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.
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.
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 ;-)