Chocolate Fondue
Perfect for a cozy date night or a fun way to entertain friends, this simple chocolate fondue is a crowd-pleasing dessert with countless dipping options!
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Table of Contents
- About Chocolate Fondue
- What’s in chocolate fondue?
- What type of chocolate should you use?
- Do you need a fondue pot?
- What can you serve with sweet fondue?
- Can you make chocolate fondue in advance?
- How long is chocolate fondue good for?
- Can you freeze chocolate fondue?
- How do you reheat leftover chocolate fondue?
- Notes & tips for chocolate fondue
- More fun dessert dips
- Other great chocolate recipes
- How to make chocolate fondue
- Recipe Details
About Chocolate Fondue
Serve everyone’s favorite dessert in a fun, social way with this retro chocolate fondue. It’s so quick and easy to make (only six ingredients and 20 minutes!) and so fun to customize (countless dipping options!) that you’ll be looking for reasons to whip up more of this decadent dessert dip!
What’s in chocolate fondue?
To make your own batch of this crowd-friendly dessert dip, you’ll need the following ingredients:
- Quality chocolate – The star of the show! Feel free to use any type of chocolate that you’d like, from semi-sweet (as written) to bittersweet to milk.
- Heavy whipping cream – Helps give this fondue a creamy texture.
- Granulated sugar and salt – For sweetness and contrast.
- Unsalted butter – Totally optional, but helps give the chocolate a more rounded flavor.
- Flavored liqueur – Another optional ingredient, but can be a fun flavor infusion.
What type of chocolate should you use?
There are many different brands of chocolate chips – even some made by popular candy companies – but from my experience, the best chocolate for baking, fudges, or truffles is Ghirardelli. It consistently performs well while baking, has a great texture (never chalky), and has a delicious flavor. This brand is a little more expensive, but trust me, you’ll appreciate the flavor and consistency you’ll get from the premium quality.
You can find their semi-sweet chocolate chips or semi-sweet chocolate bar either in the bakery aisle of most grocery stores or you can buy it online.
Do you need a fondue pot?
A fondue pot makes things easy, as it keeps the fondue melted and typically comes with its own serving forks. However, a fondue pot is not required – you just need a little more preparation to ensure your fondue experience is a success. When serving fondue, make sure that you:
- Prepare your serving plate beforehand, such as arranging all your dipping options and tools before you being to cook the fondue.
- Have all your serving options ready, such as fondue forks, cocktail forks, or skewers.
- Serve the fondue directly from the saucepan it was cooked in. Remember that the saucepan will be hot, so lay down a hot pad or oven mitt beneath it to protect any delicate surfaces. The bonus of this method is that you don’t lose any heat from transferring the fondue from one container to another.
What can you serve with sweet fondue?
There are so many options you can serve with chocolate fondue, from sweet to savory. Some of my favorites include:
Fruit
- Strawberries
- Bananas
- Orange slices
- Pineapple
- Grapes
- Cantaloupe
- Honeydew
- Apples
- Dried fruit, any type
Sweets and Snacks
- Nilla Wafers
- Graham Crackers, any flavor
- Ladyfinger cookies
- Pretzels
- Oreos, any flavor
- Sugar Cookies
- Potato Chips, any type
- Gingersnap Cookies
- Rice Krispies Treats, any flavor
- Cubes of pound cake
- Marshmallows
- Candied Bacon
- Cubes of frozen cheesecake
Can you make chocolate fondue in advance?
Yes! You can prepare the chocolate fondue and store it in the same saucepan you cooked it in or in a microwave-safe container. Seal or cover the container and store the in the refrigerator until ready to serve.
How long is chocolate fondue good for?
When stored in the refrigerator, this fondue should remain good for three or four days.
Can you freeze chocolate fondue?
Yes, you totally can!
Once prepared and cooled, chocolate fondue can be stored in a sealed, microwave-safe container for up to one month.
How do you reheat leftover chocolate fondue?
When ready to eat, either gently warm the fondue in a saucepan over medium-low heat OR heat in the microwave at 50% power in small increments (15-30 seconds) until warm and smooth.
Notes & tips for chocolate fondue
- If you decide to use milk chocolate for your fondue, you might want to omit the butter. The butter helps “mellow out” some of the sharpness you find in semi-sweet or bittersweet chocolate, but milk chocolate is already pretty mild, so the butter may be “too much of a good thing” for some tastes or if served with super sweet items like marshmallows.
- If using liqueur, feel free to experiment with any flavor that pairs well with chocolate! I recommend orange or coffee liqueur, but there’s also vanilla, peppermint, almond, strawberry, or more chocolate.
- When serving chocolate fondue, consider serving it up charcuterie style, like with this S’mores Charcuterie Board.
More fun dessert dips
Other great chocolate recipes
How to make chocolate fondue
This next part is only a photo tutorial of the recipe steps. If you’re looking for the full recipe measurements and instructions, scroll down to Recipe Details.
Step 1 – Kick things off by melting the chocolate in a medium saucepan.
Step 2 – Add the heavy whipping cream, sugar, butter, and salt to the saucepan, then cook and whisk until the butter is melted and the texture is thick and smooth.
Step 3 – If using liqueur, mix it in and then cook for five minutes. This will burn off most of the alcohol but keep the flavor.
Step 4 – Serve and enjoy!
Chocolate Fondue
Ingredients
- 1 cup heavy whipping cream
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter, cut into cubes *
- 3 tablespoons liqueur, such as orange or coffee (optional)
Instructions
- In a medium saucepan over low heat, add chocolate. While stirring constantly, allow chocolate to almost completely melt (a few clumps are okay).10 ounces semi-sweet chocolate
- Increase heat to medium and add heavy whipping cream, granulated sugar, unsalted butter, and salt. Continue to cook, stirring constantly, until butter has melted and mixture is smooth and thick, about 5-8 minutes.1 cup heavy whipping cream, 3/4 cup granulated sugar, 1/2 cup unsalted butter, 1 pinch salt
- If using liqueur, add to chocolate mixture and mix until smooth. While continuing to stir, allow mixture to boil for 5 minutes (to evaporate alcohol but keep flavor).3 tablespoons liqueur
- Transfer chocolate fondue to a serving bowl and surround with fruit, marshmallows, cookies, or snack foods.
- Serve immediately.
Notes
Nutrition
I do my best to provide nutrition information, but please keep in mind that I’m not a certified nutritionist. Any nutritional information discussed or disclosed in this post should only be seen as my best amateur estimates of the correct values.
