How to Make Chocolate Fondue

This Chocolate Fondue is rich, creamy and decadently delicious and 100% fool proof made in the crockpot!

Chocolate Fondue is one of the easiest desserts you will ever make!  It makes the perfect make ahead party or special occasion appetizer or dessert for Valentine’s Day, baby/bridal showers, movie night or just because!  I’ve included TONS of dipper ideas, how to customize your fondue, how to reheat, freeze and what to do with leftovers!

 

crockpot chocolate fondue

To celebrate an incredible two years of blogging and to THANK YOU, I bring you easy, decadent, delicious, velvety CHOCOLATE FONDUE!  Because, really, does it get any better than silky, creamy chocolate?   What about easy slow cooker chocolate?  even better….

This easy crockpot recipe is rich, intoxicatingly drool worthy, and lick your fingers delish and can you believe it is one of the easiest desserts to make?!   It literally takes  less than 5 minutes to prep!

Simply toss your few ingredients into your slow cooker and let your crockpot cruise on low until the chocolate and butter are melted and whisks together into this gloriously creamy, guzzle worthy chocolate.  All you have to do is stir occasionally.   You got this.

You can serve this fondue straight from your crockpot so it stays silky smooth or you can pour it into a fondue pot with a candle or canned heat.   But any way you serve it, it will be the center of the party and you will be the hero!

And just because we don’t want to look like complete animals, devouring the chocolate by the spoonfuls, the chocolate becomes fondue by dipping anything you can imagine in its decadence.

Chocolate vehicles I find pair particularly nicely are strawberries, bananas, pound cake, angel food cake, granola bars, waffles, pretzels, potato chips, marshmallows, brownies, donuts, graham crackers and Oreos…I could go on and on and on.

What are your favorite dippers?  I am sure I am missing something brilliant…

Now I’m going to try and answer any questions you might have about this breathtaking decadence:

What is fondue chocolate made of?

• Chocolate: Quality chocolate is a must for this recipe! Use baker’s chocolate bars or quality chocolate chips like Ghirardelli or Guittard brand. Quality chocolate ensures a smooth, rich, and consistent texture and flavor because it contains a higher cocoa butter content and fewer additives. This helps it melt evenly and stay smooth without seizing or becoming grainy. Additionally, these chocolates provide a superior taste experience due to their balanced sweetness and deep cocoa flavor.
• Heavy Cream: This provides a rich, creamy base for the fondue, ensuring a smooth and luscious texture with cling-ability.
• Milk: A little milk adds fluidity to the fondue, making it easier to dip fruits and other items.
• Butter: Use unsalted butter or reduce the salt in the recipe. Butter enhances the fondue’s richness and adds a silky texture while ensuring the chocolate remains glossy.
• Corn Syrup: This is crucial! It helps to prevent the chocolate from crystallizing and keeps the fondue smooth and shiny.
• Vanilla Extract: This adds depth of flavor and enhances the overall taste. Use quality for the best flavor.
• Salt: Just ⅛ teaspoon balances the sweetness and intensifies the chocolate flavor.

What is the best chocolate for fondue?

You can customize the chocolate in this recipe to suit your personal tastes.  As written, the recipe uses 12 ounces semisweet chocolate and 4 ounces bittersweet chocolate but you are welcome to swap some out for milk chocolate or change the ratios of the other chocolates.

You can use chopped bakers chocolate or chocolate chips, but you MUST use only quality chocolate.  If you choose to use chocolate chips, only use Ghirardelli’s or Guittard as other chocolate chip brands will not melt as well and become grainy.  Your Chocolate Fondue is only as good as the quality of your chocolate so splurge a little!

HOW to make Chocolate Fondue

This Chocolate Fondue recipe could not be any easier!

1. Lightly grease slow cooker with nonstick cooking spray.
2. Add chocolates, heavy cream, milk, butter, corn syrup, vanilla extract and salt to your crockpot and gently stir. 
3. Cover and cook on LOW for 1 hour, stirring occasionally.  Fondue is ready when chocolate is completely melted and smooth after whisking. Mine took exactly one hour.
4. Turn slow cooker to warm and serve with assorted dippers.

Do I have to Use Corn Syrup?

The corn syrup in this recipe is optional but HIGHLY recommended.  It helps the chocolate remain gorgeously silky and to prevent crystallization.

Can I make chocolate fondue ahead of time?

Yes!   You can either make the fondue in the slow cooker and then keep it on the warm setting for several hours OR make the fondue up to 3-4 days ahead and refrigerate.

