Chocolate Dipped Fruit

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Chocolate dipped fruit is a simple, elegant, and naturally healthy treat! It’s a perfect dessert for all kinds of holidays and special occasions.

Along with all the over-the-top holiday desserts, I always like to have a reasonably healthy, or at least reasonably-sized, sweet treat on hand for gatherings, for those who have dietary restrictions or just prefer not to indulge too much. Dark chocolate dipped fruit is a great option for that.

This is an especially delicious treat to go with champagne on New Years Eve, Valentine’s Day, Mother’s Day, or any special occasion!

If you’ve ever had the pleasure of biting into a chocolate-covered strawberry, you know there’s nothing like it. The rich and complex flavor of good dark chocolate, contrasting with the fresh sweetness of a perfectly ripe strawberry is perfection!

And the good news is that this simple 2-ingredient treat is actually pretty healthy, as desserts go! Dark chocolate, in moderation, has a number of health benefits, including improvements in cognition, blood sugar levels, and mood. And hopefully I don’t need to convince you that fruit is good for you!

You don’t need to feel restricted to strawberries either. Plenty of other fruits can be dipped in chocolate, although some are definitely better candidates than others. See below for how to choose fruit for dipping.

What kind of fruit can I dip?

There are a few things to consider when you’re choosing fruit for chocolate-covered fruit.

If you’re creating a fruit assortment or platter like I have here, you’ll probably want a variety of colors to make it visually appealing.

• Red/pink fruits like strawberries, cherries, raspberries, apples, watermelon, cranberries, blood oranges, red grapes
• Green fruits like kiwi, green apples, green grapes, pears, honeydew melon,
• Yellow fruits like yellow apples, starfruit, bananas, pineapple, mango, persimmons, peaches
• Orange fruits like cantaloupe, orange slices, papaya, apricots
• Blue/purple fruits like blueberries, blackberries, plums

I also like to consider how far in advance I’ll be prepping the fruit. If you don’t plan to serve it the same day, choose fruit that:

• Will not brown quickly. Fruits like apples, bananas and pears contain enzymes that cause them to brown more quickly when exposed to oxygen.
• Don’t have too high a water content. Fruits like watermelon, pineapple, peach, kiwi, cantaloupe, and plums are best dipped and served the same day. Too much contact with water will cause the chocolate coating to weep.

You don’t need to restrict yourself to fresh fruit either! Candied fruits, like candied orange slices, and dried fruits like mango and papaya are great. Check the bottom of this post for more dipping suggestions!

Do I need to temper chocolate for dipping fruit?

For chocolate that hardens with a snap and a perfect shine, tempering is essential. Don’t worry it’s not as difficult as it sounds.

This post includes the instructions for my easiest way of tempering chocolate in the microwave, and you can read my full tutorial how to temper chocolate for plenty more tips. If you prefer to use a double-boiler to melt chocolate, you can do that and then follow the instructions below from step 5 on, for seeding and tempering the chocolate.

Other options include melting wafers (flavor doesn’t compare with real chocolate), and chocolate combined with a little shortening (chocolate is soft and dull when it hardens with this method).

For best results, tempering is the way to go.

What kind of chocolate is best for dipping?

Any brand of pure bar chocolate will work for tempering and dipping. Excellent options can be found at grocery stores from Ghirardelli, Bakers, Lindt, Dove, Scharffen Berger, and E. Guittard, among others. Choose your favorite chocolate, and the one that suits your budget.

Unfortunately chocolate chips are not your best choice for tempering as they are formulated especially to hold their shape when heated.

How to make chocolate dipped fruit

1. Carefully clean, cut or slice if necessary, and thoroughly dry your fruit. Set aside at room temperature.
2. Prepare a large sheet pan by lining it with wax paper.
3. Begin by tempering your chocolate. Chop 1 lb of chocolate coarsely, separate 1/4 of it from the rest, and finely chop that portion.

Note: The quantity of chocolate you need will depend on how much fruit you plan to dip, and whether you want to do a full dip or a half dip, like I did here. A pound of chocolate will get you about 30 half-dipped pieces of fruit. Always temper more than you think you will need, since the unused chocolate can be re-tempered. Just pour onto a sheet of wax paper, allow it to harden and store for another time.

1. Place the coarsely chopped chocolate in a microwave safe bowl and heat it on full power for 30 seconds. Stir the chocolate and heat for another 30 second burst. Stir thoroughly, scraping the bottom and sides. Continue to heat and stir in 10, and then 5 second bursts until the chocolate is about 70% melted. Low heat is the best way to melt chocolate.

1. Stir until the residual heat has fully melted the chocolate and it is perfectly smooth. Add half of the finely chopped chocolate to the melted chocolate and stir until completely melted and smooth.

1. Continue adding finely chopped chocolate a tablespoon or two at a time, and stirring until melted, until it starts to take a couple of minutes for the chocolate to fully melt.
2. Test the temper by dipping the back of a spoon into the chocolate and giving it about 8 minutes to harden (keep stirring while you wait). If it hardens with a beautiful streak-free shine, you are good to start dipping. If it has not started to set at all after 8 minutes, add a little more chocolate and keep stirring and testing.

1. Once your chocolate is tempered, start dipping your fruit, giving it a little shake or light scrape against the side of the bowl to take off the excess chocolate and prevent a “foot” from forming as you set it down on the wax paper-lined baking sheet.

Note: As you dip each piece of fruit, you can also give it a second dip in something else, like crushed nuts, oreos, candy canes, toffee bits, etc. Or just set them down on the parchment-lined sheet, and sprinkle them with sprinkles or whatever you like, before the chocolate sets. If you’d like to drizzle them with milk chocolate or white chocolate, this is best done AFTER the initial chocolate coating has set.

What else can I dip in chocolate besides fresh fruit?

If you’d like to mix up your platter, and include other chocolate-dipped items besides fruit, here are some options to try.

• marshmallows
• pretzels
• potato chips
• oreos
• dried fruits (raisins, apricots, mango, papaya, cherries, dates, pineapple)
• Candied fruits like candied orange slices, lemon peel, or candied ginger
• nuts (almonds, brazil nuts, peanuts, cahews etc)

How to store chocolate dipped fruits

Depending on the fruit used, you can store it for 1 or 2 days in the refrigerator. Store dipped fruit UNCOVERED on a baking tray lined with parchment or wax paper.

The drier the fruit is, the longer you can store it, but even very dry strawberries will start to weep after a couple of days, so chocolate-covered fruit is always best eaten soon after dipping.

Chocolate-covered strawberries, cherries, blueberries, and other fruits that do not need to be sliced before dipping will keep well at room temperature for up to 24 hours after dipping. These fruits are best dipped, and enjoyed, at room temperature.

Frequently asked questions