In this post I'm sharing all of my tips and tricks for how to melt chocolate quickly and easily using a double boiler. This simple, foolproof method is so much more reliable than melting chocolate in the microwave (I'll explain why), and you can create a double boiler using kitchen tools that you already own.
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If you've ever melted chocolate in the microwave and ended up with thick, lumpy chocolate rather than chocolate that's glossy and smooth, then you know how frustrating it can be to ruin a batch of chocolate in the microwave. Double boiler to the rescue! This simple method for melting chocolate takes just a few minutes and uses tools you already have on hand.
Keep reading to learn how to easily melt chocolate in a double boiler!
What is a Double Boiler?
A double boiler is a kitchen tool used to apply indirect heat evenly to ingredients and foods. It looks like two saucepans stacked on top of each other. Water is placed in the lower pan, which will receive direct heat from the stove. The steam from the simmering or boiling water in the lower pan provides indirect heat to the food in the upper pan.
How to DIY a Double Boiler
Fortunately, it's very simple to create an improvised double boiler using items you already have in your kitchen! To create a double boiler, you will need a saucepan and a shallow, heat-safe mixing bowl. The mixing bowl should fit over the saucepan so that the outer edge of the bowl touches the upper edges of the saucepan (to create a "seal" that will trap steam within the saucepan). There should be several inches between the bottom of the saucepan and the bottom of the bowl so that there is space to add water to the saucepan without that water touching the bowl.
Why You Should Use a Double Boiler to Melt Chocolate
As I mentioned above, a double boiler allows us to melt chocolate using indirect heat (steam) rather than direct heat from a stove or radiation from a microwave. This indirect heat helps to heat - and melt - the chocolate more gradually, which greatly reduces the risk of overheating the chocolate or causing fat bloom. The result is perfectly smooth, glossy melted chocolate!
Conversely, melting chocolate in the microwave or in a saucepan on the stove heats the chocolate more quickly and unevenly. Chocolate is much more likely to become overheated in these scenarios, which will lead to disappointing results:
- Burned Chocolate - Chocolate that has been overheated becomes thick and gloppy, rather than the smooth and glossy chocolate we're aiming for.
- Fat Bloom - This is the white, waxy spots that you sometimes see on chocolate that has melted and re-solidified. Unsteady temperature changes in the chocolate can cause the fats (like milk fat and cocoa butter) within the chocolate to move to the surface and crystalize. This is most likely to happen with lower quality chocolate. It's still safe to eat, but it doesn't look as pretty.
Best Chocolate for Melting
There are three types of chocolate that you can use for melting, but a chocolate baking bar is always my go to because it doesn't contain extra ingredients and is easy to melt to a smooth consistency.
- Chocolate Baking Bar - A chocolate baking bar is real chocolate without added stabilizers, oils, or other ingredients. Bars should be finely chopped before melting to help them melt more quickly and evenly.
- Chocolate Chips - Chocolate chips contain stabilizers to help them hold their shape. They can be melted, but the added ingredients make it a bit more challenging to melt chips to a smooth consistency.
- Chocolate Wafers - Chocolate wafers are disc-shaped and larger than chocolate chips. They may contain oils to help the chocolate melt to a smooth consistency.
Melting vs. Tempering
Rather than simply melting chocolate, tempering chocolate means melting chocolate through a specific process which involves heating chocolate to a specific temperature in a double boiler, allowing it to cool slightly, and then heating it once again to a specific temperature (which varies, depending on the type of chocolate used). Tempered chocolate is stabilized, so it maintains a smooth, glossy finish and won't melt in your hands.
That's a little too fussy for me, and the simplified method that I'm sharing here has always served me well when melting chocolate for making chocolate covered strawberries, using in all kinds of frosting and baked goods, and drizzling over desserts. So I say we skip the candy thermometer and keep it simple!
Equipment & Ingredients
Double Boiler (Saucepan + Heat-Safe Bowl) - The double boiler is made of two parts: a saucepan for heating water, and a heat-safe bowl for melting chocolate. The double boiler allows the chocolate to melt using even, indirect heat and can be easily improvised using kitchen tools you already own.
Rubber Spatula - A rubber spatula is used to stir the chocolate as it melts.
Water - Water is heated to create steam, which is used to warm and melt the chocolate.
Chocolate - Use a chopped chocolate baking bar, chocolate chips, or chocolate wafers... the choice is yours!
