Gluten-Free Chocolate Fondue
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Our easy gluten-free chocolate fondue recipe is perfect for your next at-home date night or dinner party! This dessert fondue is rich, delicious, and so easy to make. Don’t miss our BIG list of gluten-free dipper ideas below!
It may be a bit retro, but chocolate fondue is a perfect dessert for a small dinner party or special occasion.
For one, it feels like everyone enjoys dipping things! And, when you’re dipping gluten-free goodies into a pot of luxurious, warm chocolate fondue? Even better.
While most chocolate fondue is naturally gluten-free, the things you DIP into chocolate fondue are mostly NOT. That’s why we’re sharing this 100% gluten-free chocolate fondue recipe, complete with PLENTY of dipping ideas for your next romantic dinner or small soiree!
Let’s dive in, shall we? You’ll only need a few simple ingredients…
Gather Your Ingredients
So, what do you need to get this fondue night started? Just 5 simple ingredients! Let’s take a look:
- Good-Quality Chocolate. For the best chocolate fondue, I recommend using high-quality bars of chocolate rather than chocolate chips. Semisweet chocolate, bittersweet chocolate, and dark chocolate are my go-to’s, but you can also use half milk chocolate and half semi-sweet chocolate if you want sweeter fondue.
- Heavy Cream. Yep, we’re doing it! While you *can* use half-and-half for a slightly lighter and thinner fondue, we really love the rich texture you get from heavy whipping cream.
- Butter. Adding a little bit of butter at the end gives this chocolate fondue the smoothest, most luxurious texture.
- Vanilla. IMO, vanilla extract + chocolate are BFFs.
- Salt. Lastly, a tiny pinch of salt helps elevate the notes of chocolate & vanilla and really balances the flavor. Don’t skip it!
How To Make Gluten-Free Chocolate Fondue, Step By Step
As always, you can find the full recipe, with ingredient amounts, detailed instructions, and tips in the recipe card below.
- Chop Chocolate. To start, make sure all your utensils, bowls, etc. are clean and DRY. Small amounts of water can make chocolate seize and go grainy, which is the opposite of what we’re going for here. Then, chop the chocolate into very small shards. The more evenly it’s chopped, the more evenly it’ll melt.
- Melt. In a medium heatproof bowl, combine chopped chocolate and heavy cream. Melt over a double boiler (set the bowl over a saucepan with 1-inch of water simmering over medium heat) or melt in the microwave in 10-15 second increments, until the chocolate is smooth and glossy.
- Finish. Stir in butter, vanilla extract and salt into the melted chocolate mixture until evenly blended. At this point, the chocolate mixture should be very smooth and glossy, with perhaps a few small air bubbles from stirring. If your chocolate fondue is somehow separated or slightly grainy, you can use an immersion blender to pull it back together.
- Serve warm with your favorite gluten-free dippers. Speaking of which, we recommend…
25+ Gluten-Free Fondue Dippers To Try
Now that you know how to make gluten-free chocolate fondue, let’s talk about gluten-free things to DIP in chocolate fondue (since eating it is the best part!) Good news: there are a LOT of great options out there, like…
Fruit
- Strawberries. Fresh fruit is my absolute favorite thing to dip in chocolate fondue!
- Apples. Red & green apples add a gorgeous pop of color.
- Fresh Pineapple. Always a crowd favorite!
- Clementines. I love that chocolate-orange combo!
- Banana Slices. Firmer bananas work better than spotty ones!
- Kiwi. A bit messy, but kiwi is delicious with chocolate!
- Berries – Blackberries, raspberries & blueberries are tricker to dip than strawberries, but you can spear them on a skewer and they’re delicious!
- Dried Fruit – apricots and dried pineapple or dried mango are delicious with this decadent fondue!
- Coconut Strips. Thick slices of dried coconut are delicious here.
SWEETs
- Gluten-Free Shortbread Cookies. So good!
- Gluten-Free Brownie Bites. Use your favorite boxed mix brownie or make our favorite gluten-free brownies and cut them into small bites for easy dipping.
- Gluten-Free Cheesecake Bites. Store-bought or homemade!
- Gluten-Free Pound Cake. Small cubes of gluten-free pound cake, angel food cake, or your favorite cake can also work, so long as the cake isn’t super delicate.
- Gluten-Free Rice Krispie Treats. We LOVE these Brown Butter Rice Krispie Treats or these Peanut Butter Rice Krispie Treats!
- Marshmallows. Some good gluten-free marshmallows can be fun! (Regular or fun flavors!)
- Donuts. Mini gluten-free donuts can be so fun!
- Gluten-Free Oreos. Make sure to ONLY buy gluten-free Oreos since regular ones are NOT gluten-free.
- Mini Gluten-Free Cookies. Mini chocolate chip cookies, gluten-free vanilla wafers, or Goodie Girl cookies (like Birthday cake or S’mores “oreo” type cookies, or other brands mini cookies, like Sprouts, Schar, Made Good, HomeFree, Partake, etc.
