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Cheese Fondue is part snack, part entertainment, and 100% cheesy retro fun. This fondue recipe makes it easy to prepare and serve with confidence. All that’s left is choosing your dippers. (Hint: You can’t go wrong with crusty bread!)
Fondue, from the French word fondre, means “to melt.” Cheese Fondue started as a way to “make ends meet” in the wintery mountains of Switzerland. Families stirred together leftover cheese with a little bit of wine and ate it with stale bread, waiting for spring.
This classic Cheese Fondue recipe represents a kickback to the ’60s and ’70s, when fondue, in general, became popular in the United States. This interactive appetizer gives guests something to do while they socialize, almost like a planned activity at a kids’ party. You can go crazy with dippers, but it’s okay to offer just the basics. People might try apples, pickles, and broccoli, but what they really want is the bread cubes.
If you want to offer something creative, try my Jalapeño Fondue poppers. Serve raw jalapeños (sliced lengthwise and seeded) with a bowl of bacon bits nearby. Guests can dip a pepper into the cheese fondue, sprinkle with the bacon, and chow down. It’s really great! No one can ever predict which jalapeños will be spicy, though, so buckle up.
Table of Contents
Recipe ingredients
At a Glance: Here is a quick snapshot of what ingredients are in this recipe.
Please see the recipe card below for specific quantities.
Equipment and ingredient notes
- Fondue pot: I have and love this Cuisinart electric fondue pot. It’s easy to use, a breeze to clean, and it works really well! It’s the same one you see in the photos, and it comes with 8 skewers. The recipe is written for a stove-top version of fondue so anyone can make it.
- Gruyère cheese: If you love ripe, pungent cheeses, seek out an imported, raw milk variety from Whole Foods or other specialty purveyors. Otherwise, mild Gruyere cheese or alpine-style cheeses such as Gouda, Fontina, and Emmentaler cheese work really well too. You can even do an aged white cheddar. Always shred or grate your cheese from the block rather than buying pre-shredded cheeses.
- White wine: Choose a high-acid dry white wine such as Pinot Gris, Sauvignon Blanc, or an unoaked Chardonnay. An unoaked Chardonnay will have flavors that are crisp and refreshing such as citrus or apples. An oaked Chardonnay will have flavors that are rich and round such as smokey, buttery, or vanilla. You want to the former for cheese fondue. You could also substitute an equal amount of beer.
- Kirsch: Kirschwasser, or kirsch, is a clear, cherry-flavored distilled spirit from Germany. If you can’t find kirsch, swap in cherry brandy or cognac but avoid cherry-flavored liqueurs which will be too sweet here.
- Crusty bread: Always leave the crusts on the bread for cheese fondue; it’s easier to spear bread with crust (it stays on the fork better).
- Jalapeños: Slice these bad boys in half lengthwise, scoop out the seeds, and serve with a dish of cooked bacon bits for sprinkling (after you scoop up the cheese fondue with the pepper, of course).
Do you need a fondue pot?
You can make cheese (or chocolate) fondue without a fondue pot by using any heavy-bottom saucepan set over a gas or electric stove. This solution can work for a small setting where the fondue is the focus and you’ll be eating right away.
But, if you see yourself fonduing on the regular, or if you want to set it out as part of a party spread, investing in a good fondue pot will make it easier and more enjoyable. After all, these devices are designed to help the creation, and serving, of fondue as simple as possible.
I like using my Cuisinart Fondue Pot to make fondue, and it’s $69.95 at Amazon and comes with 8 fondue forks for serving! We also researched the best fondue pots around so you don’t have to. There are a variety of sizes, materials, and heat sources to choose from. See all our findings in The Best Fondue Pots.
Step-by-step instructions
To make the cheese fondue:
- In a large bowl, add Gruyère cheese, Swiss cheese, cornstarch, and dry mustard. Toss until cheese is evenly coated and set aside.
- Using the cut sides of the garlic clove, rub the bottom and lower half sides of a fondue pot or heavy saucepan.
- Add wine and bring to a rapid simmer over medium heat (but not boiling).
- Stirring constantly, gradually stir in the cheese mixture one handful at a time until evenly melted and smooth. The mixture will continue to thicken (do not allow the cheese sauce to boil). Stir in Kirsch, nutmeg, and salt to taste and reduce temperature to a low flame for serving.
To serve the cheese fondue:
- Serve the fondue directly from the fondue pot or saucepan surrounded by plenty of dippers such as crusty bread, blanched vegetables, sliced apples, sour pickles, and highly-flavorful crackers.
- Spear dippers with a fondue fork and swirl into the cheese in a “figure eight” motion to coat. If using a nonstick pot, due not along the fondue forks to touch and scratch the pot surface.
- To make cheese fondue poppers, dip halved, seeded jalapeños directly into the cheese sauce, remove to a plate, and sprinkle with crispy bacon bits.
Recipe tips and variations
- Yield: This recipe makes about 8 servings, 4 ounces each (more or fewer servings depending on what else you serve at the same time).
- Storage: Store leftover cheese covered in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
- Accompaniments: Beyond cubes of crusty bread, consider blanched broccoli and cauliflower, firm fruits like cut apples and pears, cherry tomatoes, roasted potatoes, pickles, cheese ravioli, soft pretzels, crispy flat pretzels, and crackers (especially crispy crackers with strong flavors like rosemary).
