Vegan Swiss Cheese Fondue

Vegan fondue is only possible, it’s pretty darn easy and incredibly delicious to boot! Smooth, creamy, and so luxurious…you’ll want to dip everything in this stuff.

I’ve been wanting to make a vegan fondue for a while now, but 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 fondue is one of those super cool recipes that’s actually easier to make in vegan form than traditional non-vegan form. Hooray!

From what I can tell, the 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 a try. It’s simple, delicious, and a classic.

Like so many of my favorite cheesy vegan recipes, this one starts with cashews. Also, potato, which helps thicken things up. And a bunch of seasonings that make your potato cashew mixture taste like vegan cheese: garlic, miso, lemon, Dijon mustard and white pepper! Tapioca starch is the secret ingredient that gives the cheese that stretchy, gooey quality you want in a fondue.

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.

And like regular old fondue, this one involves some white wine. Simmer the wine for a few minutes and then add your cashew potato cheese mixture. Stir until smooth and let it simmer for a few more minutes, until rich and creamy.

Transfer everything to a fondue pot and start dipping away.

Tips for Making Perfect Vegan Fondue

• People always ask me what type of blending device I use for this type of thing, so I’ll answer in advance. I used this Cuisinart food processor. But honestly, pretty much any old food processor will do, as long as you follow the recipe instructions.
• Want to experiment with different vegan fondue flavors? Go for it! A few suggestions:
  • For cheddar, 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.
• If your 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.
• Not all wine is vegan. Check with Barnivore to make sure yours is.

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Vegan Swiss Cheese Fondue

Vegan fondue is only possible, it's pretty darn easy and incredibly delicious to boot! Smooth, creamy, and so luxurious...you'll want to dip everything in this stuff.

Course Appetizer

Cuisine American, Swiss

Keyword Appetizer, cheese, dip

Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 35 minutes

Total Time 50 minutes

Servings 8

Calories 148 kcal

Author Alissa Saenz

Ingredients

• 1 cup raw cashews
• 1/2 cup diced russet potato
• 1 garlic clove
• 2 tablespoons white miso paste
• 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 2 teaspoons tapioca starch
• 1/2 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

1. Place the cashews and potato into a small saucepan and cover with water. Set over high heat and bring the water to a boil.

2. Lower the heat and allow the water to simmer for 20 minutes. 

3. Remove the pot from heat and drain the water.

4. 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 1/4 cup of the non-dairy milk.

5. Blend to form a smooth paste, stopping to scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed.

6. Add another 1/4 cup of milk and blend again, until smooth.

7. Add the remaining 1/2 cup of milk and blend again, until smooth.

8. Pour the wine into a medium pot and set over high heat. Bring the wine to a boil.

9. Lower the heat and allow the wine to simmer for 4 minutes, until reduced by about half.

10. Stir in the cashew mixture and bring everything back up to a simmer.

11. Allow the mixture to simmer for about 4 minutes, until it thickens up just a bit and becomes a bit more elastic.

12. Taste test and season with salt to taste, if needed.

13. Transfer the mixture to a fondue pot and serve with dippers of your choice.

Nutrition Facts

Vegan Swiss Cheese Fondue

Amount Per Serving (0.25 cups (about))

Calories 148 Calories from Fat 76

% Daily Value*

Total Fat 8.4g 13%

Saturated Fat 1.6g 8%

Sodium 205mg 9%

Potassium 155mg 4%

Total Carbohydrates 10g 3%

Dietary Fiber 0.8g 3%

Sugars 2g

Protein 3.7g 7%

Calcium 5%

Iron 7%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.