Fondue Party Ideas for a Great Family Fun Night

Fondue isn’t what it used to be. In fact, it is way cooler than it was in the ’60s after The Melting Pot Restaurants, Inc. began expanding the brand in the late ’70s and early ’80s. My love of the Melting Pot is what inspired these fondue party ideas after all.

I seriously L-O-V-E The Melting Pot.

So, I asked for a fondue pot for Christmas one year, and my brother-in-law came through. Woohoo. 

Fondue may be intimidating for some people, but it really isn’t that complicated. All you need is some fondue party ideas, your fondue dippers, and you’re off to the races. 

And the real bonus is that you can do fondue for kids and they love it. It makes for a great family fun night and they will eat all kinds of healthy food.

Keep reading for my best fondue party ideas they will love.

Fondue for Kids

The first thing you need to know if you’re worried about fondue party ideas is to not worry. The whole act of doing fondue for kids—or for adults for that matter—is that it is out of the ordinary and therefore fun. 

Most people enjoy it. And many people, like me, love it.

So don’t think you need anything extraordinary to have a good time. It’s the perfect activity for a family fun night.

The second thing to remember about fondue is that it is an eating “event.” By this I mean it takes quite a bit of time. So, I don’t recommend starting fondue near bedtime. 

It will be a longer than normal dinner, but for us, that’s what makes it a family fun night. While food items are cooking you talk and laugh. You take your time eating a delicious meal vs. the regular hustle and bustle of a busy weeknight.

And the last thing to remember is to have a plan—that’s those fondue party ideas. You usually can’t just whip together a fondue party on a whim. 

You need to decide what kind of fondue you are making (bullion, cheese, or dessert) and you will need to have the corresponding fondue dippers.

Types of Fondue Party

When it comes to fondue party ideas you will need to think about what your ultimate goal is. Do you want to cook a meal, a side dish, or a dessert?

We usually do a fondue family fun night for our meal.

Having fondue for kids is a great way to get your children to eat veggies and meat. And since I would like it to be healthy I use bullion instead of oil. Here are a couple of bullion recipes you may like trying out.

Fondue Bouillon Recipes

Mojo Broth Fondue

• 5 1/4 cups chicken bouillon (or vegetable bouillon)
• 1/4 cup orange juice
• 1/4 cup chopped cilantro 
• 2 tablespoons cumin
• 2 tablespoons jerk seasoning 
• 2 tablespoons pepper
• 2 tablespoons lime juice 
• 1 tablespoon minced garlic 

Coq Au Vin Fondue

• 3 1⁄2 cups vegetable stock
• 1⁄2 cup Burgundy wine
• 1⁄2 cup sliced mushrooms
• 1 tablespoon minced garlic
• 2 sliced green onions

Easy Bouillon Fondue

• 6 cups chicken broth
• 3 teaspoons minced garlic
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 1/2 cup sherry wine
• Salt and pepper to taste

If you want a side dish or appetizer then cheese fondue is where it’s at. I love cheese so I have to say this is a favorite of mine. The warm gooey cheese gets set off by fresh fruits and veggies (but we’ll get into fondue dippers in a moment).

Meanwhile, here are some super yummy cheese fondue recipes I think your family will love.

Fondue Cheese Recipes

Cheddar Cheese Fondue

• 6 ounces cheddar cheese
• 4 ounces skim milk or 4 ounces broth
• 1 teaspoon chopped garlic
• 3 dashes mustard powder
• 4 dashes Worcestershire sauce
• pepper to taste

Easy Cheesy Fondue

• 8 oz. of Velveeta cheese
• 1-2 Tablespoons milk
• 1/4 teaspoon Tabasco sauce (optional)

Traditional Swiss Fondue

• 4 ounces dry white wine 
• 3 teaspoons minced garlic 
• 1/2 pound cheese (Emmenthaler, grated)
• 1/2 pound Gruyere cheese (grated)
• 2 tablespoons all purpose flour 
• 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice 
• 1 ounce cherry liqueur (like Kirshwasser, optional)

Just about any child will love chocolate fondue for a dessert or special family fun night treat. This is a really indulgent treat, so it’s not something we do too often, but it is a crowd-pleaser. You can get pretty creative with your fondue dippers here, so it can be as simple of amazing as you wish.

