Easy Cheese Fondue Recipe (2024)

This easy cheese fondue recipe is a favorite retro recipe!

Swiss and Gruyere cheeses are melted together with a splash of kirsch for a deliciously dippable appetizer.

Perfect for New Year’s Eve, Christmas, or really, any type of gathering!

Easy Cheese Fondue Recipe (1)

Easy Cheesy Fondue!

  • Party Pleaser: Cheese fondue is a hit at gatherings, bringing everyone together around a pot of melty, gooey goodness.
  • Easy to Make: You don’t need to be a gourmet chef to master this delicious dish.
  • Prep-Ahead: Easily prepare it up to 2 days in advance and reheat for smooth, creamy perfection.
  • Equipment-Friendly: No fondue pot? Use a stovetop, ceramic bowl, or mini Crockpot.

Ingredients for Cheese Fondue

Cheese – The most popular cheese for fondue is gruyère cheese which is mild while the addition of Swiss cheese adds a bold flavor. You can vary the cheese mixture based on what you have, gouda or fontina are other favorites!

Kirsch – Kirsch is a cherry brandy and is a traditional ingredient in cheese fondue. It can be replaced with sherry or a dry white wine if you don’t have any. For non-alcoholic cheese fondue, use any clear fruit juice like apple cider, apple juice, or even lemon juice.

Cornstarch – A little corn starch helps to thicken the fondue and keeps the cheese from clumping.

PRO TIP: Shred blocks of cheese instead of using pre-shredded which contains additives and prevents the fondue from melting properly.

Easy Cheese Fondue Recipe (2)

How to Make Cheese Fondue

This recipe can’t get any easier!

  1. Gently toss the shredded cheese with with the cornstarch per the recipe below.
  2. Rub the inside of a saucepan with garlic. Add the wine and simmer.
  3. Slowly stir in the cheese, whisking until melted. Season and serve!
Easy Cheese Fondue Recipe (3)

Delicious Dippers for Fondue

  • Bread Cubes: chunks of French or sourdough bread, soft breadsticks, garlic crostini rounds
  • Chips: tortilla chips, pretzels or pretzel sticks
  • Vegetables: roasted broccoli or cauliflower florets, strips of bell pepper, carrot, or whole (cooked) baby red potatoes or fingerlings.
  • Fruit:cubed apples, seedless grapes, dried fruit, pineapple slices
  • Meat: meatballs, grilled steak, chicken, shrimp

Leftovers

Reheat cheese fondue in the microwave and loosen it up by adding a little milk and a dash of salt for flavor. Freeze cheese fondue in zippered bags and reheat it with milk and extra cheese to emulsify it again.

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Easy Cheese Fondue Recipe

A rich combination of Swiss and Gruyere cheeses melted into white wine, this is the perfect dish to bring guests together!

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ReviewPrint

Easy Cheese Fondue Recipe (10)

Servings 12 servings

Easy Cheese Fondue Recipe (11)

Author Holly Nilsson

Equipment

Ingredients

  • 1 clove whole garlic
  • 1 cup dry white wine
  • 8 ounces Swiss cheese or Emmental, shredded
  • 4 ounces Gruyere cheese shredded
  • 1 tablespoon cornstarch
  • 1 tablespoon kirsch optional but delicious, or sherry
  • teaspoon nutmeg
  • pinch of pepper
  • 1 loaf french bread for dipping

Instructions

  • Cut the garlic clove in half and rub the cut side inside the saucepan. Discard the clove (or save it for another use).

  • Add the wine to the saucepan and bring it to a simmer over medium heat, let simmer for 1 minute.

  • In a bowl, gently toss all shredded cheeses with cornstarch. Set aside.

  • Reduce heat to low and add cheese, a few tablespoons at a time gently stirring until melted before adding more. This should be done very slowly.

  • Once melted, stir in kirsh, nutmeg, and pepper.

  • Serve warm with bread for dipping.

Notes

Swap out half of the cheeses for mild cheddar to create a milder flavor.

Brie is another great creamy addition to fondue.

Nutrition Information

Calories: 140 | Carbohydrates: 3g | Protein: 8g | Fat: 8g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Cholesterol: 28mg | Sodium: 71mg | Potassium: 44mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 256IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 253mg | Iron: 1mg

Nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and brands of ingredients used.

Easy Cheese Fondue Recipe (13) Course Appetizer, Dip, Party Food

Easy Cheese Fondue Recipe (14) Cuisine American

© SpendWithPennies.com. Content and photographs are copyright protected. Sharing of this recipe is both encouraged and appreciated. Copying and/or pasting full recipes to any social media is strictly prohibited. Please view my photo use policy here.

