How to make raclette at home — with or without a special grill. The cheese, the accompaniments, and how to host a fun raclette night.
Raclette is one of the most fun and sociable meals you can host — melted cheese scraped over potatoes and other goodies, enjoyed slowly around the table. The good news is you don't need to be in the Alps (or even own special equipment) to do it. Here's how to make raclette at home.
What You Need: The Cheese
The star is raclette cheese, a semi-firm Alpine cow's-milk cheese from Switzerland and France that melts smoothly and has a rich, savory, slightly nutty flavor. Buy it in slices (for a tabletop grill) or as a wedge or half-wheel (for scraping). Allow a generous amount per person — around 150–200g — since the cheese is the centerpiece. If you can't find raclette cheese, a good melting Alpine cheese like Gruyère or Fontina can substitute, though raclette is ideal.
The Equipment Options
There are several ways to melt raclette at home. A tabletop raclette grill is the easiest and most fun: it has small individual pans (coupelles) that slide under a heating element, so each person melts their own cheese, often with a grill plate on top for cooking vegetables and meats. Alternatively, you can melt slices under an oven broiler in small dishes, or — for the traditional scraping method — melt the cut face of a half-wheel under a broiler or special raclette heater and scrape it off. No special gear? A broiler and small heatproof dishes work fine.
The Accompaniments
Raclette is about the spread of things to melt cheese over. The classics are small boiled potatoes (cooked ahead and kept warm), cornichons (small tart pickles), and pickled onions, whose acidity cuts the richness. Add cured meats — air-dried beef, ham, salami — and, for a tabletop grill, vegetables and mushrooms to cook on top. Crusty bread is also welcome. The pickles and acidity are essential to balance all that melted cheese.
How to Host a Raclette Night
Set up the grill in the middle of the table and arrange bowls of potatoes, pickles, cured meats, and vegetables around it. Each guest melts cheese in their pan, then pours or scrapes it over their potatoes and chosen accompaniments, building plates as they go. It's a slow, interactive, conversation-filled meal — perfect for a cozy gathering. Encourage everyone to pace themselves; raclette is a marathon, not a sprint.
Drinks and Tips
Serve crisp Alpine white wine, dry cider, or even hot tea — cold drinks are traditionally avoided with so much melted cheese, as folklore (if not science) holds they make it sit heavily. Keep potatoes warm throughout, don't overcrowd the grill, and have plenty of pickles on hand. Above all, relax and enjoy the leisurely pace.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need a special grill for raclette?
No. A tabletop raclette grill is fun and easy, but you can melt slices under an oven broiler in small dishes, or scrape a melted half-wheel the traditional way.
What cheese do I use for raclette?
Raclette cheese is ideal — a semi-firm Alpine cheese that melts smoothly. Gruyère or Fontina can substitute in a pinch.
What do you serve with raclette?
Boiled potatoes, cornichons, pickled onions, cured meats, and (on a tabletop grill) vegetables, with crisp white wine or cider.