This vegetable fondue is great for families as it isn’t as high in fat as classic fondue, yet it’s just as delectable.
What’s more, it offers the perfect way to taste and explore lots of different vegetable flavours and textures.
Even if kids aren’t too keen on eating veggies usually, the promise of getting a taste of that yummy, cheesy sauce should prove quite the incentive!
This recipe is from my debut cookbook Get Your Kids to Eat Anything, which contains 70 recipes and a 5-phase programme to help you and your kids become more adventurous with food.
Let’s make vegetable fondue!
Ingredients
For the cheese sauce
- 500 ml (1.1 pt) whole milk
- 30 g (1.1 oz) slightly salted butter
- 1 garlic clove finely chopped
- ¼ tsp (¼ teaspoon) English mustard powder
- ¼ tsp (¼ teaspoon) pepper
- ½ tsp (½ teaspoon) nutmeg ideally freshly grated
- 2 tbsp (2 tablespoons) plain flour
- 100 g (3.5 oz) mild Cheddar cheese grated
For dipping
- ½ loaf (½ ) sourdough bread cubed
- small head of broccoli cut into small florets
- 1 large carrot sliced
- 8 asparagus spears trimmed
- 1 small courgette cubed
- handful radishes halved
- 2 boiled beetroot peeled and cubed
- 4 gherkins whole or sliced
Equipment
-
Large serving bowl
Instructions
Put the milk into a nonstick pan.
Add the flour.
Add the garlic.
Add the butter.
Add the pepper, mustard and nutmeg.
Whisk gently over a medium heat for about 5 minutes until it thickens.
Add the cheese.
Whisk gently for 1 minute until melted and smooth.
Allow to cool so that it is safe for children to touch, then pour into a bowl.
Serve with the bread, vegetables and tongs or forks to help with dipping.
If your children are reluctant to try some of the dipping items, how about making it into a sort of game? Everyone tries each item at the same time: 3…2…1…taste!
Next time, take your fondue up a notch by introducing more savoury dipping treats such as cooked meats, marinated tofu or kimchi.
Pointers, tricks and troubleshooting tips for the perfect vegetable fondue
Is vegetable fondue easy to make?
This fondue recipe is really simple and to make. The veg and bread is quick to prepare, and the sauce can be made in a single pan.
It’s a white sauce, made using my favourite, most foolproof method of adding the milk, butter and flour to the pan all at the same time. You might think this would prove disastrous, but it works every time!
Best of all, this recipe doesn’t require any speciality cheeses, just cheddar, so you’ll be able to make this meal with ingredients you probably already have in the fridge and cupboard.
Will I need any special equipment to make vegetable fondue?
No special equipment required! You’ll only need really basic kit you probably already have in your kitchen, such as a knife, chopping board, pan, weighing scales, wooden spoon and grater.
If you fancy really getting into the fondue spirit, you could use fondue forks rather than standard forks, but it’s not essential. They’re not too hard to find in shops with a kitchenware section and are readily available online.
You’ll want to avoid anything pointy for small children, and avoid skewers for children of any age.
Is vegetable fondue suitable for vegetarians?
This fondue recipe is totally vegetarian, just make sure that the Cheddar you’re using doesn’t contain animal rennet.
Is vegetable fondue suitable for vegans?
With butter, cheese and milk in the fondue, this recipe is not vegan.
However, if you wanted to make it vegan, you could try substituting the Cheddar for a vegan alternative that melts, the milk for an unsweetened plant milk, and the butter for a vegan butter or oil.
Results, texture and flavour will vary according to the products you use, but you should still end up with something very tasty.
Nutritional yeast flakes are a great optional addition to add a cheesy flavour. Try stirring in a tablespoon at a time at the end, adjusting to taste.
If you find you need to thicken it up then adding a pinch of cornflour should help. Also, be aware that some plant milks can be unstable when heated, so keep the heat low and keep stirring.
Is vegetable fondue gluten-free?
This fondue recipe contains plain flour this recipe is not gluten-free.
However, you could swap the flour for cornflour and still get a very tasty result
If you were to use a gluten-free alternative to plain flour, you’d also end up with something that’s still very gooey, delicious, and gluten-free.
It’s important to check the labelling on your other ingredients to make sure they gluten-free and/or suitable for Coeliacs.
In particular, check mustard powder is gluten-free as there are some manufacturers who incorporate a small amount of moisture-absorbing starches into the mustard powder, which can contain gluten.
Always consult with your health professional.
Is vegetable fondue keto-friendly?
This recipe is not particularly keto-friendly as it contains a lot of milk (which contains a lot of lactose) along with a little bit of flour.
You could use a keto-friendly milk like hemp or coconut milk to get closer to something keto, but it will change the flavour and texture somewhat.
For a keto-diet, you’re probably better sticking with a classic fondue. This recipe is aimed a more all-round balanced meal.
