Easy Chocolate Fondue

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Delicious and simple-to-make chocolate fondue with lots of fun dipping ideas!

One of my mom’s go-to desserts growing up was chocolate fondue. With a family as large as ours (9 total!), fondue was an easy treat that brought the whole family together. That, and my mom, was a self proclaimed chocolate addict. 🙂

Although my mom has always been a bit of a minimalist in the kitchen (very few gadgets/cookware), the one exception to that rule is her big fondue fountain. So when my boys had a night over with their grandparents and the fountain came out, they immediately fell in love with it. Once they came home they both kept asking incessantly that we get a chocolate fountain like their Grandma has.

While we don’t have fancy dipping tools or a cool 3-tiered fondue fountain, I have been able to please the boys with a simpler chocolate fondue and it’s now becoming a fun tradition in our home. It’s fun to take a longer time to eat a dessert and talk/laugh through the process of dipping and sampling. It’s also a little very messy in my home, but you win some and you lose some I suppose.

Speaking from experience, the recipe for this fondue is definitely kid-approved. Most fondue recipes use a lot of bittersweet and dark chocolate which I do love, but the kids? Not so much. This recipe is a mixture of semi-sweet and milk chocolate. It IS sweet, but not sickly so.

And the great news is, if you aren’t serving this to kids and like a darker chocolate fondue mixture, the quantities in this recipe will work with whatever chocolate you decide to use! I like using two varieties of chocolate as it yields a richer and deeper final flavor.

Quick tips

  1. Use REAL, high quality chocolate bars. Simply put, the better the chocolate you use, the better your fondue will end up. Unfortunately chocolate chips do not work great in fondue — the flavor isn’t quite right and they harden a lot quicker. Chocolate chips aren’t pure chocolate either, and that’s essential for a good fondue.
  2. Make sure the fondue fountain, and any other dishes the chocolate comes in contact with are completely dry and free of any water. Water will cause the chocolate to seize and ruin the fondue.
  3. Experiment! You can add a lot of fun variety to a fondue by experimenting with new chocolate flavors and types.

What can I dip in chocolate fondue?

A better question, what can you NOT dip in chocolate fondue? 🙂 I’m of the opinion that everything tastes better with chocolate on it, so get creative here! Here are some of our favorites:

  • Fresh fruit: strawberries, blackberries, raspberries, bananas
  • Storebought cookies: Oreos, nutter butters, pirouettes (my favorite!), Milanos, girl scout cookies
  • Homemade cookies: these toffee pecan cookies are our favorite!
  • Other treats: poundcake (store-bought or homemade), Rice Krispies treats (our favorite recipe here; just leave off the white chocolate and sprinkles), brownie bites, large marshmallows

Author dipping strawberry into a bowl of chocolate fondue

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Easy Chocolate Fondue

5 from 36 votes
Delicious and simple-to-make chocolate fondue with lots of fun dipping ideas!
Print Recipe

Easy Chocolate Fondue

5 from 36 votes
Delicious and simple-to-make chocolate fondue with lots of fun dipping ideas!
Course Dessert, treat
Cuisine American, Vegetarian
Keyword chocolate fondue, fondue
Prep Time 10 minutes
Total Time 10 minutes
Servings 8 -12 servings
Chelsea Lords
Calories 161kcal
Cost $6.23

Ingredients

  • 6 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped into small pieces
  • 4 ounces milk chocolate, chopped into small pieces
  • 1/2- 3/4 cup whole milk (depending on thickness preference, I use 1/2 cup)
  • 1 and 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter, optional (see note)
  • 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • 1/8 teaspoon fine sea salt
  • Flaky sea salt, for topping, optional

Dipping Ideas

  • Fresh fruit: such as bananas, strawberries, raspberries, blackberries, clementines, etc.
  • Cookies: oreos, piroette cookies, milanos,

Instructions

  • Start by preparing all of the ingredients/treats you will be dipping in the fondue. The preparation of the fondue goes quickly so you want to have all the treats and skewers (if using) ready!
  • To make the fondue, in a small bowl, combine the chocolate, 1/2 cup milk or cream, and butter* and melt gently in a barely simmering water bath or microwave on Medium (50 percent) power for about 2 minutes.
  • Stir until completely smooth.
  • Add more milk if desired. Remove from the heat and stir in the vanilla and salt.
  • Serve this warm fondue immediately with whatever you've chosen to serve it with 🙂
  • If the fondue gets too thick (or starts to harden), reheat in the microwave in bursts of 15 seconds stirring in between each burst for 10 seconds until melted and smooth again.

