Raclette: how much cheese and how many potatoes per person?

Updated: 31 October 2026

Short answer: plan on 200 to 250 g of raclette cheese per person and the same weight of Gschwellti (Swiss German for potatoes boiled in their skins) [1][2]. If you scrape the cheese from a half wheel, add 300 g of cheese in total [1]. For gherkins, pickled silverskin onions and other sides, 150 to 200 g per person is enough [1].

Rather not do the maths yourself? Our Raclette planner works it out for your number of guests.

What the Swiss food organisations say

The figures differ slightly by source:

The sources give a range of 200 to 250 g but do not say when to use which figure.

Shopping rule of thumb: for 4 people that means 800 g to 1 kg of cheese and the same weight of potatoes.

A half wheel for scraping: how many people does it feed?

When you scrape cheese from a half wheel, more of it stays on the rind and the knife than with slices melted in the small pans. Swissmilk therefore recommends adding 300 g of cheese in total [1].

According to its official specification (2026 version, art. 3), a wheel of Raclette du Valais AOP (German: Walliser Raclette AOP) measures 29 to 32 cm across, is 6 to 8 cm high and weighs 4.6 to 5.8 kg [12]. A round half wheel, such as the one Seiler Käse supplies with its rental ovens, weighs about 2.7 kg [13]. That gives:

The original recipe from the Raclette du Valais producers' body uses ½ wheel (about 2.4 to 2.5 kg) for 8 people [16].

Our own arithmetic, not from a source: it rests on three assumptions. First, a half wheel weighs half of 4.6 to 5.8 kg, so 2.3 to 2.9 kg [12]. Second, the extra 300 g that Swissmilk adds stays on the wheel and is not eaten [1]. Third, each person still eats 200 to 250 g when the cheese is scraped [1][2]. 2.3 kg − 0.3 kg = 2.0 kg; 2.9 kg − 0.3 kg = 2.6 kg. At 250 g per person: 2.0 kg ÷ 0.25 kg = 8 and 2.6 kg ÷ 0.25 kg = 10 people (rounded down). At 200 g: 10 to 13 people. With a 2.7 kg half wheel: 2.4 kg ÷ 0.25 kg = 9 people (rounded down) or 2.4 kg ÷ 0.2 kg = 12 people.

The wheels are handmade and vary in weight. Ask the cheese shop for the exact weight and recalculate. These dimensions come from the specification and apply only to Raclette du Valais AOP [12], so ask for the weight with any other raclette cheese too.

For groups of about 15 or more, cheese dairies such as Molkerei Lanz lend a half-wheel raclette oven free of charge if you buy the cheese from them [5]. More in our guide Buying a raclette oven.

Which cheese for the tabletop grill, which for the wheel?

• Raclette du Valais AOP is always made from raw milk. Raclette Suisse (a brand label, not a region) can be made from raw, thermised or pasteurised milk [6].
• According to Swissmilk, cheese made from pasteurised milk works better in the electric tabletop grill with small pans (the Öfeli, Swiss German for "little oven"). Raw-milk cheese loses a lot of fat and aroma there; it is better suited to the open fire or a half-wheel oven [6].
• The rind is edible [6]. Raclette Suisse advises scraping it a little, not cutting it off [2].
• Take the cheese out of the fridge 20 to 30 minutes before eating. Don't let it melt too long, or the fat separates [2].

Potatoes: variety and cooking time

• Raclette Suisse recommends small to medium potatoes boiled in their skins for about 30 to 35 minutes [2][7].
• In Swiss supermarkets, potato packs are colour-coded: raclette potatoes come in the brown pack labelled «Spezialitäten / Raclette». Waxy varieties from the green pack, such as Charlotte, Annabelle or Amandine, also work [8].
• In a pressure cooker they take 7 to 12 minutes from the second ring (the second marking on the pressure indicator) [9]. Swissmilk gives 8 to 15 minutes [10]. Use potatoes of similar size, otherwise the small ones fall apart before the big ones are done [9].
• A warming basket on the table keeps the Gschwellti warm [2].

Sides: how much?

The classics are gherkins, pickled silverskin onions and baby corn [2]. Swissmilk allows 150 to 200 g of sides per person [1].

Meat: how much per person?

