How to make Chocolate Covered Strawberries

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Your step-by-step guide for how to make Chocolate Covered Strawberries! These look hard but they’re really easy to make; Learn how to make chocolate covered strawberries the easy way – and never spend tons of money buying them again!

chocolate covered strawberries on a baking pan

Homemade Chocolate Covered Strawberries are a favorite in our house. My daughter loves them as dessert or snack all year long (I even make Chocolate covered strawberries for the Super Bowl), but traditionally they’re made for Valentine’s Day or Mother’s Day. The recipe for how to make these is so simple, but it’s good to have a few tricks up your sleeve because working with chocolate can be finicky! With just 3 main ingredients you’ll NEVER buy chocolate strawberries again when you learn how to make them.

The Secret to Professional Chocolate Covered Strawberries

1. The Vinegar Wash: washing berries in a vinegar solution not only helps clean the fruit but it extends the shelf life of the berries by killing mold spores. Use a solution of 1 part white distilled vinegar to 3-4 parts cold water in a large bowl. Place the strawberries in the mixture and just gently swirl them around, but don’t let them soak longer than 5 minutes. Rinse and drain the berries well using a colander so your chocolate covered strawberries don’t have a vinegar taste. Dry them completely on a paper towel at room temperature and pat them dry; ensure ALL moisture is gone (check under the leaves of the stem too). Any moisture on your berries will ruin your chocolate.

2. Use Room Temperature (not cold) Strawberries: Make sure your dried berries are not too cold before dipping. Cold berries can cause the chocolate to harden too quickly, which can cause cracks or “sweat” (condensation) that will ruin the chocolate.

ingredients in chocolate covered strawberries

Best Chocolate for Dipping: Wafers vs Bars vs Chips

Chocolate Flavored Melting Wafers (i.e. Ghirardelli) are my favorite for dipping berries. They’re made for melting and there is less of a chance of it seizing. You can use Dark, Milk, or White chocolate.
You can also use Baking Chocolate (bars), like Ghirardelli or Baker’s. These come in semi-sweet chocolate or white chocolate.
I don’t recommend using chocolate chips as they tend to melt in your hand and they’re more finicky and harder to melt, but in a pinch it’s fine to use them. Just add about 2 teaspoons of oil for that professional glossy sheen.

chocolate covered strawberries on a white plate

Melting & Tempering Chocolate

You can melt the chocolate on a stovetop using a double boiler or in the microwave.

To get that satisfying ‘snap’ when biting into a chocolate covered strawberry, you must monitor your chocolate’s temperature. Professional results happen when you dip at exactly 88-90°F. Chocolate that’s too hot will be too thin and run off; if it’s too cold it’ll be thick and lumpy.

Microwave Method

Use 50% power when melting candy melts or baking bars. If your chocolate is struggling to melt, you can add a bit of vegetable or coconut oil to help it melt easier.
Make sure to use a microwave-safe bowl to melt your chocolate. You can use a plastic or glass bowl, but I love using paper bowls for easy cleanup.
Stir in 30-second intervals to avoid scorching the chocolate.
Get all my tips for how to melt chocolate and how to dip without tears, including learning how I use a griddle to keep my chocolate warm.

Double Boiler

Choose a pot and bowl that fit together (the bowl should be large enough that it sits flush on top the pot but doesn’t come within 2-inches of the water).
Bring a few inches of water to a boil in the pot over medium heat. Add the bowl on top and add the chocolate to the bowl.
Stir often while melting – do not let any steam or condensation get into the bowl. And be careful – the bowl will get hot.

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Dorothy’s Expert Tips

Melted chocolate can be a fussy thing, so I always use baking bars or chocolate melts to make these strawberries. They’re designed for melting and handling, and won’t melt as fast in your fingers like chocolate chips would.

How do you get chocolate to stick to strawberries? Make sure your strawberries are fully dry, free of water and at room temp. Any moisture will cause the chocolate to not stick or seize. After patting dry you must wait at least 15-20 minutes to air dry them.

The most common reason for ‘sweaty’ berries is dipping them when they’re still cold from the fridge. When cold fruit meets warm chocolate, condensation forms between the two layers, causing the shell to slip off. Always let your berries come to room temperature before you start.

Use a narrow and deep container to dip the strawberries – like a shot glass or drinking glass or small jar. This will get a deeper, more even coat using less chocolate.

To dip your berries, you can pull back the leaves and dip with your hands OR insert a toothpick into the stem and hold it to dip the berry. Either method will work.

Chocolate Covered Strawberries Recipe

5 from 2 votes

Learn how to make Chocolate Covered Strawberries dipped in different kinds of chocolate and customized with various toppings. Chocolate dipped strawberries are so fun to make and great for date night, Valentine’s day, wedding anniversaries, or anytime you want to treat yourself!

Recipe Video

Prep Time 15

Cook Time 2

Total Time 17

Yield 20 servings

Serving Size 1 serving

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Ingredients

▢ 1 pound strawberries
▢ 8 ounces semi-sweet chocolate (baking bars or melts)
▢ 8 ounces white chocolate (baking bars or melts)
▢ Coconut or chopped nuts for topping optional

Instructions

Wash the strawberries and dry in a kitchen towel until completely dry.
Melt the milk chocolate and white chocolate in a microwave-safe bowls on 50% power in 30 second increments, stirring between each, for about a 2-3 minutes until completely melted.
Prepare a baking dish with parchment paper lining.
Hold the strawberries with its twig and dip them into the melted chocolate.
Decorate with coconut or nuts and chocolate, or drizzle white chocolate on dark chocolate or vice versa. You can also top with sprinkles or mini chocolate chips.
Refrigerate until the chocolate is set.

Recipe Notes

Always dip berries that are room temperature to avoid sweating.
Vinegar wash: 1 part vinegar to 3-4 parts water. Gently swirl and soak for 5 minutes. Pat dry and air dry at least 15-20 minutes or until ALL of the moisture is gone. Berries must be dry or the chocolate will seize.
Your target melting temperature for chocolate is 90°F.

Recipe Nutrition

Nutritional information not guaranteed to be accurate

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Author Dorothy Kern

Storing Instructions

How long do Chocolate Covered Strawberries last? They’ll last a few days stored in a covered but ventilated container, however they’ll start to weep after 24 hours.

I don’t recommend making these too far ahead of time and I do not recommend freezing them. For best results, make them the day they’ll be given or served.

FAQs

How to drizzle chocolate on strawberries?

Using any leftover melted chocolate, dip a spoon then raise it over the desired strawberry and in a zigzag motion, drizzle quickly as the melted chocolate falls.

How to keep chocolate covered strawberries from sweating?

If you notice that they are softening or start to sweat, you should chill them again.

Should strawberries be cold before dipping in chocolate?

No. It is best if the strawberries are room temperature when dipping them in chocolate.

Why is my chocolate slipping?

This happens when the berries are cold to start. Condensation will form between the layers and cause the chocolate to sweat or slip off.

Creative Topping and Drizzle Ideas

You can decorate with anything you like – drizzles of leftover chocolate, or use chopped pistachios, pecans, almonds, or even toffee bits.

To create the drizzle, just place melted chocolate in a small sandwich bag and cut off the tiniest of the tip.

Coconut or chopped nuts (optional): for toppings. You can also use mini chocolate chips, sprinkles, or extra chocolate for drizzling. The toppings are optional, but they add texture and flavor plus they’re a little extra fancy to make the strawberries unique!