7 Unique Cheeses To Choose For Your Pot Of Fondue

Fondue has been melting our hearts since the 1950s when it first hit the food scene in the U.S. Its name comes from the French word "fondre," which means "to melt" and that's exactly what it involves — dipping bits of food, think chopped veggies and bread, into a pot of velvety, hot cheese. What started in Switzerland as a way of making the most of stale bread and leftover cheese fast became an international trend. The first, and debatably the most important, step in making fondue is selecting the cheese.

Classic cheese fondue is made with a blend of Swiss cheeses, typically emmental and gruyere. Add a little wine or beer, spices, and a bit of cornstarch to keep the cheese and wine emulsified, and you can have a pot of bubbling cheese ready for dipping in minutes. If you're tired of the same old dish and want to try something new, the easiest way to upgrade fondue night is to choose a cheese that's outside the norm. 

We're sharing some off-the-beaten-path options for your next pot of fondue with input from Jill Erber, owner of Cheesetique, an old-school cheese shop and cheese-focused restaurant in Alexandria, Virginia; food educator and certified cheese professional Kyra James, owner of Own Your Funk; and Suzanne Fanning, chief marketing officer of Wisconsin Cheese. If you want to level up your next batch of fondue, think outside your cheese drawer and add one of these unique cheeses to the mix.

No matter the flavor they bring to your pot, the best cheeses for fondue have one thing in common: They melt well. You can make an educated guess about a particular cheese based on how it's used in other recipes. "If they are traditionally designed to melt, like on a burger or mac and cheese, then they will likely melt into a smooth, creamy fondue," says Kyra James. 

But, some cheeses melt much better than others due to their age and moisture. An ideal cheese should have high moisture content to melt into a smooth, creamy fondue, says Suzanne Fanning. She also recommends skipping aged cheeses for fondue. "Younger cheeses, typically aged three to six months or less, melt more easily because their protein structure remains flexible, preventing them from becoming grainy or clumpy," she explains. 

Ratio may not be a term that comes to mind when you think of fondue, but getting the ratio of cheeses right is crucial for perfect cheese fondue. Moitié-moitié, which translates to "half and half," is a traditional Swiss cheese fondue made with a 50-50 mix of gruyere and Vacherin Fribourgeois. You don't have to stick to this ratio, however. Jill Erber recommends using a mix of "75% equal gruyere/emmental blend, plus 25% of your flair cheese."

Fondue made with traditional cheeses is known for its subtle, slightly nutty taste. These are not the traits most would use to describe gorgonzola cheese, but it's a must-try if you're looking to add a big burst of flavor to your next fondue pot. If you're torn between selecting any other blue cheese vs. gorgonzola, grab the gorgonzola. While the origin of gorgonzola cheese is somewhat unclear, there's no mistaking its distinct taste. Gorgonzola is a variety of blue cheese known for having a softer consistency and milder flavor than most blue cheeses. It's the creaminess and moderate but unmistakable taste that makes gorgonzola an excellent candidate to add an unexpected bite to cheese fondue.

According to Suzanne Fanning, the cheese "adds a bold, tangy depth and pairs beautifully with cream cheese for a velvety consistency." When you add gorgonzola to your other base cheeses, the mixture will give your fondue its trademark creaminess. Just make sure to stir the cheese in with a rubber or silicon spatula because a metal whisk can give your fondue a blue or gray hue.

When it comes to choosing a unique cheese for your fondue, the location may be a factor you haven't considered. If you're looking for a great melting cheese, you should look for "other cheeses that are made in the mountains," according to cheese expert Kyra James. In fact, many believe cheese made in the mountains of the Alps, specifically in France and Switzerland, is superior to all others. For a truly uncommon fondue, consider Vacherin Mont d'Or, but only if the time is right. 

Mont d'Or is a seasonal cheese, meaning it's only produced from August 15 through March 31. As the season changes and autumn approaches, the cows in this region produce less milk, but it's richer in fat compared to the rest of the year. The flavor of the milk they produce during this time also changes as their diet shifts from grass found in summer pastures to straw in fall and winter. 

Mont d'Or is a creamy Swiss cheese that's so soft it's made and sold in a small spruce box. It's traditionally heated in its box with the rind removed to uncover a silky, gooey, self-contained fondue perfect for dipping bread and vegetables in. The cheese's rich flavor pairs well with crusty bread, boiled potatoes, cornichons, and charcuterie. You can enjoy the cheese as it's traditionally served or scoop it from its rind and stir it into your base cheeses for fondue.

