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How to Make Ganache

Learn how make chocolate ganache (hint: it is actually really easy!) and check out these 5 delicious ways to use it for the ultimate chocolate treat.

bowl of chocolate ganache

What is Ganache?

With Valentine’s Day coming up in a few days, many of us probably have chocolate on the brain. There is no simpler or more indulgent chocolate dessert than ganache.

Made of heavy cream and dark chocolate, you would be hard pressed to find a dessert with a shorter ingredient list. Not to mention that many of us probably have these items in the house already.

Depending on how much chocolate or cream you add, you can make chocolate ganache runnier or quite firm. This means you can use it as a sauce, frosting, glaze, and more!

Keep reading to find out my favorite ways to use chocolate ganache.

chopped chocolate bar with knife on dark background

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Chocolate Ganache Ingredients

When I say this is an easy chocolate ganache recipe, I mean it! The only ingredients you need to make chocolate ganache are:

  • Chocolate
  • Heavy Cream

That’s it! Chocolate Ganache is only 2 ingredients!

For the complete ingredient list and detailed instructions, scroll to the bottom of this post for the FREE printable recipe card.

glass measuring cup of cream

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How to Make Ganache

For a classic ganache, here’s what you need to do:

  1. Place the chopped dark chocolate in a mixing bowl and set aside.
  2. Warm the cream in a saucepan set over medium-low heat.
  3. Pour the hot cream over the chocolate and let the mixture sit for 5 minutes.
  4. Whisk the cream and chocolate together until smooth and glossy.

The above is simply a quick summary of this recipe. Check out the full recipe in the free printable recipe card at the bottom of this post for all the detailed instructions.

dark background with bowl of chocolate ganache

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Can I Use Another Type of Chocolate?

Yes, you can make chocolate ganache using either milk or dark chocolate.

Tips for Making Chocolate Ganache

Here are some of my favorite tips for making the best chocolate ganache:

  • Make sure to use a really good quality dark chocolate. Since it’s the star ingredient, you want the flavor to be amazing.
  • Also, you’ll want to use an actual chopped up chocolate bar and not chocolate chips.
  • Chocolate chips don’t always melt well, which can affect the texture of this homemade ganache. If you do use chocolate chips, make sure they’re high quality dark chocolate.
  • You can also use dark chocolate disks (not the same as chocolate candy melts).
  • Use a whisk to mix the chocolate completely into the hot cream.
  • Lastly, when heating the cream you do NOT want it to come to a boil. Heat it until almost boiling and then remove it from the heat.
whisking chocolate ganache

Ways to Use Chocolate Ganache

Not only is ganache easy and delicious, but it is very versatile. One batch of ganache can give you many different options for dessert if you have a little time to be creative. Here are five of my favorite ways to use chocolate ganache:

Chocolate Fondue

Keep the chocolate warm and, if necessary, thin it to your desired dipping consistency with additional heavy cream or liquor. It’s perfect for dipping fresh fruit (such as orange sections, raspberries and strawberries), homemade marshmallows, cheesecake bites, pretzels, or whatever else you’d like to eat dipped in warm, silky chocolate.

Chocolate Sauce

Pour or drizzle warm ganache over items like ice cream or crepes.

Coating Chocolate

Dip caramels, homemade marshmallows, fresh or dried fruit, nuts, pretzels, and more. Let the dipped edibles cool on a parchment paper-covered cookie sheet in the refrigerator until hardened. This will not produce a hard chocolate shell, however. If you are looking for that result, you’ll want to learn How to Temper Chocolate.

Frosting or Glaze for Cakes

For a shiny, chocolate ganache glaze, pour liquid, but slightly cooled, chocolate over cheesecake, bundt cakes, brownies (while still in their pan, but completely cooled), or layer cakes.

For whipped chocolate ganache frosting, chill a metal mixing bowl and mixer’s whisk(s) in your freezer. When the ganache has completely cooled (about an hour) and begun setting, you can remove the bowl and whisk from the freezer and whip the chocolate.

Whip ganache at medium-high speed as you would whip heavy cream until the chocolate has lightened in color and is fluffy (about 2 – 5 minutes). This is perfect for filling layer cakes or piping on top of cupcakes for a fluffy chocolate frosting.

For rich and thick cupcake frosting, allow the ganache to cool completely (about an hour) until it begins to set up but is still soft. Spoon into a pastry bag with a piping tip and pipe as desired for a rich dark chocolate frosting for cupcakes.

Quick Fudge

Pour the ganache into a lined pan and allow it to set. Cut into squares of fudge. If desired, swirl things like nut butters, dried or freeze dried fruit, coconut, marshmallows, caramel, vanilla bean, extracts or flavorings, or nuts into the fudge before pouring into the pan. If you like, sprinkle the top with sea salt before it hardens.

chopped dark and milk chocolate bars on a dark background with a knife

More Easy Chocolate Recipes:

Need a quick dessert that everyone will love? Make a pan of these Easy Chocolate Brownies. They’re one of the most popular recipes on my blog, and for good reason!

If you want to make homemade candies or truffles, learning How to Temper Chocolate is crucial. I break it down step by step in this post.

These Dark Chocolate Almond Lava Cake Sundaes are absolutely irresistible. Gooey in the center, and perfectly moist on the outside, I can’t stop eating these once I make them!

