12 delicious things to dip in your cheese fondue

Melting, hot cheese, crusty bread to dip into it, a glass of red wine alongside it… Doesn’t that just warm you up? Speaking of dipping: bread is far from the only thing that pairs well with cheese fondue. There are many more dippers that make a fantastic match with cheese fondue. Just check out the list below.

Let’s start with step 1: the cheese fondue itself. We have a wonderfully delicious recipe for that. Also a super-easy (and just as delicious) recipe, by the way. Once you have the base, you can shop for tasty dips. Be sure to put the following 12 things on your grocery list.

1. Apples and pears

In this case, you can compare apples and pears. Both fruits are equally delicious in your cheese fondue. It actually makes sense, because most cheese boards also feature fruit. Choose fresh Granny Smith apples and pears with a sweet, cinnamon-like flavor, such as Doyenné du Comice pears. That way, the flavor of the cheese really comes into its own.

2. Broccoli and cauliflower

See, broccoli and cauliflower are much more than an inconspicuous part of your standard Dutch meat-and-potatoes meal. With cheese fondue, they take center stage. Still can’t quite picture the combination? Just think of cauliflower with cheese sauce—that’s delicious too. Tip: steam the vegetables a little before dipping them in the cheese. That makes them slightly less bitter and not as hard.

3. Bell peppers

Red bell peppers in particular are naturally fresh and sweet. That sweetness pairs beautifully with the savory, salty flavor of melted cheese. Green and yellow bell peppers also do very well in the fondue, by the way. Tip: cut the pepper into long strips. Then you don’t even need a skewer.

4. Fried potatoes

At FavorFlav, we have several recipes for potatoes with cheese. Crispy garlic potatoes with Parmesan, for example, and oven potatoes with pesto and Parmesan. So we already knew that potatoes and cheese are delicious together. In your cheese fondue, they are bound to be a success too. If you cut the potatoes into long, thin strips, you even have a kind of cheese fries!

5. Meatballs

No Dutch mashed-potato dish without a meatball. And soon, you won’t eat cheese fondue without a homemade meatball either. Fry them briefly, skewer them with your fondue fork and then… Enjoyment with a capital E (for meatball).

6. Roasted Brussels sprouts

Brussels sprouts: bland, boring and dull? No! Not when you make them part of your cheese fondue. The slight bitterness of roasted Brussels sprouts is perfect with the nuttiness of cheese. A Brussels sprout is healthy too. So you still get some vitamins in while fonduing.

7. Filet mignon

Think about it. If you place a strip of perfectly cooked, juicy filet mignon on a piece of bread and dip it into the cheese fondue, you’ve simply made your own mini cheeseburger. Genius, right?

8. Pickled, sour vegetables

Pickles, for example, but also other vegetables you can preserve. Delicious—that spicy, tangy flavor with thick, creamy melted cheese.

9. Shrimp

Fried shrimp really elevate your cheese fondue, especially if you’ve made it with white wine. Tip: if you fry the shrimp with some chopped garlic and parsley, you’ll have a real party in your mouth.

10. Charcuterie

Does eating cheese and sausage together feel a bit like cheating? Something beautiful can actually blossom from such an affair. Especially if you choose spicy, herby sausages, such as chorizo, salami and prosciutto. They only make each other better, believe me. If dipping feels like a bit too much, be sure to serve charcuterie alongside your cheese fondue.

11. Poached chicken

A juicy poached chicken really comes into its own when covered with melted cheese. Add some herbs and spices to taste and it will be the tastiest thing on the fondue table.

12. Pasta

Last but not least, pasta. My own great love. I can easily put away kilos of dry pasta (guilty pleasure), but dipped in cheese fondue… I am even happier to indulge in that. Choose large pasta shapes with plenty of holes, corners and spirals. That way, extra cheese will cling to the pasta.

Also read:

• This secret ingredient makes your cheese fondue unforgettable
• 9x the best cheese fondue in Amsterdam
• 10x chefs’ tips for even better cheese fondue