Fondue Chocolate Recipes

Easy Chocolate Fondue Recipe

• 6 ounce semi-sweet or milk chocolate chips
• 1/4 cup half and half or evaporated milk
• 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

Chocolate Fluff Fondue Recipe

• 1 1/2 teaspoon butter
• 8 oz. chocolate candy bars with almonds
• 1 1/2 cups mini marshmallows
• 3 Tablespoons milk
• 1/2 cup whipped cream

Peanut Butter Cup Fondue

• 8 ounces of milk chocolate
• 3 tablespoons heavy cream
• 1 tablespoon crunchy peanut butter 

Fondue Dippers

Finally, here are the answers you’ve been looking for. What in the world do you do for fondue dippers? 

I’m just as busy as the next mom, so believe me, I want to make it as easy as possible. It’s amazing what your children may be willing to eat as a dipper

Bouillon Fondue Dippers

For the main meal of bouillon fondue, we use meat and veggies. I will usually do chicken and shrimp, but you could also use cubed beef. The important thing to remember is to keep the raw chicken away from everything else, cut it into small pieces that cook quickly, and to make sure they cook completely before eating. 

I’m sure you know that eating undercooked chicken can make you sick, so watch your littles. And don’t let them ever put uncooked meat on their dinner plate.

When it comes to veggie fondue party ideas we cut up potatoes into small pieces and throw them into the pot (a few at a time so the pot doesn’t cool too much). Potatoes take longer to cook so leave them in and scoop them out with a slotted spoon when they are soft.

You can use a variety of fresh veggies cut into small pieces, but I have been known to thaw a Normandy-style frozen vegetable blend (we get ours from Costco) and just use those. And one of my ingenious ideas, if I may so myself, is using frozen cheese or mushroom ravioli (thawed of course).

The kids loved them.

Here is my quick list of bouillon fondue dippers you may want to try.

• potatoes
• broccoli
• cauliflower
• carrots
• mushrooms
• asparagus
• zucchini
• ravioli
• chicken
• beef
• shrimp

Cheese Fondue Dippers

Cheese is a little easier. We don’t cook meat in the cheese so no worries about cooking all the way through or cross-contamination of raw meat. You may use any of the vegetables listed above in addition to the following fruits and bread cut into small pieces.

• french bread
• multigrain bread
• rye
• sourdough
• pumpernickel
• bagels
• granny smith green apples
• red apples
• pears
• dried dates
• dried apricots

Chocolate Fondue Dippers

Okay, this is where you can be the most creative for your family fun night. Of course, I like to use straight out of the package options, but one of our favorites is crumb covered marshmallows.

Take the cookie part of an Oreo (you could do 2 kinds, chocolate or vanilla) and crush them. Wet your large size marshmallow and roll it in the crumbs. It’s so easy, but everyone loves them.

You are welcome to “make” any of these fondue dippers, but why make more work for yourself. I try to get packaged items, like Rice Krispies Treats versus making them from scratch. Invest your time into creating a fun atmosphere, not making everything.

Try these yummy fondue dippers for a chocolate fondue family fun night.

• crumb coated marshmallows
• Rice Krispies Treats
• angel food cake
• graham crackers
• large pretzel sticks
• shortbread cookies
• strawberries 
• pineapple
• cheesecake
• brownies
• cookies
• banana

Final Thoughts on Fondue Party Ideas for Family Fun Night

I hope this post helps you with a bunch of fondue party ideas for a great family fun night. If for any reason you come up with a question I didn’t answer please let me know. I would love to add the answer to this post.

Fondue party night is always a special time for us. I don’t do it all of the time, but that doesn’t mean it’s hard. It’s just different.

You definitely need to have the time to spend with your family, but that’s what makes fondue family fun night great. 

If you like this article you may also want to read this post on soy free snacks for kids. And if you are looking for kids activities that will keep your children busy while you cook a dinner instead you might like this post on no download art apps for kids. They are educational and fun.

Good luck momma, on your fondue for kids family fun night. Tell me about your mom wins.