Easy 3-Cheese Swiss Fondue Recipe
Why settle for a one-cheese fondue when you could have a three-cheese one? This easy three-cheese Swiss fondue recipe highlights not one, not two, but three distinct Swiss cheeses (Gruyère, raclette, and Emmantaler) for the ultimate cheesy experience. If you are a fan of frommage in all its melty, gooey, richness, then you're gonna love this classical fondue presentation. The Swiss were really on to something here, and this traditional preparation is simple yet flavorfully complex. While the three-cheese blend does provide the bulk of the salty, creamy, buttery, nutty flavor in this recipe, that's not all that goes into the fondue. You'll also find sharp notes of garlic and a little bite from both white wine and kirsch (cherry-flavored liqueur), which all add just the right amount of complexity to keep each dip interesting.
Of course, no cheese fondue is complete without the dippers, and I intentionally went all out with the sides and dippers for the best possible dunking experience. The veggies, smoky meats, crisp fruits, and fluffy bread cubes turn this into a substantial appetizer or scrumptious cheesy meal, and one that is relatively easy to put together. Assembling all the dippers (including any slicing, dicing, and possible blanching) is perhaps the most labor-intensive part, but we'll provide plenty of tips and tricks for prepping dippers like a pro.
Gather the ingredients for easy 3-cheese Swiss fondue
Three types of Swiss cheese make up the bulk of the fondue: Gruyère, raclette, and Emmantaler. Make sure all of the cheeses are hand-grated before proceeding with the recipe. Raclette might be the most difficult cheese to source of the three, so if you can't find it, just increase the amount of Gruyère and Emmantaler that you use. Other fondue ingredients include garlic, cornstarch, white wine, lemon juice, black pepper, and kirsch. Kirsch is a type of cherry liqueur, which you can sub for just about any type of brandy or Cognac, or even for an orange liqueur for a unique citrusy addition.
When it comes to selecting dippers for your fondue, that becomes more of a choose-your-own adventure kind of task. I recommend offering a whole slew of various side pairings for an optimal dipping experience: crostini, blanched asparagus, blanched broccoli florets, cooked baby potatoes, blanched carrots, blanched radishes, sliced red and green apples, smoked sausage, diced ham, and cornichons.
Step 1: Rub a fondue pot with garlic
Generously rub the inside of your fondue pot or medium saucepan with the garlic. Discard the garlic after use.
Step 2: Place the grated cheeses in a bowl
Place the grated Gruyère, raclette, and Emmentaler in a large bowl.
Step 3: Sprinkle the cheese with cornstarch
Sprinkle the grated cheese with cornstarch.
Step 4: Toss to coat the cheese
Toss to coat the grated cheese in the cornstarch and set it aside.
Step 5: Simmer the wine and lemon juice
Pour the wine and lemon juice into the prepared pot and bring them to a low simmer over medium-low heat.
Step 6: Add the cheese
Once simmering, reduce the heat to low, and add the cheese mixture.
Step 7: Cook just until the cheese begins to melt
Stir to combine and cook until the cheese has just begun to melt.
Step 8: Stir in the kirsch and black pepper
Add the kirsch and black pepper to the pot and gently stir to combine.
Step 9: Cook the fondue
Cook for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the fondue is melty and smooth.
Step 10: Serve the 3-cheese Swiss fondue
Serve the fondue immediately with an assortment of accompaniments. Keep the fondue warm while serving.
What can I serve with fondue?
Easy 3-Cheese Swiss Fondue
This easy 3-cheese Swiss fondue recipe is ultra rich and savory, and it comes with a plethora of accompaniments for optimal dipping and dunking.
Ingredients
- For the fondue
- 1 garlic clove, peeled and halved
- 8 ounces grated Gruyère
- 8 ounces grated raclette
- 8 ounces grated Emmentaler
- 1 tablespoon and 1 teaspoon cornstarch
- 1 cup white wine
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon kirsch
- ⅛ teaspoon black pepper
- For the fondue accompaniments
- 2 cups crostini cubes, toasted
- 1 bunch asparagus, blanched
- 2 cups broccoli florets, blanched
- 8 ounces baby potatoes, cooked and cooled
- 1 cup sliced carrots, blanched
- 1 cup radishes, blanched
- 1 red apple, sliced
- 1 green apple, sliced
- 1 ½ cups sliced smoked sausage
- 1 ½ cups diced ham
- ½ cup cornichons, drained
Directions
- Generously rub the inside of your fondue pot or medium saucepan with the garlic. Discard the garlic after use.
- Place the grated Gruyère, raclette, and Emmentaler in a large bowl.
- Sprinkle the grated cheese with cornstarch.
- Toss to coat the grated cheese in the cornstarch and set it aside.
- Pour the wine and lemon juice into the prepared pot and bring them to a low simmer over medium-low heat.
- Once simmering, reduce the heat to low, and add the cheese mixture.
- Stir to combine and cook until the cheese has just begun to melt.
- Add the kirsch and black pepper to the pot and gently stir to combine.
- Cook for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the fondue is melty and smooth.
- Serve the fondue immediately with an assortment of accompaniments. Keep the fondue warm while serving.
What are tips for prepping and cooking the fondue accompaniments?
It's a good idea to have all of your dippers properly prepared before you even consider melting any cheese; this way, when it comes time to serve, you can dive right in. Most of the veggies in this recipe, specifically the carrots, asparagus, broccoli, and radishes, benefit from a blanching before you serve them. This process entails briefly boiling the vegetables before dunking them in ice water to halt the cooking process, and it yields tender-crisp veggies that still have enough strength for dipping but aren't so cooked that they're mushy.
The other veggie in question, the potatoes, will require a little more than just blanching. I prefer small baby potatoes for their bite-sized nature and their shortened cook time, and I recommend either roasting or boiling them (in the skin) to help maintain some structure and stability when it comes time for dipping. Finally, the other dippers — like the apples, crostini, cured meats, and cornichons — don't require any special prep work, but it's still a good idea to have them sliced and diced as desired before serving.
How do I keep my fondue warm and clump-free while serving?
If you plan to make fondue relatively often, then it may be a good idea to splurge on a fondue pot, which is a specialized appliance that comes with its own heat source (usually a can of Sterno), meaning you won't have to worry about keeping the fondue warm. If you don't intend on making fondue too often or you don't want to buy a new tool, then you can make the fondue and keep it warm with basic kitchen tools, but it will take a little more clever maneuvering.
An easy way to keep the fondue warm is by transferring it to a slow cooker set to the "warm" setting; be sure to give it an occasional stir to ensure that all the cheese stays evenly warmed. Another option is to simply cook the fondue in a saucepan, as I did in this recipe, and then use a double-boiler and a hot plate to keep it warm.
When it comes to avoiding clumping, my best advice is to make sure you grate the cheeses yourself as opposed to using pre-grated or pre-shredded cheese. Most pre-grated cheeses are coated with a starch to keep them from sticking together in the bag, and this is a huge reason why your fondue might clump or break. Also, make sure you don't skip the wine or acid (lemon juice), because these ingredients also help prevent clumping.