Freezing raclette cheese and using leftovers
Updated: 1 November 2026
At a glance
- Fridge: wrapped in cling film, raclette cheese stays fresh for about eight days; vacuum-packed, for around two months [1].
- Freezing works. Raclette Suisse names three ways: grated, diced, or in slices separated by greaseproof paper [2].
- Afterwards: the cheese turns a little more crumbly but, according to Raclette Suisse, melts even better [3].
- Thawing: slowly, in the fridge [3][4][5].
- Leftovers: spare cheese, Gschwellti (potatoes boiled in their skins) and vegetables can become Rösti, gratin, a millet risotto or empanadas (recipes below).
How long does raclette cheese keep in the fridge?
| Packaging | Keeps for | Source |
|---|---|---|
| wrapped in cling film | about 8 days | Raclette Suisse [1] |
| vacuum-packed | around 2 months | Raclette Suisse [1] |
| original vacuum pack, whole wheel (Seiler Käse) | 90 days | Seiler Käse, for its own cheese [6] |
| original vacuum pack, slices (Seiler) | 60 days | [6] |
| original vacuum pack, grated (Seiler) | 30 days | [6] |
| opened pack (Seiler) | a few days | [6] |
Raclette Suisse suggests using leftover slices in sandwiches, salads, bakes and toasted sandwiches [1].
How to freeze raclette cheese
Three ways, following Raclette Suisse [2]:
- Grated, in portions. Handy for topping bakes.
- Diced small, in portions. Useful for fillings and couscous.
- Whole slices, separated by greaseproof paper and frozen in a sealable bag.
Wrapping: ideally airtight in a freezer bag. Jürg Kriech, managing director of Raclette Suisse, says vacuum-sealing is better still [3]. Spar advises pressing as much air out of the bag as you can [4]. Appenzeller suggests wrapping single slices in cling film so they do not stick together [5].
How long in the freezer?
The sources give different figures:
- Spar gives «around two months» for raclette cheese [4].
- Jürg Kriech (Raclette Suisse) speaks about cheese in general: none should stay in the freezer for more than six months, or the flavour suffers and it can pick up an ammonia taste [3].
Freeze it twice? Kriech says this is possible, but for no longer than a month, or the cheese loses flavour [3].
Thawing
- Slowly in the fridge, ideally overnight [4]. Appenzeller gives 12 to 24 hours [5].
- Not at room temperature and not in the microwave, or the cheese loses too much moisture. Then let it sit at room temperature for about 30 minutes before use [5]. (Appenzeller gives this for raclette and other semi-hard cheeses.)
- Thawed raclette cheese still works in the pan: a little more crumbly, but it melts well [3].
What to do with leftovers
For leftover cheese and vegetables, Raclette Suisse suggests among other things [2]:
- Fresh cheese: raclette pastry parcels, a vegetable pan with a raclette topping, croques monsieur.
- Thawed cheese: couscous with a raclette crust (from the cubes), truffle-raclette cordons bleus (from grated cheese), raclette pizza breads (from slices).
Spar suggests turning leftover potatoes into a gratin or Rösti, or baking potatoes and the other leftover sides with raclette cheese on top [4].
Recipes with amounts (Swissmilk):
| Recipe | Uses up | Raclette cheese | Key facts | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Raclette Rösti | 1 kg Gschwellti from the day before, gherkins, silverskin onions, baby corn | 150 g | frying pan, 4 portions | [7] |
| Raclette potato pan | 800 g potatoes, sage, 1.5 dl full cream | 150 g | frying pan, 4 portions | [8] |
| Raclette empanadas (no food waste) | onion, 75 g bacon cubes, tinned pears, sun-dried tomatoes, mushrooms, 2 sheets of puff pastry | 4 slices of 50 g | 12 pieces, 200 °C, about 25 min | [9] |
| Millet «Hirsotto» with chard | 500 g Swiss chard, 100 g millet, 60 g dried apricots | 200 g | saucepan, 4 portions, listed as vegetarian | [10] |
| Cauliflower lasagne | 500 g cauliflower, lasagne sheets, crème fraîche, ricotta | 200 g, grated | 200 °C, about 25 min, 4 portions, listed as vegetarian | [11] |
| Raclette pumpkin tart | 600 g pumpkin, shallots, quince jelly | 150 g, diced | 220 °C, 25–30 min, 8 pieces | [12] |
| Potato raclette balls in the air fryer | 400 g floury potatoes | 150 g, diced | 190 °C, 15–20 min, 12 pieces | [13] |
Leftover potatoes and cheese also work in a soup: Raclette soup: 3 recipes with raclette cheese and leftovers.
