Swiss Cheese Fondue is a classic appetizer for the ultimate evening in! From enjoying a romantic dinner, warming up after a day of skiing or snowboarding, or hosting a fondue party! This fondue recipe will make your night memorable!
I got hooked on this Swiss Cheese Fondue Recipe when my aunt, who moved from Switzerland, made it for us. Prior to having a real fondue recipe, I thought it was a leftover trend from the 1970's. I couldn't have been more wrong, it's perfect for a cold winter meal in front of a roaring fire. It's a national dish of Switzerland and the original good mood food, perfect after a day of skiing, or for a party!
The easier way to make a Swiss Cheese Fondue is to buy a ready made mix from the store that needs heating up. They will have the right cheese blends, white wine and kirsch already mixed in. However, here in Australia, it's hard to find some things that are common overseas, so I have to make it from scratch (which is always tastier anyway).
Is Fondue Expensive to Make?
A homemade Swiss Cheese Fondue Recipe depends on the cheeses you are using. The cost of the Gruyere and Emmental Cheese can be quite expensive, never mind adding the cost of the wine and the Kirsch liqueur. You can use a mixture of different cheeses from Switzerland but Gruyere and Emmental are most easily found in most supermarkets. This is a special treat, and worth the extra expense, and calories! 🤣
Alcohol in Cheese Fondue
This Swiss Cheese Fondue uses two types of alcohol; Kirsch and white wine. Kirsch or Kirschwasser translates to cherry water in German, and it's type of cherry brandy that isn't sweet like you'd expect a liqueur to be. It really adds an unexpected flavor, one that is synonymous with Swiss fondues.
Some people like to lightly dip their sourdough bread cubes into the Kirsch before dipping it into the Swiss Cheese Fondue. If you love the flavor of Kirsch, then you definitely need to try it this way.
Types of Cheese for Fondue
As this is a Swiss Cheese Fondue recipe, of course you need to use Swiss Cheese or Alpine cheeses. Switzerland has 100's of varieties of cheeses, but here are some easy cheese varieties you can use. It's ok to mix match your favorites.
- Emmental
- Gruyere
- Fontina
- Gouda
- Cheddar
- Camembert or Brie
How to Make Swiss Cheese Fondue
- Rub the inside of the fondue pot with a sliced piece of garlic for flavor
- Pour white wine into the pot, mix in corn starch and heat until smooth
- Mix in the grated cheese, a handful at a time, while stirring
- Adjust thickness by adding more wine or cheese
- Season with nutmeg and black pepper, mix in Kirsch
- Serve with your favorite dippers
What to Dip in Cheese Fondue?
Truth be told, you can almost dip anything into your cheese fondue. Everything tastes better dipped in melted cheese! Try these tasty dippers;
- cubes of sourdough bread - (try dipping it in Kirsch before you dip into the fondue)
- mushrooms
- green grapes
- boiled potatoes
- lightly steamed broccoli - needs to be a bit crunchy or it will fall apart
- apples and pears
- dill pickles, or anything pickled like Pickled Garlic
- salami, chorizo, sausages
Wooden Spoon Test
How do you know when your cheese fondue is ready to serve? To get the consistency of the Swiss Cheese Fondue right, you need to use the wooden spoon method. When melting the cheese, mix with a wooden spoon with a hole in the middle of it. When you lift the spoon up, the cheese should run thinly, covering the hole of the spoon. If the cheese is too thin, then hole in the middle of the spoon is exposed. Too thick and the hole is covered and indistinguisheable from the rest of the spoon. Kind of like Goldilocks, the consistency needs to be just right. If it's too thick, then add a bit more white wine to thin out the cheese sauce.
Don't Lose Your Bread!
My last bit of advice when enjoying this Swiss Cheese Fondue Recipe, don't lose your bread cube inside the fondue pot. According to Swiss traditions, if you are a woman, you would need to kiss your neighbors at the table. If you are a man, you need to buy the table a round of drinks!
Recipe Tips
- Don't over steam the vegetables. They will fall apart and be mushy, can use raw instead
- If using apples or pears, pre-cutting them too early will cause them to go brown from air exposure
- Use a dry white wine, not sweet
- For a family friendly fondue, substitute the alcohol with chicken broth
- Stir the cheese slowly while adding more, nobody likes lumpy cheese
For More Tasty Appetizers
- How to eat Black Caviar - for your special night
- Grilled Oysters Kilpatrick
- Jalapeno Popper Deviled Eggs
- Sliced Cucumber Appetizers
- Pink Pickled Garlic - great for dipping
This traditional Swiss Cheese Fondue Recipe is a winter favorite in Switzerland and around the world. Grated Emmental, Gruyere cheese with Kirsch liqueur, melted to gooey perfection. Whether it's for a romantic Valentines dinner, date night or just a fun fondue party, this recipe will make your night memorable. Bon Appetit! Приятного аппетита!
Ingredients
- 1 clove garlic
- 1½ cups dry white wine
- 1½ lbs /750g grated Swiss Cheese Gruyere, Emmenthal and Fontina Cheese mix
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 2 tablespoons kirsch liqueur
- pinch nutmeg optional
- black pepper to taste
- crusty loaf cut into large cubes
Instructions
- Cut garlic clove in half. Rub the inside of the fondue pot with the garlic halves. If you like garlic, leave it inside the pot to cook with your cheese (definitely recommended).
- Add the white wine and cornstarch and heat until smooth and hot, but not boiling.
- Slowly add the Swiss cheeses while continually stirring until melted and smooth. If cheese mixture is too thick, add an extra ¼ cup of white wine or until you are happy with the consistency. Season with nutmeg and black pepper. Add the Kirsch.
- Remove the fondue pot from the stove, and place over a fondue burner and serve immediately with the crusty bread.
©PetersFoodAdventures.com
Chacha
For me a perfect Swiss fondue needs to have half gruyere, half vacherin. But yours looks quite tasty too 😉
PetersFoodAdventures
Thanks for checking it out! I've never had it with Vacherin, I'm sure it's delicious. Many Swiss cheeses are hard to find outside of Europe, certainly not available here in Australia. I will keep my eye out for it! 🙂
Aria
What a nice looking recipe! Completely new set of flavors for me,this looking so yum,Thank you!!!
Susan
I love cheese fondue. Haven't made it for ages. As you say it is expensive to make, but oh boy yum.
PetersFoodAdventures
Thanks Susan, I love eating fondue during the colder months! 🙂 Totally worth the money!