Another fun spin on chocolate ganache is this Homemade Magic Shell. When you pour this chocolate sauce over ice cream, it magically hardens!

If you like salt and sweet chocolate desserts, you need to make a batch of these Dark Chocolate Cupcakes with Salted Caramel Buttercream. Talk about delicious!

How do you like to use chocolate ganache?

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ganache in a bowl

How to Make Ganache

Yield: 1 1/2 cups ganache
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 10 minutes

Learn how make chocolate ganache (hint: it is actually really easy!) and check out these 5 delicious ways to use it for the ultimate chocolate treat.

Ingredients

  • 8 ounces chopped dark chocolate
  • 1 cup heavy cream

Instructions

To Make Ganache

  1. Place the chopped dark chocolate into a medium mixing bowl.
  2. Set aside.
  3. Then, pour the cream into a small saucepan and warm over medium-low heat until bubbles begin to form along the edges and the cream is hot.
  4. Do not bring to a boil.
  5. Pour the hot cream into the bowl with the chopped chocolate and allow to sit for about 5 minutes while the chocolate melts.
  6. Using a small wire whisk or wooden spoon, stir the hot cream and chocolate mixture until smooth and glossy.
  7. Ganache will become thicker as it cools.

For pourable ganache:

  1. It is best to allow it to cool until no longer hot, but still a liquid pourable consistency.
  2. Then you can pour it over a cake as a glaze or on top of brownies as a glaze like frosting

For piped ganache:

  1. Allow the ganache to cool completely (about an hour) until it begins to set up but is still soft.
  2. Spoon into a pastry bag with a piping tip and pipe as desired for a rich dark chocolate frosting.

For whipped ganache:

  1. Place a metal mixing bowl and your stand or hand mixer's whisks in your freezer.
  2. When the ganache has completely cooled (about an hour) and begun setting, you can remove the bowl and whisk from the freezer and whip the ganache at medium-high speed as you would whip heavy cream until the chocolate has lightened in color and is fluffy - about 2 - 5 minutes.
  3. This is perfect for filling layer cakes or piping on top of cupcakes for a fluffy chocolate frosting.


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Nutrition Information
Yield 8 Serving Size 3 tablespoons
Amount Per Serving Calories 256Total Fat 20gSaturated Fat 12gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 6gCholesterol 36mgSodium 15mgCarbohydrates 18gFiber 2gSugar 14gProtein 2g

GoodLifeEats.com offers recipe nutritional information as a courtesy and is an estimate only. This information comes from online calculators. Although GoodLifeEats.com makes every effort to provide accurate information, these figures are only estimates.

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Let me know if you try this recipe and what you think of it by leaving a comment below.

Save this recipe for How to Make Ganache and 5 Ways to Use Ganache to Pinterest!

Melanie

Tuesday 14th of February 2017

Hi! Can I store any leftover whipped ganache?

Katie

Tuesday 14th of February 2017

Yes it stores in the refrigerator.

Nazreen

Wednesday 1st of February 2017

To get a shiny effect it is instructed to pour the completely cooled ganache over the cake. Will the ganach set while cooling in room temperature and lose its pouring consistancy while cooling?

Katie

Wednesday 1st of February 2017

For a shiny, chocolate glaze: pour liquid, but cooled slightly, chocolate over cheesecake, bundt cakes, brownies (while still in their pan, but completely cooled), or layer cakes.

The ganache needs to be cooled slightly, just so that it is not blazing hot but it should not be cooled past being pourable. The cake is what needs to be completely cooled.Hope that helps!

Tori

Tuesday 24th of January 2017

Will this "crisp" up well once cooled? Even if it is at room temperature? Would you recommend this for chocolate covered strawberries? Also, where can i purchase this type of chocolate? I apologize for all the questions! I am trying to learn everything I can about chocolate. =)

Katie

Tuesday 24th of January 2017

The chocolate pictured is just this https://www.ghirardelli.com/shop-1/baking-treats/baking/60-cacao-bittersweet-chocolate-baking-chips.html which I am able to find at grocery stores and super centers near me.

Ganache will thicken upon cooling, but it will remain soft to the touch. Ganache is good for dipping strawberries if you are dipping and eating them at the same time (almost like fondue?). You can dip them and then refrigerate it to thicken the coating but it will not be like a candy coating of hard chocolate.

If you want a candy shell, you'll want to temper chocolate. You can learn how to do that here: https://www.goodlifeeats.com/how-to-temper-chocolate/

For tempering, you cannot have the chocolate get too hot when melting, so I definitely recommend checking out the tutorial as it is a little more finicky than just melting chocolate.

Hope that helps!

Alice

Monday 8th of December 2014

Can I use evaporated milk instead of cream?

Katie Goodman

Monday 8th of December 2014

I haven't tried that before. Let me know if you do and how it works.

Kristin Harris

Monday 30th of December 2013

Hi, If I wanted to frost cupcakes with buttercream frosting and then dip them in ganache, would I put the frosted cupcakes in the fridge to harden the frosting and then dip them in room temp, pourable ganache? Would this drip down the sides? I am wanting my finished product to look like a chocolate dipped ice cream cone.

Katie

Wednesday 1st of January 2014

I would try what you just described. Another option would be to use homemade magic shell. Here is how I did that for popsicles: https://www.goodlifeeats.com/2013/12/chocolate-covered-blood-orange-popsicles.html

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