Wondering how to melt chocolate chips? Chocolate can behave differently under heat, so I've put together all my tips on how to melt chocolate chips safely.
Chocolate has a melting point of between 63-97 degrees Fahrenheit / 17.3 - 36.3 degrees Celsius, depending on the crystal structure and how it has been tempered. It can burn easily and coagulate (seize up) and care must be taken, but I'll go through all the ways you can melt chocolate.
Jump to:
- What is the best chocolate chip to use in baking?
- How to melt chocolate chips?
- 1. Melt chocolate chips in the microwave
- 2. Melt chocolate chips on the stove (over double boiler)
- 3. Melt chocolate chips on the stove (induction)
- 4. Melt chocolate chips in a slow cooker
- 5. Melt chocolate chips in the oven
- How to melt white chocolate chips?
- How to melt white chocolate bar?
- Is it better to melt chocolate on the stove or microwave or slow cooker?
- Do you need to add oil when melting chocolate?
- Melting chocolate chips FAQs
- Chocolate recipes
- How to Melt Chocolate Chips (Ultimate Guide)
What is the best chocolate chip to use in baking?
It is important to always use high-quality chocolate in baking. Lower-quality chocolate chips can seize up when you melt them and can also go grainy. I use Callebaut chocolate chips, which are of amazing quality and available in bars and batons too. Lindt is another more widely available brand that I'd also recommend. If you don't have chocolate chips, you can simply break a bar into very small pieces.
How to melt chocolate chips?
Here are the best ways to melt chocolate to use in baking and other recipes. These 5 methods for melting chocolate cover all requirements and equipment, and I have included all my expert tips to get the best results. The same methods apply whether you are melting dark or milk chocolate chips, however, for white chocolate chips you need to be extra careful, see my notes below.
Remember, slow and steady wins the race when heating chocolate. It burns easily and then tastes bitter, which no one wants!
1. Melt chocolate chips in the microwave
Melting chocolate in the microwave is a fast, energy-efficient option and creates the least tidying up! Use a plastic microwave safe bowl or container as glass can overheat quickly and become dangerous to handle.
Place chocolate chips in the heatproof bowl and microwave on medium power in 20-30 second intervals. Stir well in between, and stop when the chocolate is just melted. Remember that there will be residual heat that will continue to melt them, so don't overdo it. Wonder how to melt chocolate chips without microwave? Keep in reading.
2. Melt chocolate chips on the stove (over double boiler)
A double boiler is a bowl placed over a saucepan of simmering water which forms a seal and the steam from the water gets trapped inside. This steam heats the bowl and melts the chocolate inside it. A double boiler is useful if you need to melt a larger amount of chocolate, or if you need to melt them together with butter, coconut oil, or peanut butter for example.
Make sure that the boiling hot water does not touch the bowl as this can burn the chocolate. Keep the water at a simmering point rather than a full rolling boil as this can scald the chocolate. If you think the bowl is becoming too hot, quickly lift it up and put it back on the saucepan again to release some steam and heat.
3. Melt chocolate chips on the stove (induction)
The only time you can melt chocolate directly on a stove is if you have an induction stovetop. This is because induction cooktops have a precise and even heat distribution and can be set very low, enabling safe melting.
To melt chocolate on an induction cooktop, place the chocolate chips into an induction-safe saucepan and heat on the lowest setting (usually setting 1). Stir frequently the melted chocolate chips and remove them from the heat as soon as the chocolate is melted.
4. Melt chocolate chips in a slow cooker
It is easy to melt chocolate in a slow cooker or crock pot, but it does take a bit more time. However, you can melt larger quantities of milk chocolate, white chocolate, and dark chocolate all at the same time. The slow cooker method will also keep them at the perfect melted consistency for as long as you need. This is handy if you require melted chocolate for a process that will take you a while.
Fill the slow cooker to ¼ depth with hot water. Place jars or bowls filled with cups chocolate chips into the water and set it to high. It is very important to leave the lid off. Leave it for around 30 minutes before stirring and use it however you need. The sweet chocolate chips will remain melted for as long as they are in the slow cooker water bath.
Take care to ensure that the water does not flow into the bowls or jars, the water level should come up to about half the height of the chocolate chip containers.
5. Melt chocolate chips in the oven
You can use the oven to melt chocolate chips at a maximum temperature of 225 degrees Fahrenheit / 110 degrees Celsius.
Place the chocolate into an oven-proof container. Preheat the oven to as low a temperature as possible and then place the container inside. Leave it for 5 minutes before stirring. Remove from the oven when the chocolate chips are almost all melted and the residual heat in the container will finish the job.
How to melt white chocolate chips?