Easy Cheese Fondue Recipe (15)
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Easy Cheese Fondue Recipe (17)
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About the author

Holly is a wine and cheese lover, recipe creator, shopping enthusiast and self appointed foodie. Her greatest passion is creating in the kitchen and making deliciously comforting recipes for the everyday home cook!
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Easy Cheese Fondue Recipe (2024)

FAQs

What kind of cheese is best for fondue? ›

The best all-around cheeses for fondue are fontina, Gruyère, and gouda. If you aren't sure what to pick, use even amounts of these three. Together are lush and complex. For classic Swiss cheese fondue (meaning one like what you would find in Switzerland), a mix of traditional, firm mountain-style cheeses is best.

How much cheese for fondue per person? ›

How Much Cheese Per Person for Fondue? Plan to purchase around eight ounces of cheese per person when serving fondue. An intimate date night meal for two would require about a pound of cheese, while a meal for four would require two pounds, a dinner party with eight guests would need four pounds, and so on.

What is the trick to fondue? ›

"The key with fondue is to keep the temperature very low once you start adding the cheese." In the double boiler, the heat was gentle enough that even with prolonged exposure, the fondue never got hot enough to break.

How much bread per person for fondue? ›

A single person can probably eat about 20 cubes of bread, plus around 200g each of meat, vegetables and cheese. So all up you'll need to account for at least 600g of food per person. Add in a little bit more for those with bigger appetites!

Why add flour to cheese fondue? ›

When making cheese fondue, always use a thickener. Cheese should be shredded and tossed with flour or cornstarch to aid in thickening and to improve the viscosity of the fondue. A good rule of thumb is to use one tablespoon of flour or cornstarch per pound of cheese.

What kind of bread is good for fondue? ›

A mild-flavored sourdough or baguette will work well. You can also use a loaf of dense rye bread, but you may want to cube it instead of tearing it into chunks. Baguettes are the traditional choice for dipping in fondue because they have a mild flavor and crisp crust that's perfect for dipping in creamy, melted cheese.

How many pounds of cheese do I need for 20 people? ›

CHEESE CALCULATOR
# of PeopleMain Meal6 oz. per personLuncheon4 oz. per person
52 lbs1.25 lbs
103.75 lbs2.5 lbs
207.5 lbs5 lbs
3011.25 lbs7.5 lbs
7 more rows

How much cheese do I need for 25 guests? ›

A good rule of thumb is 1 ounce of each cheese for every guest and about five types of cheese. For a party in which cheese is the main event, plan on buying 3 pounds for eight people, 6 pounds for 16 people, or 9 pounds for 24 people. If cheese is one of many items being served, plan on buying 3 to 4 ounces per person.

What should you not do with fondue? ›

Fondue rules

You must not double dip, and never put your fork directly into your mouth.

What are the 4 types of fondue? ›

There are four commonly prepared types of fondue: cheese fondue, chocolate fondue, oil fondue (also known as meat fondue), and broth fondue. Fondue savoyarde traditionally includes the cheeses comté, beaufort, reblochon, and abondance.

Why won't my fondue cheese melt? ›

If the fondue has been over-cooked and the cheese is turning into hard lumps then adding a teaspoon or two of lemon juice should help to restore the texture. If the cheese has split and looks greasy but not lumpy then adding extra cornflour (cornstarch) will help to re-emulsify the mixture.

How much cheese for 6 person fondue? ›

That's about 7 ounces of cheese per person. But no one ever eats fondue alone, so you're going to always think of it in terms of two. So roughly then 400 grams of cheese for every two people. You want to have your cheese chopped up into small cubes or grated.

When to cut bread for fondue? ›

The bread should be slightly dried out but not stale. So it is best to cut it a short time in advance of serving.

How to cut bread for fondue? ›

Cut them it in squares with a knife or pizza cutter – you need to cut it almost completely through, don't worry it'll grow together again in the oven. Cover with a kitchen towel and let it rest for another 30 minutes.

What is the best substitute for Gruyere cheese in fondue? ›

What Are the Best Gruyère Substitutes? There are plenty of other premier cheeses that can serve as good substitutes for Gruyère cheese. Depending on whether you're melting cheese or adding more variety to your charcuterie board, you might consider Beaufort, Comté, Jarlsberg, Emmental, or Fontina.

Can you buy ready made fondue cheese? ›

Emmi Cheese Fondue Original 800g 2x400g Pack

This brand is popular with other customers and this product is highly rated, well-priced, and available to ship immediately.

Why is my cheese fondue rubbery? ›

If the fondue has been over-cooked and the cheese is turning into hard lumps then adding a teaspoon or two of lemon juice should help to restore the texture. If the cheese has split and looks greasy but not lumpy then adding extra cornflour (cornstarch) will help to re-emulsify the mixture.

What are the three types of fondue? ›

Moitié-moitié (or half and half), also called Fondue Suisse: Gruyère and Vacherin Fribourgeois. Neuchâteloise: Gruyère and Emmental (sometimes referred to as the original or traditional fondue). Innerschweiz: Gruyère, Emmental, and Sbrinz.

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