This easy chocolate fondue is the best treat for Valentine’s Day, Mother’s Day, parties, or cozy nights in. Transform chocolate into smooth and velvety dip perfect for dunking your favorite fruit, donut/cake pieces, or pretzels. There are so many possibilities and it only takes 10 minutes to make! You don’t need necessarilly need a fondue pot to make it.
Ingredients
Below you will find information about the ingredients and how to prepare the recipe. For the measurements and detailed instructions scroll down to the printable recipe card.
Here’s what you need to make this easy recipe:
What kind of chocolate to use:
My favorite chocolate to use is a mix of bittersweet chocolate and milk chocolate. You can use any chocolate that you like. Bittersweet chocolate is not very sweet so I like to add a small amount of milk chocolate to make it sweeter and I also like the flavor of the ‘milk’ component of the milk chocolate.
Instead of bittersweet chocolate, you can use semi-sweet chocolate which is similar to bittersweet chocolate but it is slightly sweeter and has less cacao content. If using semisweet chocolate, I would add a little less milk chocolate.
If you like things less sweet, you can use just bittersweet chocolate or just semi-sweet chocolate. I would not recommend adding more milk chocolate than the recipe calls – the chocolate fondue would be too sweet.
The flavor of your chocolate fondue will also depend on the brand of the chocolate. You can find bittersweet chocolate that has 70% of the cocoa and 50% cocoa content. The 70% bittersweet chocolate is more bitter and has a more pronounced cocoa flavor.
For this recipe, you want to use the best chocolate you can get. It can be chocolate chips or chocolate bars. If using chocolate chips, make sure to buy a good brand, such as Ghirardelli or Guittard. Chocolate bars taste mostly better than chocolate chips but I’ve found that when using a good chocolate chip brand, the difference is not noticeable.
You can also use white chocolate for this recipe.
You could, theoretically, just melt plain chocolate, but it is too thick and just not rich enough to serve as a fondue. Once you try the chocolate fondue with dairy, you will understand the difference!
Heavy cream and milk – make the chocolate dip rich, thick, and velvety. You could use just milk – the dip will be a little bit thinner or just heavy cream (will be a little bit thicker). Half and half would also work. I’ve found that using just heavy cream makes the fondue a little bit too heavy.
What you could also add to flavor your chocolate fondue:
- Try a Mexican twist to the chocolate fondue – add a big pinch of cinnamon and a small pinch of cayenne pepper.
- Boozy add-ins: orange liqueur (such as Cointreau), bourbon, Amaretto (almond liqueur), Bailey’s Irish cream liqueur, Kahlua (coffee liqueur).
- Orange zest for a citrus flavor.
- Espresso or espresso powder for a coffee flavor.
What to dip in chocolate fondue
Fruit – the best thing to dip in chocolate fondue!
The best fruit to dip is chocolate is obviously strawberries but we like to have several different fruits. I especially like to use fruit that is slightly sour to balance the sweetness of the chocolate.
Fruit you may want to use for chocolate fondue:
- all the berries: strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, blackberries
- oranges, mandarin oranges, and grapefruit
- exotic fruit such as kiwi, pineapple, or mango
- bananas, cherries, peaches, plums, apricots, pears.
Cookies: Shortbread cookies, Oreos, Ladyfingers, Biscotti.
Other sweets/baked goods: Donut holes (amazing!), pound cake, marshmallows.
Crispy Treats: Salty pretzels – my absolute flavor – the crispy and salty combo with chocolate is the best. Crackers
There are so many things you can serve with chocolate fondue it may be overwhelming – our absolute favorite foods to dip in chocolate fondue are: strawberries, oranges, grapes, donut holes, and salty pretzels!
How to make chocolate fondue step-by-step
First prepare all the ingredients that you would like to dip in your chocolate fondue: wash and dry fruit. If using oranges, cut them into segments, if using larger fruit such as pineapple or kiwi, cut them into smaller pieces, about 1 inch (2.5 cm) long. Arrange all the ingredients on a large board or divide them between small bowls.
Make chocolate fondue:
STEP 1: Add milk and heavy cream to a medium saucepan and cook until very hot but not boiling.
(1/2 cup (120ml) milk, 1/3 cup (80ml) heavy cream or heavy whipping cream, 30-36% fat)
STEP 2: Take the pot off the heat, add the chocolate chips or chopped chocolate.
(8 ounces (225g) bittersweet chocolate, or chopped chocolate bars, 4 ounces (115g) milk chocolate, or chopped chocolate bars)
STEP 3: Whisk until melted and smooth. If all the chocolate is not completely melted, place the pot back on the stove over the lowest heat for 10-15 seconds, take the pot off the heat and whisk again. Repeat if needed but don’t cook the chocolate sauce. Stir in the salt and vanilla.
