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This classic Chocolate Fondue recipe is simple, delicious, and beautiful. It only takes 10 minutes, 4 ingredients, and all your favorite things to dip: fresh fruit, cake, marshmallows, all of it!
This easy chocolate fondue recipe is a gorgeous centerpiece for parties and bridal showers, or scale it down for an intimate celebration for two. It’s a fun way for friends and family to engage with their food in a unique way, and everyone can customize their own experience.
There are so many potential dippers including fruit (especially orange segments and strawberries), cakes, candy, brownies, and marshmallows. This version is made with pure vanilla extract, but you can substitute your favorite liqueur or other extract. Just cut everything down into perfectly-portioned, skewer-able pieces and let guests help themselves.
Table of Contents
Equipment and ingredient notes
- Fondue pot: I have and love this Cuisinart electric fondue pot. It’s easy to use, a breeze to clean, and it works really well! It’s the same one you see in the photos, and it comes with 8 skewers. The recipe is written for a stove-top version of fondue so anyone can make it.
- Chocolate: For deep chocolate flavor, use bittersweet chocolate with at least 60% cacao. Or, substitute semi-sweet chocolate chips.
Step-by-step instructions
- Bring a small saucepan of water to a gentle simmer over medium heat and set a glass or metal bowl over the top to create a double boiler (do not let the water touch the bowl).
- Add chocolate to melt and stir until smooth. Whisk in vanilla. Add salt to taste if desired.
- Transfer to a fondue pot and heat the fuel underneath to keep warm over medium-low heat. Serve with fresh fruit, pound cake, brownies, cookies, marshmallows, pretzels, all your favorites.
Recipe tips and variations
- Yield: This recipe makes about 4 cups (1 quart) chocolate fondue, enough for 16 servings, ¼ cup each.
- White chocolate fondue: Substitute a pound of high-quality white chocolate chips or baking chocolate for a creamy white, delicious alternative.
- Citrus: Break apart citrus fruit (tangerine, orange, grapefruit) into segments carefully without breaking the inner membranes. Place the segments on a baking rack in a warm, oven (preheated to 200 and turned off) for several hours. The membranes will turn crisp so the juicy segments will burst in your mouth.
- Fruit: banana slices, chunks of pineapple, mango, papaya, strawberries, raspberries, apples, pears, or dried apricots.
- Crunchy: Dip salty pretzels or try sprinkling toasted coconut, slivered almonds, and crushed hazelnuts on your goodies after dipping.
- Cake and bars: Cubes of pound cake, Angel food cake, brownies, blondies, Rice Krispie treats, or Biscotti.
- Cookies and candy: Ginger snaps, Pizzelle, graham crackers, red velvet cookies, peanut butter cookies, marshmallows.
- Spices: Dust the chocolate fondue with cinnamon, chili powder, or crunchy sea salt.
- Spiked: For the 21+ crowd, stir in a high-quality liqueur such as Grand Marnier (orange liqueur) or amaretto (almond/cherry flavor).
- Cheese Fondue: Is this the Melting Pot? For an appetizer-style fondue, make a delicious, creamy cheese fondue with gruyere or other alpine-style cheeses, garlic, dried mustard, white wine, and crusty bread chunks for dipping.
Frequently Asked Questions
Create deep flavors in your chocolate fondue by using more than one kind. I love dark bittersweet chocolate (at least 60% cocoa) paired with high-quality milk chocolate.
Serve a variety of dippers like cakes, cookies, candy, or fruits, nuts, and bread. Some classics are strawberries, pound cake, brownies, rice krispies and marshmallows.
If the chocolate fondue is made properly, it should maintain its liquid state over low or medium-low heat. A fondue pot can help keep it at the right temperature.
Favorite dippers for Fondue
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Chocolate Fondue
Equipment
- Fondue pot (I've used this one for years and love it, see note 1)
Ingredients
To make the fondue:
- 2 cups heavy cream
- 8 ounces premium dark chocolate chopped or chips (at least 60% cacao, see note 2)
- 8 ounces premium milk chocolate chopped or chips
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- Salt optional
For serving:
- Fresh fruit: Strawberries, oranges, bananas, pineapple, cherries
- Baked goods: Brownies, rice krispie treats, cookies, Angel food cake, pound cake
- Candy: Marshmallows, caramels, peanut brittle
Instructions
- Bring a saucepan of water to a gentle simmer and set a glass or metal bowl over the top to create a double boiler (do not let the water touch the bowl).
- Add heavy cream to bowl and heat until the cream feels hot to the touch (140 to 150 degrees). Add chocolate and whisk until smooth.
- Whisk in vanilla. Add salt to taste if desired. Transfer to a fondue pot and heat the fuel underneath to keep warm (keep the flame low). Serve with fruit or other sweets.
Recipe Video
Notes
- Fondue pot: I have and love this Cuisinart electric fondue pot. It’s easy to use, a breeze to clean, and it works really well! It’s the same one you see in the photos, and it comes with 8 skewers. The recipe is written for a stove-top version of fondue so anyone can make it.
- Chocolate: For deep chocolate flavor, use a premium chocolate with at least 60% cacao. Or, substitute semi-sweet chocolate chips.
- Yield: This recipe makes about 4 cups (1 quart) chocolate fondue, enough for 16 servings, ¼ cup each.
Nutrition
Meggan Hill is a classically-trained chef and professional writer. Her meticulously-tested recipes and detailed tutorials bring confidence and success to home cooks everywhere. Meggan has been featured on NPR, HuffPost, FoxNews, LA Times, and more.
Yum! I love this recipe. So tasty and such a fun way to eat chocolate!