Tips to make the BEST Chocolate Fondue

• Grease slow cooker:  Don’t forget to lightly spray your slow cooker with nonstick cooking spray.  Alternatively, you can use a crockpot liner but it doesn’t quite fit the “gourmet'” looking party bill unless you are transferring the chocolate to a pot.
• Quality chocolate:  As previously noted, use ONLY Guittard or Ghirardelli or a baking chocolate bar.
• Stir often:  Stirring helps the chocolate to melt evenly.  I stirred my chocolate every 20 minutes.  Unlike my Chocolate Peanut Clusters, you don’t have to worry about removing the lid too often or dripping water into the chocolate when stirring because the fondue has heavy cream which helps to stabilize it.
• Pay attention:  Every single crockpot is different, so make sure you are paying attention to your chocolate because you don’t want it to overcook and start to burn/scald.  My fondue was done in exactly one hour but it could take more or less depending on your crockpot.
• Turn to warm/off:  As soon as your chocolate is smooth ad completely melted, turn your crockpot to WARM or off completely if it seems too hot.  If your crockpot has been on warm and you’re worried your melted Chocolate Fondue is burning, simply turn off the heat.  It is better to rewarm the fondue than to burn it.
• Double or Triple recipe:  You can double or triple this recipe in a 6 quart slow cooker.  You will need to stir more often, about every 10-15 minutes, to ensure the ingredients melt evenly and the chocolate doesn’t burn around the edges.  Depending on your slow cooker, plan on the chocolate taking an additional 20 or so minutes to melt.

Chocolate Fondue Recipe Variations

• Dark Chocolate Fondue:  swap the 4 ounces bittersweet chocolate with the 12 ounces semi-sweet chocolate.
• Peanut Butter Chocolate Fondue:  eliminate bittersweet chocolate and add ½ cup creamy peanut butter (NOT natural).  You can stir in additional peanut butter once the chocolate has melted for even more “peanut butter” taste if desired.
• Mexican Chocolate Fondue:  add ½ teaspoon of cinnamon and  ancho chili pepper.
• Toffee Chocolate Fondue:  add ¼ cup toffee bits (Heath Bits O’Brickel) to the chocolate fondue.
• Peppermint Chocolate Fondue:  stir in 1 teaspoon peppermint extract to the chocolate fondue once it has melted.  Add more to taste if you want a stronger peppermint flavor.

What to dip in Chocolate Fondue

Chocolate Fondue will make everything taste decadently delicious.  I like to use a variety of fruits, cookies/treats and salty snacks.

• Fresh fruit: strawberries, bananas, pineapples, mangos, oranges, apples, pears, and cherries
• Cookies: Oreos (every kind!),  almost any Girl Scout Cookie such as Samoas or Tag Alongs (store brands work great too), Nutter Butters, pirouettes, oatmeal cookies, chocolate chip cookies, peanut butter cookies, etc.
• Treats:  pound cake, donut holes, brownies, cream puffs, rice krispie treats, marshmallows, eclairs, caramels, peanut brittle, mini coconut macaroons,  Graham crackers, partially frozen Twinkies, granola bars
• Salty/savory snacks:  pretzels, potato chips, bacon, Ritz crackers, croissants

Chocolate Fondue Storage

HOW DO I REHEAT CHOCOLATE FONDUE?

If you make your fondue in advance or need to reheat leftovers, you can reheat it gently at 50% power in the microwave, stirring frequently until warmed through. You can also reheat the chocolate in a slow cooker on LOW, stirring frequently until warmed through then turn crockpot to the WARM setting.

Can I freeze Chocolate Fondue?

Yes!  Our fondue recipe is made with heavy cream and not just melted chocolate so it freezes well.  The cream helps to stabilize the chocolate and prevent it from seizing.  If you are freezing your fondue, then the corn syrup is not optional but essential to prevent it from becoming grainy. To freeze:

1. Pour chocolate into an airtight, freezer safe container.
2. Let chocolate cool completely.
3. Freeze for up to 1 month.
4. When ready to use, thaw in the refrigerator overnight.
5. Reheat gently in the microwave at 50% power, stirring frequently or heat in a slow cooker on LOW, stirring frequently until warmed through then turn to WARM setting.

