Ready for a fondue night at home? This Instant Pot Melting Pot inspired Cheese Fondue is ready in about 30 minutes and perfect for dipping breads, fruits and cooked meats!
RECIPE IS BELOW IN PRINTABLE RECIPE CARD BUT BLOG POST IS FULL OF “HOW TO MAKE IT”, TIPS, INFORMATION AND FAQ
I fell in love with fondue years and years ago. There is a fondue restaurant in Wilmington, NC called “The Little Dipper” and when Thomas and I lived at Camp Lejeune we would drive over to Wilmington for special occasions to eat there.
You start off with a cheese fondue, the main meal is a broth fondue where you cook the meats for your meal and then the meal is finished up with a chocolate dessert fondue.
We may bring more fondue recipes to the blog, but for today we’re focusing on the appetizer of homemade cheese fondue.
What Cheese Should I use for Cheese Fondue?
I think the best cheeses for fondue are Swiss, Gruyère, and Gouda. I like to play around with other cheeses once in a while but these three cheeses combined are pretty wonderful.
You really want to use a buttery smooth cheese that melts well for fondue, at least at the base cheese for the fondue. You can always add in other cheeses to change up the flavor
Other cheeses to mix together that you may want to try for fondue:
- Aged Cheddar
- Fontina
- Butterkäse
- Parmesan
- Fresh Mozzarella
The Melting Pot Restaurants have cheese fondue combinations like this:
Classic Alpine – Gruyère, Raclette, Fontina, White Wine, Garlic, Nutmeg
Wisconsin Cheddar – Aged Cheddar, Emmenthaler (swiss), Sam Adams Boston Lager®, Garlic and Spices
Spinach Artichoke – Butterkäse, Fontina, Parmesan, Spinach, Artichoke Hearts, Garlic
QUICK GLANCE AT INGREDIENTS for Instant Pot Cheese Fondue:
- 1 1/2 cup shredded Swiss cheese
- 1 1/2 cup shredded Gouda cheese
- 1 1/2 cup shredded Gruyere cheese
- 6 tablespoons cornstarch
- 1 cup white wine*
- 1 cup chicken broth
- 2 tablespoons minced garlic
- 3 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
- 1 1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
*please note that you DO NOT have to use wine. You can just add more chicken broth (1 cup) in place of the wine. The Melting pot does use wine and beer in some of their fondue recipes.
How to make Instant Pot Cheese Fondue:
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In a large bowl, combine cheeses with the corn starch. Set aside.
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Set Instant Pot to sauté and add the wine, broth, garlic, and lemon juice. Bring to a boil.
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Once boiling, add the cheese a handful at a time and stir between handfuls until melted. Don’t dump all of the cheese in at once or you’ll end up with chunky, lumpy cheese fondue.
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Once cheese is melted, stir in the nutmeg and mustard.
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Cheese fondue is now ready to serve.
How to keep Cheese Fondue warm for serving:
I always worry about cheese fondue getting too thick and cold before serving it at dinner! No one wants to make a beautiful cheese fondue sauce only for it to harden into a chunk of cold cheese before guest can dive in.
So Here are some options:
- A Fondue Pot – There are all kinds of fondue pots out there. You can find small simple fondue pots that are heated with a tealight candle, fondue pots that keep everything warm with a fuel canister and super fancy fondue pots that are electric table top sets. These can help keep the cheese fondue hot and melty while you enjoy it.
- Double Boiler Method – Remove the cheese from the Instant Pot and pour it into a glass bowl that will fit on top of the Instant Pot. Pour about 2 cups of water into the Instant Pot cooking bowl. Don’t over fill the instant pot to where the water will touch the bottom of the glass bowl. We just want enough water to create steam to keep the cheese melted in the bow. Set the glass bowl on top of the Instant Pot and set Instant Pot to Sautee. Make sure to keep an eye on this while using it so that you don’t run out of water in the bottom of the pan. Also don’t keep the water at a boil. Once the water is super hot and creating stem you should be able to turn the Instant Pot off. Don’t walk off and just let the Instant Pot boil with the glass bowl on top.
- Serving and Reheat – Of course you can always just pour the cheese fondue into a serving bowl and then just reheat it in the Instant Pot or Microwave if needed.
What items are best for dipping into cheese fondue?
- toasted bread cubes – Crusty Bread, French Bread, Sourdough Bread or Breadsticks
- tortilla chips
- sliced apples
- sliced carrots
- diced roasted potatoes
- grapes
- raw broccoli
- pretzel bites
- grilled shrimp / cooked shrimp
- grilled chicken
- grilled asparagus
- cherry tomatoes
- sliced bell peppers
REMEMBER! If you would normally cook something before eating it, make sure it is cooked before dipping it in cheese. Cheese fondue WILL NOT COOK FOOD.
Frequently Asked Questions
You can but I recommend shredded your own cheese. Prepackaged shredded cheese has extra starch that may not work well with this recipe.
Instant Pot Fondue
Instant Pot Cheese Fondue
Ready for a fondue night at home? This Instant Pot Melting Pot inspired Cheese Fondue is ready in about 30 minutes and perfect for dipping breads, fruits and cooked meats!
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cup shredded Swiss cheese
- 1 1/2 cup shredded Gouda cheese
- 1 1/2 cup shredded Gruyere cheese
- 6 tablespoons cornstarch
- 1 cup white wine*
- 1 cup chicken broth
- 2 tablespoons minced garlic
- 3 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
- 1 1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
Instructions
- In a large bowl, combine cheeses with the corn starch. Set aside.
- Set Instant Pot to sauté and add the wine, broth, garlic, and lemon juice. Bring to a boil.
- Once boiling, add the cheese a handful at a time and stir between handfuls until melted. Don't dump all of the cheese in at once or you'll end up with chunky, lumpy cheese fondue.
- Once cheese is melted, stir in the nutmeg and mustard.
- Cheese fondue is now ready to serve.
Notes
*please note that you DO NOT have to use wine. You can just add more chicken broth (1 cup) in place of the wine. The Melting pot does use wine and beer in some of their fondue recipes.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 4 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 584Total Fat: 36gSaturated Fat: 22gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 12gCholesterol: 131mgSodium: 954mgCarbohydrates: 19gFiber: 0gSugar: 4gProtein: 35g
More Great Dip Recipes:
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Looks really delicious and thanks for the recipe.