Raclette without a raclette machine: oven, frying pan, candle stove

Updated: 1 November 2026

Short answer: the easiest way is the oven: lay the cheese on sliced potatoes and melt it for about 15 minutes in the middle of an oven preheated to 180 °C [1]; a frying pan, a microwave [3] or a candle stove [6] also work.

Methods at a glance: temperature and time

Method	Temperature / time	Use or caution	Source
Oven, baking tray	180 °C, middle shelf, about 15 min	everyone served at once	Raclette Suisse [1]
Oven, gratin dish with grill or top heat	220 °C, upper third, 12–15 min	gives a little crust, vegetables in between	Rollis Rezepte [2]
Oven, grill function (short)	220–240 °C, top, 5–8 min	quicker, keep an eye on it	quelle-raclette.fr [3]
Frying pan with lid	low to medium heat, 2–3 min	crisp underside	quelle-raclette.fr [3]
Microwave	full power, 30–60 s per plate	for 1–2 people, fast	quelle-raclette.fr [3]
Candle stove	3–5 min per raclette (manufacturer)	balcony, hiking, a table without a socket	Raclette Suisse shop [6]

The amount of cheese is the same as with an oven; see Raclette: how much cheese and how many potatoes per person?.

1. In the oven: «Studentenraclette» on a baking tray

Raclette Suisse has a tray version for 4 people, called «Studentenraclette vom Blech» [1]:

Ingredients: 800 g waxy potatoes (boiled and peeled), 400–600 g sliced raclette cheese, pepper, paprika, pickled vegetables (for example silverskin onions, gherkins, mixed pickles, baby corn), baking paper.
Method: slice the potatoes and spread them on a tray lined with baking paper. Lay the cheese on top. Melt for about 15 minutes in the middle of an oven preheated to 180 °C. Season and add the pickles.
Tip from the recipe: lay bacon rashers on the cheese and bake them with it.

The recipe uses 400–600 g of cheese for four people, which is 100–150 g each [1]. For a raclette, Raclette Suisse gives 200–250 g of cheese per person [9].

2. In the oven: gratin dish under top heat

The Swiss cooking blog Rollis Rezepte has an oven raclette with tomatoes and onion [2]:

Per portion: 2 slices of raclette cheese (about 180 g), 1 onion, 3–4 small tomatoes, 1 gherkin, pepper.
Method: cut the cheese into pieces about 5 cm wide. The blog leaves the rind on because it turns into a nice crust. Layer cheese, tomato and onion slices in overlapping rows in a gratin dish. Preheat the oven to 220 °C with the grill function or top heat only and bake in the upper third for 12–15 minutes.
Brush slices of bread with a little butter and bake them alongside for about 6–7 minutes [2].

A French raclette site uses the grill function at 220–240 °C, with the dish at the top of the oven for 5–8 minutes. The cheese should bubble but barely colour [3]. It suggests slightly thicker slices (4–5 mm), which dry out less under the grill. To keep the table supplied, it uses two small dishes in turn: one melts in the oven while people scrape from the other [3].

3. In a frying pan

Cheese only: lay the slices flat in a non-stick pan. Melt them with the lid on over low to medium heat for 2–3 minutes. A thin golden crust forms underneath. Slide the cheese straight onto the plate [3].
Raclette potato pan (Swissmilk, 4 portions): fry 800 g sliced boiled potatoes with sage in clarified butter for 10 minutes. Stir in 150 g sliced raclette cheese, pour in 1.5 dl full cream and let it reduce [4].
Raclette Rösti (Swissmilk, 4 portions): fry a Rösti made from 1 kg of potatoes boiled in their skins the day before (Gschwellti) and turn it. Top with 150 g cheese, gherkins, silverskin onions and baby corn, and finish frying with the lid nearly closed so the cheese melts [5].

4. In the microwave

For one plate: put potatoes and sides on the plate and lay the cheese slices over them. Heat at full power for 30–60 seconds [3]. The cheese melts but does not brown [3].