The Bergkäserei Walker cheese dairy in Bitsch (Valais) gives an optional 100 to 150 g of meat or fish per person as a guide [14]. Swissmilk, Raclette Suisse and the Raclette du Valais producers' body give no meat amount in their quantity guidance [1][2].

What works: Walker lists Valais dried beef (Walliser Trockenfleisch), raw-cured ham, bacon cubes, chicken pieces, prawns and smoked salmon [14]. Swissmilk suggests ham or bacon in cubes or strips, cervelat or other sausage in slices, bacon rashers and thinly sliced meat [15]. Keep the pieces small so they cook quickly; prepare the meat in advance and serve it in small portions [14].

Bought too much? Storing and freezing

• Wrapped in cling film, cut raclette cheese keeps in the fridge for about a week (Raclette Suisse: 8 days), vacuum-packed about two months [2][7].
• You can freeze it. Jürg Kriech, managing director of Raclette Suisse, told the SRF consumer programme «Espresso»: frozen cheese gets more crumbly but actually melts better. Pack it airtight, ideally vacuum-sealed, and keep it frozen for no more than six months [11].
• According to Kriech, freezing it a second time is possible, but then for no more than a month [11].

Worked examples

Calculation based on [1], at 225 g per person (middle of the range):

"Hardly worth it" is an editorial assessment.

The whole evening, from shopping to dessert: How a raclette night works, step by step

Sources

All accessed 31.10.2026.

1. Swissmilk: «Raclette pro Person?» (in German) – https://www.swissmilk.ch/de/rezepte-kochideen/tipps-tricks/raclette-pro-person/ (wording re-checked 1.11.2026)
2. Raclette Suisse: «Preparation» – https://www.raclette-suisse.ch/en/raclette/preparation
3. Raclette Suisse: recipe «Raclette klassisch» (in German) – https://www.raclette-suisse.ch/de/rezepte/detail-rezepte/raclette/raclette-klassisch
4. Swiss Association of AOP-IGP: «Walliser Raclette AOP» – https://www.aop-igp.ch/en/walliser-raclette-aop/page
5. Molkerei Lanz: «Raclette-Öfen mieten» (in German) – https://www.molkerei-lanz.ch/laden/raclette/raclette-oefen-mieten.html
6. Swissmilk: «20 Dinge, die du über Raclette noch nicht wusstest» (in German) – https://www.swissmilk.ch/de/rezepte-kochideen/20-dinge-die-du-ueber-raclette-noch-nicht-wusstest/
7. Raclette Suisse: «Nützliche Tipps» (PDF, in German) – https://www.raclette-suisse.ch/fileadmin/dateiablage/07_PDF/raclette_suisse_nuetzliche_tipps_d.pdf
8. Swissmilk: «Welche Kartoffel für was?» (in German) – https://www.swissmilk.ch/de/rezepte-kochideen/tipps-tricks/welche-kartoffel-fuer-was/
9. Betty Bossi: «Gschwellti schnell und einfach zubereiten» (in German) – https://www.bettybossi.ch/de/magazin/artikel/gschwellti-schnell-und-einfach-zubereiten/
10. Swissmilk: recipe «Gschwellti» (in German) – https://www.swissmilk.ch/de/rezepte-kochideen/rezepte/SM2018_ALLT_05/gschwellti/
11. SRF Espresso, 16.01.2023: «Raclette-Käse zweimal einfrieren ohne Geschmacksverlust?» (in German) – https://www.srf.ch/sendungen/kassensturz-espresso/services/espresso-aha/schlauer-i-d-wuche-raclette-kaese-zweimal-einfrieren-ohne-geschmacksverlust
12. Specification (Pflichtenheft) 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
13. 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
14. Walker Delicia (Bergkäserei Walker, Bitsch): «Raclette Beilagen: Ideen und Mengen pro Person» (in German) – https://www.walkerdelicia.ch/pages/raclette-beilagen (accessed 1.11.2026)
15. Swissmilk: «Raclette-Ideen: Beilagen, Tipps und Rezepte» (in German) – https://www.swissmilk.ch/de/rezepte-kochideen/raclette-ideen-beilagen-tipps-rezepte/ (accessed 1.11.2026)
16. Raclette du Valais producers' body: «Originalrezept» (in German) – https://www.raclette-du-valais.ch/rezepte/originalrezept (accessed 1.11.2026)