party.
Substitutions and variations
Here are some ideas for substitutions if you don’t have all the ingredients or equipment:
- Cheese: Depending on availability and personal preference you can completely substitute or add other kinds of cheeses such as Fontina, Gouda, Jack, parmesan, and so on. I recommend that you use semi-hard cheeses.
- White wine: If you would like to make this an alcohol-free fondue you can also use bouillon instead of wine.
- Kirsch: Using Kirsch in fondue is our preferred choice but you can also use brandy or cognac instead.
- Additional dipping foods: While you will use bread cubes for the traditional Swiss dish, you can also use steamed or roasted Brussels sprouts, small boiled potatoes, pieces of sausage, broccoli, cauliflower, apples, or pears.
- Fondue pot: If you don’t have a traditional fondue pot or don’t want to invest in one, you can also
Helpful tools and equipment
- Cheese grater: I always recommend purchasing cheese as a block and grating it at home, especially since grated cheese often has cellulose added to it.
- Fondue dish: A traditional Swiss fondue is made in a caquelon which is a ceramic dish specifically made for cheese fondue. You can get one online here
- Rechaud: Don’t worry if you have never heard that word before, it is just French for a portable warmer for which you also need.
- Fuel: This can either be a liquid fuel or a paste that you will need to keep the cheese hot at the table
- Fondue forks: While you can certainly use regular forks, we think that using a specific long fondue fork makes dipping your bread and getting cheese on it a lot easier!
How to Make Swiss Cheese Fondue
- Prepare the bread.
First, I like to cut the bread into bite-size cubes. Often I find it easiest to dip the bread if there is a piece of crust on it. Stale bread is also a good idea. Place the bread cubes in a bread basket and set them aside.
- Rub the pot with garlic.
Peel the garlic and cut it in half. The traditional way is to rub the sides and the bottom of the pot with the cut side of the garlic clove. You can either discard the garlic clove – or chop it finely and add it to the pot (if you like garlic as much as we do). Set the pot aside.
- Grate the cheeses.
Usually, I just grate the cheeses on a box grater, but you can use a food processor. Add the grated cheese to the fondue dish. If it doesn’t all fit, keep some back and add the remaining cheese later when the cheese in the dish has melted and compacted down.
- Melt the cheese.
Add the white wine to the pot and start melting the cheese over low to medium heat. You don’t want the cheese to burn so you may have to adjust your stove accordingly. I recommend stirring it frequently with a wooden spoon.
Fun Fact
In the Swiss Alps, people recommend you only stir the cheese in one direction.
- Add the potato starch.
Once the cheese has completely melted, you will notice that there is a lot of liquid sitting on top. In a separate dish, dissolve the cornstarch in the Kirsch. Stirring slowly, add the cornstarch mixture to the cheese mixture. For it to bind, everything needs to heat up. Be patient. Everything will come together. If not, gradually add a bit more of the cornstarch slurry.
When the cheese fondue is ready, transfer it to the table. Place the fondue pot on the heat source. Put a piece of bread onto your fork and dip it in the melted cheese. Enjoy!
If you end up with leftovers, you can certainly save them in the refrigerator for the next day. The cheese will become solid but you could serve it on some bread or warm it up and serve it on potatoes, veggies, or sausages.
How to Serve Swiss Cheese Fondue
I always prepare the cheese mixture on my stove in the kitchen, then move it to the table. There the fondue pot will sit on top of a warmer or Rechaud to keep the cheese hot. Your dinner guests will then dip their food into the hot cheese.
To make it a full meal you might like to serve a simple green salad on the side.
Make-Ahead Instructions
If you’d like to save some time, you can grate all the cheeses and either keep them in an airtight container or Ziploc bag in the refrigerator for up to 5 days, or in the freezer for up to 3 months.
Cheese Fondue FAQs
Mix up a bit more cornstarch with cold liquid and add it to the cheese mixture. Over low-medium heat, keep stirring the cheese fondue until it all comes together.
Yes, simply replace the white wine with broth or bouillon.
That can happen when the cheese is grated too coarsely and hasn’t completely melted. Simply keep stirring the cheese mixture over low heat until the cheese has completely melted.
The rule of thumb is to serve about 200g (7oz) of cheese per person.
Swiss Cheese Fondue
Equipment
- 1 caquelon or other fondue pot
- 1 rechaud (optional) with chafing fuel
Ingredients
- 2 pounds bread (900g), country loaf and baguette
- 1 ½ pounds cheese (800g), a mixture of Gruyere, Emmentaler, and Fontina
- 1 whole garlic clove
- 1 ⅓ cup light white wine (300g)
- ¼ cup cherry brandy (60 ml)
- 3 tsp corn starch
Instructions
- Cut the bread in 1 inch cubes. Set aside.
- Grate all the cheese.
- Either just rub the inside of a caquelon or other pot with the garlic clove or mince the garlic and throw all of it into the pot.
- Add all the cheese and the white wine to the pot.
- Over low heat, melt the cheese-wine mixture, stirring to keep it from browning.
- Add the corn starch to the cherry brandy.
- While stirring, add the slurry to the cheese mixture. Continue to stir.
- Serve immediately by dipping pieces of bread into the cheese mixture.
Notes
- you can also use broth instead of the white wine
- if the cheese mixture is not coming together, you can add a bit more of the cornstarch slurry
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We have been enjoying this very recipe for decades. I know you will love it, too! Let me know if you have questions or comments!
Oh my, this looks amazing!
Thank you so much! I am glad you like it 😊 ~ Anja
I love this, Anja! I definitely want to try it-great recipe!
Thank you so much! I am glad you like it. Enjoy when you do 💛 ~ Anja