Chocolate fountains are always a welcome addition to the party! Here are our best chocolate fountain tips from set-up to clean-up, plus our easy 2-ingredient Chocolate for a Fountain recipe.
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Some time ago, we hosted a little celebratory gathering for our graduating senior. Usually when I host a get-together, I get totally carried away making all kinds of party food, but life has been throwing us a few curves lately, and so I decided to keep things simple this time. And what could be simpler than a chocolate fountain, right?
Setting Up Your Chocolate Fountain
The Wind is Not Your Friend
We did a lot of things right. I'll share those chocolate fountain tips in a minute, but this is the most important thing I can tell you about using a chocolate fountain, so if you don't read anything else, read this:
When you are hosting a party and plan to use a chocolate fountain, the wind is not your friend.
Ever. (Say it with me… "The Wind is NOT my Friend.")
Even when you think it is only a little wind, and no one will notice. Because guess what? You're wrong! The chocolate will notice. And so will the laws of physics.
Location, Location, Location
Besides the actual chocolate recipe itself, location is the single most important factor in the success or failure of your chocolate fountain. Consider heating and air conditioning ducts, traffic flow, pet access, wind, rain, bugs and small children when choosing where to set up your fountain. Also, be careful about where you lay the electrical cord: if someone were to trip on it, it could have dire consequences for your entire party.
Once we moved everything inside, everything flowed like Willy Wonka's chocolate river.
Fountain Set-up
Your chocolate fountain likely has three distinct parts: the tower, the auger, and the base. If it isn’t already set up, check your owner’s manual for how to put it together. (If your hard copy is lost, most manuals are available online, or on Youtube.)
Level Ground
Before you ever pour a drop of chocolate into your fountain, make sure it is level. As in, plumb bubble-up level. Once again, melted chocolate is all about the laws of physics.
What Kind of Chocolate to Use
Although I was tempted to buy more expensive chocolate, I decided to go with good old Tollhouse Semi-sweet Morsels, for a couple of reasons: they are low in milk solids, they are available at Costco in huge bags for a decent price, and they taste delicious when you melt them.
Tollhouse makes both semi-sweet and dark chocolate chips. If you want to make dark chocolate for your fountain, that's my recommendation.
We haven't tried making white chocolate with Tollhouse white chocolate chips yet: if you try them, be sure and let us know!
Easy 'Chocolate for a Fountain' Recipe
The recipe for chocolate for a fountain is as easy as it gets: chocolate + oil.
That's right: in order to get the chocolate to flow properly, you need to mix it with oil. (I know - you just squinched up your nose and said Eww.) But I stumbled onto the perfect solution: unrefined coconut oil.
A ratio of one tablespoon of coconut oil per cup of semi-sweet morsels works perfectly and tastes delicious.
How Much Chocolate?
The size of your fountain will determine how much chocolate you need and the number of people you can serve. Home fountains typically need at least 3 pounds to avoid gaps in flow, and can usually hold up to 5 pounds at one time.
Heating the Chocolate
Even if your fountain has an internal heating element (most do), do not attempt to melt your chocolate in the fountain.
Microwave: Heat the chocolate together with the coconut oil for 40 seconds at a time in the microwave, stirring after each interval and repeating until completely smooth.
Once the chocolate and oil are fully melted together, it is ready to pour into the fountain.
Follow the directions that come with your chocolate fountain to determine how much you will need to start out.
Fondue Pot: You can also prepare the chocolate mixture in an electric fondue pot set on Low, stirring frequently. (This is my preferred method for heating all things chocolate.)
No Oil Option: If you don't want to hassle with using oil, you can use Wilton Chocolate Pro Fountain Fondue Chocolate. They are no prep, no-fail. They are also mad-expensive, but sometimes the convenience is worth it.
Do not, under any circumstances, allow any water to get into the chocolate. Even a few drops can cause it to seize.