Cutting Board & Serrated Knife - If you're melting a chocolate baking bar, use a serrated knife and cutting board to chop the chocolate into small, even pieces before melting.
Step-By-Step Instructions
Step 1: Place a saucepan on the stove and add 1-2 inches of water to the pan.
Step 2: Place a dry, shallow, heat-safe mixing bowl over the saucepan.
Tips for making a double boiler:
- The mixing bowl should fit over the pan so that the outer edge of the bowl touches the upper edges of the saucepan (to create a "seal" that will trap steam within the saucepan).
- Check to make sure the water in the pan isn't touching the bottom of the bowl by lifting the bowl up and checking the bottom to be sure it's dry before replacing the bowl in the pan.
Step 3: Add chocolate to the mixing bowl.
Step 4: Turn on the stove to medium heat. As the water begins to simmer and release steam, the steam will heat the chocolate and the chocolate will begin to melt. As the chocolate melts, keep stirring with a heat-safe rubber spatula until all of the chocolate has melted.
Step 5: Use the melted chocolate to dip or drizzle, or add it to a recipe. If dipping or drizzling, let the chocolate cool and harden before packing up your treats to store them.
Step-By-Step Video
Tips & Tricks
Use a serrated knife to more easily chop chocolate baking bars.
Do not let any water come in contact with the chocolate. Water causes chocolate to seize, causing it to become thick and lumpy. Even a drop of water can destroy your chocolate, so be sure to use a bowl and spatula that are completely dry.
FAQs
It takes roughly 5 to 10 minutes for chocolate to completely melt in a double boiler, depending on how much chocolate is being melted.
While I recommend using a double boiler instead of the microwave, since the microwave uses uneven, direct heat and is more likely to burn the chocolate, chocolate can be melted in the microwave. If melting chocolate in the microwave, be sure to go low and slow. Heat the chocolate at 50% power in 30 second increments, stirring between increments, until completely melted.
If you'll be using the melted chocolate for dipping - or if you want to know how to thin melted chocolate - I like to add a small amount of neutral oil (like vegetable or canola oil) to the chocolate as it's melting. The oil gives the melted chocolate a glossy sheen. I recommend using 2 teaspoons of oil for every 8 ounces of chocolate.
Chocolate that is melted but not tempered will begin to re-solidify as it cools. To keep the chocolate nice and smooth while you're using it, say if you're dipping strawberries, keep the chocolate over the water pan of the double boiler - but off of the stove - so that the steam continues to keep the chocolate warm. If you find that the chocolate does begin to cool, simply return the double boiler to the heat until the chocolate re-melts.
Uses for Melted Chocolate
You can use melted chocolate for so many things, like:
- Dipping fruit, like chocolate covered strawberries
- Dipping marshmallows
- Dipping treats, like Oreos or pretzels
- Drizzling over pound cake
- Drizzling over cookies, like these orange shortbread cookies
- Adding to buttercream frosting
- And so much more!
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Recipe
How to Melt Chocolate in a Double Boiler
Special Equipment
- 1 double boiler (saucepan + heat-safe bowl)
- 1 rubber spatula
- 1 cutting board (if chopping chocolate)
- 1 serrated knife (if chopping chocolate)
Ingredients
- water
- 4 ounces (113 grams) chocolate (chopped chocolate baking bar, chocolate chips, or chocolate melting wafers) Use whatever amount you wish to melt.
Instructions
- Place a saucepan on the stove and add 1-2 inches of water to the pan.
- Place a dry, shallow, heat-safe mixing bowl over the saucepan.
- Add chocolate to the mixing bowl.
- Turn on the stove to medium heat. As the water begins to simmer and release steam, the steam will heat the chocolate and the chocolate will begin to melt. As the chocolate melts, keep stirring with a heat-safe rubber spatula until all of the chocolate has melted.
- Use the melted chocolate to dip or drizzle, or add it to a recipe. If dipping or drizzling, let the chocolate cool and harden before packing up your treats to store them.
Joanne says
Thank you!
Hope says
How come you don't want the water in the bottom pan to touch the bottom of the top pan? So then you just need to leave space between the 2 pots?
