For as long as I can remember, our family birthday tradition is that my mom will make your favorite meal for the yearly celebration. I think this tradition may have ended after the year that I announced that my favorite meal was Thanksgiving dinner. And my mom, being the amazing woman that she is, spent an entire afternoon in February cooking a turkey, mashing potatoes, baking pie, and I imagine cursing me under her breath every step of the way.
Since then, our birthday celebrations have gotten a little more relaxed. My little sister’s favorite birthday request has always been fondue. A giant pot of bubbling cheese with abundant veggies and bread for dipping. What’s not to like?
You may or may not have noticed, but I have actually stopped eating dairy in the past few months. That decision probably warrants a post of its own, but in the meantime I’ve been trying to find new dairy-free ways to enjoy some of my old cheesy favorites.
I saw a recipe for a potato-based vegan fondue in Vegetarian Times magazine a few months ago, and it got me thinking about how I might make my own. I kept the potato-base that they suggested, and added a few of my other favorite ingredients to end up with a delicious and creamy vegan fondue that rivals the original.
Creamy Vegan Fondue
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Ingredients (serves 4)
- 5 to 7 small Yukon gold potatoes
- 1/2 block firm tofu (not pressed)
- 1/4 cup nutritional yeast
- 1 cup unsweetened soy milk
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- baguette bread (for dipping)
- granny smith apples (for dipping)
Instructions
Add potatoes to a pot of water, cover, and bring up to a boil. Allow them to boil for about ten minutes, or until very soft.
Once potatoes are soft, drain water and add them to a high powered blender along with the rest of the ingredients. Puree until smooth and creamy. Adjust salt seasoning to taste.
Pour fondue into a sauce pan and bring back up to heat before serving. Serve hot along with all your favorite dippers!
My personal favorite fondue dippers are crusty baguette pieces…
And crisp slices of Granny Smith apples.
I’m embarrassed to admit that Casey and I sat and ate an entire baguette and pot of fondue by ourselves. You can eat dip for dinner, right? I’m excited to finally have a dairy-free alternative to fondue, since it has always been a family favorite.
Do I think you are going to serve this to your friends and fool them into thinking it’s a melted pot of Swiss? Probably not. But I do think this is a delicious and creamy substitute, and I can’t wait to make it again.
Happy dipping!
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I’ve had to give up dairy too ’cause it causes digestion problems in my 5 month old boy. It’s rather annoying but very worth it!
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Mmmm cheesy. This looks amazing. Another recipe I can’t wait to try!
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I feel like theres no coinsidence that this was created just in time for my birthday…
Also chop up some field roast, girl! YUM. Oo and lets not forget the black horse of my 18th: broccoli! Rookie mistakes.
Now where is the chocolate pot and the poundcake?
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Vegan fondue–it sounds so wrong but the recipe looks so right! And like something you might actually want to eat a whole pot of…like you said. :)
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I, like the commenter above have given up dairy for my son! It’s SO hard, but SO worth it! This looks amazing. And YES, there is nothing wrong with dip for dinner.
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Oh my gosh, this sounds wonderful! Can’t wait to try it. :)
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I have noticed the lack of dairy around your blog lately, and as a recent dairy (and gluten!) free person, it has been helpful to read your dairy-free/vegan adaptations and recipes. I have seen some interesting things done with nutritional yeast, but I would never have thought of making a “cheese” dip based on potatoes!
I may have to give this recipe a try, and overcome my irrational fear of nutritional yeast (It just seems like such an unlikely cheese substitute).
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I think I might have a problem with dairy, but so many replacements call for soy which I know upsets my system. Although I love the idea of a potato based fondue!
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Whoa- I’m not even vegan and this fondue looks amazing!!! Love your dipping choices and love that this is simple to prep.
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A much healthier and more nutritious version of an old favorite. Love it! It would make a fun addition to a stay-at-home Valentine’s Day dinner.
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Aww, I love the story about your mom making Thanksgiving dinner for your birthday dinner. Aren’t moms amazing?!
This sounds delicious – can’t wait to try!
~Emily~
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I’ve gone dairy free recently as well, for my 6 month old. This recipe looks awesome! I need to find some nutritional yeast though, not sure where to buy it.
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That is amazing! I love potatoes, so I am ALL over that one!
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Are you giving up dairy while nursing? I’m working on that too. It’s tough sometimes, so thanks for the ideas!
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I did notice and I am so happy for you!!!
This fondue is quite innovative; I absolutely cannot imagine what it tastes like, but I am intrigued to find out by making it :)
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ha, I love that you picked Thanksgiving meal! :) We did that too and I usually had breakfast foods- still my favorite!
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Can you taste the potato?
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Oh I SO need to make this! I’m pretty sure that there’s some ancient part of our DNA that constantly craves bread and dip. Perfect for any occasion.