Is this vegetable fondue healthy?
This particular fondue recipe produces a milk-based cheese sauce, rather than pure melted cheese and wine, so it has a lower amount of fat than most fondue recipes.
It’s still an indulgent cheese sauce, but when shared between four and eaten with plenty of fresh veg to dip in it, it’s a great option for a nutrient-packed Friday night treat with the family.
Is vegetable fondue safe to eat while pregnant?
This fondue recipe contains cooked standard pasteurised cheese, butter and milk, so it is not like a standard fondue.
If all the ingredients are clean, safely handled and correctly prepared, there is nothing in this recipe that should present a risk to a pregnant woman.
However, I am not a doctor and it’s really important to always follow proper medical advice and any specific advice given by your health professional.
Obviously, if you make tweaks to this recipe, you should avoid any soft cheeses with white rinds or mould-ripened cheeses. And carefully consider which food items you choose to dip, and who you might be sharing with.
For more information about what is and isn’t safe to eat while pregnant, please visit this NHS website or speak to your doctor or midwife.
What goes well with vegetable fondue?
I find fondue is the most fun when it’s the star of the show, so I wouldn’t serve it with anything other than plenty of fresh veg and a few cubes of bread!
While there are already lots of suggestions for what you can dip in your fondue right there in the recipe, it’s always fun to take things further!
Have a look in your fridge or counter for any other vegetables you think would work – you could try avocado, peppers, even sugar snap peas.
You could even get a little more creative and try pairing the fondue with cubes of fresh apple, cooked pasta (gnocchi works particularly well), cured meats, boiled potatoes, marinated tofu or kimchi.
Can I make this vegetable fondue without the spices?
You can leave out the nutmeg and mustard in the recipes, but it’s the little hint of spice that turns a tasty cheese sauce into something really special.
Why not pop a little spoonful of sauce in a mug or small bowl, add a tiny pinch of mustard and nutmeg and see what it does to the flavour. I think you’ll be convinced!
I haven’t got cheddar, can I use another type of cheese in my vegetable fondue?
Different types of cheeses will have different consistencies when heated, but if you are confident that your cheese of choice will become relatively gooey then it should work a treat.
Don’t be afraid to mix and match different types of cheeses and see what flavours you can come up with!
How can I tell if my cheese has gone off?
How fast a cheese will go bad is generally dependent on the amount of moisture and salt it contains. Soft cheeses spoil the fastest and hard or aged cheeses will spoil more slowly. A safe rule is if the cheese smells or tastes peculiar, especially if it tastes sour, then don’t eat it.
While it’s true of most foods that a little mould growth means that the whole thing needs to be discarded this can vary in cheese. Soft cheeses such as cottage cheese or cream cheese should always be totally discarded if mould can be seen they it can send root threads throughout cheese and harbour other nasty pathogens. The same is true if the cheese has been shredded, sliced or crumbled and shows signs of mould – everything should be discarded.
However, mould generally can’t penetrate very far into hard or semi-soft cheeses such as Cheddar and Swiss cheese, so it’s usually safe to cut off the mouldy part and a little extra around the mould (a couple of centimetres) as it is unlikely to have spread throughout the rest of the cheese – just make sure not to get the mould on the knife while cutting.
Do always air on the side of caution if you are preparing a meal for anyone who is pregnant or with a compromised immune system and don’t use any cheese with signs of mould.
How should I store leftover fondue?
Fondue is best eaten as soon as it has been prepared, but it would be a shame to let any uneaten fondue go to waste, so it is possible to store it.
As with any meal, make sure everyone washes their hands thoroughly before they sit down to eat.
If you would like to store any leftover cheese sauce, make sure that it has been cooled down to room temperature within 2 hours of being made, then stored in the fridge in an airtight container. It should last for up to two days in the fridge.
It’s generally a good idea to discard any fondue if someone has been ‘double-dipping’ their veg (i.e. dipping a piece of veg, tasting it, and then dipping it again!), so it may also be a good idea to give your kids a quick lesson on the food etiquette of communal dishes if it’s their first time experiencing it, or just resolve to eat the lot.
Likewise, as long as leftover raw veg is untouched and hasn’t been sitting out too long, it should be ok to pop into a sealed container and store in the fridge to use the next day.
What is the best way to reheat vegetable fondue?
To reheat your fondue cheese sauce, place the fondue in a saucepan over a very low heat and stir continuously until hot.
Alternatively, you can also microwave the fondue in a microwave-safe bowl in short 10 second bursts on low, stirring in between each burst until evenly heated and piping hot.
Can I make vegetable fondue in a different quantity?
You can easily scale this recipe up or down, whether you want a romantic meal for two or would like it as the centrepiece at a party buffet.
Use the handy slider in the recipe card found lower down on this page to automatically adjust ingredient quantities. Just click on the portion number and it should pop up.