Leftover Fondue Chocolate Ideas

If you want to mix up your leftover Chocolate Fondue and don’t want to just lick the bowl, here are a few ideas:

• Ice Cream Topping:  Thin the chocolate with some additional heavy cream to create a decadent hot fudge sauce!
• Cake or Cheesecake Topping:  Warm the fondue (thin if needed with heavy cream) and serve over your favorite dessert.
• Fudge Swirl:  Swirl some fondue into some of your favorite brownies, cheesecake or sweet bread.
• Hot Chocolate:  Whisk some fondue into hot milk for the most insanely delicious hot chocolate.
• Truffles:  Refrigerate the fondue so it firms up enough to roll the chocolate into small balls.  You can roll these balls in cocoa powder or nuts.
• Fudge:  Warm up the chocolate (see section above), stir in some nuts then pour it into a pan to set.  You can also add dried fruit, marshmallows, etc.
• Tarts:  Warm up the Chocolate Fondue (see section above), and pour into tart cups.
• Frosting:  This recipe is essentially a ganache so slather it all over cakes, cupcakes or brownies!
• Chocolate Cream Filling:  Mix fondue with equal parts mascarpone for instant filling for cookies, crepes, etc.
• Chocolate Covered Cookies:  Dunk cookies of your choice in the chocolate and let set. You can even freeze individually wrapped cookies once set in an airtight plastic bag.
• S’mores: Warm the fondue and slather on graham crackers then top with toasted marshmallows.

Looking for more Chocolate recipes?

• Chocolate Eclair Cake
• Chocolate Covered Strawberries
• Easy Molten Chocolate Lava Cakes
• Chocolate Raspberry Cake
• Easy Churros with Chocolate Sauce 
• 5 Minute Chocolate Ganache

Want to try this Chocolate Fondue Recipe?

Pin it to your Chocolate, Dessert, holiday or Crockpot Board to SAVE for later!

Find me on Pinterest for more great recipes!  I am always pinning :)!

©Carlsbad Cravings by CarlsbadCravings.com

Tools Used in This Recipe

PreviousNext

Skewers

Shop Now >

Wooden Spatula Set

Shop Now >

Teak Wood Cutting Board

Shop Now >

Measuring Cups and Spoons Set

Shop Now >

Kitchen Knife Set

Shop Now >

See Favorite Tools

Crockpot Fondue

This Chocolate Fondue is rich, creamy and decadently delicious and 100% fool proof made in the crockpot! It makes the perfect make ahead party or special occasion appetizer or dessert for Valentine’s Day, baby/bridal showers, movie night or just because!  See post for tons of ideas of what to do with leftover Chocolate Fondue.

Servings: 6 servings

Total Time: 1 hour hr 5 minutes mins

Prep Time: 5 minutes mins

Cook Time: 1 hour hr

Save This Recipe To Your Recipe Box

You can now create an account on our site and save your favorite recipes all in one place!

Print RecipePin RecipeSave RecipeSaved!

Ingredients

• nonstick cooking spray

Chocolate Fondue

• 12 oz. quality semisweet chocolate chips or coarsely chopped bakers chocolate*
• 4 oz. quality bittersweet chocolate chips or coarsely chopped bakers chocolate*
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 1/2 cup milk
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, cubed
• 2 tablespoons light corn syrup (optional but recommended)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/8 teaspoon salt

Dipper Ideas

• strawberries
• bananas
• pound cake
• angel food cake
• pretzels
• marshmallows
• brownies
• potato chips
• donuts
• graham crackers
• oreos

Instructions

• Lightly grease slow cooker with nonstick cooking spray.
• Add all of the Chocolate Fondue ingredients and gently stir. Cover and cook on LOW for 1 hour, stirring every 15-20 minutes.
• Fondue is ready when chocolate is completely melted and smooth after whisking. Mine took exactly one hour.
• Turn the slow cooker to warm and serve with assorted dippers.

Notes

*Use ONLY Guittard or Ghirardelli chocolate for best results

Chocolate Fondue Variations

• Dark Chocolate Fondue:  swap the 4-ounce bittersweet chocolate with the 12-ounce semi-sweet chocolate.
• Peanut Butter Chocolate Fondue:  eliminate bittersweet chocolate and add ½ cup creamy peanut butter (NOT natural).  You can stir in additional peanut butter once the chocolate has melted for even more “peanut butter” taste if desired.
• Mexican Chocolate Fondue:  add ½ teaspoon of cinnamon and  ancho chili pepper.
• Toffee Chocolate Fondue:  add ¼ cup toffee bits (Heath Bits O’Brickel) to the chocolate fondue.
• Peppermint Chocolate Fondue:  stir in 1 teaspoon peppermint extract to the chocolate fondue once it has melted.  Add more to taste if you want a stronger peppermint flavor.

MAKE ahead 

Want To Make This Recipe?

Follow Me On Pinterest!

Never Miss a Craving

Did You Make This Recipe?

Tag @CarlsbadCravings and Use #CarlsbadCravngs

Leave a Review, I Always Love Hearing From You!

Recipe adapted from Food Network