How to Make Cheese Fondue

This cheese fondue recipe is the perfect date night activity! And it’s just in time for Valentine’s Day! Make this recipe with white wine, Swiss cheese and shallots, and prepare for an incredible date night with your hunny!

Hello Reader! I try my hardest to research recipes as best as I can before posting to ensure I am representing each culture correctly. If this recipe is from your country and I have made a mistake or you have suggestions for how to make it more authentic, I would love to hear! Please leave a comment below letting me know what should be different, and I will rework the recipe. It is always my intention to pay homage and respect to each cultural dish that I cook. Thanks for reading!

In April of 2018, my mom and dad flew to Rome to meet me for Easter… I had told my parents to choose whatever they wanted to choose as our travel destinations, and I would plan the entire trip.

Consequently, we spent some time exploring Rome, some time exploring the Cinque Terre, and some time exploring Switzerland!

We spent most of our long weekend in Switzerland exploring Zurich, but we also took a day to go visit Lucerne, where we took a gondola to the top of Mt. Pilatus. It was the most serene, beautiful, spiritual thing I have ever done. I would recommend it to everyone! 

Mt. Pilatus was certainly the highlight of my trip to Switzerland, but, make no mistake, cheese fondue was a close second. 

My family went out for a family dinner at a cheese fondue restaurant one night. We spent an evening around a big, steaming pot, dipping bread and, honestly, drowning in melty, gooey cheese. 

I will always remember this dinner for the fact that the cheese was delicious, the company was incredible, and the water cost $18 USD. Switzerland is EXPENSIVE, yo. 

This entire cheese fondue recipe will probably cost less than the water we paid at that meal. It’s amazing! 

Why Make this Recipe 

1. Date Night or  Celebration: This recipe would be fantastic as a date idea! You can use it to celebrate Valentine’s Day, a birthday, or any other special event. It’s simple, and romantic. And the perfect way to stay nice and cozy together. Try ending your romantic night with these Oreo Truffles with Raspberry Filling. 
2. A Low-Budget Meal: Forget $100 nights at the Melting Pot! Try making your own version of Cheese Fondue at home for a fraction of the cost (literally, this is such an inexpensive option). If you’re trying to be budget friendly but still want to be fancy, this is the way to go! (For other low-budget meals, check out these rice recipes!) 
3. “Travel” to Switzerland: Fondue originated in Switzerland (see the history FAQ below). Eating a big, steaming pot of cheese fondue in Switzerland was one of the highlights of my trip! If you want to visit Switzerland but can’t, make this dish at home! You’ll be transported to the winter alps in no time, without ever leaving your kitchen. TIP: If you really want to mimic the Swiss experience, eat the recipe with ONLY bread. That’s the only dipper it’s traditionally served with in Switzerland. 

What Ingredients are in This Recipe?

1. Swiss Cheese: Some cheese fondue recipes use different types of cheeses. Given that this cheese fondue recipe stems from Switzerland, I thought it was most fitting to use a Swiss cheese! I chose Guiggesburg Domestic Swiss cheese, though you can use any fresh Swiss cheese you can find.
   
   I typically choose one melty, soft cheese and one tough cheese to give the fondue an extra layer of depth. My soft cheese in this recipe is Swiss, and I used gruyere as my tougher cheese.

2. White Wine: Most cheese fondue recipes have some kind of liquid as a base. The cheese melts into this liquid, making it the perfect texture for dipping! Some cheese fondue recipes use chicken broth as their liquid base, but I’m more partial to using white wine. 
   
   I’m not normally a wine drinker, and I don’t normally enjoy recipes with a strong flavor of wine. However, I’m really partial to the wine flavor that accompanies this cheese!
   
   I use pinot grigio in my version of this recipe, but you are welcome to use any wine you wish, though I would strongly recommend a white wine. Make sure to use a real drinking wine in your recipe, and stay away from cooking wines. 
   
   If you’re looking for a great recipe to make with Red Wine, check out this Mulled Wine recipe. 

3. Shallots: Shallots are small, purple onions. You can normally find them in the grocery store close to the garlic heads and ginger! When cutting up your shallots, make sure that you cut them as finely as possible. In this recipe, we want the taste of shallots, but we don’t want big crunchy bits of onion. 

How to Make this Recipe

In a Fondue Pot: 

Step 1: Prepare the Cheese

Grate the Swiss cheese on the largest setting of your cheese grater. Grate the Gruyere cheese on the medium setting of your cheese grater.