Pro Tip: Take the time to set up a second batch of chocolate for when you need to refill the fountain later.
Preheat & Prime the Fountain
Preheat your fountain while you are melting the chocolate mixture. Preheat on "Keep Warm", "Very Low", or "Flow" (depending on your machine) for at least 5 minutes.
Pour the melted chocolate mixture into the center of the bowl at the base of the fountain. Set the fountain to flow. The spiral augur inside the tower will draw the chocolate to the top.
When you have the fountain filled and running, let it run for a minute or two and then turn it off. Wait a minute or two and then turn it back on. This will help get any air bubbles out of the tube and auger system.
Every machine is a little different: adjust the fountain speed and temperature so that the chocolate flows smoothly and freely, but it still remains rich and thick. Test out a few dippers in the name of science to make sure everything is working the way you want.
If your fountain's flow is running uneven, or has breaks in the flow, first recheck to confirm the unit is level, then check the level of the chocolate in the bowl. If those all check out, turn the unit off for a minute and then back on. (Like resetting your router.)
Chocolate Fountain Dipper Ideas
There are a lot of delicious choices for dipping:
- Bananas
- Pretzels
- Pineapple
- Cream puffs
- Marshmallows
- Apple slices
- Pound cake cubes
- Strawberries
- Grapes
HINT: If you don't have enough fondue forks, bamboo skewers work just fine.
After the Party's Over
If that bit about the Wind not being your friend is the most important point in this post, then this is the second most important:
No matter how tired you are - clean the fountain right away.
DO NOT, under any circumstances, leave it for tomorrow.
If you wait until the next day, the chocolate will harden up and it will take you ten times as long to clean.
Cleaning the Fountain
To clean a chocolate fountain, first turn off the machine. Allow it to cool to a comfortable temperature: warm enough to keep the chocolate soft, and cool enough to touch.
Use a silicone spatula to scrap as much chocolate down the tower and into the bowl as possible. Remove the auger and the tower and scrape them carefully.
Wash the fountain parts in warm, soapy water and dry with a clean towel. (Do not submerge the bowl/base unless your model's owner's manual explicitly says you can.)
Top Tip: Leftover Chocolate
Seal any leftover chocolate in an air-tight container. Leftovers can be refrigerated for up to 3 weeks and frozen for up to a year.
You can use leftover chocolate for many things. Some of our favorites are to swirl it onto waffles, dip strawberries, or shave for sweet garnishes.
Reader Tip: One of our readers commented with this fabulous tip:
For leftovers, you can add 2 tablespoons more coconut oil per cup of chocolate and you have made your own magic shell ice cream topping!
FAQ
Wilton, longtime leader in the Sweets industry, does not recommend using candy melts in your chocolate fountain. Candy melts don’t have the right viscosity to run through the fountain; if you do so, you risk breaking your machine.
We hope you have great success with your party planning, and if you learn some new chocolate fountain tips, please be sure to come back and share them with us all in the comments!
More Sweet Recipes
- Peppermint White Chocolate Bundt Cake with Dark Chocolate Ganache
- Nut Streusel Topping (Nusstreusel)
- Easy Southern Peach Cobbler
- Toffeetastic Butterscotch Pie
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Jenny says
You can run hot soapy water after you clean it out and it does the hard work for you!
Alexandra Maillis-Lynch says
Thank you for saving me the heartache with these wonderful tips!
Renée B. says
You are so welcome!
Cheryl Weisheit says
Hi, I'm looking for suggestions on what size fountain to use for my daughter's graduation. We will probably have 50-100 people, but over 2-3 hours time. I was trying to decide if I need a 1.5 or 4 lb fountain. What size did you use?
How often did you have to refill it?
