Vegan fondue isn't only possible, it's pretty darn easy to make and incredibly delicious to boot! Smooth, creamy, and so luxurious...you'll want to dip everything in this stuff.
I've been wanting to create a vegan fondue recipe for a while now. I was a little intimidated because based on what I hear, fondue is tricky! I did a little research that seems to confirm this. The cheese separates, things get chunky, all that bad stuff.
Well, good news! It turns out that vegan fondue is one of those super cool recipes that's actually easier to make than it's traditional non-vegan counterpart. Hooray!
It seems most popular variety of classic fondue is made from Swiss cheese. So that's what I went for here. You can experiment with the seasonings and flavors a bit to try for a different type of cheese, and I'll provide some tips on that below. But to start, give the Swiss cheese flavored vegan fondue a try. It's simple, delicious, and a classic.
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Ingredients You'll Need
- Raw cashews. Raw cashews are my favorite base for vegan cheese recipes like my vegan cream cheese and vegan mozzarella. It's super important to make sure you're using raw cashews (not roasted) in order to get the flavor and texture right.
- Potato. We're using a russet potato because it's a really starchy variety, so it's perfect for thickening up our fondue. For that reason I don't recommend substituting other types of potatoes.
- Garlic.
- Miso paste. The recipe calls for white miso paste, but other varieties like red or yellow will work, with some changes in flavor and color. Look for miso in the international section of your supermarket.
- Dijon mustard.
- Lemon juice. Make sure to use freshly squeezed juice for the best flavor.
- Tapioca starch. This is the secret ingredient that will give your fondue that stretchy, gooey quality you want in a fondue. I don't recommend skipping or substituting this ingredient. You can buy it in many health food stores, or on Amazon.
- White pepper.
- Non-dairy milk. Use a variety that's unsweetened and unflavored. Just about any type will do, with the only exception being canned coconut milk. Soy milk, cashew milk, oat milk, and almond milk are all good options. See my guide to dairy-free milks if you need help finding the right type.
- Dry white wine. Be careful, as not all wine is vegan. Check with Barnivore to ensure that the brand you buy is.
How It's Made
Below is a detailed photo tutorial on how to make this dish. Scroll all the way down if you'd like to skip right to the recipe!
- Start by boiling your cashews and peeled, diced potato together. This will cook the potato and soften up the cashews enough for blending.
- Drain your cashews and potato, then transfer them to a food processor, along with the garlic, miso, mustard, lemon juice, tapioca starch, white pepper and a portion of the non-dairy milk.
- Blend everything up until it's nice and smooth. The trick is to add just a small amount of non-dairy milk at the beginning, and thin it out with more milk then when you've got it to a nice smooth paste. Once you've done this you can add the remaining milk and blend again.
- Place the wine into a medium pot and being heating it up. Let it simmer for about four minutes, which should be just enough time for most of the alcohol to cook off.
- Add your cashew potato cheese mixture. Stir until smooth and let it simmer for a few more minutes, until rich and creamy. This is where the tapioca starch will work it's magic and thicken the mixture up.
- Transfer your vegan fondue to a fondue pot.
- Serve your fondue with bread cubes, vegetables, fruit...the sky is the limit! Get creative. Give each of your guests a fondue fork so they can dip away!
Tip: If your vegan fondue gets too thick as it cooks or sits in the fondue pot, just thin it with a bit of wine or non-dairy milk.
Variations
Want to experiment with different vegan fondue flavors? Go for it! Here are a few to try:
- For vegan cheddar fondue, try adding some hot sauce (for real, it makes things taste cheddary).
- For a smoked cheese flavor, add a dash of liquid smoke or smoked paprika.
- Try using beer instead of wine for a vegan beer fondue.
Leftovers & Storage
Vegan fondue will keep in an airtight container in the refrigerator for about 3 days. It will thicken up during storage. Reheat it in a saucepan on the stove, whisking vigorously, and adding some wine or non-dairy milk if it needs thinning.
I don't recommend freezing this dish.