You can melt white chocolate in the same ways you melt dark or milk chocolate chips. However, white chocolate does not contain cocoa solids and therefore behaves differently under heat. White chocolate chips do not melt as easily, so stir them more frequently as they tend to hold onto their shape and also burn more easily.
To learn more about white chocolate, read my white chocolate baking guide. Once you've melted your white chocolate chips you can use them for delicious recipes like these chocolate covered strawberries!
How to melt white chocolate bar?
To melt a white chocolate bar, simply break it into small pieces first. The smaller the pieces, the faster they will melt. Use one of the methods detailed above and stir frequently to encourage the white chocolate bar to melt.
Is it better to melt chocolate on the stove or microwave or slow cooker?
My preferred way to melt chocolate chips is in a microwave as it is very easy and fast. A microwave is the best way to melt smaller quantities of chocolate.
To melt larger quantities of chocolate, a double boiler or slow cooker is better. If you have an induction cooktop, this makes it very easy but you do need to keep an eye on it. Using an oven to melt chocolate can be energy inefficient as you use it for such a short period of time.
It also depends on what you are making. If, for example, you are baking brownies, you need to melt butter and chocolate together. And the butter will explode in a microwave before the chocolate chips melt! So a double boiler is best here. If you are dipping items into melted chocolate (like cookies) and need it to remain melted, use the double boiler method.
Do you need to add oil when melting chocolate?
No, you do not need to add oil to chocolate chips in order to melt them. The only time you would need to add oil or butter to chocolate chips when melting is if the recipe called for it.
Melting chocolate chips FAQs
Chocolate will burn if exposed to strong direct heat, and the heat source on a gas or electric stovetop is too fierce and uneven. You can however melt chocolate in a saucepan on an induction stovetop at the lowest (1) setting.
Creating a water bath in a slow cooker or double boiler is the best way to melt chocolate when you need to maintain the right consistency for dipping multiple items like cake pops.
You can melt chocolate chips for drizzling in a microwave as it is quick and easy and ideal for smaller quantities. Microwave chocolate in a microwaveable container on medium power in 30-second increments. Stir well in between.
Create a double boiler using a saucepan of simmering water and a bowl over the top. Place the chocolate chips in the bowl and stir frequently until melted. Transfer the melted chocolate into a tall and narrow jar or container for dipping.
No, you do not need to add anything to the chocolate chips before melting. The only time you would need to add oil or butter is if the recipe called for it.
Yes, if you set the oven to a very low temperature, as low as it can go. Chocolate can burn easily and taste bitter, so it is important not to set the oven temperature too high.
Create a water bath (bain-marie) in a slow cooker filled ¼ depth with hot water. Place the chocolate chips into mason jars or bowls and set them in the water. Remove the lid and set it to high. The slow cooker will keep the chocolate melted for as long as you need.
Heat the milk over medium heat in a saucepan on the stovetop. When it reached a steaming point, add the chocolate chips and remove the saucepan from the heat. Stir to melt the chocolate chips into the milk.
Use a double boiler to melt the chocolate chips and coconut oil together in a bowl over indirect heat. Stir frequently until fully combined.
Chocolate recipes
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How to Melt Chocolate Chips (Ultimate Guide)
Ingredients
- 1 cup Chocolate Chips
US customary cup measurement is an indicative figure only. Measure the ingredients with a digital scale by weight (gram). Baking is art but also science which requires precision and accuracy.
Instructions
How to melt chocolate chips
Melt chocolate in the microwave
- Place chocolate chips in the heatproof plastic bowl and microwave on medium power in 20-30 second intervals. Stir well in between, and stop when the chocolate is just melted.
Melt chocolate on the stove over a double boiler
- A double boiler is a bowl placed over a saucepan of simmering water which forms a seal and the steam from the water gets trapped inside. This steam heats the bowl and melts the chocolate inside it. A double boiler is useful if you need to melt a larger amount of chocolate, or if you need to melt them together with butter, coconut oil, or peanut butter for example.
Melt chocolate on the stove (induction)
- To melt chocolate on an induction cooktop, place the chocolate chips into an induction-safe saucepan and heat on the lowest setting (usually setting 1). Stir frequently.
Melt chocolate in a slow cooker
- Fill the slow cooker to ¼ depth with hot water. Place jars or bowls filled with cups chocolate chips into the water and set it to high. It is very important to leave the lid off. Leave it for around 30 minutes before stirring and use it however you need.
Melt chocolate in the oven
- Place the chocolate chips into an oven-proof container. Preheat the oven to as low a temperature as possible and then place the container inside. Leave it for 5 minutes before stirring.
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