Raclette at Christmas and New Year's Eve: menu, amounts and timings
Updated: 1 November 2026
Short answer: for 8 people, half a wheel of Raclette du Valais AOP (about 2.4–2.5 kg) [8] or 1.6–2.0 kg of sliced cheese [1][2] is enough, and almost everything can be prepared ahead [1].
Almost everything for a raclette can be prepared ahead, and on the night guests serve themselves, which leaves you time to spend with them [1].
All amounts on this page are for 8 people. For a different number, scale them or use Raclette: how much cheese and how many potatoes per person?
The menu
Every dish below comes from Swissmilk's raclette collection; the times are those given in the recipes [1]. We have not cooked them ourselves.
| Course | Dish | Active / total | Make ahead? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Apéro | Vegetable crisps with quark dip | 25 min / 1 h 5 min | in the afternoon |
| Starter | Beetroot carpaccio with feta or Waldorf salad | 25 min / 45 min or 20 min / 30 min | in the afternoon |
| Main | Raclette with Gschwellti (potatoes boiled in their skins) and sides (see below) | – | sides the day before |
| Dessert (Christmas) | Cinnamon parfait | 20 min / 4 h 20 min | the day before |
| Dessert (New Year's Eve) | Caramelised pears | 25 min / 35 min | just before serving |
Shopping amounts for 8
| What | Per person | For 8 | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Raclette cheese, sliced | 200–250 g | 1.6–2.0 kg | [1][2] |
| Raclette cheese from the wheel (scraping oven) | the same, plus 300 g in total | 1.9–2.3 kg | [1] |
| Potatoes (Gschwellti) | 200–250 g | 1.6–2.0 kg | [1][2] |
| Sides (gherkins, silverskin onions, fruit and so on) | 200–250 g | 1.6–2.0 kg | [1] |
| Bread, if there are also potatoes | 50 g | 400 g | [1] |
| Salad (e.g. lamb's lettuce or carrot salad) | 80 g | 640 g | [1] |
The extra 300 g for a wheel is there because a wheel can never be scraped down completely [1].
Whole or half wheel? The original recipe from the Raclette du Valais producers' body uses half a wheel (about 2.4–2.5 kg) for 8 people [8], so for 8 people half a wheel is enough and a whole one is too much. Our own arithmetic: the specification puts a whole wheel at 4.6–5.8 kg [3], so half a wheel weighs about 2.3–2.9 kg. Take off the 300 g that stays on the wheel [1] and divide by 200–250 g per person, and half a wheel covers roughly 8 to 13 people. The full calculation is in Raclette: how much cheese and how many potatoes per person?
All sides with amounts are in Raclette sides.
Festive sides
Seasonal ideas from the Swissmilk list [1]:
- apple or pear wedges
- pre-cooked pumpkin or beetroot in pieces
- strips of leek
- mustard fruits, dried fruit
- chopped walnuts
- smoked trout
- Bündnerfleisch (air-dried beef) or raw ham
- onion chutney
- pickled plums (Essigzwetschgen)
Home-pickled vegetables (swede, pumpkin, red onions and radishes in a herb-vinegar brine) are only ready after 48 hours [1], so start them at least two days ahead.
To drink: the classic is a white wine from Valais such as Fendant/Chasselas, Heida or Petite Arvine. Swissmilk suggests serving it slightly cooler than usual, because it warms up quickly next to the raclette oven, and says the wine should have no oak notes [4]. Without alcohol, Swissmilk lists apple juice or apple spritzer and herbal tea [1].
Timetable
Worked back from the recipe times [1] and the rental terms of Seiler Käse [5].
Two to three weeks before (early to mid December)
- Book an oven if you do not have one. In November and December Seiler Käse needs the order at least 4 working days before collection; the rest of the year, 3 [5].
- Because of the holidays, ask when you book on which days you can collect and return the oven between Christmas and New Year.
- Providers and prices: Renting a raclette oven. Buying instead: Buying a raclette oven.
One week before
- Order or buy the cheese. Vacuum-packed in the fridge, Seiler gives 90 days for a wheel and 60 days for slices [5].
- Check the pans and replace scratched ones; see Raclette pans.
Two days before
- Pickle the vegetables (48 hours) [1].
The day before
- Make the cinnamon parfait (4 h 20 min in total) [1].
- Put gherkins, silverskin onions and meat into small bowls, cover and keep them cold.
On the day, dinner at 19.30
| Time | What |
|---|---|
| 17.30 | Bake the vegetable crisps (1 h 5 min in total) [1] |
| 18.00 | Prepare the starter (beetroot carpaccio: 45 min in total) [1] |
| 18.30 | Put the potatoes on: medium to small, in their skins, about 35 min [2] (Raclette Suisse tips PDF: about 30 min [6]). In a pressure cooker 7–12 min from the second ring is enough, so start at 19.15 instead [7]. |
| 19.00 | Take the cheese out of the fridge (20–30 min ahead) [2]. Chill the wine [4]. |
| 19.10 | Switch the oven on and preheat it for as long as its manual says. |
| 19.30 | Apéro and starter, then raclette |
| around 21.30 | Dessert. On New Year's Eve, only caramelise the pears now (35 min in total) [1]. |
The clock times are an example for a 19.30 dinner; shift them to suit your evening.
New Year's Eve: what changes
- Small pan dishes later in the evening: Swissmilk has pan recipes such as «Bacon & fruit» or «Truffle», each 20 minutes in total [1]. See also Raclette recipes.
- Sparkling wine is one of the drinks Swissmilk lists for raclette [1].
What about leftovers?
- Seiler Käse only takes back whole and half wheels in the main season (November/December), and only in the original packaging and kept cold [5]. Ask your own supplier whether they do the same.
- Cut cheese: Swissmilk has its own section of recipes for raclette leftovers [1]. Freezing and storage are covered in Freezing raclette cheese and using leftovers.
Sources
All accessed on 31.10.2026 and re-checked on 1.11.2026.
- Swissmilk: «Raclette-Ideen: Beilagen, Tipps & Rezepte» (in German) – https://www.swissmilk.ch/de/rezepte-kochideen/raclette-ideen-beilagen-tipps-rezepte/
- Raclette Suisse: «Zubereitung» (in German) – https://www.raclette-suisse.ch/de/raclette/zubereitung/
- Specification for Raclette du Valais AOP, 2026 version, Art. 3 (PDF, in German) – https://www.raclette-du-valais.ch/files/dateien/Plichtenheft%20/Raclette%20du%20Valais%20PH-Pflichtenheft_2026.pdf
- Swissmilk: «Welcher Wein zu Raclette?» (in German) – https://www.swissmilk.ch/de/rezepte-kochideen/tipps-tricks/welcher-wein-zu-raclette/
- Seiler Käse: «Raclette-Ofen-Miete: Was Sie wissen sollten» (PDF, in German) – https://www.seilerkaese.ch/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/RACLETTE-OFEN-MIETE-Was-Sie-wissen-sollten.pdf
- Raclette Suisse: «Nützliche Tipps» (PDF, in German) – https://www.raclette-suisse.ch/fileadmin/dateiablage/07_PDF/raclette_suisse_nuetzliche_tipps_d.pdf
- Betty Bossi: «Gschwellti schnell und einfach zubereiten» (in German) – https://www.bettybossi.ch/de/magazin/artikel/gschwellti-schnell-und-einfach-zubereiten/
- Raclette du Valais producers' body: «Originalrezept» (in German) – https://www.raclette-du-valais.ch/rezepte/originalrezept (accessed 1.11.2026)