- Gluten-Free Macarons or Macaroons. Some gluten-free French macarons or even coconut macaroons can work here!
Crunchy & Crispy
- Gluten-Free Pretzels. I love that salty crunch with chocolate!
- Coconut Rolls. These are like gluten-free pirouette cookies! (I get them at Sprouts)
- Gluten-Free Animal Crackers. My kids love these.
- Gluten-Free Graham Crackers. We love Pamela’s, but check out these other brands of gluten-free graham crackers for more inspo!
- Salty Potato Chips. For the sweet & salty lovers! (Me!)
- Meringues. Some little store-bought or homemade meringue cookies are delightful!
FAQ + Tricks For The Best Chocolate Fondue
Try it With Peanut Butter! If you like, you can swirl in 1-2 Tablespoons of peanut butter right before serving. (It’ll taste a lot like the fondue at the Melting Pot!)
How to Store & Reheat Leftover Fondue. If you have any leftovers (lucky you!), store leftover chocolate fondue in a microwave-safe airtight container in the refrigerator 3-4 days. To reheat, gently microwave on LOW power in 10-15 second intervals, until smooth and glossy again. (Or, warm over LOW heat on the stove.) If needed, you can add another drizzle of milk or cream until you reach your desired consistency.
Do I Need A Fondue Set? Nope! I don’t have one and this works great. I use a small saucepan and heatproof bowl for my double boiler, then keep the fondue warm in this butter warmer for easy serving. But, if you want one, this electric fondue pot gets rave reviews!
Can I Make This Dairy-Free? Yes, though I recommend you follow the guidance of this dairy-free chocolate fondue recipe if you plan to substitute coconut cream or almond milk.
Recipe Card
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Gluten-Free Chocolate Fondue
- Total Time: 25 minutes
- Yield: About 1 1/2 cups 1x
- Diet: Gluten Free
Description
Our easy gluten-free chocolate fondue recipe is perfect for your next date night or dinner party! (Plus 25+ gluten-free dipper ideas to try!)
Ingredients
For The Chocolate Fondue:
- 10 oz. semisweet chocolate,* chopped
- 3/4 cup heavy cream (or more, if needed)
- 1 Tablespoon softened butter, optional
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- pinch salt (1/8 teaspoon)
Gluten-Free Dipping Ideas:
- Fresh Fruit – Strawberries, apple slices, bananas, kiwi, pineapple, clementines, raspberries, blackberries, blueberries, etc.
- Dried Fruit – Dried mango, dried pineapple, dried apricots, or coconut strips
- Sweets – Gluten-Free brownie squares, Rice Krispie squares, pound cake squares, mini donuts or donut holes, shortbread cookies, cheesecake squares, marshmallows, cookies, vanilla wafers, or gluten-free Oreos.
- Crispy – Gluten-free pretzels, potato chips, coconut rolls, graham crackers, animal crackers, meringues
Instructions
- Chop Chocolate. To start, make sure all your utensils, bowls, etc. are clean and DRY. Small amounts of water can make chocolate seize and go grainy, which is the opposite of what we’re going for here. Then, chop the chocolate into very small shards. The more evenly it’s chopped, the more evenly it’ll melt.
- Melt. In a medium heatproof bowl, combine chopped chocolate and heavy cream. Melt over a double boiler (set the bowl over a saucepan with 1-inch of water simmering over medium heat) or melt in the microwave in 10-15 second increments, until the chocolate is smooth and glossy.
- Finish. Stir in butter, vanilla extract and salt, and stir to combine. At this point, the chocolate mixture should be very smooth and glossy, with perhaps a few small air bubbles from stirring. If your chocolate fondue is somehow separated or slightly grainy, you can use an immersion blender to pull it back together.
- Serve warm with your favorite gluten-free dippers. (See notes below!)
Notes
- Chocolate. I find that chopped chocolate bars melt better than chocolate chips. I prefer all semi-sweet chocolate, but if you want sweeter fondue, you can use about 6 ounces of semi-sweet chocolate and 4 ounces of milk chocolate.
- Peanut Butter. If you like, you can swirl in 1-2 Tablespoons of peanut butter right before serving.
- Melting. If you find your fondue is looking a bit grainy or separated, it’s most likely because your cream wasn’t hot enough. You can heat more cream to almost boiling, then add 1 teaspoon at a time, until it reaches a smooth consistency again. Or, you can use an immersion blender to pull it back together.
- How to Store & Reheat Leftover Fondue. If you have any leftovers (lucky you!), store leftover chocolate fondue in a microwave-safe airtight container in the refrigerator 3-4 days. To reheat, gently microwave on LOW power in 10-15 second increments, until smooth and glossy again. (Or, warm over LOW heat on the stove.) If needed, you can add another drizzle of milk or cream until you reach your desired consistency.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: American
