Use this as your complete guide for making homemade chocolate ganache. Chocolate ganache is a 2-ingredient recipe with virtually endless uses. For the best tasting ganache, I recommend using semi-sweet chocolate.
Chocolate ganache is a mixture of chocolate and warm cream. Stirred until smooth, silky, and shiny, ganache is a staple in any baker’s kitchen. It’s not only easy and quick, it’s uniquely versatile. Chocolate ganache can be used with so many dessert recipes as a filling, dip, spread, frosting, topping, or layer in a cake. The uses are virtually endless!
It’s not as syrupy and caramel-like as hot fudge sauce, but it does thicken considerably.
Uses for Chocolate Ganache
- Topping for chocolate cupcakes, cream-filled chocolate cupcakes, or no-bake cheesecake jars
- Filling for layer cakes
- Topping for this showstopping chocolate chip cake
- As a frosting for chocolate peanut butter cake or dark chocolate mousse cake
- Swirl in chocolate marble banana Bundt cake
- Topping for homemade brownies, pound cake, vanilla cake, or ice cream
- Swirled throughout chocolate swirl pistachio ice cream
- Filling for chocolate hand pies
- As a layer in crème de menthe pie
- Dip for strawberries and other fruit (serve with a bowl of whipped cream, too!)
- Topping for chocolate cake or flourless chocolate cake
- Frosting for chocolate raspberry cake (and you can even flavor it with raspberry liqueur)
- Layered in trifles
- Filling for no-bake s’mores cake
- Topping for homemade eclairs, crepes, angel food cake, and peanut butter pie
- Filling for striped fudge cookies and peanut butter fudge puddles
- Topping for marble loaf cake (with slightly reduced cream for a thicker ganache!)
- As a layer in peanut butter banana cream pie and peanut butter pie
- Filling inside of Easter cupcakes or your favorite cupcake recipe (see my How to Fill Cupcakes post for exact details on how to do so)
Let’s dive into an in-depth chocolate ganache tutorial. If you don’t care to read through the tutorial, feel free to jump straight to the recipe below.
Chocolate Ganache Video Tutorial
2 Ingredients in Chocolate Ganache
- Heavy Cream or Heavy Whipping Cream: Do not use half-and-half, whole milk, or any other liquid because the ganache won’t set up properly. For a non-dairy alternative, use canned coconut milk. See recipe note.
- Pure Chocolate: You can use semi-sweet chocolate (recommended), bittersweet chocolate, milk chocolate, or white chocolate. See recipe note.
When making homemade ganache, you need roughly a 1:1 weight ratio of cream to chocolate. (226g of chocolate for 240g of cream.)
Did you know that chocolate ganache is the base for chocolate truffles? I actually use less cream when I make chocolate truffles. Instead of a 1:1 weight ratio, use 8 ounces of chocolate and 2/3 cup (160ml/g) cream for truffles.
Best Chocolate to Use in Chocolate Ganache
The best chocolate for chocolate ganache is a pure chocolate baking bar, such as Bakers or Ghirardelli brands. (Not sponsored, just a genuine customer!) These are typically sold in 4-ounce (113g) bars in the baking aisle near the chocolate chips. Do not use chocolate chips because they will not melt into the best ganache consistency—save them for chocolate chip cookies instead. If you absolutely must use chocolate chips, make sure they are higher-quality chocolate such as Ghirardelli or Guittard brand semi-sweet chocolate chips.
For traditional chocolate ganache, I recommend using semi-sweet chocolate. This is the most commonly found chocolate in the baking aisle. Semi-sweet chocolate contains 35–45% cacao and is usually sweeter than bittersweet or dark varieties and darker than milk chocolate and white chocolate. If you like it a little darker, bittersweet chocolate (60% cacao) also makes an excellent ganache.
TIP: The best tool for chopping chocolate is a large serrated knife. The grooves help chip away the hard chocolate bar texture.
How to Make Chocolate Ganache
- Place finely chopped chocolate into a heat-proof glass or metal bowl.
- Heat cream on the stovetop until just simmering. If it’s boiling, the cream is too hot and could separate or even burn the chocolate. Once you see little simmers around the edges, turn off the heat and immediately pour the warm cream over the chocolate.
- Let the 2 sit for a few minutes before stirring.
- Stir slowly until smooth.
After you stir the chocolate and warm cream together, use the ganache right away as a fruit dip or drizzle on top of cakes, cupcakes, pound cakes, ice cream, and more. But if you wait about 2 hours and let it cool completely, the ganache can be scooped with a spoon, spread onto desserts, or piped with piping tips.
