How to Make Chocolate Fondue at Home
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Chocolate fondue is a delicious dessert that’s fancy enough for holidays, Valentine’s Day, or as an alternative to cake for a special occasion. But it’s simple enough to have any time of the year. Read on to learn how to make chocolate fondue and surprise your family tonight!
Chocolate fondue has been our New Year’s Eve treat since the early 70’s. As a family, we’d spend the two week Christmas break in Colorado skiing. On New Year’s Eve, we’d go to the Tower Restaurant in Snowmass for a fondue supper. While I love the savory fondue, the chocolate was always my favorite.
It’s fun to recreate the experience at home and come up with all kinds of fun chocolate fondue ideas.
What Kind of Chocolate is Good for Fondue?
As with anything you cook, quality matters. The fondue at The Tower was made with Swiss chocolate. Some good (but expensive) chocolate brands are Callebaut and Scharfen-Berger.
Some more reasonably priced brands are Ghirardelli and Guittard, which are available in most grocery stores. I usually opt for semi-sweet chocolate, but you can certainly make it with milk chocolate, dark chocolate, or even white chocolate.
What Do You Dip in Chocolate Fondue?
If you’re wondering what to dip into chocolate fondue, the possibilities are endless!
You’ll definitely want fruit for chocolate fondue. Get lots of fresh fruit and cut it into bite-sized pieces. This does make it feel like a slightly healthier option than many desserts! It’s also completely gluten-free if you stick with just the fruit.
In addition to the fruit, you might want to dip:
- Pound cake (this gluten free almond pound cake is delicious!)
- Marshmallows
- Graham crackers
- Rice Krispie treats
- Pretzels
- Cubes of cheesecake
How to Make Fondue
This is a super easy recipe! Just heat heavy cream until it begins to bubble, then slowly stir in chopped chocolate until it’s melted and smooth.
If it’s too thick, add more warm cream until the desired consistency is reached. It’s best to make homemade fondue just before serving, so have all the fondue dippers washed, cut up, and ready to go before you start the fondue.
You may be wondering how to make fondue without a fondue pot. It’s nice to have, but certainly not necessary. I have a larger fondue pot that I use for cheese or beef fondue, but for chocolate, I prefer a smaller, ceramic pot which tends to keep the chocolate from burning.
Here are a few other options:
- Serve the fondue in a saucepan on an electric hot plate.
- Serve the chocolate in a ceramic bowl. You may need to stir it often or pop it in the microwave if the chocolate gets cold.
- Keep the chocolate warm in a small crock pot.
- Serve in a double boiler filled with hot water.
This post was originally published on February 12, 2012, and has been updated to contain nutritional information.
Chocolate Fondue
Ingredients
- 2 cups semi sweet chocolate chopped
- 1 cup heavy cream
FONDUE DIPPERS
- 1 pint strawberries
- 1 pint raspberries
- 1 banana sliced
- 1 cup pineapple cubed
- 1 kiwi sliced
- 1 tangerine sections
Instructions
- Heat cream in a double boiler over a medium heat. When cream starts to bubble, turn it very low and add chopped chocolate and stir until all the chocolate is melted and smooth.
- Serve with fresh fruit or chunks of pound cake…or whatever else you can think of! (My favorite are strawberries and banana slices.) Happy dipping!
The simplest and best! Only two ingredients and homemade, what can be better?
So glad you posted this recipe and how to for fondue. When things get back to normal I plan on having a party and this would be so perfect to set on the table on let everyone enjoy.
Right? We’re still having it even though it’s just the four of us.
Wow this looks very tasty, and you’re right – it can be enjoyed any time of year. Thank you for sharing.
For sure! A fun alternative to typical desserts.
Love the simplicity of this recipe! Such a great idea for the family!
That’s the best part! it’s so simple and quick.
Perfect dessert, creamy and the perfect amount of sweet. Looking forward to making it again for our New Years Eve at home this year.
It’s a festive dessert for this time of year.
I’m so in love with that ultra creamy texture! And it’s such a simple recipe but still so decadent.
Very creamy and lush, the perfect combination with fresh fruit.
Great simple recipe, I love when I only need a couple of ingredients. Definitely going to be having this again for New Year’s eve.
yes so simple and perfect for the holidays!
Ohh I’d love to try this. I like cheese fondue, so i am sure to like this one too
I am for sure pinning this recipe as my sister will love this! She will be coming to visit soon and this will be perfect for her first night in 🙂 Love this and will definitely try making this myself.
Thank you! It’s a great dessert that feels like a celebration!
My kids love chocolate fondue. Marshmallows and strawberries are their favorite things to dip. I think I’d like to try pineapple in there!
I love how simple this recipe is and agree with you that this can be enjoyed any time of year! I’ll be making this for family game night once this lockdown in Ontario is over!
Yes, we’ll be enjoying it in lockdown too!
Have to finally review this because I’ve made it so many times! It’s so easy to make and the family loves it. Thank you for sharing this great recipe.
At the Melting Pot we added chambourd. That was a tasty addition. “tea cup” “enter”