Quantities given as a guideline (classic cheese fondue recipe for 4 people). Confirm or adjust as needed before publishing.

Ingredients (serves 4)

• 200 g grated Gruyère
• 200 g grated Emmental
• 200 g grated Swiss cheese or Vacherin Fribourgeois (the Swiss trio is just a starting point: discover other cheeses to try at the end of the recipe)
• 1 clove garlic
• 300 ml dry white wine
• 15 ml (1 tbsp) cornstarch
• 15 ml (1 tbsp) kirsch (optional)
• Nutmeg and ground pepper to taste

1. Rub the inside of the fondue pot with the garlic clove, cut in half.
2. Pour in the white wine and heat over medium heat, without letting it boil.
3. Add the grated cheeses a little at a time, stirring with a wooden spoon in a figure-eight motion.
4. Dissolve the cornstarch in a little water (30 ml) and stir it in to thicken the fondue.
5. Season with nutmeg and pepper.
6. Set the pot over the burner and serve right away with bread cubes and your choice of sides.

While the classic Swiss cheese base remains the traditional choice, there’s plenty of room for creativity with other cheeses. Keep the same proportions — three cheeses at 200 g grated each — and favour two firm cheeses for body plus one semi-firm cheese for creaminess. Here are a few cheeses you could try in a fondue:

Québécois Cheese Fondue

• Louis d’Or and Hercule de Charlevoix: firm, Alpine-style cheeses that replace Gruyère without compromising on texture.
• Le 1608 and Le Canotier de l’Isle: semi-firm cheeses that melt well and add creaminess.
• Tomme de Grosse-Île: a semi-firm cheese with a bolder character, to use to taste.

French Cheese Fondue

• Comté and Beaufort: two pressed, cooked cheeses that melt into long strands and give the mixture body.
• Emmental: mellows out the blend and lightens the flavour of the more aged cheeses.
• Tomme de Savoie: adds a rustic note as a semi-firm cheese.

For a milder fondue, use less of the aged cheeses and more of the semi-firm ones.

For a no-prep cheese fondue, a ready-to-cook Chic! fondue does the job: just cut open the pouch, pour the contents into a suitable cooking vessel (fondue pot, saucepan, microwave-safe dish), then heat, stirring gently.

To jazz it up, sauté mushrooms (chanterelles, porcini, or cèpes) in 10 ml (2 tsp) of butter, prepare the fondue according to the package instructions, then add the mushrooms and stir. See the full recipe.

What Sets These Fondues Apart

• Dairy-free: accessible to people with intolerances, with no change to texture or taste.
• Two formats: the meal pouch for a full dinner, the 125 g box for cooking or for appetizers.
• Flexible cooking: in a fondue pot, saucepan, or microwave, depending on what you have on hand.
• No prep required: just pour and heat, stirring — no need to add wine, cornstarch, or seasoning.
• A recipe base: the same fondue is the starting point for dozens of recipes, from dips to baked mac and cheese.

Variations by Flavour

• Blue Cheese and Sage Fondue: a bold fondue with blue cheese, pears, plums, hazelnuts, and crispy fried sage leaves.
• Cheese Fondue À l’Italienne: a fondue with the sunny flavours of southern Italy, scented with sun-dried tomatoes.
• Cheese Fondue with Curry: a cheese fondue with a touch of curry for a bit of exotic flair.
• Tex-Mex Cheese Fondue: a spicy, shareable version with Tex-Mex flavours.
• Lemony Herb Fondue: a fresh, lemony fondue with herbs, just as good served over pasta.
• Celebration Cheese Fondue: a sweet-and-savoury fondue with dried fruit and nuts, perfect for celebrations.
• Sweet and Salty Fondue (Maple Baked Apples): a wonderfully comforting sweet-and-savoury fondue with maple and apples.
• Cheesy Hot Dips: warm fondue-based dips, ideal for appetizers and sharing.
• Dipper Delight: Nachos and Fondue: a rich, melty dip to go with your nachos.
• Fondue and Mushroom Bread Bowl: a loaf of bread filled with fondue and wild mushrooms, meant for tearing and sharing.
• Cheese-Filled Dessert with Pound Cake and Maple Pecans: an indulgent dessert of pound cake, fondue, and maple pecans.
• Veggie Delight Snackbox: simple ideas for packing cheese fondue into a lunchbox.

Cider Fondue

Cider replaces the white wine for a milder, slightly fruitier fondue that works especially well for sweet-and-savoury dishes and desserts.

• Sweet and Salty Fondue (Maple Baked Apples): maple-baked apples topped with cider fondue.
• Crepes Stuffed with Caramelized Apples and Apricots: crepes filled with caramelized fruit and a fondue coulis.
• Fondue Cruffins with Pecans and Maple Sugar: a flaky pastry with pecans and maple.

Beer Fondue

Beer adds toasty notes and a bolder flavour than white wine. It works just as well in the fondue pot as it does as a base for baked, gratin-style dishes.

• Sauerkraut and Cheese Fondue: sauerkraut, sausages, and baby potatoes, a revisited Alsatian plate.
• Dipper Delight: Nachos and Fondue: nachos baked with chicken, vegetables, and salsa.

More beer-based recipes can be found in the recipes section.

Spirit-Based Fondue

Gin, whisky, and génépi make for bolder fondues, best reserved for adventurous palates. Each spirit brings its own aromatic profile.

• Chic! Gin: floral notes from Distillerie Mariana’s Violette gin.
• Chic! Whisky: bold, long-lasting flavours featuring Distillerie du St. Laurent’s 3-grain whisky.
• Génépi Fondue: herbal, floral notes paired with Charlevoix cheeses.

• Grate the cheeses rather than cutting them: they’ll melt faster and more evenly.
• Heat the wine without letting it boil before adding the cheese.
• Stir in a figure-eight motion throughout serving to keep the texture smooth.
• If the fondue is too thick, add a little warm white wine; if it’s too thin, add a bit of dissolved cornstarch.
• Keep the heat moderate and stir constantly while cooking so the cheese melts evenly and the fondue doesn’t turn grainy.
• Plan a variety of dippers: bread, baby potatoes, crunchy vegetables, cured meats, and fruit.