For more cheesy dips, also try our jalapeño hot cheese dip and skinny chili cheese dip! This version with gruyère cheese, caramelized shallots, apple brandy, warm spices, and black pepper is by far the best we’ve tasted. It’s smooth, creamy, and flavorful. Everyone we’ve made it for agrees that it’s the best! Fondue is such a fun and festive food for special occasions spent with friends and family. From Christmas to New Year’s Eve, or even dinner parties through the cold winter months, it’s an incredibly delicious, and surprisingly fuss-free recipe that will surely become a tradition (if it’s not already). If this is your first time making fondue, be sure to read through our tips for making the best fondue ever! Fondue originated in Switzerland, as a way to use up stale bread and hardened cheeses in the winter months. While it can be made with a variety of cheeses, traditional Swiss fondue cheeses are gruyère and emmental. Classic cheese fondue is typically served from a communal pot that’s warmed from the bottom and served with cubes of bread and other foods. Long slender fondue forks are used for dipping the bread into the melted cheese.
Butter – for caramelizing the shallots. Shallots – shallots are a little like a cross between an onion and garlic. They have a delicate flavor that becomes rich and nuanced when caramelized. Sugar + salt – for a bit of sweetness and saltiness, and they help the shallots caramelize. Gruyère cheese – gruyère cheese is rich and creamy and is a classic fondue cheese. You can also use Swiss cheese or gouda in its place! Flour – we use a bit of all-purpose flour to help thicken up the cheese and make it smooth. For a gluten-free fondue, use cornstarch. White wine – white wine adds a bit of acidity and also helps to maintain a lower boiling point for the cheese mixture, preventing it from curdling. We recommend a dry white wine such as pinot gris or sauvignon blanc. Apple brandy – apple brandy adds bright, juicy notes of apple and caramel with hints of cinnamon and honey. Nutmeg, cloves, + black pepper – the warm spices work wonderfully with the other flavors in this fondue, while the black pepper adds an earthy kick.
Make sure to finely grate your cheese (using the fine holes of your grater). It will take more time, but this simple trick helps the cheese to melt quickly and evenly into the wine. Go slow and add only one handful of cheese at a time. After each addition, make sure it returns to a simmer before adding more. Don’t let the fondue come to a boil! A gentle simmer is what you want. Don’t be tempted to substitute the wine for stock. The acidity in the wine helps to create a wonderfully smooth (and lump-free!) fondue.
Here’s what you can do to make a stress-free fondue party:
Prepare your dippers in advance. Cube the bread, cook the sausages, and steam the veggies. They can be reheated in a microwave or in the oven before serving them. Caramelize the shallots and blend them with the wine. You can do this 3-4 days ahead and store it in your fridge in a jar. Grate the cheese and mix it with the flour. You can also do this step 3-4 days ahead of time.
When you’re nearly ready to serve dinner, warm the wine in a pot and melt the cheese into it. Easy! The wine in cheese fondue plays two important roles. First, the acidity in the wine helps to create a smooth and homogeneous cheese sauce. Second, it adds wonderful flavor. If you need to make your cheese fondue without alcohol, it’s possible, but you may want to lower your expectations a little. For flavor, use chicken or beef stock. Avoid vegetable stock and it’s pretty flavorless. For the acidity, you’ll need to add a small splash of lemon juice. Remember, lemon juice has a very strong flavor so be conservative with how much you add – ⅛ teaspoon is likely enough. Also, use cornstarch instead of flour. Or, for a reduced-alcohol cheese fondue, you can simmer the wine to remove more of the alcohol. If you simmer wine for 25 minutes, about half of the alcohol will be removed. Bump that up to 2 ½ hours to remove 95 percent of the alcohol. If you do this route, simmer more than you need as some will evaporate.
It’s creamy and oh-so-cheesy! Need we say more… It’s easy to make with just a few ingredients We love the communal aspect of sharing a pot of fondue. It adds a social element to gatherings and naturally invites conversation. If you’re hosting, it’s a great dish to prepare ahead of time. Prep all the foods you plan to serve it with, grate the cheese, and you’ll be ready to go! You can even prepare the parts f the fondue the day ahead and store them in the fridge if you’d like, so all you have to do is melt the cheese when the time comes.
Chunks of crusty bread like baguette Crackers and pretzels Roasted potatoes or mini potatoes Roasted cauliflower, broccoli, or brussels sprouts Grilled garlic mushrooms Cherry or grape tomatoes Apple slices or pear slices Green or red grapes Pickles and other pickled vegetables Sausages and mini smoked sausages Ham, salami, and other cured meats Cooked shrimp or scallops Meatballs
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