I’m sure many have said it before me, but I just wanted to say how impressed I’ve been that you are still coming up with new recipes and really interesting posts even with a new bubba. I commented during your pregnancy that I am the least maternal person ever, and while I can’t say that you’ve totally changed my mind, I really love reading your story. I think that’s as much a testament to you as a writer/chef as it is to you as person.
Don’t mean to sound totally sucky-up but I just hope you know that you’re doing a great job!
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Dips are pretty much my favorite thing ever. And dips with bread, bring it on!
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I love fondue but have never made it at home. This recipe looks easy and perfect for a date night in with the husb. I love an excuse to eat a whole baguette!
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I’d love if you would share your reasoning behind giving up dairy. I feel like this is a trend right now, thus it’s been something I’ve been thinking of doing as well, but don’t want to do so just because it is “trendy”. I doubt you are someone who is motivate be fads, so I’d love to hear your reasoning!
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Crust bread and cheese (or cheeze!) is always a legitimate dinner.
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hey emily! do you have to peel the potatoes?
i don’t see any hunks of skin in your dip?
guess it doesn’t really matter, but thought i’d check!
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I don’t think I could give up dairy, I love yogurt to much, but I could do without the rest!! The fonsue looks yummy!
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That looks great! We have friends who have non-vegan fondue parties. This would be a great thing to bring and share (plus it would give us a vegan option so we had something to eat)!
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YUM! I am such a fan of dips. This would be for me to bring to a party since I have a few vegan/vegetarian friends!
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Wow – this is the second vegan cheese fondue I’ve seen in the last week or so, it must be fondue season. :) I used to love fondue before giving up dairy, so I am excited to give a non-dairy version a try. Looks great!
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Interesting..not convinced but sounds like a an interesting sub.
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Looks great! I have a problem with having to make everything spicy, so I’m going to try this with a little extra kick. :)
PS. Would you mind sharing where you get your thick headbands from? I have a few, but they slip around too much. Thanks!
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I would love to read your reasons for giving up dairy. I am slowly trying to eliminate it from my diet…but I love cheese and ice cream!
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So excited for you! Way to drop the dairy!! If anyone doubts your decision, have them watch Forks Over Knives. We dropped dairy while I was nursing 5 years ago. I’m thrilled that more of your yummy recipes will work for us without swapping out. 71 here today, you might want to pack up the little man for a trip. Keep up the great work.
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This looks so delicious! I might have to make it this weekend. And whatever your reason, I am always in support of people giving up dairy. :)
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I have been reading your blog for a while and I just love it! Thank you for posting a vegan recipe! For us vegans, it is great to have options.
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Wow Emily, this sounds amazing! I’m not vegan but have been having trouble digesting cheese so I’m totally going to try this. Thanks!
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I had noticed most of your recipes (if not all) were dairy free lately but I didn’t want to say anything.
I’m definitely going to try this recipe soon, it looks amazing!
I’m looking forward to the post on why you stopped dairy!
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Emily- Do you leave the skins on the potatoes? Just a logistical question- thanks!
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Bookmarking to try! What a great alternative to cheesy fondue filled with amazing ingredients!
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Interesting! I made the cheese-y fondue a couple of months ago (for the first time, and I didn’t get to eat much due to dairy issues) and learned that it contains cooking wine, shallots, and kirsch (cherry brandy). Maybe adding some of these would add to the flavor.
I like the idea of vegan fondue… this one looks like it doesn’t have to sit over the boiler!
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Congratulations on ditching dairy. :) I actually did not notice, but I have been enjoying seeing all the vegan recipes you post!
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I’ve limited dairy in my diet and have never felt better. I’ve switched to soy or almond milk. I used to put cheese on everything and now I use it as a treat. Sometimes on a salad or sandwich.
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I saw that in Vegetarian Times and wanted to make it for a baby shower I am hosting next month. I think I will go with your version instead, but so glad to see that someone tried it.
I love your addition as “Cullen’s Mama” on your brief description…but really shouldn’t that be the first thing? He is such a beautiful baby afterall :)
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Ok, you need to stop making those yummy looking recipes! I’ve bookmarked all of your recent ones but I have no time to make them. Could you ship them to me?? ;)
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Oooh how intruiging! I’ve never seen a recipe before for vegan fondue and so I’m very excited about this! The texture looks really spot on. And no you shouldn’t feel embarassed about eating the whole thing with a whole bageutte- Hell, I would!!!!
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I gave up dairy about a month ago and the only thing I have really missed is CHEESE! We have a fondue pot that has been very lonely recently, I can’t wait to take it back out and try this recipe!
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It continues to amaze me that it’s possible (and even easy) to make classic dishes vegan but just as delicious! I need to start trying more of these recipes.
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Oh, how I wish your blog had existed when I had to eliminate all milk and soy protein from my diet for the sake of my oldest daughter (now a second grader- gasp!) At the time, it was much harder to come up with dairy or soy-free recipes. I’m truly impressed.