Allison Ferraro says
Hi Hope! Great question. The goal with the double boiler is to provide indirect heat, using the heat from the steam created by the boiling water in the pot to warm and melt the chocolate in the upper bowl. If the boiling water from the pot touches the bottom of the bowl containing the chocolate, it will provide too much heat directly to the bottom of the chocolate, which could cause the chocolate to melt unevenly or even burn.
- Allison
NIcole Peters says
I use this method quite often but for some reason this time around the chocolate was very liquidy. I don't know why. I went ahead and prepared the rest of the recipe (brownies). I just took them out of the oven and now they the brownies are liquidy as a result of the chocolate being too watery. Would could I Have done that would have made my chocolate liquidy? The recipe called for 8 oz of chocolate and 2 sticks of butter. I only had one 4 oz baking bar so 1/2 cup of chocolate chips to make up for the other half of chocolate.
Allison Ferraro says
Hi Nicole! I want to be sure that I'm understanding your question... chocolate melted in a double boiler should of course be smooth and pourable, but it sounds like the melted chocolate was too liquidy/watery? Was the chocolate melted with the butter? A lower quality butter could contain more water and have caused the mixture to seem watery. The chocolate chips that were substituted would melt differently than a chocolate baking bar, but if anything I'd expect them to be a bit thicker, as they contain stabilizers. The butter's water content would be my first guess as to why the mixture was too liquidy. I hope this helps!
- Allison
Clara Lee Maness says
I use the Beulah Wafers and still have trouble with the chocolates getting thick and the turtles do not come out smooth and pretty. I use a double boiler but think I have lost my touch. Any help will be appreciated as I make several goodies to be dipped.
Clara Lee
Allison Ferraro says
Hi Clara. I'd be happy to help you troubleshoot! When you say that the chocolate is getting thick, is it re-solidifying after it's melted and begins to cool or is it becoming thick and lumpy? If it's the former, you can simply keep the chocolate over the hot water in the double boiler so that it doesn't cool and firm up as you're dipping; Unless the chocolate was tempered, it will begin to re-solidify as it cools. If the chocolate is becoming thick and lumpy it could have come into contact with water and seized. Be sure no water comes into contact with the chocolate. Or it could have been overheated. Be sure that the water in the pan is not touching the bottom of the bowl containing the chocolate to ensure that the chocolate is only receiving indirect heat. I hope this is helpful!
- Allison
Kathy says
I did all that but my chocolate chips melted but never became thin enough to dip properly. Some recipes DiTomaso add a little vegetable oil or crisco. Did that, didn't work either. I believe it is probably true hat if you use melting wagers or a name brand of chocolate maybe it would get thin enough!
Allison says
Hi Kathy! There are a few reasons this could have happened. Is it possible that the chocolate was overheated, or are you certain that the chocolate received indirect heat in the double boiler? Is it possible that the chocolate came into contact with water? This would cause the chocolate to seize, making it lumpy and gritty. If you don't believe that the chocolate chips were overheated or that they seized, it's possible that the brand of chips used contains so much stabilizers that they don't fully melt.
I do sometimes add a bit of oil to chocolate if using it for dipping (as I did in my recipe for chocolate covered strawberries here: https://alwayseatdessert.com/homemade-chocolate-covered-strawberries/), but this is used to keep the chocolate smooth and shiny for dipping and shouldn't be needed in order for the chocolate to melt properly.
I hope this helps! - Allison
Kat says
If you turn off the heat when the chocolate is melted, will it start to cool & thicken? do you keep it on the steam/hot water as you're dipping? what if you're working with a large batch and you need the chocolate to be thin enough for long enough? I tried the double boiler but the chocolate melted and then thickened quickly.
Allison Ferraro says
Hi Kat! Great question! Yes, when the chocolate is removed from the heat it will begin to cool, and as it cools it will re-solidify (since we've only melted the chocolate and not tempered it). If you're using the melted chocolate to dip larger batches of, say, strawberries, you have two options: 1) occasionally return the bowl of chocolate to the double boiler on the stove to re-melt the chocolate if it begins to firm back up, or 2) remove the double boiler from the stove/heat but keep the bowl of chocolate over the water/steam so that it stays warm and melted for longer.
- Allison
-AKS- says
Some brands of chocolate chips or similar items may contain anti caking agents in them that may prevent them from melting properly.
Also, many times they include ingredients which keep them solidified when heated so they don't melt out, run away or lose as much shape to them... such as for chocolate chip cookies.