Before I became vegan, I was a real cheese addict. I must admit that I absolutely loved cheese sandwiches, cheesy casseroles, and pizza topped with mozzarella. Oh, and of course there was also Swiss cheese fondue. I haven’t had this very often, but the couple of times I did I really liked it, so I thought why not try vegan cheese fondue?!
I mean it’s actually not about the cheese itself, but rather about the creamy consistency and the hearty taste of this traditional dish, right? And you don’t need real cheese for that. Of course, it’s not 100 percent the same, but I guess that’s not the point with these vegan cheese alternatives. They all have their unique and mostly incredibly delicious taste and that’s exactly what I love about them!
But what is fondue? As Wikipedia explains, it’s a “Swiss, Italian, and French dish of melted cheese served in a communal pot” (often called caquelon) over a “chafing stand (réchaud) heated with a candle or spirit lamp”. There is even a Swish Cheese Union who promoted it as the Swiss national dish back in the 1930s, so it really is a huge thing there!
Most people only dip bread into the cheese sauce, but I also love dipping mushrooms and grapes and of course other veggies are great too.
This vegan and nut-free cheese sauce really couldn’t be easier! It’s ready to eat in about 10 minutes and you can even use left-overs (if you even have any as it’s just sooo good) as a vegan nacho sauce. I usually just add some red pepper flakes and paprika powder to make it a bit spicy.
All you need is some white wine (make sure it’s vegan as not all brands are), nutritional yeast, vegetable broth, unsweetened plant-based milk, miso paste, garlic, mustard, tahini, pepper, salt, a pinch of nutmeg, and some flour. Put all ingredients (except for the flour) in a pot and let it boil for a couple of minutes. Then stir in the flour and wait until it all thickens up. When it’s ready, you can either transfer it to a caquelon or just use a regular bowl instead. However, it’s better to use a real fondue pot, a so-called caquelon, as it keeps the cheese sauce hot.
Our caquelon is not the prettiest in the world, but it definitely does its job with this dairy free fondue. The amount you can see in the pot above is more like a fondue for two. Haha! It seems to be so little in there, but it really is pretty filling with all the bread and the veggies.
I hope you like this creamy and super easy vegan cheese fondue as much as I do. It’s just such a great and fun way to gather friends and family. We already had this for New Year’s Eve a couple of times. The only thing that could even be better is chocolate fondue, but why not just have cheese fondue first and then chocolate fondue as dessert. I mean that sounds like a reasonable plan, right? :-)
Have a great week! xx
Oh, and if you’re into vegan cheese recipes, you might wanna check out these dishes:
Vegan Nachos with Pumpkin Queso Dip
Vegan German Cheese Spaetzle (it’s like a German version of Mac ‘n’ Cheese with smoked tofu and leek)
Vegan Cheese Fondue
Ingredients
For the vegan cheese fondue:
- 3/4 cup white wine
- 3/4 cup nutritional yeast
- 1/2 cup vegetable broth
- 3/4 cup unsweetend almond or soy milk
- 1 tablespoon white miso paste
- 1 clove of garlic, minced
- 1-2 tablespoons mustard
- 1 teaspoon tahini
- 1 pinch pepper
- 1 pinch salt
- 1 pinch nutmeg
- 4 tablespoons flour
For dipping:
- French baguette
- mushrooms
- grapes
Instructions
- Put all ingredients (except for the flour) in a pot and cook for about 5 minutes.
- Then stir in the flour and wait until it all thickens up. If it's too thick add some more plant-based milk. If it's too thin add more flour. When it's ready, you can either transfer it to a caquelon or just use a regular bowl instead. However, it's better to use a real fondue pot, a so-called caquelon, as it keeps the cheese sauce hot.
Loving this recipe – couldn’t stop eating it. Brought me back to my childhood years when my mom made it with Swiss cheese. I made it with tapioca flour. Next time, I will try it with a 1/2 cup of wine instead of the full 3/4.