Video

Recipe Notes

Butter results in a more mellow chocolate flavor. For a more intense chocolate fondue, leave out the butter.

Nutrition Facts

Serving: 1serving | Calories: 161kcal | Carbohydrates: 18.8g | Protein: 2.5g | Fat: 9.8g | Cholesterol: 4.8mg | Sodium: 5.4mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 16.8g

We do our best to provide accurate nutritional analysis for our recipes. Our nutritional data is calculated using a third-party algorithm and may vary, based on individual cooking styles, measurements, and ingredient sizes. Please use this information for comparison purposes and consult a health professional for nutrition guidance as needed.

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Finished chocolate fondue coating a strawberry

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Recipe Rating




110 Comments

  1. 5 stars
    This is perfect! Just yesterday I was searching your website for a chocolate fondue recipe. You read my mind! I found a random one I was going to use, but I always trust your recipes more than anyone elses! Thanks for posting it just in time for some Valentines fun!

      1. Can you reccomend a chocolate brand. You say use high quality chocolate bars. Should I go to a sweet shop or is the most expensive kind at New Seasons OK?

  2. This looks so good. Could I keep it in little crock pot sauce warmer after it was prepared?

  3. After you dip anything in your fondue, does the cocolate harden, forming a crispy shell? I was hoping to get a recipe like that, because the last one I tried on my chocolate fountain the chocolate did not harden after a while and people werer eating and dripping chocolate all over their plates and also the place.

    Thanks for sharing this recipe. Also, nice pictures.

  4. 5 stars
    Tried this during our family gathering and everyone loves it! Definitely an all-time favourite!

  5. Does this work in a fondue machine because I’m throwing a classroom party and I ordered a fondue machine for the class. Would it work with that?

  6. 5 stars
    Hello

    WONDERFUL Post.thanks for share..
    Just wanna say that this is very useful, Thanks for taking your time to write this.

    1. What she means is to put water in a small pot, let it simmer (barely) and then put a separate, smaller pot in the water with the chocolate inside the smaller pot. Hope this helps 🙂

    2. I think it means that you take a big bowl and fill it with hot water and fill a smaller bowl with chocolate and put it on the bigger bowl.

  7. 5 stars
    Hello CHELSEA

    Very detailed recipe article, Now I’m ready to make this mouth-watering recipe. I’m also trying your waffle cake recipe it is also a wonderful recipe. Thanks for sharing

  8. I wanted to try a chocolate peanut butter fondue. How much peanut butter do you think I should add? Would it replace the butter?

    1. Hey Cathy, unfortunately I haven’t tried that yet so I’m not sure how it would work. I think it would work, but make for a very thick dip; you’d likely need to thin it more with other ingredients. If you do give it a try will you let me know how it turns out? Thanks for your comment! 🙂

  9. 5 stars
    will this work with white chocolate? can you add coco powder to make it a more bitter chocolate dip? (=0w0=))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))
    (_) (_) (_) (_)

  10. 5 stars
    So I always hate those recipes reviews where they tell you that they changed almost every single thing about the recipe, but it was delicious lol. I’m afraid I might be doing that myself. Sorry in advance.

    So every Easter season, my best friend gifts me a chocolate bunny, and I gift her Peeps in return. This year it happened to be by mail.

    I sought out a creative way to use a whole 10 solid ounces of milk chocolate and stumbled upon this here recipe. I didn’t have heavy cream, but I did have Starbucks Caramel Macchiato Creamer. So I substituted 1:1 creamer for cream.

    It turned out divine! *insert rapturous music*

    Thank you for the recipe that created the foundation of this creation that I am currently eating with a spoon! 😀

    1. Haha, I loved this comment! So glad you enjoyed this recipe and was able to make it work with what you had. It sounds so amazing! Thanks Ashley! 🙂

  11. 5 stars
    Simple recipe and easy to make. we made it and it was successful. We are going to do it again for sure!!

  12. 5 stars
    Delicious and ridiculously easy! I used 8 oz. (two 4 oz bars) Baker’s semisweet chocolate and 2 oz. of a Hershey’s Symphony milk chocolate bar- delish! We had this for our prom-at-home (my high school senior’s idea, since her prom was canceled due to the quarantine). My favorite things to dip were bananas, strawberries, and homemade coconut macaroons. First time visiting your blog- thanks:)

    1. I’m so glad you loved this chocolate fondue! I absolutely love that you guys put on your own prom at home! How fun and sweet! Thanks so much for your comment! 🙂

  13. 5 stars
    What a great recipe. Maybe a daft question, any left over would it keep in the fridge or freeze do you think?