To end up with less left over, per-person amounts are in Raclette: how much cheese and how many potatoes per person? More pan ideas are in Raclette recipes.
FAQ
Can you freeze raclette cheese? Yes. Raclette Suisse recommends freezing it grated, diced, or in slices with greaseproof paper in between [2].
Does frozen raclette cheese still taste good? According to Raclette Suisse it becomes a little more crumbly but melts even better [3]. Appenzeller mentions a slight loss of quality and says it still suits hot dishes [5].
Can thawed raclette cheese be frozen again? Raclette Suisse says yes, but then for one month at most [3].
Can I keep leftover Gschwellti? Swissmilk's Raclette Rösti calls for «Gschwellti from the day before» [7]. Swissmilk says cooked potatoes, cooled and covered, keep for 3 to 4 days in the fridge [14].
Sources
All accessed on 31.10.2026 (source 14 on 1.11.2026); re-checked on 1.11.2026. All in German.
- Raclette Suisse: «Nützliche Tipps» (PDF) – https://www.raclette-suisse.ch/fileadmin/dateiablage/07_PDF/raclette_suisse_nuetzliche_tipps_d.pdf
- Raclette Suisse: «No-Food-Waste Ideen mit Raclettekäse» – https://www.raclette-suisse.ch/de/aktuell/no-food-waste-ideen-mit-raclettekaese
- SRF Kassensturz/Espresso, «Espresso Aha!»: «Raclette-Käse zweimal einfrieren ohne Geschmacksverlust?» (16.01.2023) – https://www.srf.ch/sendungen/kassensturz-espresso/services/espresso-aha/schlauer-i-d-wuche-raclette-kaese-zweimal-einfrieren-ohne-geschmacksverlust
- Spar Schweiz blog: «Raclette in allen Variationen» – https://www.spar.ch/blog/detail/raclette-in-allen-variationen
- Appenzeller Käse magazine: «Kann man Käse einfrieren?» – https://www.appenzeller.ch/de/magazin/detail/kaese-einfrieren
- Seiler Käse: «Raclette-Ofen-Miete: Was Sie wissen sollten» (PDF), section on shelf life – https://www.seilerkaese.ch/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/RACLETTE-OFEN-MIETE-Was-Sie-wissen-sollten.pdf
- Swissmilk: recipe «Raclette-Rösti» – https://www.swissmilk.ch/de/rezepte-kochideen/rezepte/LM200510_09/raclette-roesti/
- Swissmilk: recipe «Raclette-Kartoffelpfanne» – https://www.swissmilk.ch/de/rezepte-kochideen/rezepte/KB_FT2002_149/raclette-kartoffelpfanne/
- Swissmilk: recipe «Raclette-Empanadas (No Food Waste)» – https://www.swissmilk.ch/de/rezepte-kochideen/rezepte/SM2021_CHDO_43/raclette-empanadas-no-food-waste/
- Swissmilk: recipe «Hirsotto mit Mangold und Raclettekäse» – https://www.swissmilk.ch/de/rezepte-kochideen/rezepte/SM2018_DIVE_49/hirsotto-mit-mangold-und-raclettekaese/
- Swissmilk: recipe «Blumenkohllasagne mit Raclette» – https://www.swissmilk.ch/de/rezepte-kochideen/rezepte/SM2018_DIVE_47/blumenkohllasagne-mit-raclette-vegetarische-lasagne/
- Swissmilk: recipe «Raclette-Kürbiskuchen» – https://www.swissmilk.ch/de/rezepte-kochideen/rezepte/LM200710_70/raclette-kuerbiskuchen/
- Swissmilk: recipe «Kartoffel-Raclette-Balls im Air Fryer» – https://www.swissmilk.ch/de/rezepte-kochideen/rezepte/KO2026_NONI_05/kartoffel-raclette-balls-im-air-fryer/
- Swissmilk: «Kartoffeln lagern?» – https://www.swissmilk.ch/de/rezepte-kochideen/tipps-tricks/kartoffeln-lagern/