Classic Cheese Fondue Recipe (2024)

Is the weather in New York City that bad that you already recommend Fondue?? We are still swimming in the lake of Zurich, so no Fondue, not yet! If you care for calories and digestion this little swiss tip may help: Instead of bread use cooked potatoes. And come and visit Switzerland. I bet a little vacation from your president will comfort you a lot. Greetings to your wonderful city.

For those who have not made fondue before: be sure to cut the bread so that each piece has some crust. This anchors the fondue fork, and makes it less likely that you will lose a piece in the pot. Bread cubes should be about an inch.

Nutmeg is not optional. Also, many Swiss will make this 2/3 Gruyère to 1/3 Emmenthaler, but that doesn't go over so well in the US as it makes it too "sharp" for lack of a better word for the American palette. Many Swiss will also eat this by dunking bread in the Kirschwasser first THEN into the cheese. :) (I was taught by a pretty famous Swiss chef who happened to be the stepfather of one of my exchange students.)

In the French part of Switzerland we use Gruyère and Vacherin. I add all the grated cheese at once, the trick is to stir constantly and at the right temperature.
Personally, I also add nutmeg and paprika. But no salt, because the cheese is already really salty.
Nobody in Switzerland eats fondue with veggies or even meat, but why not!
I would avoid the salami and other cured meats though because fondue is already really salty and that would just put it over the top.

In our Swiss family tradition, the loaf is brought to the table. Instead of cutting cubes, each person tears off a large chunk from which they tear off smaller pieces for dipping. Fresh pepper is ground onto each person's plate for dipping to taste after the bread is brought out of the fondue.

Living in Switzerland, we make fondue often - my husband and I even have a special "caquelon" - one of those ceramic pots - for when we enjoy a fondue on our own.
I always make the "moitié-Moitié" (half-half) of 1/2 Gruyère and 1/2 Vacherin Fribourgeois. The latter is a very soft cheese, not great for eating, but it makes for a very creamy fondue.
Combine the cheese and the wine a few hours in advance at room temperature. That also makes for a creamy fondue.

Try adding some lemon juice to the simmering wine. The acidity should help prevent the curdling.

The fondue wasn't perfectly smooth until I added a squirt of lemon juice. With the lemon, the cheese was silky and easily coated all our dipping foods.

The fondue was a great success. I used 6 month Gruyere and Emmenthaler, then brandy instead of kirsch and added 1/2 tsp. dry mustard as well.

And two more Swiss tips - mix the cornstarch into the Kirsch and then add to the cheese once it is melted...and IF you can get it use Vacherin Fribourgeois instead of the Emmental...

A slow cooker on low also works surprisingly well, stirring occasionally and then set on warm till it's gone.

We have 2 electric fondue pots, 2 outdoor tables that are socially distanced for al fresco dinners for this major guest pleaser. I offer cornichons, shrimp scampi, grilled chicken cubes, steamed broccoli florets, roasted petite potatoes and of course day old bread! Sauvignon Blanc was the best kind of wine. Opted for 2 T of Kirsch. Skipped the nutmeg, using instead a (Swiss) Fondue and Raclette herb seasoning that transports me open times with Zurich friends. En Guete!

Do not leave out the Kirschwasser and be sure to serve it in little glasses at the table. I n college I had a half Swiss girlfriend and her Swiss mother visited in the heat of a Kansas summer in a we sat on the floor of my girlfriends cheap apartment and indulged. I don't suggest eating fondue (BTW, correctly pronounced it is FONdue, not fonDUE) in a hot upstairs apartment in a Kansas summer, but it is a wonderful memory.

Extra credit for phrasing: artless peasant spread

I was looking for something special to serve for 2 on Valentines Day. This is it. The last time I enjoyed cheese fondue was in the late 70's while on a bike road trip one Summer. We couldn't carry much, so our dinners relied on the food that we picked up on the road (not road kill but from a market or store, LOL). This was cooked over a tiny Svea stove. The ingredients were very basic - Swiss, Gouda, Fontina cheese- dry white wine, a little garlic, and crusty bread. I kept a nutmeg in my pannier

I think 1 cup of wine is too much. I used a bit more cheese than the recipe called for and yet it was still too thin. I should have used more nutmeg.

Does anyone know where to get Vacherin Fribourgois in the US? I agree a fondue with half Vacherin, half Gruyère is fantastic but haven’t been able to find it online or anywhere in Washington, DC.

Very easy and straightforward. Added a little ground black pepper, dash nutmeg, 1.5T Kirsch, no salt. Yums!

Made this as written. Brought back many childhood memories for my husband. Our kids (9,8 & 5) all enjoyed it as well!

This was really lovely and I so appreciate both the base recipe and the suggested variations. Made out little family NYE special

We settled on bread, apples, and cornichons for dipping and it was fun and everything worked well together. A little festive salad and some shrimp co*cktail to go with it and it's the perfect Christmas Eve dinner!

This is the traditional Christmas day dinner for the three of us. It’s fun, cozy, and much easier than the roast or turkey I used to do, with minimal clean-up. I make it in a large enameled cast iron pot, which retains heat at the table. We dip bread (of course) and lots of fresh vegetables (broccoli, peppers, etc.) I’ll add cornichons this year.

Married into Swiss family. Two finite rules for fondue not mentioned:Stir the cheese in infinity as though you’re making a figure 8, not round and round stirring.Never drink water after fondue, only alcohol (white wine or l’eau du vie.)We ate with boiled potatoes, bread and cornichons.

Excellent fondue recipe. Lacking Emmentaler, I used equal parts Gruyere and havarti, and roasted some veggies - they are too soft to dip but perfect with a little fondue poured on top. My new go- to recipe.

Very easy and a nice way to end a rainy weekend. I omitted the kirsch because we didn’t have any. Used all Kashkaval cheese. Paired it with homemade French bread.

Made with 1/3 each emmenthal, gruyère, alpha tolman.

Question to those who are familiar with Fondue - What kind of dry white wine is the best to use for the cheese fondue? Does white chardonnay work for this? Thank you for your help!

Do not leave out the Kirschwasser and be sure to serve it in little glasses at the table. I n college I had a half Swiss girlfriend and her Swiss mother visited in the heat of a Kansas summer in a we sat on the floor of my girlfriends cheap apartment and indulged. I don't suggest eating fondue (BTW, correctly pronounced it is FONdue, not fonDUE) in a hot upstairs apartment in a Kansas summer, but it is a wonderful memory.

I make this several times a year for dinner parties and it always turns out perfect (Gruyère and raclette instead of emmental as that’s all that is available) and it tastes exactly like the fondue we used to eat in Switzerland. Absolutely perfect.

My fondue came out quite stringy and thick -- used 1/2 lb gruyere, 1/2 lb emmenthaler. Kept the 1c wine/reduced cornstarch to 1t. Tried adding some vermouth and lemon juice but to no avail...Any tips on how to get the right texture next time would be greatly appreciated!