This delicious cheese fondue is made with Gruyere and Swiss cheeses. It's surprisingly easy to make at home with an electric fondue pot, and the basic recipe can be varied with different cheeses and spices.
There's something about melted cheese. The Swiss know it (fondue, raclette dinner). The French know it (onion soup), and the Americans know it (grilled cheese). Fondue is obviously an amazing dish. What can possibly be better than dipping tasty morsels of food into delicious melted cheese? Hmm. Perhaps dipping them into melted chocolate in this chocolate fondue!
Ingredients
See the recipe card for exact measurements. Here are my comments on the ingredients.
- Cheeses: I use shredded Gruyere and Swiss cheeses.
- Cornstarch: Just 1 tablespoon helps to thicken the fondue.
- Spices: Dry mustard, garlic powder, and white pepper.
- Dry white wine: I use sauvignon blanc or pinot grigio. Both are also nice to serve with the fondue.
Variations
Experimenting with different cheeses is the best way to vary this recipe. It's best to use bold-flavored cheeses that melt easily. Good options include sharp cheddar and smoked Gouda.
You can also experiment with your seasonings. I love adding dry mustard, garlic powder, and white pepper. You can also try a pinch of nutmeg and/or cayenne pepper, keeping in mind that nutmeg and cayenne will be visible in the light-colored fondue.
Instructions
Making cheese fondue is easy, especially if you use an electric fondue pot. The detailed instructions and step-by-step photos are included in the recipe card. Here's a quick overview.
In a large bowl, toss the shredded cheese with cornstarch and spices.
Pour the wine into the fondue pot. Turn the temperature to medium-high and bring the wine to a strong simmer. Stirring constantly with a wooden skewer in zigzag motions, add the cheeses, a handful at a time, waiting for each handful to melt completely before adding another.
Reduce the temperature to medium-low and serve.
Recipe Tips
- It's best to shred the cheeses about 30 minutes ahead of time and let them slightly dry up. This will make it easier to coat them evenly with the cornstarch and spices.
- Stirring the cheese in zigzag motions rather than in circles helps prevent the cheese from becoming stringy.
- If the fondue seems stringy, stir in a teaspoon of fresh lemon juice. You can also add lemon juice as a preventative when you add the wine to the pot, although the acidity of the wine itself is enough, in my experience.
Recipe FAQs
An electric fondue pot is the easiest because it enables you to easily control the temperature settings when melting the cheese and also when keeping it warm after it's melted. I own two fondue sets - one by Cuisinart and one by Artestia. Both are relatively affordable and work equally well.
I shred the cheeses coarsely using a box grater, as shown in the photo below. Pre-shredded cheese is not recommended, as the anti-caking agents added to it can interfere with melting. 
Mozzarella is not ideal for fondue because its flavor is very mild and it tends to become stringy.
The wine is actually needed here, not just for its flavor but because its acidity helps prevent the cheese from becoming stringy. You could try using light beer, or perhaps milk or chicken stock. But then it's a good idea to add a tablespoon of lemon juice to the mixture.
Yes. You can keep the leftovers covered in the fridge for up to 4 days. Reheat them in the fondue pot on the lowest setting (you might need to add a bit of wine), or use them cold as a cheese spread.
I don't recommend trying to reheat the leftovers in the microwave, as they tend to separate, even when reheated very slowly. I also don't recommend freezing the leftovers.
Serving Suggestions
While bread would seem like the obvious choice, tender-crisp steamed broccoli and microwave-steamed cauliflower are even better, in my opinion. The combination of the crispy vegetables and the creamy cheese is wonderful.
Lightly steamed carrots are nice, too. Sometimes, I use cubes of deli ham steak, homemade pork rinds, or almond flour bread as dippers. But my personal preference is lightly steamed vegetables.
Recipe Card
Easy Cheese Fondue Recipe
Video
Ingredients
- ½ pound Gruyere cheese - shredded
- ½ pound Swiss cheese - shredded
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 1 teaspoon dry mustard
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- ¼ teaspoon white pepper
- 1 cup dry white wine - such as Sauvignon Blanc
Instructions
- Place the grated cheeses in a large bowl. Toss them with the cornstarch, dry mustard, garlic powder, and white pepper.
- Pour the wine into the fondue pot. Turn the temperature to medium-high and bring the wine to a strong simmer (bubbling, but not boiling strongly). This should take 1-2 minutes.
- Stirring constantly with a wooden skewer in a zigzag (not circular) motion, add the cheeses, a handful at a time, waiting for each handful to melt completely before adding another.
- Reduce the temperature to medium-low and serve the fondue with your choice of dippers. My favorite dippers are lightly steamed vegetables.
Notes
- I shred the cheeses coarsely using a box grater. Pre-shredded cheese is not recommended, as the anti-caking agents added to it can interfere with melting.
- It's best to shred the cheeses 30 minutes ahead of time and let them slightly dry up. This will make it easier to coat them evenly with the cornstarch and spices.
- If the fondue seems stringy, stir in a teaspoon of fresh lemon juice. You can also add it as a preventative when you add the wine to the pot.
- Stirring the cheese in zigzag motions rather than in circles helps prevent the cheese from becoming stringy.
- An electric fondue pot is the easiest because it enables you to easily control the temperature settings when melting the cheese and also when keeping it warm after it's melted. I own two fondue sets - one by Cuisinart and one by Artestia. Both work equally well.
- The wine is needed here, not just for its flavor but because its acidity helps prevent the cheese from becoming stringy. You could try using light beer, milk, or chicken stock. But then it's a good idea to add a tablespoon of lemon juice to the mixture.
- You can keep the leftovers in the fridge, covered, for up to 4 days. Reheat them in the fondue pot on the lowest setting (you might need to add a bit of wine), or use them cold as a cheese spread. I don't recommend trying to reheat the leftovers in the microwave, as they tend to separate, even when reheated very slowly. I also don't recommend freezing the leftovers.
- The nutrition info is for the fondue only and excludes dippers.
Nutrition per Serving
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Most recipes are low-carb and gluten-free, but some are not. Recommended and linked products are not guaranteed to be gluten-free. Nutrition info is approximate. Please verify it independently. The carb count excludes non-nutritive sweeteners. Please read these Terms of Use before using any of my recipes.