    1. Not daft at all! I don’t think the freezer is a great option, but I do think it would store well in the fridge for a few days; you’ll just need to warm it through gently and stir frequently! 🙂

  14. 5 stars
    Recipe was so good and easy! I split it in half for the 3 of us and had it with bananas, strawberries,marshmallows and Oreos. My daughter is bouncing off the wall right now but it was worth it!

  15. I’ve seen those candy melts and chocomaker wafers and they sound not right if you’re making a chocolate fondue. I don’t even think it’s real chocolate. My question is what brand of chocolate bars do you use? Do you use milk or cream? Can you use cream would it come out even better? I have a humongous bag of Hershey kisses. Can I use this?

  16. I don’t happen to have semi sweet chocolate in the house but I have milk and dark. Can I do this without the semisweet or will it just end up too sweet?

    1. I’m sorry Marti I haven’t tried it that way so I can’t say for sure, but maybe you could try half milk and half dark?

  17. Hello! I was wondering how many bars of semi sweet chocolate I need and how many bars of milk chocolate I need? Also, how many cups is 6 oz and how many cups is 4 oz?

  18. 5 stars
    This was AWESOME!! A perfect treat for a “Valentine’s Day” family date! We dipped strawberries, bananas, Halo oranges, marshmallows, and…POWDERED DONUT HOLES!! Send help!!

    1. YUMMY! You’re making me drool! I’m so happy you guys enjoyed this! I have to try it with powdered donut holes sometime! Thanks Nicole! 🙂

  19. 5 stars
    This recipe turned out really well. Normally, I have a hard time with chocolate fondue staying a smooth melted consistency. That was not the case with this one. It was delicious and easy, and will be my go to chocolate fondue recipe now.

  20. 5 stars
    Thank You so much, I’m quite grateful to you. I made a chocolate bar with your recipe. It’s really fantastic and easy to make. thank you once again. I love chocolate so much. I also got some ideas about homemade chocolate, I got an amazing homemade chocolate recipe, I shared in my Instagram profile when I made that lovely chocolate

    1. I haven’t ever tried a plant based milk in this recipe; it would probably work fine, but be bit thinner

  21. I plan to make this recipe on Saturday. Can I use a hollow milk chocolate Easter bunny for the milk chocolate in this recipe?
    Thank you!

    1. You could try it! I’m not sure the quality of chocolate the bunny is made with; if it’s not high quality chocolate the fondue may end up a little waxy

    1. Ryan…wondering if you used this recipe in your fountain and how it turned out. Doing a chocolate fountain for my Grandaughters graduation open house. Thanks!

  22. Hi – Recipe looks wonderful and I’d like to try it for a movie night. Do you know if it will work in the Velata chocolate fondue pot (Sentsy discontinued it). Thank you!

  23. 5 stars
    I used equal amount of dark and milk chocolate and heavy cream instead of milk+butter. Everyone loved the smooth texture and mellow flavor, specially with strawberries and clementines.

  24. Planning to make this for a family Valentine’s Day dinner this week! Do you have a recipe for a cheese fondue? Hoping to make a whole fondue meal 🙂

    1. I don’t but it’s definitely something I will work on. But seriously you have to give this Chocolate Fondue a try, it’s truly incredible!

  25. 5 stars
    I volunteered to do a chocolate fondue for a ladies get together. I hadn’t used my fondue pot in years and didn’t remember how to keep the chocolate from hardening. I used your recipe and it was a great hit. I will keep your recipe

  26. I didn’t make your recipe but l’m seeking advice. I recently bought some chocolate cheese. It’s my desire to use it in fondue with my new (used) fondue burner pot. I can’t find any such recipe. It contains havarti cheese, sugar, butter, milk, cocoa powder, cream & some other texturing ingredients. It smells so good. Do you have any suggestions other than heat it & eat it? I would love to dip bananas, graham crackers, animal crackers and apples in it. I just don’t know what to add to it before putting it in the microwave and then into the fondue pot. Help me, please!

  27. I used this for a date night idea and she broke up with me. I blame you Chelsea for this horrible recipe!!!! >:(

  28. Can this be made the day before? I have five 9 yr olds Saturday that I will be taking to an event then back for fondue. I need to make this easy to get ready once back home. Thanks!

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