Posted Dec 28, 2022, Updated Jun 23, 2024 This chocolate fondue recipe is one of our family’s favorite special desserts. We love making fondue and slowly enjoying it together after a delicious dinner. It’s the perfect treat for a fun family date night (or romantic date night for those without little ones). This chocolate fondue recipe is easy to make with six ingredients in ten minutes. It also stores and reheats well.
Chocolate Fondue Recipe: Ingredients & Substitutions
Whole milk. Technically 2% milk would work in this recipe. However, I recommend using whole milk for the creamiest texture. For a dairy-free version you can use full-fat coconut milk or cream. Heavy cream. Half and half is an acceptable substitute for heavy cream. Granulated sugar. white sugar, organic cane sugar, coconut sugar and honey all work well in this recipe. Semisweet chocolate. I use chocolate chips to make this recipe easy to make. You can chop your favorite chocolate bars, just be sure to use 10 oz. Any chocolate variety works well – milk, semisweet, dark, or even white chocolate! Vanilla extract. vanilla bean paste or the seeds from one vanilla bean are good substitutes.
Note: If you’re looking for a dairy-free, refined-sugar free etc. version try this vegan chocolate fondue, or this chocolate peanut butter fondue!
Best Chocolate for Fondue
High-quality chocolate is a must for this recipe. You can use milk, semisweet, or dark chocolate chips (Ghirardelli is my favorite brand of chips) you can use chocolate discs or chopped chocolate bars as well.
How to Make Chocolate Fondue
Let’s walk through how to make chocolate fondue step-by-step, and don’t forget to watch the video. Begin by adding milk, cream, sugar and cocoa powder to a medium saucepan. Whisk thoroughly to combine. Then, warm the ingredients over medium heat until it just begins to boil (but does not come to a full boil). Once the mixture is just beginning to boil, add the chocolate and whisk until smooth. Continue cooking over medium heat until it just begins to boil again. Then, remove the fondue from the heat and stir in the vanilla and a pinch of sea salt. Let it cool slightly before serving (it thickens as it cools).
Serve
Serve warm with your favorite chocolate fondue dippers. Here are some suggestions:
Chocolate Fondue Dippers
There really is no limit to what you can dip into this recipe. However, to help spur on your creativity, here is a list of my favorite dippers.
Fresh fruit: Strawberries, kiwi, pineapple, raspberries, blackberries, etc. Salty dippers: pretzels, potato chips, bacon (gasp). Brownies/cookies. fudgy brownies, cookies (chocolate chip cookies, peanut butter cookies, etc.), Oreos, or your favorite store-bought cookies. Cake: angel food cake, pound cake, chocolate cake, vanilla cake, banana cake, etc. Candy. caramel, marshmallows, cinnamon bears, etc. Nuts. peanuts, almonds, cashews, pecans, etc.
Store
Store leftovers in a glass jar with a lid in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. Reheat in the microwave or on the stovetop over low heat until warm and smooth. You may need to add a splash of milk or cream to thin it out as it warms up. If you make and love our recipes, it would mean so much to me if you would leave a comment and rating! And don’t forget to follow along with us on Instagram, Pinterest, Facebook, and Youtube – be sure to tag @joyfoodsunshine and use the hashtag #joyfoodsunshine so we can see your creations!