Piped Chocolate Ganache
If you’re craving a pure chocolate topping for your desserts, choose chocolate ganache. Once it cools and sets, you can pipe it onto your favorites including chocolate cupcakes. Super intricate piping tips aren’t ideal. Wilton 1M piping tip or Ateco 844 piping tip are my favorites for piped chocolate ganache. I used Ateco 844 in these photos.
Whipped Ganache
Let’s take chocolate ganache 1 step further. Did you know that you can beat ganache into a whipped frosting consistency? Think of the whipped buttercream from this vanilla sheet cake, but not as sweet or heavy. Once the chocolate ganache cools completely, whip it on medium-high speed until light in color and fluffy in texture, about 4 minutes. Now you have a decadent mousse-like frosting without an onslaught of extra sugar. It’s REALLY good!
You can pipe the whipped ganache, too. I used Ateco 844 piping tip in this next photo.
These 2 Tricks Make Chocolate Ganache Even Easier
Here are my 2 super simple tricks that make ganache even easier to make.
- Chop the chocolate as fine as possible. The finer you chop the chocolate, the quicker it melts with the cream. If the chocolate is in large large chunks, it won’t fully melt. And if the chocolate is not melting, reference Troubleshooting Chocolate Ganache below.
- Pour the warm cream over the chopped chocolate and let it sit before stirring. After you pour the warm heavy cream over the chopped chocolate, let it sit for a few minutes. During this time, the chocolate will soften and begin to melt which means that you won’t need to over-stir it. I’d rather spend extra minutes doing nothing than extra minutes stirring chocolate that won’t melt. Wouldn’t you?!
Troubleshooting Chocolate Ganache
After writing an entire cookbook (Sally’s Candy Addiction) on chocolate and candy, I’ve seen it all when it comes to making chocolate ganache. Seized chocolate? Yep. Grainy ganache. Yep, that too. Here are 3 problems you could encounter and how to fix each.
- Chocolate Isn’t Melting: If the chocolate isn’t melting, it wasn’t chopped fine enough or the cream wasn’t warm enough. Chop the chocolate into very small pieces and warm the cream until it’s just simmering. The microwave doesn’t evenly warm cream like the stove does, so I always recommend the stove. If you’re left with chocolate chunks swimming in cream, do not microwave it. Instead, place the mixture into a double boiler OR place the (heat-proof!) glass bowl over a small saucepan of simmering water. Do not let the surface of the simmering water touch the bottom of the glass bowl. Stir the ganache constantly over the indirect heat until it’s smooth.
- Chocolate Seized: When chocolate seizes, it creates a gritty and solid mass of chocolate. Simply put, seized chocolate will not melt. Chocolate seizes when it comes into contact with water. Don’t let even a drop of water into the bowl! Here is a wonderful article on overheated and seized chocolate.
- Greasy or Grainy: Use a glass or metal bowl. A plastic bowl could melt or leave you with a dull or grainy ganache. Use real chocolate; cheap chocolate chips result in a grainy ganache. Use a spoon or small rubber spatula to stir the chocolate and warm cream together. Do not use a whisk. The whisk incorporates too much air into the delicate melting chocolate, which could cause the fat to separate and turn greasy.
How to Make Chocolate Ganache
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 3 minutes
- Total Time: 10 minutes
- Yield: 1 and 1/2 cups
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Stirring
- Cuisine: American
Description
You only need 2 ingredients and a few minutes to make pure chocolate ganache. For ganache success, I encourage you to read the troubleshooting tips above and recipe notes below before beginning.
Ingredients
- two 4-ounce quality semi-sweet chocolate bars (113g each), finely chopped (see Note about using white chocolate)*
- 1 cup (8 ounces; 240ml) heavy cream or heavy whipping cream
Instructions
- Place chopped chocolate in a medium heat-proof bowl. Heat the cream in a small saucepan over medium heat until it begins to gently simmer. (Do not let it come to a rapid boil—that’s too hot!) Pour over chocolate, then let it sit for 2–3 minutes to gently soften the chocolate.
- With a metal spoon or small silicone spatula, very slowly stir until completely combined and chocolate has melted. The finer you chopped the chocolate, the quicker it will melt with the cream. If it’s not melting, do not microwave it. See Troubleshooting Chocolate Ganache in blog post above.
- Ganache can be ready to use as a drizzle or you can let it sit at room temperature to cool and thicken. It will fully cool within 2 hours. Refrigerating speeds this up, but the ganache will not cool evenly. Stir it a few times as it sets in the refrigerator so it remains even and smooth.
- Once completely cool and thick, the ganache can be piped with a piping tip or scooped with a spoon. You can also beat the cooled thickened ganache with a handheld or stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment until light in color and texture, about 4 minutes on medium-high speed.
