I’ve been trying to find the perfect chocolate dipping sauce recipe for years. Through many trials & errors with various types of chocolate, fat ratios, and even thickness of chocolate bits, I’ve finally got this simple chocolate dipping sauce recipe down to an art.
All you need is a spoonful of heavy cream or milk, some of your favorite chocolate, and a bowl of ice cream. This is the simplest chocolate dipping sauce recipe you’ll ever find.
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About this recipe
Top tip. The key to this chocolate sauce recipe is in sourcing really good chocolate, ideally a craft chocolate with no more than 3 ingredients.
If you can handle soy, a chocolate which lists “soy lecithin” on the ingredients list isn’t necessarily bad or mass market. Just keep in mind that if you use chocolate chips, you need to chop them up very fine as their size doesn’t melt well.
Quality Chocolate. The problem with using low-quality chocolate of any form, however, is that this sauce is destined to be the star of any dish. You can even use it as a chocolate glaze on your favorite cake.
And whatever you choose to dredge through this chocolate dipping sauce will taste mostly like the chocolate, so opt for brands like Guittard, Beyond Good, or Valrhona. If you’re not sure where to buy high quality chocolate, I’ve written a post on where to buy craft chocolate online.
What to Dip. Don’t forget to also use high quality foods for dipping! I get my fruits from the organic section of our local supermarket, and I pick up the sweet treats from our local ice cream dealer. Here are some ideas of great foods to dip into chocolate sauce:
- strawberries
- saltines
- rice crispy treats
- cherries on the stem
- gummy bears
- graham crackers
How to make chocolate dipping sauce: step by step instructions
Step 1. Put a small bowl and spoon onto the counter, along with a sharp knife and cutting board. Measure off or weigh how much of your chocolate bar you need, and put that onto the board. Chop the chocolate across, so that it splinters like shown. Pieces should measure no more than 5mm across and be quite thin.
Step 2. Next, measure out 1/4 cup (4 tablespoons) of cream or milk into the ice cream bowl and heat the cream in the microwave for 10-15 seconds, depending on the power of your microwave. Once the cream is heated, immediately pull it out of the microwave and add in the chopped chocolate in the thin layer, as shown here.
Step 3. Let the ingredients sit for two minutes. This time allows the chocolate to slowly melt rather than being burned or mixed together while at very different temperatures. If it doesn’t stand, the fat and the solids will begin to separate, and it will look like curdling milk.
Step 4. After two minutes, stir vigorously with your spoon to combine all of the liquids and the solids. Within 10 seconds, your sauce should start to look like the shiny liquid in the bowl shown below. If you like the flavor contrast it brings, consider adding a dash of salt to your sauce before mixing, and definitely before dipping. The sauce also makes a great base for a homemade hot chocolate.
Recipe notes & tips
Overcooking Dairy. Keep an eye on the cream so that it doesn’t start cooking in there. If it’s still not warm enough, heat it in 5-second intervals until it’s quite hot, but not burning.
Type of Chocolate. Use a milk chocolate if you prefer a sweeter sauce, or if it pairs better with the flavor of the ice cream or items you’ll be using it on (or even if that’s just all you have laying around.
You can use a white or ruby chocolate in the recipe, but a white chocolate would likely be lost against the flavor of the ice cream, and ruby chocolate would likely clash with any ice cream flavors.
Sauce That Doesn’t Harden. To make an even softer and creamier chocolate sauce, make sure you use a tablespoon of heavy cream, and make it a heavy dash of salt (if you choose to add salt).
What to do with chocolate dipping sauce
- put it on ice cream, as shown here
- slather leftover sauce between layers in a cake
- pour it over brownies for a rich sauce
- mix it into a no-bake energy bar recipe, to help bind the dough
- drizzle it over pancakes for a sweet treat on a special occasion
FAQ about chocolate dipping sauce
This chocolate dipping sauce will last 1-2 days at room temp, and up to 2 weeks in an air-tight container in the fridge.
Simply replace the milk or cream in the recipe with non-dairy milk or cream, or use 4 teaspoons of coconut oil in place of milk or cream.
Yes. But if you use chocolate chips instead of a chocolate bar, measure it by weight rather than volume.
A chocolate dipping sauce that hardens has been made with a oil that’s solid at room temperature. So replace the dairy in the recipe with 1 teaspoon of coconut oil per ounce of chocolate used.
To make a chocolate dipping sauce that doesn’t harden, you need to use an oil that’s liquid at room temperature, like the milk or cream in this recipe.
Homemade Chocolate Dipping Sauce Recipe Card
As always, if you like the recipe, I always appreciate a review or comment!
Chocolate Dipping Sauce Recipe (2 Ingredients)
A 2-ingredient chocolate dipping sauce so simple you can make it in the microwave!
Ingredients
- 1/4 Cup heavy cream or milk (less fat makes a thicker sauce)
- 4oz/110g chocolate (dark or milk)
Instructions
- Measure how much chocolate you need. Whether you're using a chocolate bar or chocolate chip, chop the chocolate across as best you can, so that it splinters into very small pieces. Don't add it to your bowl yet.
- Measure out your milk or cream into the small bowl, and heat it in the microwave for 10-15 seconds. Once heated, immediately add in the chopped chocolate in a thin layer.
- Let the ingredients sit for two minutes, to allow the chocolate to slowly melt. If it doesn't sit like this for a couple minutes, the fat and the solids will begin to separate, and it will look like curdling milk.
- After two minutes, stir vigorously with your spoon to combine all of the liquids and the solids. Within 10 seconds, your sauce should start to look like a shiny liquid, now all ready for dipping!
Notes
MILK OR CREAM: Keep an eye on the milk or cream so that it doesn't start cooking in there. If it's still not warm enough, heat it in 5-second intervals until it's quite hot, but not burning.
CHOCOLATE TYPE: You can use any type of chocolate you want. Feel free to try a white or ruby chocolate in the recipe, but a white chocolate would likely be lost against the flavor of the ice cream, and ruby chocolate would likely clash with any ice cream flavors.
TEXTURE: To make an even softer and creamier chocolate sauce, be sure to use a tablespoon of heavy cream, and make it a heavy dash of salt (if you choose to add salt).
Pin this homemade chocolate dipping sauce recipe for later!
Acil
Wednesday 22nd of March 2023
Hi Dame, thanks for sharing your recipe, but may I know how much milk that you used in this recipe?
Max
Wednesday 22nd of March 2023
Yes! Thank you for your comment; it's a quarter cup of either cream OR milk, and if you use milk you've have a thicker sauce, and if you use cream or oil you'll have a thinner sauce (and a sauce made with coconut oil or cocoa butter rather than dairy will harden at room temperature, like for making chocolate covered fruits).
Jesse Adcock
Thursday 2nd of July 2020
Thanks for sharing your blog with all of us. This is an informative recipe.
Max
Friday 3rd of July 2020
I'm glad you find it helpful!