Chocolate fondue is a natural for Valentine’s Day, and for good reason: Dipping luxurious foods in molten chocolate is delicious and, let’s face it, pretty sensual. It’s fine to serve the usual fondue contenders—strawberries, bananas, cookies, graham crackers, cubes of angel food cake—but consider adding some more interesting options too, to hit that sweet-salty spot, provide some piquancy, or marry some interesting textural contrasts (opposites attract, after all). Here are some deliciously intriguing ideas for what to dip in chocolate fondue.
VonShef Cast-Iron Swiss Fondue Set, $39.95 on Amazon
With six forks and a capacity of just over a quart, this will serve nicely for a small group, or just a couple.
1. Bacon
Shutterstock
Chocolate-covered bacon is a beautiful thing, but it takes a little time to make, what with the coating on all sides and the letting it set. Why not just cook it to crisp perfection, drain it, and dip it straight into a pot of molten chocolate? Sweet-salty seduction.
2. Rice Krispies Treats
Hungry Girl Por Vida
Make ’em in any flavor your heart desires (infused with booze, even), then cut them into dainty little cubes for spearing on your fondue forks and dipping into your pool of chocolate…you really can’t go wrong. (And you can make them vegan and gluten-free too.) Try this fetchingly festive Berry Marshmallow Crispy Treats recipe.
3. Marshmallows
Melissa Cole
Skip the rice cereal and just go straight for pillowy-soft, chewy marshmallows—which maybe aren’t that much of a novelty when it comes to dunking in chocolate, but can be if you opt for different flavors, like matcha marshmallows, bourbon marshmallows, or salted caramel marshmallows! Or put a boozy twist on both parts of the equation and make the Lambic Marshmallows with Chocolate Stout Fondue recipe pictured above.
Rose Gold Rose Marshmallows, 12 for $19.95 on Etsy
Made with pink wine and topped with edible glitter, these are also pretty perfect for V-Day.
4. Potato Chips
Same basic principle as bacon, but suitable for vegetarians too—and less work. Salted pretzels are an equally excellent choice. Bonus points if you make your own, but any nice, thick, kettle-style chip from the store will do just fine. (While not so salty, another savory and super-crunchy option is grissini, those long, thin Italian bread sticks often sprinkled with sesame seeds; the pairing of them with fondue hearkens back to the traditional Catalan pairing of dark chocolate with olive oil and toast.)
Sanders Dark Chocolate-Covered Potato Chips with Pink Himalayan Sea Salt, $15 on Amazon
No fondue pot? Try these chocolate-covered chips.
5. Hurricane Jelly Shots
Chowhound
With two boozy layers (representing both white and dark rum), plus chopped maraschino cherries and passion fruit juice, these are bursting with flavors that would complement dark chocolate, and they’d provide an interesting texture and temperature contrast too. For something simpler, try coffee gelatin, or various fruit flavors like raspberry or strawberry. Get all our Grown-Up Jelly Shot recipes.
6. Cake Balls
Gimme Delicious
Basically, you’re making cake pops, but instead of coating them all in chocolate at once and letting them set (let alone impaling them on their own individual sticks), you’re leaving them naked and dipping each one as you eat it. The Chowhound community is fond of this no-bake rum balls recipe made with Oreo cookies, and we wouldn’t turn ’em down either, that’s for sure. But to minimize the risk of getting crumbs in your fondue pot, make sure your cake balls are nice and firm—the initial crumbled cake and frosting mixture should hold together well, and then you should chill them for at least a couple hours. Chocolate on chocolate is always a good option, but red velvet cake is also especially appropriate for the occasion. (You can also dip energy balls instead, for a relatively healthier option!) Get the Red Velvet Cake Balls recipe.
7. Candied Citrus
What’s Gaby Cooking
Chewy, bright, and sweet-tart, candied citrus is a way more exiting fondue partner than pound cake and strawberries. You can just use the peels (like in our Candied Grapefruit Zest recipe), or do whole slices, of oranges or Meyer lemons, for instance. (For a similar, fresher option, try kumquats too, the sweet-outside, bitter-and-tart-inside fruity gems that provide juicy pops of flavor!) Candied citrus often has a sandy sugar coating that can come off in your fondue, so you may want to go with a recipe like the one pictured above, where the fruit is cooked in a sugar syrup that dries into a smooth glaze. Get the Candied Citrus recipe.
9. Candied Ginger
Similar to candied citrus, but for those who like things a little spicy. Fresh crystallized ginger should have a nice soft chew, more gumdrop than taffy. Look for it in the bulk section of your grocery store, where you can often find it in larger cubes ideal for dipping.
10. Dried Fruit
Nutritious Eats
Other dried fruit options like mango slices, apricots, apples, and papaya can make interesting additions to your array of fondue dippers, though some are harder to spear than others, so watch your fingertips while dipping. Get the Simple Homemade Dried Fruit recipe.
11. Halvah
Shutterstock
This tahini-based confection has a deep, complex flavor that is dynamite with chocolate, and the slightly crumbly, fudge-like texture against the silky-smooth fondue…well, um, is it getting hot in here? You can buy halvah ready-made, or try your hand at a Homemade Halvah recipe.
Russ & Daughters Marble Halvah, $10/pound on Goldbelly
Get this dark chocolate-marbled halvah delivered to you straight from one of New York's best delis.
Related Video: How to Make a Valentine’s Day Cocktail with Kombucha
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David Pistrang wrote the original version of this post on February 8, 2013; it was updated by Jen Wheeler with new links, text, and images on February 13, 2019.
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