Vegan Cheese Fondue The Best Recipe

When I first created my easy 3-minute Vegan Cheese Sauce recipe back in 2015, it absolutely changed my life. No, seriously… It says so right there in the blog post! Since then, I’ve tried my hand at several vegan cheese recipes and a delicious hidden veggie-filled Mac n’ Cheese with great success. Now I want to share this recipe for vegan fondue with you! This dairy-free fondue recipe lies somewhere between my cheese sauce and Mac n’ Cheese sauce; it has the wonderfully gooey, cheesy texture of the former and the flavor-packing addition of hidden veg in the latter. Combine that with a cheese fondue recipe classic like white wine, and you have yourself a positively addictive appetizer that you’ll be wanting to dip everything into.

Creamy, Gooey, Luxurious Vegan Swiss Cheese Sauce!

I made this recipe 4 years ago for the first time and since then we enjoy this vegan cheese fondue at home every year on special holidays like Christmas (and also often on New Year’s Eve)! With the addition of some extra veggies like potatoes and chickpeas (yes, you read that right!), you’ll even be packing in additional nutrients! And don’t worry, they won’t completely take over the flavor either – but they do an excellent job at adding starch, creating texture, and providing just enough flavor to impress! I think it’s also important to note that I’m no stranger to a delicious Swiss Cheese sauce either – back before I went vegan, this type of fondue dish was one I loved to have on special occasions, and when I did – I could eat until I put myself into a food coma. This vegan Swiss cheese fondue may not taste exactly the same as its dairy counterpart, but it’s certainly got me hooked and will impress all your family and friends (included dairy eaters!). Within this post, I’ll take you through the ingredients – including variations and optional add-ins, what to dip in cheese fondue, and a few helpful recipe notes. Let’s dive right in!

The Ingredients

Potatoes: Needed for the starch and thickening/textural properties. Chickpeas or White Beans: I love using canned legumes hidden into recipes for how they can transform textures without affecting flavor too much. Plant-based milk: I always use canned coconut milk (the lite version- it isn’t very ‘coconutty’ but still super creamy). You can use any plant-based milk of your choice though, higher-fat versions will yield creamier results; otherwise, you can include extra tahini/cashew butter. Dry white wine: Make sure to check that the wine is vegan. Alternatively, for an alcohol-free vegan fondue, then use vegetable broth. Cashew Butter: or tahini for a nut-free version. This helps to add additional creamy richness. Alternatively, use 50 grams (1/3 cup) raw cashews instead of the butter and cook them with the potato/chickpeas. Garlic: If you don’t have fresh, you could also use garlic powder. Seasonings: Onion Powder & salt Nutritional yeast flakes: This is what adds the cheesy flavor and definitely shouldn’t be omitted Tapioca starch: The special ingredient!! Tapioca starch mimics the stretchy, gooey consistency of dairy cheese and is a must-have for this vegan fondue. Use arrowroot flour instead if you can’t find tapioca starch. Olive oil: or another oil

Optional Extras

All of the below are entirely optional but can add extra tang or umami flavor to the vegan Swiss cheese fondue.

Miso Paste – white or brown. Note that brown miso will affect the color, and not all miso pastes are vegan, so read the label carefully. Mustard – Dijon mustard and wholegrain both work very well. Alternatively, you can add a tiny bit of pickling juice for extra tang! Soy Sauce – Great for additional flavor and umami

Check out the recipe notes section for more optional add-in suggestions.

How To Make Vegan Fondue

Step One: Cook the veggies

First, chop the potato into 1-inch pieces and transfer to a medium pot with the chickpeas or beans and cover with water. Add a little salt and bring the water to a boil, then simmer over low-medium heat, covered, for around 15 minutes, or until the potato is fork-tender. Meanwhile, prepare any steamed/cooked cheese fondue dippers that you want to serve it with; steam broccoli, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts (or veggies of choice). Also, chop the bread and prepare any raw accompaniments.

Step Two: Blend the vegan cheese fondue sauce

Add the cooked potatoes and chickpeas/beans to a blender. Meanwhile, heat the oil in a pan/pot and sauté the minced garlic for 1 minute, then add it to the blender. Also, add all of the remaining ingredients to the blender and blend into a smooth sauce.

Step Three: Heat and serve

Pour the blended sauce back into the pot and let it simmer for just a couple of minutes until it’s stretchy and elastic. Transfer to a fondue pot and enjoy immediately with your dippers of choice! (read below!).

For the full ingredients list, ingredient measurements, and nutritional information, read the recipe card below.

How To Serve

Serve it warm in a fondue pot and surrounded by all your favorite cheese fondue dippers. Traditionally, you’d dip your bread first, then the veggies and ‘others’ – but since you’re at home, I say you do you!

What To Dip In Cheese Fondue

Bread cubes: any leftover bread will do, baguettes, loaves, pita – get a whole selection going for any carb-lovers out there. Fresh veggies: Your favorite fresh veggies will all work with this vegan fondue – mange tout/sugar snaps, mushrooms, small tomatoes, carrots, celery, steamed broccoli, cauliflower, asparagus, etc. Pickled veggies: for extra flavor, go the route of pickled veggies like pickled onions or gherkins. You could also spoon a little sauerkraut into the cheese sauce! Fruits: Fresh apple, grapes, and pears will happily ‘pear’ up with this vegan Swiss cheese fondue (see what I did there? 😉 ) Potatoes: Okay, I know these are technically a veggie, AND the dairy-free fondue has potato in – but that’s no reason to deny yourself the joy of dipping in some delicious boiled, roasted, or pan-roasted potatoes! Meat alternatives: for those who enjoy meat-alternatives, then vegan sausages make for a great fondue dipper.

You can also serve this vegan fondue alongside several other appetizers like:

Easy Vegan Spinach Artichoke Dip Baked Vegan Onion Rings (Gluten-Free) Vegan French Onion Dip Best Oil-Free Hummus

How To Store The Vegan Cheese Sauce?

The sauce can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days. It is also freezer-friendly and can be frozen for up to 2 months. To reheat, allow the vegan cheese fondue to thaw first in the fridge, then heat on the stovetop. You may need to add an extra splash of plant-based milk to bring it back to the super creamy texture. It can be reserved as a fondue or used as a cheese sauce for many dishes (pasta and nachos included!). It’s important to note that tapioca starch may not retain its’ texture when thawed and reheated, unlike arrowroot flour. Adding more while reheating, though, should work fine if necessary!

Recipe Notes & Variations

For more of a smoked flavor, then you could add a little liquid smoke or smoked paprika. To add a little spice, you could garnish with some red pepper flakes. To make dipping easier, use special fondue forks. Otherwise, you can use skewers, chopsticks (if you have the skills), or even regular forks. Read the ingredients section above for more notes on ingredient alternatives and optional add-ins to your dairy-free fondue!

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If you try this vegan fondue recipe, I’d love a comment and recipe ★★★★★ rating below. Also, don’t forget to tag me in re-creations on Instagram or Facebook with @elavegan/ #elavegan – I love seeing your recreations!