- Cover tightly and store ganache in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. Once ganache cools completely, you can cover it tightly and freeze it for up to 3 months. Thaw in the refrigerator. To rewarm or thin out again, stir constantly over low heat on the stove in either (1) a double boiler or (2) in a heat-proof bowl placed over a pot of simmering water. Don’t let the bottom of the bowl touch the simmering water.
Notes
- Special Tools (affiliate links): Glass Mixing Bowl | Small Saucepan | Double Boiler | Silicone Spatula | Electric Mixer (Handheld or Stand) if whipping the ganache
- Chocolate: Ganache will only set if the correct chocolate is used. You can use high-quality chocolate chips if needed (I prefer Ghirardelli or Guittard semi-sweet chocolate chips), but I recommend using pure chocolate baking bars, in either semi-sweet or bittersweet. You can find them right next to the chocolate chips in the baking aisle. They are sold in 4-ounce (113g) bars. I like Bakers or Ghirardelli brands. You can use other varieties of chocolate too, such as milk chocolate (aka German chocolate) or dark chocolate. If using white chocolate, reduce the cream to 2/3 cup (160ml). White chocolate is softer, so you need less cream.
- Halve or Double: You can easily halve or double this recipe. No matter how much ganache you are making, you always need equal parts chocolate and cream.
- Dairy-Free Alternative for Heavy Cream: Use full-fat canned coconut milk. Shake the can well before opening. Whisk on the stove as it heats and bring to a simmer. Measure 1 cup (8 ounces; 240ml). Use instead of warm heavy cream.
- Yield: Yields 1 and 1/2 cups liquid/drizzle/scoop-able ganache. This is enough to cover 1 dozen cupcakes. For piped cupcakes, you may want to double the ganache to ensure there is plenty for piping. If whipping the ganache, you’ll have close to 3 cups. This is enough for 1 dozen cupcakes.
Reader Comments and Reviews
Hello, before I attempt to make this chocolate ganache can you give me an idea of how sweet it is? It always seems any kind of icing is far too sweet. I usually use a cream cheese icing for my cakes. I am going to make your Chocolate Cream Cheese Bundt Cake and am debating whether to use your ganache, if it’s overly sweet I wonder if I should just use a thin cream cheese icing to drizzle over it.
Hi Yoshi, chocolate ganache is less sweet than most frostings. You could use dark chocolate for a deeper, less sweet flavor as well.
To achieve a shiny ganache, how much corn syrup to add to this recipe of 8 oz of chocolate?
Hi Jim, 1-2 teaspoons of corn syrup adds a lovely shine to ganache.
Hi there, I’m wanting to cover my cake with ganache instead of using the usual buttercream. I was wondering what consistency is best to do this and do I need to refrigerate between layers? Hope this makes sense.
Hi Caroline! You can reference our chocolate raspberry cake recipe, where we coat the cake in ganache. We do like to do a crumb coat of chocolate frosting first, as we do on that cake.
Can I use this as the filling for ice cream cake instead of your hot fudge sauce? I don’t have all the ingredients for the other. Thanks!
Hi Jen, you could, but this will be harder in a frozen ice cream cake. Let us know if you try!
Hello!
With this recipe, how many cupcakes will it cover when I dip the cupcakes into the ganache?
Also, how large of a heat-proof pyrex bowl do I need for this recipe?
Thank you,
Carol
Hi Carol! It should be enough to cover 12-15 cupcakes. This recipe yields 1.5 cups of ganache, so a bowl about 3 cups capacity or larger should work well to have extra room for stirring.
Wondering if the whipped version would be stable enough to be used in between 2-3 stacked layers of 8” cake rounds? Weighing this against your Not-So-Sweet Whipped Frosting with some added experimental cocoa powder for an all chocolate birthday cake. Thanks!
Hi Brad, we’ve used the whipped ganache from this recipe to fill a layer cake with no issue but if you are nervous, feel free to make a thicker ganache by reducing the cream. If using 12 ounces of chocolate, try 10 ounces of cream instead. Let us know if you try it!
Thanks for a recipe that works every time! Simple to follow and adjust quantities and ingredients for desired result.
One question, is it still better to choose semisweet chocolate for the ganache if the dessert has been made with bittersweet chocolate? Is it better if the flavors ‘match’?
Hi Shelley, it’s really up to you! If you want them to match you certainly can. The flavor will be deeper. So glad you enjoy this recipe!
I want to use this as a topping option for the cheesecake, that I’m serving. Is the best way to do it by the spoonful?
