Baked whole Vacherin Mont d'Or (a French classic)

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For cheese lovers, nothing beats baked Vacherin Mont d'Or! The melt-in-your-mouth creaminess of the warm, runny cheese contrasts perfectly with the crispy potatoes I've chosen as a side dish (but you're welcome to choose another). In France, it's such a comforting dish, that brings family and friends together to share a convivial moment.

Baked Vacherin Mont d'Or with creamy, runny cheese and spicy potatoes.

💙 Why you'll love it

Ultra-comforting - perfect for those long, cold, grey winter days, this appetizer, which can also be served as a main course, embodies perfectly "le confort à la française" (= French comfort).
Super friendly - whether you're with friends or family, it's always nice to get together and share a good Mont d'Or.
So quick and easy to prepare - just square the Mont d'Or, season it, pop it in the oven and it's ready!
Variety - you can season it in lots of different ways, and there's a huge range of possible accompaniments.

🧀Other cheesy appetizers

Cheesy and garlic crack bread

Cheese Gougères (French cheese puffs)

Savory Babka - Pesto, cheddar and mozzarella

Fried mozzarella balls

Potato cheese balls

🧄Ingredients

You can find a full list of ingredients and measurements in the recipe card below. Here are a few ingredient notes to make this delicious Vacherin Mont d'Or.

A Vacherin Mont d'Or - this soft, creamy raw-milk cheese with woody aromas is a French specialty. It's a bit challenging to find it here in the US, as it's a French and seasonal cheese, but you might find some in some high-end cheese shops or gourmet grocery stores during its season (from September to April). It's also findable online at Murray's Cheese, iGourmet, and Cowgirl Creamery, or at your local cheese producer.
White wine - for cooking, choose a dry white wine such as Chardonnay, Pinot gris, Sauvignon or Riesling.
Garlic - if you want to choose your garlic carefully so you do not encourage the slavery of Chinese prisoners, read my Eco Tips on the subject.
Potatoes (as a side dish) - I recommend going for baby potatoes or fingerling potatoes.

🥖What to serve it with?

Here I've suggested oven-roasted baby potatoes, melt-in-the-mouth on the inside and slightly crispy on the outside.

But there are many other options:

A crusty baguette
Gherkins
Spread a tablespoon of wild garlic pesto on top of the Mont d'Or before baking. It's an unusual combination, but it's just incredible!
Caramelized onions, crispy bacon or even a drizzle of honey, as in this recipe for baked Brie.
Replace baby potatoes with garlic Parmesan smashed potatoes or with these delicious homemade potatoes
Charcuterie: cured ham, smoked ham, sausages…treat yourself!
A green salad for a touch of freshness
French people sometimes simply eat with a spoon, as it's so good by itself… I plead guilty your honor haha!

A fork holding a potato, dipped in melted, runny cheese.

✨How to make this amazing baked Vacherin Mont d'Or ?

Recipe details and quantities are in the recipe card below.

Preheat oven to 390°F/200°C in natural convection/high and low static heat mode. Place the potatoes in a pot of boiling water and cook for 15 minutes (no need to peel).
Drain and cut into quarters.

Potatoes cooking a pot of boiling water.

Potatoes cut in quarters, on a white cutting board.

Quarters of potatoes on a sheet of parchment paper.

Melt the butter and mix with the paprika, cayenne pepper, oregano and garlic powder.
Brush the potatoes with the mixture and spread them out on an oven tray lined with parchment paper (make sure they don't overlap). Bake for 20-25 minutes, according to the size of your potato quarters.

Melted butter in a bowl with paprika, Cayenne pepper, oregano and garlic powder.

Square the Mont d'Or. Cut the garlic clove into quarters and insert the pieces into the squares.
Add the white wine and thyme.
Remove the plastic label if there is one.

Vacherin Mont d'Or with garlic cloves in it.

A hand removing the plastic label from a Vacherin Mont d'Or.

Place the cheese on the baking sheet next to the potatoes for 20 minutes (leave it in its wooden box).
Once out of the oven, remove garlic quarters, dip the potatoes in the melted Mont d'Or and enjoy!

Vacherin Mont d'Or cooking in the oven, next to the potatoes.

Vacherin Mont d'Or with runny, creamy cheese, ready to be eaten.

Baked Vacherin Mont d'Or with creamy, runny cheese.

👩🏻‍🍳Chef's Tips

Leave it in its wooden box - in the French tradition, Vacherin Mont d'Or comes in a wooden box, and there's a reason for that! First, it helps give the Mont d'Or its characteristic, slightly woody aroma. And second, it makes it easier to serve once the cheese is baked and runny.
If there is a plastic label around the wooden box, remove it before baking to prevent it from melting in the oven.
Square off the cheese: in addition to flavouring the inside of the cheese with the garlic, thyme and white wine, this will ensure that it doesn't overflow during baking.
Serve it as soon as it comes out of the oven: it's at its best when it's hot and the cheese is runny and perfectly melted!

💡Frequently Asked Questions

Can I do it in advance?

You absolutely can not! It's when it comes out of the oven, soft and melting, that it's at its best!

Can I remove the white wine?

Of course you can!
I've included it in the recipe as it's how we eat it here in France because it helps to flavor the cheese and because the white wine/cheese combination is a classic here for us, but you can totally remove it.

Dinner's over, but I have some leftover baked Vacherin Mont d'Or. What can I do with it?

You can either store it by following the instructions below.
Or you can reuse the cheese (grated or scraped with a spoon) in croques-monsieur, on toasts, pizzas, burgers, gratins, tartiflette, raclette or even fondue (add a little white wine to liquidize the cheese). Chunks in soup can also be delicious!

❄️Storage

Store - unopened and unbaked, it can be stored for 2 to 3 weeks in its wooden box in the fridge (make sure to check the expiration date on the box). Once baked, leave to cool and place in an airtight container in the fridge. This way you'll be to keep it for 2 to 3 days.

Reheat - leave it in a preheated oven at 390°F/200°C for a few minutes, using natural convection/static heat up and down mode. It will melt again!

😋Other French classics

If you make this baked Vacherin Mont d'Or, it would be so nice to leave me a comment and rate the recipe ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️. You can also tag me on Instagram, Pinterest, Facebook or Tik Tok, or even send me a photo, I love seeing my little dishes in your homes!

📖 Recette

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