Already planning to make it next weekend!
DO NOT MAKE THIS RECIPE. If you do, YOU WILL NOT BE ABLE TO STOP EATING IT!!!!
So good my lady! This is an amazing alternative to cheese! I made this last night for New Years, but it was very winey tasting so my toddler didn’t like it. But I LOVED IT! I would say it is too much wine in it, but I used mostly Sake as I didn’t have enough white wine leftover. Sake is a tad bit stronger. I will try this again with straight white wine.
I used my own gluten free flour blend, and it has tapioca flour, which is an essential ingredient in creating the stretch for vegan cheese.
So delicious my girl. I ate the entire thing myself in fact I am typing this as I eat the leftovers from last night. Crazy I know. Had it with gluten free buns cut up and mushrooms. Insanely good. I realize now that a vegan cheese fondue is quite easy to make, ya just need wine, that’s where that iconic cheese fondue taste comes from, the wine! Thank you for compiling this recipe together I will share it!
I just tried this for the first time and it was absolutely great! Comes very close to the real deal I used to eat before going veg. Definitely saving and sharing this recipe!
What kind of white wine did you use? I have some blush at home and it’s wicked outside. Think that would be okay?
TY.
Debbie
Is it stringy and strechy like cheese or should I add tapioca flour?
Hi Fran, I haven’t tried adding tapioca flour yet, but this could definitely work. Great idea! Let me know how it turned out. :-)
This recipe sounds great to me other than one tiny thing- I unfortunately am not a fan of nutritional yeast! Is there anything I could use instead?? I know that’s probably a main ingredient.
I use white chickpea miso instead of nutritional yeast. A wee sweet, but complimentary to most dishes.
OMG!!! So goood!
I had this yesterday for dinner because everyone in my family was having cheese fondue so I thought I cluld make a vegan version for myself. Awesome. I was suprised with how easy it thickened although, after a while it starts becoming a bit too thick. Super yummy though! Definitely recommend it
I would like to try to make this fondue but don’t see the recipe anywhere..
Hi Angela, You can find the recipe above the comment section. There’s a separate recipe box. :-)
Have you tested this out on omni’s? I loved it when I made it last month, but I know my taste buds are different these days and wondering if I can get away with making this for a family buffet.
Wow, I just stumbled across this recipe and it looks and sounds fantastic, Sina! Gonna have to try this one soon! I’m really excited about the flavour, as I have a cheese loving boyfriend here, looking for alternatives ;-)
Could this be made with beer vs wine for more of a beer cheese dip?
Hi Jen, I haven’t tried it yet as I simply love the wine flavor, but I guess this could work as well. :-) Let me know if you give it a try!
Hi Jen. I used this recipe to make 2 different fondues, a classic fondue and a cheddar / beer one. For the cheddar beer one I added Daiya cheddar slices, a splash of dark beer, and a pinch of powdered mustard. It came out great!!!
This recipe is excellent. For years it was a family tradition to have fondue night, but when my daughter went vegan and I started to have problems with dairy, it looked like that tradition was going to end. Thanks to this awesome recipe fondue night is back on and better than ever!!!! Thank you Sina!!!
I have not “fondued” in years — this is so great. I love anything dipped in bread, especially warm vegan cheese!
Me too, Danielle! :-)
Great idea Sina! I never thought of a vegan cheese fondue. Yours looks so delicious, I could nosh on it all day!
Thanks, Gin! :-)
I haven’t had fondue in forever, but I used to LOVE it! Yours looks amazing!! We actually got a fondue set as a wedding present (almost 11 years ago) that is still in it’s box. Oops!! Time to break it out and try your recipe!!
Haha! I guess it’s about time to finally use it, Jenn! :-)
I love making vegan fondue, but I usually use beans as the base. I can’t wait to give yours a go!
Oh, I haven’t tried using beans. Sounds interesting! Do you have a recipe for that, Kathy? :-)