Which wine is best to use in vegetable fondue?
This particular fondue recipe doesn’t require any wine, because it is designed to be child friendly.
However, if you were to add wine for adults, it’s best to only add a splash and ideally use a dry white wine with a little acidity, as this will offset the flavour of the cheese nicely as well as help to give the fondue the correct texture.
My fondue is too thin – what should I do?
If your fondue is too thin, try cooking for a bit longer. It might just be that it hasn’t had time to thicken up yet.
You should also taste the sauce to check if the flour has ‘cooked out’ – if you can taste the flour, it isn’t ready!
If it’s still too thin, it’s possible something went wrong with the quantities when you were measuring out.
To fix, spoon a little of the sauce into a mug, add a teaspoon of cornflour. Mix to a lump-free paste and then add this to the sauce, stirring through. Your sauce should thicken quickly. If not, you can repeat the process again to add another teaspoonful of cornflour.
If you don’t have any cornflour, you could add more grated cheddar, which should also thicken it up without lumps.
My fondue is too thick – what should I do?
If your fondue is left to go cold, it will thicken up, so if that’s the issue, just warm it through again gently while stirring and it should come back to a dippable texture.
If your sauce is still too thick, it’s possible something went wrong with the quantities when you were measuring out. Add milk just a tiny splash at a time, stirring and heating on low until you achieve your desired consistency.
My fondue mixture has separated or curdled what do I do?
Fondue sauce can split or curdle if too much heat is applied, so do try to keep it on low.
If you spot that it’s beginning to separate, sprinkle a pinch of cornflour into it while continuously stirring until it begins to come together again.
Why is my fondue lumpy? How can I save it?
A lumpy fondue using can have several causes.
It may be that the sauce is too cool and the cheese has not melted properly. If so, just keep stirring your sauce on the heat and it should become smooth.
In this recipe, we use flour, so it could also be that you didn’t manage to stir continuously while the sauce heated, which can cause the flour to form lumps or even catch on the bottom of the pan.
This recipe is really forgiving, but if you do find yourself with a lumpy sauce, you can either strain it through a sieve (particularly advised if you think you might have burned lumps in your sauce) or blitz it with a stick blender until smooth.
What is the origin of fondue?
Fondue is a famously Swiss dish of melted cheese that dates back several hundred years, although the ingredients have varied with time, with older versions generally containing egg.
More modern versions of the dish often contain cornflour which makes smooth and stable emulsions of wine and cheese much easier, which likely helped boost the popularity of the dish.
Of course, this recipe is far from traditional, since it’s a cheese sauce rather than just flavoured cheese and wine, but it’s really, really tasty, so I’m happy to still call it fondue in honour of its inpiration!
Print this vegetable fondue recipe
Vegetable fondue
Ingredients
For the cheese sauce
- 500 ml (1.1 pt) whole milk
- 30 g (1.1 oz) slightly salted butter
- 1 garlic clove finely chopped
- ¼ tsp (¼ teaspoon) English mustard powder
- ¼ tsp (¼ teaspoon) pepper
- ½ tsp (½ teaspoon) nutmeg ideally freshly grated
- 2 tbsp (2 tablespoons) plain flour
- 100 g (3.5 oz) mild Cheddar cheese grated
For dipping
- ½ loaf (½ ) sourdough bread cubed
- small head of broccoli cut into small florets
- 1 large carrot sliced
- 8 asparagus spears trimmed
- 1 small courgette cubed
- handful radishes halved
- 2 boiled beetroot peeled and cubed
- 4 gherkins whole or sliced
Equipment
-
Large serving bowl
Instructions
-
Put the milk, butter, garlic, mustard, pepper, nutmeg and flour into a nonstick pan over a medium heat and whisk gently for about 5 minutes until it thickens. Add the cheese and whisk gently for 1 minute until melted and smooth. Allow to cool so that it is safe for children to touch, then pour into a bowl.
-
Serve with the bread, vegetables and tongs or forks to help with dipping.
Video
Notes
Take your fondue up a notch by introducing more savoury dipping treats such as cooked meats, marinated tofu or kimchi.
Nutrition
* Note: nutritional information is estimated, based on publicly available data. Nutrient values may vary from those published. Cuisines identify the primary region of inspiration for a dish.
Served fondue images by Tom Regester, step-by-step images by Emily Leary
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More ways to enjoy vegetables
Get Your Kids to Eat Anything
My debut cookbook, Get Your Kids To Eat Anything is available now from all good bookshops!
It’s so much more than a cookbook, it’s a 5-Phase programme designed to take you through a meaningful, simple and sustainable journey to end fussy eating.
Since its release in March 2019 Get Your Kids To Eat Anything has been changing mealtimes in households across the country and has become an Amazon #1 best-seller.
