Lately my friends and I have been proving our love for fondue and trying out many, many different fondue recipes. It’s been a little insane, but completely delicious (Seriously, everything has been soooo good, let’s all make fondue parties a thing again.). So I decided to make an epic fondue post dedicated to the many things we’ve tried. It’s a long post, but most of the text is just the recipes (I copied them here for your convenience) I kept most of my commentary on our fondue experiences in the picture captions.

We owe a lot of thanks to Emily’s sister Sarah for scouring the Internet and finding most (if not all) of these yummy recipes for us!

Many of these recipes suggest certain dippers, we usually just improvised this part. French bread always works, but we also liked trying different types of bread (usually just the little artisan breads they have at Smith’s). Sometimes we would do chicken, prosciutto, or fruit. For dessert fondue we tried fruit, pound cake, and cake balls.

We did have one fail that I did not include in the recipe collection: Havarti Raspberry Fondue. Sounds heavenly right? Well we never really got to find out because we accidentally bought herbed Havarti and herbs + raspberry was not a good combination. When we redo this one properly and can actually taste it as it was intended I’ll have to put together a post.

The Cheese Fondues

Parmesan Fondue by  Gwynne Fleener (You can see the original recipe on Allrecipes.com here)

So Emily and I made this one a while back and it took me a while to sort through the recipes and decide this was the one. I’m 99% sure I’m correct about this, the only way to be 100% sure is to make it again, so I guess we’ll just *have* to make it again, haha. I don’t have a picture of this, but we really liked it. It’s tasty, but also super easy to make (which is always a plus).

1 1/2 cups milk
2 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese,cubed
1 1/2 cups grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 teaspoon garlic salt
1 (1 pound) loaf French bread, cubed

In a large saucepan, cook and stir the milk and cream cheese over low heat until cheese is melted. Stir in Parmesan cheese and garlic salt; cook and stir until heated through. Transfer to a fondue pot or mini slow cooker; keep warm. Serve with bread cubes.

Neuchâtel Two Cheese Fondue by Rhonda Lauret Parkinson

We didn’t have kirsch, nor is it an ingredient any of us were used to substituting, so we had to experiment with this one . In the end, after Internet research,we decided to use some sort of cherry juice (it was only two tablespoons so we figured we couldn’t go too wrong). Everything ended up tasting good, although the fondue was a little pink.

½ pound Emmenthal cheese
2 tablespoons kirsch
½ pound Gruyère cheese
¼ teaspoon nutmeg
1 garlic clove
A pinch of black pepper
1 cup dry white wine
1 large parsley sprig, minced
2 teaspoons lemon juice
1½ tablespoons cornstarch

Finely dice the cheeses and set aside. Smash the garlic and cut in half.
Rub the garlic around the inside of a medium saucepan. Discard. Add the wine to the pan and cook on low heat. Don’t allow the wine to boil. When the wine is warm, stir in the lemon juice. Add the cheese, a handful at a time. Stir the cheese continually in a sideways figure eight pattern. Wait until the cheese is completely melted before adding more. Don’t allow the fondue mixture to boil. When the cheese is melted, dissolve the cornstarch in the kirsch and stir into the cheese. Turn up the heat until it is just bubbling and starting to thicken. Stir in the nutmeg, black pepper, and parsley. Transfer to a fondue pot and set on the burner. Serve with the bread cubes for dipping.

“Crab Rangoon” Fondue by Rhonda Lauret Parkinson

The last little bits of our crab fondue. This one was surprisingly easy to make. Also whenever you make this you are required to say crab like they do in this clip.

2 pounds broccoli and cauliflower
8 ounces cream cheese
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon butter or margarine
½ teaspoon soy sauce
¼ cup onion, chopped
¼ cup milk
1 green onion
2 teaspoons lemon juice
6 ounces canned crabmeat, drained
Crackers
Wash the broccoli and cauliflower and pat dry. Remove the stems and cut the flowerets into 1-inch pieces that can be speared with a dipping fork. Set aside.
Melt the butter or margarine in a frying pan. Sauté the onion until it is tender. Mince the green onion. Combine the crabmeat, cream cheese, Worcestershire sauce, soy sauce, sautéed onion, and minced green onion. Mix thoroughly.

Rub the inside of a saucepan with a piece of onion. Warm the milk in the saucepan on medium-low heat. Add the lemon juice. Gradually add the crabmeat mixture, stirring. Transfer to a fondue pot and set on the burner. Serve with the broccoli and cauliflower for dipping. Eat with the crackers.

Italian Cheese Fondue Recipe By Peggy Trowbridge Filippone (See original link here)

One of the cheese fondues we made. We were worried this pot wouldn’t be as good since it wasn’t electric, but it was plenty hot enough! However the heat was uneven, so we did have to stir more to make sure the cheese didn’t burn in the middle.

Three different Italian cheeses contribute richness to this easy fondue served with salami and breadsticks.

1 garlic clove, halved
1-1/4 cups milk
8 ounces grated mozzarella cheese
8 ounces grated fontina cheese
2 ounces grated Parmesan cheese
1 Tablespoon cornstarch
3 Tablespoons dry white wine

Rub inside of a heavy saucepan with cut side of garlic. Discard garlic.

Pour milk into the saucepan and bring to a simmer. Stir in mozzarella, fontina, and Parmesan cheeses until melted and smooth.