Raclette is another mountain cheese that is a delicious, nontraditional choice for creating a fondue experience. It's a semi-hard cheese, that when heated, becomes soft and smooth, a perfect choice for fondue. The word "raclette" has two distinct meanings. It's both the name of the cheese and also the process often used to prepare and serve it. If you're wondering what the difference is between cheese fondue vs. raclette, the distinction is found in the way the two are served. In French, the name means "to scrape," which is precisely how this cheese is traditionally served. Cheese folklore claims raclette was first created when farmers would make a meal by placing cheese over an open flame. The melted cheese was then scraped over a plate of food for a filling meal.

Today, raclette is made with a small, tabletop grill made specifically to melt the cheese. The best foods to enjoy with raclette are the same foods that work well with fondue — bread and veggies. This, in addition to its exceptional melting qualities, makes it an excellent addition to fondue. You can melt the cheese using a raclette grill or melt it with other cheeses in your fondue pot.

Gouda is a Dutch cheese known for its wax rind that was first mentioned in history nearly 900 years ago. Like many cheeses, gouda can be aged as long as a year or more or as little as four weeks. But aging cheese is a technique used to deepen its flavor. When gouda cheese is aged, it develops a richer, more pronounced earthy flavor, which might seem like the perfect choice for adding to a fondue, but that's not the case. A cheese with a bigger flavor will produce a more flavorful fondue, but you have to take into consideration that it alters the texture as well. 

Aged cheeses are typically firmer and drier, and both of these qualities are the opposite of what you want for fondue. According to Suzanne Fanning, cheese lovers should add a more robust type of cheese, such as gouda, into their mix of fondue cheeses to achieve a fuller flavor, but it's important to choose a young gouda for best results. Young gouda is considered a semi-soft cheese with a smooth, creamy texture that blends and melts perfectly with other cheese for fondue. For the creamiest fondue, choose a young gouda or one that's been aged for no longer than three months. 

Is it even cheese fondue without the velvety, smooth consistency we've come to know, love, and expect? That silky texture is a key part of cheese fondue's allure, and while mixing up the cheeses you add to your fondue can produce delicious results, it's critical that the cheese you choose adds to the texture and doesn't ruin it. For a truly creamy fondue, head to your fridge and grab the mascarpone cheese. Mascarpone is an Italian cheese made from cow's milk, most known for its use in both desserts like classic tiramisu, and savory recipes like lobster and mascarpone ravioli. It also shows up in less typical recipes like strawberry mascarpone pancakes and even in cold foam.

Adding mascarpone to fondue is a game-changer when it comes to creating the perfect consistency. Mascarpone "provides an ultra-smooth, rich texture that works well in both sweet and savory applications," says Suzanne Fanning. While most cheeses are made with milk, mascarpone is made with only two ingredients: cream and citric acid. The cream contributes to mascarpone's creaminess because of its high milk fat content, which is between 60% to 75% milk fat, making it a delicious addition to fondue.

Fontina originates from the valleys of northwest Italy and dates back as far as the 12th century. The cheese lends its creamy texture and mild, earthy flavor to everything from mixed mushroom lasagna to Fonduta alla Valdostana, an Italian soup. It's no surprise that fontina makes an excellent addition to fondue. It's washed rind cheese aged for three months or more and considered by many to be the Italian version of fondue staple gruyere cheese. Like gruyere, fontina is also an Alpine cheese that melts beautifully, perfect for creating a smooth, silky fondue.

As a semi-soft cheese, fontina is often recommended as a substitute for gruyere because it's close in texture and shares gruyere's melting capabilities. When you're shopping for cheese, make sure you're buying authentic fontina. There are numerous less expensive variations of the cheese available, but for best results, choose one made in the Valle D'Aosta area of Northern Italy. Like Parmigiano Reggiano, authentic fontina will bear a label marking its protected designation. This designation ensures the cheese is made with milk from cows in that region, in accordance with traditional cheese-making methods.

Fondue may originate in Switzerland, but one tasty option you should add to your next batch comes from Germany. The word "butterkäse" translates to "butter cheese" in English, and that's exactly what you'll be reminded of when you taste it. It's a wonderful melting cheese, which is why it's an excellent candidate for adding to fondue. Its ability to melt into a rich, velvety texture is one of the reasons it's also considered one of the best cheeses for your grilled cheese sandwich.

Despite its name and buttery texture, butterkäse contains no butter. It's a semi-soft cheese made with cow's milk.  Butterkäse ripens in only one month, giving it a flavor that's a delicious balance of mild yet sophisticated. It's both savory and pleasantly buttery at the same time. You may also see it called "damenkäse," which means "ladies cheese" in English. What makes it great for fondue? With butterkäse, it's all about the fat. Its fat content hovers right around 50%, which is almost the same amount that triple cream cheeses contain.