More Cheesy Vegan Dips
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📖 Recipe
Vegan Swiss Cheese Fondue
Ingredients
- 1 cup raw cashews
- ½ cup diced russet potato
- 1 garlic clove
- 2 tablespoons white miso paste
- 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 2 teaspoons tapioca starch
- ½ teaspoon white pepper
- 1 cup unflavored and unsweetened non-dairy milk, divided
- 1 cup dry white wine
- Salt to taste
For Serving
- Bread cubes
- Apple or pear slices
- Lightly steamed veggies
- Grapes
Instructions
- Place the cashews and potato into a small saucepan and cover with water. Set over high heat and bring the water to a boil.
- Lower the heat and allow the water to simmer for 20 minutes.
- Remove the pot from heat and drain the water.
- Transfer the cashews and potato to the bowl of a food processor fitted with an s-blade. Add the garlic, miso, mustard, lemon juice, tapioca starch, white pepper, and ¼ cup of the non-dairy milk.
- Blend to form a smooth paste, stopping to scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed.
- Add another ¼ cup of milk and blend again, until smooth.
- Add the remaining ½ cup of milk and blend again, until smooth.
- Pour the wine into a medium pot and set over high heat. Bring the wine to a boil.
- Lower the heat and allow the wine to simmer for 4 minutes, until reduced by about half.
- Stir in the cashew mixture and bring everything back up to a simmer.
- Allow the mixture to simmer for about 4 minutes, until it thickens up just a bit and becomes a bit more elastic.
- Taste test and season with salt to taste, if needed.
- Transfer the mixture to a fondue pot and serve with dippers of your choice.
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Any nonalcoholic alternatives for the wine?
You could try using water and extra lemon juice. Just keep in mind that you'll need to let it simmer longer in order to reduce. Add the lemon juice at the end so you can taste test and adjust as needed. Good luck and enjoy!
this was soooo good! it was easy and tasted so delicious. will definitely make it again, thank you!!
This recipe is absolutely amazing. So quick and easy to make we were incredulous at how good it tasted. THANK YOU.
Hi, could I sub corn starch or potato starch for tapioca? Thanks for the recipe!
I'm really not sure! I think it would work, but I can't say without trying it myself.
Just finished making this. I doubled the recipe and only had unsweetened vanilla almond milk so used that. Instead of the food processor, I used the Vitamixer. It was easy and delicious! Can't wait to use it on my Tempeh Reuben's!
Hi Alissa this sounds great! We’re going to see family tomorrow and I’m going to bring this for myself. I plan on preparing before we leave. Will it reheat fine after a couple hours of being at room temperature? Thanks!
Hi Kelly! Sorry for just getting back to you now! It will thicken up a bit during storage, but I think you could fix that by adding a bit of non dairy milk and whisking it really well while reheating.
Will cooking sherry or cooking wine be okay substitute for white wine?
I think so! Just be careful when adding salt - cooking wines usually have some added, so it could be easy to oversalt it.
Do you think you can replace the Cashews with Tofu. I don't eat nuts or seeds. What do you think?
It could work! I'm afraid I haven't tried it so I can't be certain, but it sounds like a reasonable substitution to me.
Hi, great recipe, I was just wondering... does this freeze ok?
Some of my different recipe attempts have gone a bit funky after thawing them back out!
Thanks for the
Thanks Max! I'm glad you like it. :) I'm afraid I'm not sure! I usually have luck freezing cashew-based cheeses, but potatoes can sometimes change in texture after freezing.
Made a double batch of this tonight. It is so darn good. We're using it as the "cheese" component on vegan beet root reubens tomorrow for St. Paddy's day! https://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/food-network-kitchen/beet-reuben-4587830.
Will definitely use this as a fondue in the future, too.
What a great idea! I'm glad you like it!!
Wow, what a great idea! Will definitely try!
Do you happen to know from where you got the cachellon (pot) that is pictured here?
It was actually a gift from my mom. She got it about 15 years ago, so I'm sure she doesn't remember. Sorry! I've seen them at department stores and places like Homegoods. I hope you enjoy the fondue!