Whisk together cornstarch and white wine until smooth. While constantly stirring, slowly pour wine mixture into cheese mixture and continue to cook until thickened. Transfer to a fondue pot to keep warm.

Italian Cheese Fiesta by Rhonda Lauret Parkinson

I know what your thinking. Didn’t we just look at an Italian cheese fondue recipe? You did. But this one’s different, I promise. This was one of our favorites of all the fondues, not just the two Italian cheese fondues. The taste and the consistency turned out really well! It was pretty addictive.

12 ounces provolone cheese
7 ounces Asiago cheese
7 ounces Gorgonzola cheese
1 garlic clove
1 tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons flour
1 cup dry white wine
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon lemon juice
½ teaspoon dried oregano
⅛ teaspoon garlic powder
Italian breadsticks, for dipping

Finely dice the provolone and Gorgonzola cheeses. Mix the flour with the oregano and garlic powder. Toss the two cheeses with the flour and spices. Crumble the Asiago cheese into the mixture.

Smash the garlic, peel, and cut in half. Rub the garlic around the inside of a medium saucepan. Discard. Add the wine to the saucepan and warm on medium-low heat. Don’t allow the wine to boil.
When the wine is warm, stir in the lemon juice. Add the cheese, a handful at a time. Stir the cheese continually in a sideways figure eight pattern. Wait until the cheese is completely melted before adding more. Don’t allow the fondue mixture to boil.

When the cheese is melted, turn up the heat until it is just bubbling and starting to thicken. Transfer to a fondue pot and set on the burner. Serve with the Italian breadsticks for dipping.

Curdled Cheese Cure

Adding starch helps keep the cheese from curdling when cooked. Cornstarch and potato starch are normally added in the final stage of cooking, just before the fondue is transferred to a fondue pot. Flour is another option, but it can impart a powdery taste if not cooked long enough. For best results, combine the flour with the cheese or cook it in butter in the saucepan before adding the wine.

Feta and Ricotta Cheese Fondue Recipe (See original link here)

This fondue was good, but felt more like a dip than a fondue texture-wise. But it was fun to try something a little different.

This quick and easy feta1 and ricotta cheese fondue has a Greek flair. You may substitute fontina cheese for the feta and/or cottage cheese for the ricotta.

Ingredients:

3 Tablespoons butter or margarine
4 ounces feta cheese, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
1 lemon, juice only
1 Tablespoon parsley, minced (optional)
1 cup ricotta cheese

Melt the butter in a heavy 8-inch skillet or a 1 quart saucepan over low-heat. Add the feta and ricotta cheese, and pepper. Cook, stirring constantly, and mashing the cheeses slightly, until they soften and begin to bubble – about 5 minutes.

Stir in lemon juice, and garnish with the parsley if desired. Serve at once; as the fondue cools, it loses flavor.

The Dessert Fondues

Citrus Fondue (from AllRecipes.com, click here to see the recipe on the site):

We used these little pots for the dessert fondues (We made the cupcake fondue and the citrus one on the same night). Aren’t they cute? The one on the right is the citrus fondue. It tasted equally good as a cold fondue the next day.

1 cup sugar
10 teaspoons all-purpose flour
1 cup water
1/4 cup butter or margarine, cubed
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 tablespoon orange juice
1/4 teaspoon grated lemon peel
1/4 teaspoon grated orange peel
1/8 teaspoon ground ginger
Fresh fruit
DIRECTIONS:
1. In a heavy saucepan, combine the sugar and flour. Stir in water until smooth. Bring to a boil over medium heat; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened. Remove from the heat. Stir in the butter, lemon and orange juice and peel and ginger; cook until the butter is melted. Transfer to a fondue pot and keep warm. Serve with fruit.

Cupcake Fondue

Isn’t this adorable? It was really fun to make these little things. Emily has a cake ball machine and after that all you really need is sprinkles.

All the dessert dippers! The strawberries were especially amazing with the citrus fondue.

3 cups powdered sugar
1/3 cup liquid (orange juice, fruit juice, milk, or water)
2 tablespoons light corn syrup
Miniature-size cupcakes in the flavor of your choice, cooled and unfrosted
Assorted sprinkles, chopped nuts, and other toppings

1. Make a batch of your favorite mini cupcakes – homemade or from a mix. Make them nice and small so you don’t feel guilty about enjoying 2 or 3 of them. If you use paper liners for baking, remove them after the cupcakes have cooled. Pound cake or any other firm cake works well for skewering, but any cake will do. I used a simple yellow box-mix cake. Allow to cool completely before dipping.

2. Make the fondue: Whisk together powdered sugar, orange juice, and corn syrup. Adjust the consistency with a drop of liquid or a dash more powdered sugar until you get have a smooth, thick glaze. I used orange juice for the liquid portion to give it a citrus flavor and cheese-like yellow fondue color. You could also use grape juice for a pastel purple, or milk/water and add your own coloring.

3. Pour frosting into the fondue pot. There’s really no need to heat the mixture, but you can keep a small tea light or very low flame underneath just for looks! Display sprinkles and toppings in small ramekins or portion cups and arrange around the fondue pot. Skewer cupcakes in the side and dip the top half into the fondue, then flip the cupcake over and the frosting will drip nicely down the sides. Sprinkle liberally with your favorite toppings.

There you have it! If you like cheese, I highly recommend you trying some of these out. They’re a lot of fun, something that’s easy to share, and usually not too complicated to make.

Currently: Deciding what fondue to make next, of course!