Renée B. says
Great question! For our grad's party, we used a small, 24-ounce fountain (specifically, a Nostalgia 3 Tier Electric Chocolate Fondue Fountain), and I just had to refill it once, but our gathering had only about 30-40 people. According to event planners who know more than I do, you will need about 5 pounds of chocolate for 100 guests; however, you can refill a fountain as often as needed, so the size of the fountain is more about how often you want to have to be distracted with that task. For clarity and a more detailed explanation, check out this YouTube video from Sephra (catering equipment supplier), How Much Chocolate Do I Need For My Event.
R. Pastel says
For leftovers, you can add 2 tablespoons more coconut oil per cup of chocolate and you have made your own magic shell ice cream topping
Renée B. says
That is a fabulous tip - thank you for sharing!
Belinda says
Hi! Just wondering if you can actually taste the coconut flavor on the semi sweet chocolate when using that instead of a different oil? Thanks!
Renée B. says
I imagine I can taste, but that could just be because I know it's there. In any case, the flavor is extremely subtle, if at all.
Lin Harris says
Can you do a trial run and then refrigerate and reuse the same choc a couple days later
Renée B. says
I've never reused an entire batch, so I can't say for sure, but I imagine you can. I've reused chocolate, but it's always been mixed at least 50/50 with new chocolate. The important point is that all the chocolate is melted before introducing it to the fountain. If it's smooth and flowing, it should be fine.
Kyle Stone says
Can I put nacho cheese into a chocolate fountain?
Renée B. says
That seems like a brilliant idea, but I have no experience with it. I found this article on cheese in fountains. Good luck!
Vickie Gregory says
I had an even this past weekend and used my chocolate fountain. It was a huge success by the way. It worked well. We used fountain chocolate that did not require oil, which was very helpful. BUT, I noticed that the chocolate was getting thick toward the end of the night. Upon closer inspection, it appears that the chocolate was sticking to the bowl. Is there anything that you know about that would prevent the chocolate from sticking>
Renée B. says
It may be that with the introduction of the dippers in the chocolate, something interacted with the chocolate and caused portions of it to seize and stick; however, I haven't had enough experience with the fountain-ready chocolate to know for sure, so I'm not sure how to mitigate the problem.
Clivethedrivedrive says
Thank you Renee. Forearmed is forewarned; excellent advice on how to prep and use and clean. Learned a lot - so many thanks. The chocolate fountain is going to be the Xmas tea star attraction. 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
Jo Ann wilder says
I love my chocolate fountain
I’ve used one for at least 10 years no doubt always a family favorite
Jump in you’ll love it- yes clean it right away very first thing I clean
I use skewers vs toothpicks because much less messy
I’ve used chocolate chips with canola oil anyone added anything to the chocolate like a liqueur???
Renée says
Thanks for the suggestions, Jo Ann.
Skewers are definitely a better choice than toothpicks!
Tina says
I used milk instead of oil. It was delicious.
SHERRY VASQUEZ says
What was the ratio?
Renée says
"A ratio of one tablespoon of coconut oil per cup of semi-sweet morsels works perfectly and tastes delicious."
suzy says
My chocolate started to get grainy. How can I avoid that? I used Guittard Milk Chocolate Baking chips.
Renée says
Melting chocolate can be tricky, for sure, and the process requires upmost patience.
I’m not a fan of the Guittard brand, so don’t have experience melting them for a fountain. I recommend using Nestlé’s semi-sweet chocolate chips, and melting them with the coconut oil, for a more reliable outcome.
No matter what kind of chocolate you use, it is imperative that there is no water in the vessel in which you are melting. Not one drop. If there is, your chocolate will seize. Also, you must melt it slowly - in a double boiler over low heat, or no more than 40 seconds at a time in the microwave, stirring in between each session. Any faster than that and it will granulate.
I hope this all helps.
Snuggles says
Do you have tips on cleaning up the fountain other than get it done after turning off and not the next day.
Thank you.
Renée says
Patience, soap, and HOT water.
Dana says
Are vegetable or canola oils also able to be used instead of coconut oil?