- Holidays: Serve cheese fondue for Christmas, New Year’s Eve, Valentine’s Day, or your birthday.
- Chocolate Fondue: This dessert recipe is simple, delicious, and beautiful. It only takes 10 minutes, 4 ingredients, and all your favorite things to dip: fresh fruit, cake, marshmallows, all of it!
Frequently Asked Questions
Look for something with a firm, yet elastic, texture and supreme meltability such as Gruyère, Emmental, Fontina, Swiss, or other alpine-style cheeses.
Serve your cheese fondue with plenty of crusty bread, blanched vegetables, firm fruits, crackers, pretzels, boiled or roasted potato chunks, and pickles or cornichons.
Adding wine or liqueurs to cheese fondue helps lower the boiling point of the cheese which prevents curdling.
Start by quickly whisking the mixture together to try to recombine the oil and solids. Or, try an immersion blender on low speed using a gentle up-and-down motion.
Chocolate Fondue Recipe
This classic Chocolate Fondue is simple, delicious, and beautiful. It only takes 10 minutes, 4 ingredients, and all your favorite things to dip: fresh fruit, cake, marshmallows, all of it!
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Cheese Fondue
Equipment
- Fondue pot (I've used this one for years and love it, see note 1)
Ingredients
For the cheese fondue:
- 16 ounces Gruyère cheese shredded (4 cups or 1 pound, see note 1)
- 8 ounces Swiss cheese shredded (2 cups or ½ pound)
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- 1 1/2 teaspoons dried mustard
- 1 clove garlic peeled and halved
- 2 1/4 cups dry white wine (see note 2)
- 2 tablespoons Kirsch or brandy (see note 3)
- pinch ground nutmeg
- Salt
For serving:
- crusty bread cut into cubes (see note 4)
- apples cut into chunks
- blanched broccoli and cauliflower
- rosemary crackers
- jalapeño peppers halved lengthwise and seeded (see note 5)
- cooked bacon finely chopped
Instructions
To make the cheese fondue:
- In a large bowl, add Gruyère cheese, Swiss cheese, cornstarch and mustard. Toss until cheese is evenly coated and set aside.
- Using the cut sides of the garlic clove, rub the bottom and lower half sides of a fondue pot or heavy saucepan. Add wine and bring to a rapid simmer (but not boiling).
- Stirring constantly, gradually stir in shredded cheeses one handful at a time until evenly melted and smooth. The mixture will continue to thicken (do not allow the cheese sauce to boil). Stir in Kirsch, nutmeg, and salt to taste and reduce temperature for serving.
To serve the cheese fondue:
- Serve the fondue directly from the fondue pot or saucepan surrounded by plenty of dippers such as crusty bread, blanched vegetables, sliced apples, sour pickles, and highly-flavorful crackers.
- Spear dippers with a fondue fork and swirl into the cheese in a "figure eight" motion to coat. If using a nonstick pot, due not along the fondue forks to touch and scratch the pot surface.
- To make cheese fondue poppers, dip halved, seeded jalapeños directly into the cheese sauce, remove to a plate, and sprinkle with crispy bacon bits.
Notes
- Fondue pot: I have and love this Cuisinart electric fondue pot. It’s easy to use, a breeze to clean, and it works really well! It’s the same one you see in the photos, and it comes with 8 skewers. The recipe is written for a stove-top version of fondue so anyone can make it.
- Gruyère cheese: If you love ripe, pungent cheeses, seek out an imported, raw milk variety from Whole Foods or other specialty purveyor. Otherwise, mild Gruyères or alpine-style cheeses such as Emmental, Gouda, Fontina work really well too. Always shred or grate your cheese from the block rather than buying pre-shredded cheeses.
- White wine: Choose a high-acid dry white wine such as Pinot Gris, Sauvignon Blanc, or an unoaked Chardonnay. An unoaked Chardonnay will have flavors that are crisp and refreshing such as citrus or apples. An oaked Chardonnay will have flavors that rich and round such as smokey, buttery, or vanilla. You want to the former for cheese fondue.
- Kirsch: Kirschwasser, or kirsch, is a clear, cherry-flavored distilled spirit from Germany. If you can’t find kirsch, swap in brandy or cognac but avoid cherry-flavored liqueurs which will be too sweet here.
- Crusty bread: Always leave the crusts on bread for cheese fondue; it’s easier to spear bread with crust (it stays on the fork better).
- Jalapeños: Slice these bad boys in half lengthwise, scoop out the seeds, and serve with a dish of cooked bacon bits for sprinkling (after you scoop up the cheese fondue with the pepper, of course).
- Yield: This recipe makes about 8 servings, 4 ounces each (more or fewer servings depending on what else you serve at the same time).
- Storage: Store leftover cheese covered in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
Nutrition
Meggan Hill is a classically-trained chef and professional writer. Her meticulously-tested recipes and detailed tutorials bring confidence and success to home cooks everywhere. Meggan has been featured on NPR, HuffPost, FoxNews, LA Times, and more.
I am looking forward to trying your recipe in my new fondue pot. Thank you for taking the time to share this with us all.
You’re welcome, Cheryl! I hope you love it! Please write if you have any questions! – Meggan