(1 teaspoon vanilla extract, pinch of salt)
Note about fondue pots: I own a fondue pot that is warmed up with a tea candle (pictured), and I’ve found that when warm chocolate fondue is added to the pot with a lit candle, the chocolate starts to cook. I light the tea candle after about 10-15 minutes when the chocolate fondue starts to thicken. If I feel that the chocolate is starting to overheat, I blow out the candle. These smaller ceramic tea candle-lit fondue bowls are great for 2-4 people or small gatherings or if you plan on eating your chocolate fondue right away. I you plan to prepare it for a large gathering, or when you’re serving multiple dishes and the fondue won’t be eaten right away, it’s better to invest in electric fondue pots, that are better at keeping a constant gentle heat.
STEP 4: Serve straight from the pot or pour into a fondue pot.
Enjoy!
Top Tips
- Don’t let your chocolate fondue come to a boil or it may turn grainy/split.
- Adjust the consistency to your liking – if you like your chocolate fondue thick, add less dairy and use cream instead of milk. If you’d like it thinner, use milk instead of cream, or use more milk.
- Please note that chocolate chips and chocolate bars vary greatly depending on the brand – their flavor and melting abilities. Just experiment with what works best for you, and adjust the consistency if needed.
- If the chocolate turns grainy: just stir in more milk a teaspoon at a time until it smooths out.
- Storage: Chocolate fondue keeps well in the fridge for several days. Just reheat it in a pot over very low heat until warm and melted again.
- Other uses for this recipe – it works great as a sauce/dip to serve with pancakes! It won’t work as a coating for chocolate-coated strawberries!
What to do if you don’t have a fondue pot?
A fondue pot is not necessary to enjoy a chocolate fondue! We are making chocolate fondue in a pot anyway, so the fondue pot is just needed to keep the fondue melted/”dippable”. I’ve found that this chocolate fondue stays nice and melted for about 20 minutes, so you could serve it in the saucepan, and if you notice that it is starting to thicken/harden, you can always return it to the stove and gently reheat it over very low heat until warm and melted again!
Below you will find information about the ingredients and how to prepare the recipe. For the measurements and detailed instructions scroll down to the printable recipe card.
Chocolate Fondue
Ingredients
for the chocolate fondue:
- 1/2 cup (120ml) milk
- 1/3 cup (80ml) heavy cream or heavy whipping cream 30-36% fat
- 8 ounces (225g) bittersweet chocolate chips or chopped chocolate bars
- 4 ounces (115g) milk chocolate chips or chopped chocolate bars
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- pinch of salt
to serve:
- fruit such as strawberries, oranges, raspberries, grapes or other
- donut holes or small pieces of pound cake
- crispy treats such as salty pretzels or crackers
Instructions
- First prepare all the ingredients that you would like to dip in your chocolate fondue: wash and dry fruit. If using oranges, cut them into segments, if using larger fruit such as pineapple or kiwi, cut them into smaller pieces, about 1 inch (2.5 cm) long. Arrange all the ingredients on a large board or divide them between small bowls.
- Make chocolate fondue: Add milk and heavy cream to a medium saucepan and cook until very hot but not boiling. Take the pot off the heat, add the chocolate chips or chopped chocolate and whisk until melted and smooth. If all the chocolate is not completely melted, place the pot back on the stove over the lowest heat for 10-15 seconds, take the pot off the heat and whisk again. Repeat if needed but don't cook the chocolate sauce. Stir in the salt and vanilla.
- Serve straight from the pot or pour into a fondue pot.
- Enjoy!
Notes
- Note about fondue pots: I own a fondue pot that is warmed up with a tea candle (pictured), and I’ve found that when warm chocolate fondue is added to the pot with a lit candle, the chocolate starts to cook. I light the tea candle after about 10-15 minutes when the chocolate fondue starts to thicken. If I feel that the chocolate is starting to overheat, I blow out the candle.
- What to do if you don’t have a fondue pot? A fondue pot is not necessary to enjoy a chocolate fondue! We are making chocolate fondue in a pot anyway, so the fondue pot is just needed to keep the fondue melted/”dippable”. I’ve found that this chocolate fondue stays nice and melted for about 20 minutes, so you could serve it in the saucepan, and if you notice that it is starting to thicken/harden, you can always return it to the stove and gently reheat it over very low heat until warm and melted again!
- Adjust the consistency to your liking – if you like your chocolate fondue thick, add less dairy and use cream instead of milk. If you’d like it thinner, use milk instead of cream, or use more milk.
- Please note that chocolate chips and chocolate bars vary greatly depending on the brand – their flavor and melting abilities. Just experiment with what works best for you, and adjust the consistency if needed.
- There are so many things you can serve with chocolate fondue it may be overwhelming – our absolute favorite foods to dip in chocolate fondue are: strawberries, oranges, grapes, donut holes, and salty pretzels!
- Calories = 1 serving (1/8 of the recipe). This is only an estimate!
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