Raclette potatoes: which variety, how many and how long to cook
Updated: 1 November 2026
Raclette comes with Gschwellti: potatoes cooked in their skins [1][4]. This page covers which ones to buy, how many you need and how long they take.
At a glance
- Variety: special raclette potatoes or a waxy variety [2]
- Amount: 200–250 g per person, the same weight as the cheese [3][4]
- Size: medium to small [4]
- Cooking time: about 35 minutes in their skins [4], or 7–12 minutes in a pressure cooker once the second ring shows [5]
Which variety?
Look at the colour on the bag. In Switzerland the cooking type is shown by the colour of the packaging [2][6]:
| Colour | Cooking type | For raclette? |
|---|---|---|
| green | waxy (festkochend) | yes, e.g. for Gschwellti [2] |
| brown | specialities, including raclette potatoes | yes [2] |
| blue | floury (mehligkochend) | less suited; Swissmilk lists them for gratin, mash and soup [2] |
| red | high-temperature line | no; Swissmilk lists them for chips (Pommes frites) [2] |
Why waxy? Waxy potatoes keep their shape when cooked [2].
Waxy varieties named by Swissmilk [2]: Amandine, Annabelle, Ballerina, Celtiane, Charlotte, Ditta, Emanuelle, Erika, Gwenne, Jazzy, Lucera, Lutine, Maldive, Queen Anne, Simonetta, Venezia, Vitabella.
Cooking type in more detail: the Swiss variety list for 2026 gives the cooking type as letters [7]. A selection:
| Variety | Cooking type in the 2026 variety list |
|---|---|
| Amandine | A–B |
| Annabelle | A–B |
| Erika | A–B |
| Venezia | A–B |
| Charlotte | B–A |
| Ditta | B–A |
Types A and A–B count as waxy, B–A and B as mainly waxy [6]. The variety list still places Charlotte and Ditta under «waxy» [7].
Raclette potatoes are small potatoes sold as a speciality [2].
How many per person?
| People | Potatoes at 200–250 g per person |
|---|---|
| 2 | 400–500 g |
| 4 | 800 g – 1 kg |
| 6 | 1.2–1.5 kg |
| 8 | 1.6–2 kg |
| 10 | 2–2.5 kg |
The per-person amount comes from [3][4]; the rows are that amount multiplied by the number of people. Spar's recipe for 4 uses 1 kg of Gschwellti from a waxy variety [8]. More on amounts in Raclette: how much cheese and how many potatoes per person?
Cooking: three methods
1. In a saucepan Boil medium to small potatoes in their skins for about 35 minutes until just tender, then keep them warm [4].
2. In a pressure cooker (fastest) Following Betty Bossi [5]:
- Fill with water up to the steamer insert. Do not salt it.
- Pick potatoes of roughly the same size.
- Fill the pot no more than two thirds full and close it.
- Once the second ring appears, cook for 7–12 minutes depending on size and variety. Both red rings must stay visible.
- Take the pot off the heat and only open it once the valve has fully dropped.
- Do not cool the pot under cold water; the skins split less that way.
3. In a steamer Medium-sized potatoes take 15–20 minutes at 120 °C in a pressure steamer, or 35 minutes at 100 °C in a standard steam oven [5].
Before cooking: scrub the potatoes well, especially if you eat the skin [5].
Checking they are done: test with a pointed knife [5].
Keeping them warm
Raclette Suisse suggests keeping the cooked potatoes warm, for example in a warming basket made of felt, fabric or wicker [4].
Leftovers
If potatoes and sides are left over, Spar suggests a bake topped with raclette cheese in the oven [8]. More ideas in Raclette sides and Freezing raclette cheese and using leftovers.
FAQ
Peel them or not? Gschwellti are cooked in their skins [1][4]. Whether you eat the skin is up to you. If you do, scrub the potatoes well first [5].
Can I use floury potatoes? Swissmilk recommends waxy varieties or raclette potatoes, and lists floury ones for gratin, mash or soup [2].
Salt the water? Betty Bossi does not salt the water in the pressure cooker [5].
The whole evening, from shopping to dessert: How raclette works: a step-by-step guide
Sources
All accessed on 31.10.2026 and re-checked on 1.11.2026.
- Schweizer Käse: «Raclette-Beilagen» (in German) – https://www.schweizerkaese.ch/inspirationen/raclette/raclette-beilagen
- Swissmilk: «Welche Kartoffel für was?» (in German) – https://www.swissmilk.ch/de/rezepte-kochideen/tipps-tricks/welche-kartoffel-fuer-was/ (spellings as in the variety list [7]; Swissmilk writes «Celtine», «Simonette» and «Venmezia»)
- Swissmilk: «Raclette-Ideen: Beilagen, Tipps & Rezepte» (in German) – https://www.swissmilk.ch/de/rezepte-kochideen/raclette-ideen-beilagen-tipps-rezepte/
- Raclette Suisse: «Preparation» – https://www.raclette-suisse.ch/en/raclette/preparation
- Betty Bossi: «Gschwellti schnell und einfach zubereiten» (in German) – https://www.bettybossi.ch/de/magazin/artikel/gschwellti-schnell-und-einfach-zubereiten/
- 20 Minuten, 15.12.2021 (marked as advertising): «Das sind die perfekten Kartoffeln für dein Raclette» (in German) – https://www.20min.ch/story/das-sind-die-perfekten-kartoffeln-fuer-dein-raclette-752676615120
- Swiss potato variety list 2026 (PDF, kartoffel.ch, in German) – https://www.kartoffel.ch/_Resources/Persistent/fd838c8f98e90de4ba714f06861c9b1d4668d903/Sortenliste_Kartoffeln_2026_DE_Einzelseiten_Web.pdf
- Spar Schweiz: «Raclette in allen Variationen» (in German) – https://www.spar.ch/blog/detail/raclette-in-allen-variationen