Delicious and simple-to-make chocolate fondue with lots of fun dipping ideas!
The Best Chocolate Fondue
Growing up, chocolate fondue was one of my mom’s favorite desserts. With a family of 9, it was a simple dessert that brought everyone together. My mom, a big chocolate lover, always kept things simple in the kitchen—except for her fondue fountain.
Now, I’ve made a simpler version that doesn’t require any fancy fountains, just a microwave-safe bowl or pot.
This kid-friendly recipe uses a mix of semi-sweet and milk chocolate, giving it a sweet but not too sweet flavor. If you prefer darker chocolate, the recipe can easily be changed to your taste with different chocolate varieties!
Ingredients
- Chocolate: I love using a mix of milk and dark but you can use your favorite combo. Break into small chunks for even melting.
- Whole Milk: Start with 1/2 cup for thicker fondue and add more for thinner.
- Unsalted Butter: Leave it out for a stronger chocolate flavor.
- Vanilla Extract: Always use pure vanilla extract for the best flavor.
- Sea Salt: A pinch of flaky sea salt on top gives an extra pop of flavor.
How To Make Chocolate Fondue
- Prep dippers: Prep fruit, cookies, or other treats by cutting them into bite-sized pieces for easy dipping.
- Melt: Melt chopped chocolate with milk and butter in small bursts in the microwave or in a pot over medium-low heat.
- Right thickness: If the fondue gets too thick, add more milk to thin it out.
- Stir in flavor: Add vanilla extract and a pinch of sea salt for extra flavor.
- Serve warm: If it gets too thick, microwave in 15-second bursts, stirring each time, until smooth again.
Quick Tips
- Use good, high-quality chocolate for the best fondue. Avoid chocolate chips—they don’t melt well and can clump up quickly.
- Make sure all dishes the chocolate touches are completely dry—water will cause it to clump up.
- Try different chocolate flavors for more fun!
Favorite Things To Dip In Fondue
A better question: What can’t you dip in chocolate? Everything tastes better with chocolate, so get creative! Here are some of my favorites:
- Fresh fruit: Strawberries, blackberries, raspberries, bananas.
- Store-bought cookies: Oreos, Nutter Butters, Pirouettes (my favorite!), Milanos, Girl Scout cookies.
- Homemade cookies: These toffee pecan cookies are the best!
- Other treats: Pound cake, Rice Krispies treats, brownie bites, or big marshmallows.
Storage
Leftover Chocolate Fondue?
Store leftover fondue in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
To reheat, microwave in 15-second bursts, stirring in between, or heat over medium-low heat, stirring frequently, until it regains its consistency.
More Dessert Recipes
- 7 Layer Bars with a graham cracker crust
- Lemon Cookies with a 2-ingredient lemon glaze
- Carmelitas readers favorite
- Chocolate Cheesecake with an Oreo crust
- Tuxedo Creme Brulee perfect for V-Day
Easy Chocolate Fondue
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
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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!
Does the butter make a big difference?
Butter results in a more mellow chocolate flavor. For a more intense chocolate fondue, leave out the butter.
thanks this will go well with my new fouten
Glad you enjoyed it!
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!
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!
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
Could you use white chocolate to make a white chocolate fondue also ?
Sure!
Can Almond milk be substituted for milk or cream?
I haven’t ever tried a plant based milk in this recipe; it would probably work fine, but be bit thinner
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
Glad you enjoyed it! 🙂
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.
Score! I am so happy to hear this! Thanks so much Liz! 🙂
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!!
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! 🙂
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?