This 3-ingredient Chocolate Fondue combines melted chocolate, cream, and butter for a creamy dipping dessert that’s ready in minutes and easy to serve with your favorite dippers.
You can make this chocolate fondue in about 5 minutes without a fondue pot. Use milk chocolate, dark chocolate, or a combination, then serve it warm with your favorite dippers for chocolate fondue, such as fruit, cookies, cake, and marshmallows. If you like chocolate and marshmallow desserts, you may also like Hot Chocolate Fudge.
Quick Look: Chocolate Fondue
- ⏱️ Prep Time: 10 minutes
- 🔥 Cook Time: 5 minutes
- ⏰ Total Time: 15 minutes
- 🍽️ Servings: 8
- 🍫 Chocolate: Milk chocolate, dark chocolate, or a combination
- 🫕 Cooking Method: Double boiler
- 🍓 Dippers: Fresh fruit, cookies, cake, marshmallows, and pretzels
- 🔥 Serving: Best served warm
- 🫕 Fondue Pot: Optional
- 🥄 Texture: Creamy and easy to dip while warm
- ⭐ Difficulty: Easy
- Why This Recipe Works: Gentle heat and cream give the chocolate a creamy texture that stays easy to dip while warm. It’s ready in minutes and pairs well with fruit, cookies, cake, and other treats on a dessert charcuterie board.
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Jump to:
- Quick Look: Chocolate Fondue
- What Is Chocolate Fondue?
- Chef’s Notes from Valentina
- Ingredients
- Best Chocolate for Fondue
- Substitutions And Additions
- How to Make Chocolate Fondue
- Expert Tips for Chocolate Fondue
- FAQ About Chocolate Fondue
- Chocolate Fondue Dippers
- More Chocolate Desserts
- Chocolate Fondue Recipe
- Storage and Reheating
What Is Chocolate Fondue?
Chocolate fondue is melted chocolate served warm with fruit, cookies, cake, marshmallows, and other foods for dipping.
The word fondue comes from the French verb fondre, meaning “to melt.” Traditional fondue is usually made with cheese, while chocolate fondue uses melted chocolate and cream for a sweet dip served warm with fruit, cookies, and other treats.
Ingredients
Heavy cream – ¾ cup. This gives the fondue a rich, creamy texture. Whole milk or half-and-half can be used instead, but the fondue will be thinner.
Mild vegetable oil – ½ tablespoon. This helps keep the melted chocolate smooth and easy to dip while warm. 1 tablespoon unsalted butter can be used instead.
Vanilla extract – 1 teaspoon, optional. Add it for extra flavor, or replace it with Grand Marnier or bourbon for an adult version.
Chocolate bar – 10.5 oz (298 g), chopped. Use good-quality chocolate that melts well. The recipe uses 1 Lindt milk chocolate bar and 2 Lindt dark chocolate bars, but you can use another brand or adjust the combination to suit your preferred sweetness.
Best Chocolate for Fondue
Good-Quality Chocolate: Choose chocolate that melts well and tastes good on its own. Milk chocolate gives you a sweeter fondue, while dark chocolate has a more intense chocolate flavor. You can also combine the two.
Chopped Chocolate Bars: Chocolate bars are a reliable choice for fondue. Chop them into small, evenly sized pieces to help them melt at the same rate.
Chocolate Chips: Good-quality chocolate chips can work, but results vary by brand. Some manufacturers formulate chocolate chips to hold their shape during baking, which can make them take longer to melt than chopped bars.
Couverture Chocolate: Couverture contains more cocoa butter than standard chocolate and melts to a thinner consistency. It can be a good choice when you want the chocolate to coat dippers easily.
How to Make Chocolate Fondue
- Heat the water: Add some water to a saucepan and bring it to a simmer over medium-low heat.
- Set up the double boiler: Place a larger heatproof bowl over the saucepan. Make sure the water doesn’t touch the bottom of the bowl.
- Heat the cream: Add the cream and bring it to a simmer. Stir in the oil and vanilla, if using.
- Add the chocolate: Turn off the heat, then add the chocolate to the warm mixture. Swirl the bowl until the chocolate is covered. Wear oven gloves when handling the hot bowl.
- Let it melt: Leave the chocolate for 2 minutes, then whisk until smooth. Serve right away.
FAQ About Chocolate Fondue
Yes. Use a heatproof bowl set over a saucepan of simmering water as a double boiler. The bottom of the bowl shouldn’t touch the water. A fondue pot can be used afterward to keep the chocolate warm at the table.
Let it cool for about 5–7 minutes. The chocolate naturally thickens as its temperature drops, so give it a few minutes before making other adjustments.
Chocolate fondue is served warm in a bowl or fondue pot for dipping. A chocolate fountain circulates melted chocolate through a machine and needs chocolate thin enough to flow through it properly.
Yes. You can use a microwave as an alternative to the double boiler. Heat the mixture carefully in short intervals and stir between each one to avoid overheating the chocolate.
Chocolate Fondue Dippers
Fresh Fruit: Strawberries, blackberries, raspberries, bananas, apple and pear slices, grapes, and dried apricots all work well with melted chocolate.
Cookies: Oreos, macarons, pirouettes, biscotti, Girl Scout cookies, and shortbread cookies are easy to pick up and dip.
Cake and Pastries: Pound cake, strawberry pound cake, Rice Krispies treats, brownie bites, marshmallows, cubed panettone, and brookies can be served alongside the fondue.
Sweet and Salty: Pretzel rods and potato chips add a crisp, salty contrast to the chocolate.
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Chocolate Fondue Recipe
Equipment
- saucepan
- Heatproof bowl
- whisk
Ingredients
- ¾ cup heavy cream, whole milk, or half-and-half
- ½ tablespoon mild vegetable oil or 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract or a spirit such as Grand Marnier or bourbon – optional
- 10.5 oz chocolate bar – chopped (Make sure to use good-quality chocolate. I used 1 Lindt milk chocolate bar and 2 Lindt dark chocolate bars, but you can use another brand or adjust the combination to suit your preferred sweetness.)
Instructions
- Heat the water: Add some water to a saucepan and bring it to a simmer over medium-low heat.
- Set up the double boiler: Place a larger heatproof bowl over the saucepan. Make sure the water doesn’t touch the bottom of the bowl.
- Heat the cream: Add the cream and bring it to a simmer. Stir in the oil and vanilla.
- Add the chocolate: Turn off the heat, then add the chocolate to the warm mixture. Swirl the bowl until the chocolate is covered. Wear oven gloves when handling the hot bowl.
- Let it melt: Leave the chocolate for 2 minutes, then whisk until smooth. Serve right away.
Recipe Video
Recipe Notes
Storage and Reheating
Refrigerator: Let the chocolate fondue cool, transfer it to an airtight, odor-free container, and refrigerate for up to 2 days. You can also use leftover fondue as a base for hot chocolate. Freezer: Don’t freeze the fondue, as it may become grainy after thawing. Reheating: Warm it gently in a double boiler or saucepan over low heat, stirring until smooth. You can also microwave it in 30-second intervals, stirring after each interval until warm.Nutrition
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I served this with bananas, strawberries, and cookies, and the chocolate tasted delicious with all of them.