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My roommates and I were just talking about making fondue the other night. The only problem was the dreaded mounds of cheese I knew I would be consuming… so veganizing it is clearly the answer! I made a mac and cheese recipe with potatoes as the base of the sauce from veg news once and it was totally delicious so I’m sure this would be fab as well! I bet the combo of the granny smith apples is perfect too.
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Even though I attempted vegetarianism as a teenager due to ethical reasons and my love for animals I constantly failed. At the age of 29 my body started to reject processed foods & junk foods. Following this it than started with animal products. I started rejecting meat and dairy it was the weirdest thing ever and the scariest, I still remember the day I sat there trying to eat a roast lamb my favourite dish and not enjoying it and looking at it differently, for the first time in my life something just didn’t feel right. I started to become gross and dirty every time I put these foods in my body especially dairy, The only animal things I could stomach was small white wild caught fish (fresh only) & a few eggs a week organic only (and yes I could tell the difference; when u meditate ur senses are heightened), All animal products started to smell really bad. Like you I started to change my career at 28/29 I studied and became a Holistic therapist. As I started doing a lot of meditation and reiki, my taste in food changed and led me to a whole foods plants based diet, with a little egg and fresh small fish. Supposedly its common that people in the field will reject animal products, the reasons are that these products are not only unclean due to western practices but they rot and become putrid in the body’s system. As the body prepares itself for healing work it will reject what is unhealthy and dirty in the system, its a way of the cleansing. I also started researching nutrition the last 2 years and was able to gain some understanding of what’s healthy and what isn’t, and the reasons my body was doing this. However when it comes to dairy the only thing I seem to still crave is a little bit of bocconcini cheese it doesn’t smell bad for some reason like the rest, not even organic yogurt could cut it, I don’t know why. For some reason I noticed my body would crave it around the time I would be ovulating, weird ha, it is so so important to listen to your body needs. I would forget about labels, as you change your body will change and your cravings will change and you should always, see how ur body feels after a meal and you will get your answer if what your eating is right for you. Like you Emily I am so excited about the things I can eat than what I cant eat. I’m so looking forward to the post on why you stopped dairy. I know a lot of mothers have done the same especially when there breast feeding.
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I thought you typed “serve with your favorite diapers” Ha! I guess my eyes are still adjusting! I wouldn’t feel any guilt splitting a baguette, In fact I’m pretty sure we’ve done it with a yummy broth made from scratch:) This fondue sounds delish!
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Dip for dinner is totally acceptable! This sounds amazing – creamy and delicious.
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Once I started pumping milk I suddenly had much more empathy for how awful it must be to be a dairy cow and have to go through that each day. not only that, but if my baby weren’t receiving the milk after all that torture (but being fed something nutritionally inferior instead), well. It made dairy seem suddenly so cruel and. . . Kinda gross.
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This looks delicious and it is so healthy too!
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You are so creative! Looks delicious :)
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I’ve noticed and loved the dairy free!
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Oh wow, this recipe sounds awesome! I love the idea of adding potatoes in order to provide the creaminess that cheese normally would. I just received a whole bunch of Yukons in my CSA box this week and hadn’t figured out what to do with them. Looks like they’re destined for the fondue. Did you use silken tofu or just regular?
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That looks so crazy creamy!!
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I just made this and it is absolutely amazing! I am not vegan (but I am a 15 yr vegetarian) and happened to just have real cheese fondue last weekend. I can honestly say this is BETTER! Every recipe I have tried of yours has been so amazing. Thank you!
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When you say “high powered” blender, do you think the Jiffy blender could get the job done???
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Emily Malone Reply:
February 14th, 2012 at 11:46 am
Haha and then serve it out the nozzle! :)
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Hi Emily,
Your blog is so inspirational! I did notice you haven’t been eating dairy, and I was hoping you’d share what happened/why you decided to stop eating it and how thats working out for you. I recently discovered that I’m probably going to have to stop eating dairy and I don’t know where to begin!
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I would love to see a post on going dairy-free! I’m just starting it to hopefully help my baby’s colic and could use the moral support!
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I just need clarification on the tofu before attempting this recipe. Do you mean Silken firm or non-silken? I’m assuming silken since it’s smoother. Also, wondering what size (ie. 12 oz) “block” of tofu. I’ve seen them in various sizes. Thanks! :)
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I made this and it was really bad! It tasted like super creamy mashed potatoes. I added 3/4 cup white wine, 1/2 cup corn starch (dissolved in water), 3 tbsp minced garlic, and 2 tsp onion powder.
After adding all that, it finally had that real fondue flavor.
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I made this and it was really bad! It tasted like super creamy mashed potatoes. I added 3/4 cup white wine, 1/2 cup corn starch (dissolved in water), 3 tbsp minced garlic, and 2 tsp onion powder.
After adding all that, it finally had that real fondue flavor.
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