5. Candle and fuel-paste stoves

Small stoves that need no electricity are sold, among others, in the Raclette Suisse shop. The shop states its prices including VAT, plus shipping; checked on 1.11.2026 (unchanged since 31.10.2026) [6]:

Model	Price	Heat source	Included / details	Melting time (manufacturer)
«InCave»	CHF 20.80	4 tealights	1 long pan, 1 spatula; 18.5 × 8 × 5.5 cm, 550 g	3–5 min
«Twiny Cheese» red/black	CHF 52.00	6 tealights	2 pans, 2 spatulas; 25 × 9.5 × 5.6 cm, 400 g	3–5 min
«Heidi»	CHF 52.00	6 tealights	2 pans, 2 spatulas; 25 × 9.5 × 5.6 cm, 400 g	about 4 min
«Twiny Inox»	CHF 62.00	6 tealights	2 pans, 2 spatulas	3–5 min
«Vulcano»	CHF 72.00	fuel paste or a small gas burner, no candles	wind-protected, for outdoor use; 16 × 14 × 15 cm, 1.2 kg	3 min
«Twiny Cheese 4er»	CHF 84.00	tealights («Power-Kerzen»)	4 non-stick pans, 4 spatulas; 42 × 10 × 6 cm, 1.6 kg; «Swiss made by TTM»	3–4 min

The shop also sells a windshield for the Twiny Cheese at CHF 20.00 [6].

Worth knowing:

A stove with two pans and a melting time of 3–5 minutes produces two portions every 3–5 minutes [6].
According to the manufacturer, the Vulcano can be used indoors with a reduced flame, and outdoors or in the cold at «full flame» [6].
A collection of ideas on watson.ch (paid content) lists tealights and a fire in the fireplace or outdoors, as well as the oven, microwave and frying pan [7].

Would an oven be better after all?

For a larger group or an event you can rent a raclette oven; see Renting a raclette oven in Switzerland. If you make raclette often, see Buying a raclette oven.

FAQ

At what temperature does raclette cheese melt in the oven? Raclette Suisse gives 180 °C for about 15 minutes on a tray [1]. With the grill or top heat, Rollis Rezepte uses 220 °C and 12–15 minutes in a gratin dish [2]; at 220–240 °C, 5–8 minutes are enough [3].

Rind on or off? In the oven the rind turns into a crust, which is why Rollis Rezepte leaves it on [2].

Can you make raclette on a barbecue? Yes. Swissmilk melts the cheese in grill pans on the barbecue over indirect heat with the lid closed [8].

Sources

All accessed on 31.10.2026 and re-checked on 1.11.2026 (amounts, times, temperatures and prices).

Raclette Suisse: recipe «Studentenraclette vom Blech» (in German) – https://www.raclette-suisse.ch/de/rezepte/detail-rezepte/raclette/studentenraclette-vom-blech
Rollis Rezepte: «Ofen-Raclette mit Tomaten und Zwiebel» (4.12.2022, in German) – https://rollis-rezepte.ch/index.php?id_kat=16&id_rez=2305
Quelle Raclette ? (France, in French): «La raclette sans appareil : four, poêle ou micro-ondes» – https://www.quelle-raclette.fr/raclette-sans-appareil.html
Swissmilk: recipe «Raclette-Kartoffelpfanne» (in German) – https://www.swissmilk.ch/de/rezepte-kochideen/rezepte/KB_FT2002_149/raclette-kartoffelpfanne/
Swissmilk: recipe «Raclette-Rösti» (in German) – https://www.swissmilk.ch/de/rezepte-kochideen/rezepte/LM200510_09/raclette-roesti/
Raclette Suisse shop: overview «Raclette-Öfen» (in German) – https://www.raclette-suisse.ch/de/shop/raclette-oefen – and product pages:
watson.ch (paid native article, «Präsentiert von»): «Keine Raclette-Öfeli – kein Problem!» (11.11.2016, in German) – https://www.watson.ch/schweiz/native/465468419-keine-raclette-oefeli-kein-problem-so-wird-dein-kaese-trotzdem-weich
Swissmilk: recipe «Grillgemüse-Raclette» (in German) – https://www.swissmilk.ch/de/rezepte-kochideen/rezepte/KO2024_RACL_02/grillgemuese-raclette/
Raclette Suisse: «Preparation» – https://www.raclette-suisse.ch/en/raclette/preparation (accessed 1.11.2026)