Combine the cheeses in a large bowl, and add 2 tbsp of cornstarch to the cheese. Mix to combine, ensuring that all cheese is coated in cornstarch.

Step 2: Prep the Fondue

Heat a fondue pot or a nonstick pot on medium heat. Add the olive oil until warm. Then add garlic and the shallots and cook until fragrant, or about five minutes.

Once the shallots are cooked, add the white wine to the pot and turn the heat to high. Bring the wine to a boil.

Step 3: Melt the Cheese

Once the wine is boiling, turn the heat to low. Divide the cheese into quarters. Add one quarter into the wine, and stir on low heat until the cheese melts completely. Then add the next quarter and repeat. Repeat these steps until all the cheese is melted.

Add the salt and ground mustard into the cheese, and mix one last time. Use bread to dip into the cheese. Enjoy!

In the Instant Pot

Step 1: Prepare the Cheese

Grate the Swiss cheese on the largest setting of your cheese grater. Grate the Gruyere cheese on the medium setting of your cheese grater.

Combine the cheeses in a large bowl, and add 2 tbsp of cornstarch to the cheese. Mix to combine, ensuring that all cheese is coated in cornstarch.

Step 2: Prep the Fondue

Turn the Instant Pot to Saute. 

Add the olive oil until warm. Then add garlic and the shallots and cook until fragrant, or about five minutes.

Once the shallots are cooked, add the white wine to the pot. Bring the wine to a boil.

Step 3: Melt the Cheese 

Once the wine is boiling, turn the pot to KEEP WARM.

Divide the cheese into quarters. Add one quarter into the wine, and stir on low heat until the cheese melts completely. Then add the next quarter and repeat. Repeat these steps until all the cheese is melted.

Add the salt and ground mustard into the cheese, and mix one last time. Use bread to dip into the cheese. Enjoy!

Recipe FAQs

What is the History of Cheese Fondue?

Cheese Fondue originated in Switzerland in the late 17th century. Switzerland’s long, chilly winters meant that food was often inaccessible to those living on the top of the mountains. In these times, some of the only foods available to families of lesser means were stale bread and leftover cheese. 

Fondue was invented as a way to use up leftover food and keep these families fed. Melting the cheese with some wine made it into a delicious, gooey source of fat and protein. Dipping old, stale bread in the cheese softened it, making it more bearable to consume. 

In the 1930s, the Swiss Cheese Union declared cheese fondue the national dish of Switzerland in order to increase the consumption of cheese across the country. The union, unfortunately, came to an end in the 1990s, but cheese fondue still endures as the country’s national dish! 

What to Dip in Cheese Fondue Recipe

These days, stale bread is hardly the most desirable cheese fondue dipper. Bread is, of course, still my favorite cheese dipping, though! I often cut up a French baguette, and use the slices as dippers. Pretzel buns are also a delicious choice. 

If you’d like more healthy dipping choices, you can also use fresh apples or carrots. I also love pretzels or crackers!

Then be sure to check out my complete inspiration for What To Eat with Cheese Fondue because there are a lot of delicious suggestions!

How Do I Keep My Fondue from Clumping? 

There are two important steps to keep your Cheese Fondue Recipe from clumping. 

First of all, after grating your cheese, dust the shredded cheese with cornstarch. Then, when adding the cheese to the boiling wine, add it little by little. 

Divide the cheese into quarters. Add one quarter into the boiling wine, and mix until the cheese melts completely. Only when the cheese is finally melted is it alright to add the second quarter, etc. Adding all of the cheese at once may cause it to clump up and seize. 

How Can I Make this Recipe without a Fondue Pot 

My parents once took us to a family dinner at The Melting Pot, a fondue restaurant chain in the midwest. My brother and I quickly became obsessed with fondue, which resulted in my mother buying us a fondue pot for Christmas that year. 

I’m a lucky girl because I can make this cheese fondue in my fondue pot at home. If you don’t have a fondue pot but still want to make this recipe, you can make it in a pot over the stove. Once the cheese is fully melted, make sure to keep the stove at the lowest temperature possible, as you don’t want to burn the cheese. 

You can also follow the above instructions for making this recipe in the Instant Pot. 

Thanks for stopping by to read about my recipes! If you liked this one, make sure to check out these other posts that I’ve picked out just for you!: 

• Easy Stuffed Shells in the Instant Pot
• Spiced Ghee Recipe in the Instant Pot
• Kasespatzle: Austrian Mac and Cheese