If I make this ahead of time and refrigerate it, will it get too hard to
spoon it on the cheesecake???
Hi Myara, we would suggest making the ganache, letting it cool for about half an hour, and then pouring and spreading it onto your chilled cheesecake (before slicing). Then refrigerate the cheesecake for at least an hour to set the ganache before slicing and serving. If you refrigerate the ganache for too long before using, it will be too thick to spread onto the cheesecake. Hope this helps!
How long can you keep ganache??
Hi Beverly, It will keep in the refrigerator for up to 5 days or you can freeze it for up to 3 months.
Hi Sally! I love your recipes. I made your chocolate cupcakes with chocolate ganache frosting for a bake sale. They were a huge hit and sold out completely. With the holidays coming up, I was wondering if there is such a thing as white chocolate ganache. Could I swap in white chocolate for this recipe? I am hoping to cool overnight then use it as a spreadable frosting. Thank you!
Hi Dal, See recipe notes for white chocolate details. If using white chocolate, reduce the cream to 2/3 cup (160ml). White chocolate is softer, so you need less cream.
Hey Sally,
I’m curious if another fellow baker can use good or great quality mini morsels (not Nestle, of course!), if that’s all he/she or they can work with. And if it’s a yes, what’s the best ratio of mini morsels to ounces of heavy cream, to avoid clumping, hot/burned spots and seizing? I’m looking for slightly thin, but not too much, for use in makeshift chocolate covered Oreos.
I used this recipe for chocolate cake as well as brownies. Everyone loves my traditional chocolate frosting…but this recipe gives my cakes that special touch. Thank you
How do you make the ganache not taste like the baking bar?
You use a good quality chocolate bar like lindt or ghirardelli, not baking chocolate.
Sally’s Team, would I be able to use this recipe to make chocolate frogs using a silicone mold? Thank you in advance. I love you all!
Hi Jessica, the ganache will thicken considerably as it cools. However, if you are trying to make chocolates for chocolate molds, we’d recommend trying our chocolate truffles recipe. It’s basically like chocolate ganache, but includes less heavy cream (so it “sets” a bit more) and a bit of butter and vanilla for taste. Hope this helps!
Worked perfectly! I used semi-sweet chocolate chips and it turned out great
I have to make this ganache before I go to school and then make the cake after I come back, should I leave the ganache (right after I make it or maybe half an hour after) outside for 8 hours or should I refrigerate it?
Hi Baker! We would refrigerate – see step 5 for details!
Hi 🙂 was wondering about whipping-temp; if the ganache needs to be cold-cold, or just room-temp cold 🙂
Hi Christine, you’ll want the ganache to be cooled completely before whipping.
It looks delicious! Do the ganache topped and filled cupcakes need to be stored in the refrigerator?
Hi Deanna, if your kitchen is on the warmer side, you may want to store them in the refrigerator, but if you have cupcakes that are topped and filled with ganache, it’s not absolutely necessary, no.
Can I use this for a football shaped cake? The cake would be baked in he doll skirt pan.
Hi Colleen, You should be able to cover any shape cake with the ganache. Enjoy!
Hi Sally,
Thanks for this incredible recipe. Btw, if I want to make White Chocolate ganache, will it work the same way?
Hi Ruki, See recipe notes for white chocolate details. If using white chocolate, reduce the cream to 2/3 cup (160ml). White chocolate is softer, so you need less cream.
This is a very helpful tutorial. However, I find the way the recipe is written very confusing. You write two 4 ounce chocolate bars or 113g each. Then you wrote 8 ounces of cream or 240ml. It would be really helpful to just write 8 ounces of chocolate or 230g instead. The way it is written caused me to double the cream.
Thanks lisa I was scrolling for the comments for exactly this measurement summary.
Hey, I bought the bakers semi sweet chocolate chocolate the box says 225g 8oz. I’m weighing the bar in grams and it says 88g or 3.10oz. I need help lol. Why doesn’t the box weight match the contents weight.
The background music is annoying an unnecessary. I would prefer to listen to the instructor without that terrible music.
Hi Heather, thank you so much for the feedback.
You need 2x’s the amount of chocolate to make this ganache. 113g (4oz) is not enough
Hi Terrie, You are correct, this recipe calls for two 4 ounce bars of chocolate, so 8 ounces total.
Can you use ground bakers cocoa?
Can you use this ganache as the icing for your chocolate layer cake without using a buttercream crumb coat first? All you other cake recipes that use this ganache seem to use a crumb coat of some kind before the ganache?
Thanks!
Hi Leila, You can skip the buttercream and just use ganache if you wish. You may wish to whip it (as described in the post) if you are using it between layers so that it’s thicker.