Julie Clark
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How to Make Chocolate Fondue
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How to Make Chocolate Fondue with the richest, creamiest texture. Add our secret ingredient to take the chocolate flavor over the top.
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Back when Lizzy T’s was just a little “home restaurant” that the kids organized for us, we had a fondue night. I remember cheese fondue for dinner and chocolate fondue for dessert, with all of the fruit, cookies, pretzels and marshmallows to go with it.
I’ve been wanting to share our easy chocolate fondue recipe for quite awhile now, and I’m finally getting to do that today so that your family can join in on the fun!
About this Chocolate Fondue Recipe:
- Flavor: Our chocolate fondue has a rich chocolate flavor from using both dark chocolate and milk chocolate. Our secret ingredient is two tablespoons of espresso or strongly brewed coffee. Don’t worry…you can’t taste the coffee. Coffee simply enhances the chocolate flavor. It’s the same method we use in our chocolate cake.
- Texture: This is thick, smooth and creamy. I’ll give tips for making the fondue runnier if you’d like, but we like ours to be thick.
- Method: Although chocolate fondue can be made in the microwave, I use a stovetop method. I can control the heat a little easier on the stovetop to prevent the chocolate from burning or the cream from scorching.
Ingredients Needed
You may think that chocolate fondue is simply melted chocolate, but there’s a few other ingredients needed to improve the texture and help it stay smooth.
- Heavy whipping cream. Heavy cream thins the chocolate, helps it melt smoothly and keeps it rich. You can use half and half if that’s all you have, but the fondue will be thinner than the fondue made with heavy cream.
- Chocolate chips. I chose to use chocolate chips for this recipe since that is what most people keep in their pantry. I used a mix of dark chocolate and milk chocolate. Can you use semi-sweet chocolate chips for fondue? Yes, you can. It really just depends on your preference, so try a few different types of chocolate and see what you like best. I high-quality chocolate like Ghirardelli or Guittard chocolate.
- Coffee. If you’ve been around our kitchen for long, you’ll know that I love adding coffee to chocolate baked goods. You can’t taste the coffee, but it enhances the chocolate flavor. This is the same idea. You can use just water if you want, but I highly recommend coffee for adding flavor.
- Pure vanilla extract. Again, this is for flavor. It adds a little warmth and depth to the fondue.
Do I have to have a fondue pot for fondue?
No, you don’t. The benefit of a fondue pot is that it keeps the fondue warm and melty. If you don’t have a fondue pot, you may have to rewarm the fondue in the microwave for 30 seconds here and there, then stir it well to remelt.
If you have fondue often though and like to serve it at parties, a fondue pot is a great investment.
How to Make Chocolate Fondue
- Prepare. Measure chocolate into a large bowl. Make the coffee or espresso. Set both aside.
- Heat. In a heavy-bottomed saucepan over low heat, warm the cream for 3-4 minutes.
- Melt. Add the chocolate and coffee to the heavy cream. Keep the heat on low and stir constantly to melt the chocolate with the heavy cream. Continue to melt and stir until the chocolate mixture is completely smooth.
- Add vanilla. Add in the vanilla extract and mix well.
And that’s it. You’re ready to start dipping!
What to Dip in Chocolate Fondue
You can go crazy with chocolate fondue dippers! There are so many options and you can make a beautiful dessert board with chocolate fondue.
- Fruit: strawberries, raspberries, cherries, bananas, pineapple, oranges, apples, pears, blackberries
- Crackers: graham crackers, ritz crackers, biscotti
- Chips: potato chips or pretzels
- Cookies: Oreos, Milano cookies, Nutter Butters
- Other dippers: Marshmallows, pound cake, rice krispie treats
Other Uses for Fondue
- Place the leftovers in the refrigerator and make chocolate truffles out of it. So good!
- Spoon the chocolate fondue over ice cream.
- Add a touch of peanut butter for a peanut butter chocolate fondue. If you choose this option, you may need to add 1/3-½ cup of water since the peanut butter will thicken it.
How to Make Chocolate Fondue
How to Make Chocolate Fondue with the richest, creamiest texture. Add our secret ingredient to take the chocolate flavor over the top.
Servings 20
Prep Time 10 minutes
Total Time 10 minutes
Ingredients
- 1 ¼ cups heavy cream
- 16 ounces high quality milk chocolate chips Ghirardelli
- 16 ounces high quality dark chocolate chips Ghirardelli
- 2 tablespoons strongly brewed coffee or espresso
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
Instructions
- Measure chocolate into a large bowl. Set aside.
- In a heavy-bottomed saucepan over low heat, warm the cream for 3-4 minutes.
- Make the coffee/espresso while the cream is warming up. I used espresso, you can use instant coffee, too.
- Add the chocolate and coffee to the heavy cream. Keep the heat on low and stir constantly to melt the chocolate with the heavy cream.
- Continue to melt and stir until the chocolate mixture is completely smooth.
- Add in the vanilla extract and mix well.
- Remove from the heat.
- Pour the chocolate into a fondue pot or a bowl and place on a dessert board with your favorite dippers.
Notes
This makes a large amount of fondue (about 4 ½ cups). You can easily reduce the recipe by half to make a smaller amount.
Refer to the article above for more tips and tricks.
The calories shown are based on the recipe making about 4 ½ cups, with 1 serving being ¼ cup of fondue. Since different brands of ingredients have different nutritional information, the calories shown are just an estimate. **We are not dietitians and recommend you seek a nutritionist for exact nutritional information. The information in the nutrition box are calculated through a program and there is room for error. If you need an accurate count, I recommend running the ingredients through your favorite nutrition calculator.**
Nutrition
Calories: 230kcal | Carbohydrates: 20g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 16g | Saturated Fat: 12g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 20mg | Sodium: 32mg | Potassium: 158mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 15g | Vitamin A: 221IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 79mg | Iron: 1mg
Frequently Asked Questions
Can you make chocolate fondue in advance?
You can. You’ll simply remelt the fondue over low heat in a saucepan. Stir it often to make sure it remelts slowly and doesn’t burn.
How do I keep chocolate fondue warm?
You can put the chocolate fondue in a slow cooker on the low or warm setting to keep it warm. This is great for parties.
Can I thin this more to make a chocolate sauce?
Yes. To make this fondue thinner, you can add up to ½ cup water. This will make it more “drizzly”.
Is it possible to make this without the coffee? Should I add the equivalent amount of another liquid? Thanks