Renée says
I imagine that they would work ok; however, I've never tried them, so I can't say for sure how they would affect the flavor. I believe the coconut oil enhances the chocolate.
Marie says
Is the unrefined coconut oil the one that is like a white paste in a jar? Or is it like vegetable oil just coconut flavor?
Renée ♥ says
It's the one that says "Unrefined Coconut Oil" on the jar. It looks somewhat like white paste.
Marie says
Thank you!
Jennifer says
I have fractionated coconut oil that I use with my essential oils. Will that work?
Renée ♥ says
This is outside my area of expertise, but as I understand it, the answer is "maybe, maybe not." Personally, I would avoid using fractionated coconut oil at all, because not all fractionated CO is food grade; moreover, it is generally formulated to be used topically as a carrier, and not ingested.
Andrea says
Thank you so much for the tip about coconut oil to add to the chocolate chips. I was struggling to justify spending so much on the expensive chocolate designed for fountains. But I saw your tips and it gave me confidence to try it! I started with the ratio you suggested and then added enough for the chocolate to flow through the tester funnel provided with the machine. It worked fabulously, and everyone loved it! Thank you so much!
Renée ♥ says
Thank you so much for checking back. I'm so glad it worked so successfully for you, Andrea!
Joani Heavey says
Great suggestions and comments below. Ur sense of humor makes me want to just jump in and try it.
Anyone know if the Nostalia brand is ok? It’s so inexpensive that it makes me wonder. The reviews were all over the place.
The ad says it does NOT need oil. I’m guessing u would do it anyway?
Thanks for Great info.
GaryODS says
Thank you for this post. I'm about to use coconut oil for the first time and needed the ratio for Nestle semi sweet chips.
Allow me to add two additional suggestions. You mentioned leveling the base, excellent, I suggest this additional step. After the base is level I install the tower (the auger isn't necessary here), my fountain has 3 pins in the base that the tower sits on. With the base lever take the level and check the top of the tower and notice how far out of lever it is, lift the tower up and rotate it clockwise until the pins fit again and check the level again, do this as many times as necessary to check all positions - then go to the position closest to level and relevel the unit to plumb at the top of the tower so the chocolate flows evenly.
Second suggestion - when your unit is heated and level, and the chocolate is melted and you are ready, - fill the base almost to the top. Turn on the auger and run it as was suggested and turn the auger off to drain down to remove bubbles, turn it back on. Here is the suggestion DO NOT TOP OFF THE CHOCOLATE IN THE BASE. It's tempting, you have the extra melted chocolate right there, and there's room in the base - but don't do it. If for any reason that auger stops (there are lots of reasons, power interruption, something falls off the toothpick or fork anything that gets stuck in the auger causing it to stop etc.). When that auger stops all that extra melted chocolate cascades beautifully down the sides of the base, putting an even coating on the counter or table it's set up on and often every nook and cranny in your flooring and grout. While it is beautiful and will once again will make the fountain them main topic of conversation, it's not as much fun as you might think.
GaryODS says
Sorry spell correction changed some of my words "level" to lever
Sallae Smith says
Does it have to be unrefined coconut oil?
Renée ♥ says
I think refined coconut oil should work. I've never used it for this purpose because I kind of like the subtle coconut flavor the unrefined oil imparts, but I can't think of a reason why it wouldn't work. If you use it, I'd love to hear back on how it goes.
Susan says
Can you use refined coconut oil?
(Does it have to be unrefined, and what's the difference?)
Sherry says
Great tips! I also use wood skewers or toothpicks for people to use instead of them getting their fingers directly in the chocolate. Much more sanitary expecially for kids that love to stick their whole hand in the chocolate!
Renée ♥ says
That's a good thing to mention. i kind of took it for granted that everyone just knew to use fondue forks or skewers. No one wants everyone else's fingers in their chocolate!
Marti says
Are regular toothpicks long enough or do I need to get skewers?
Renée ♥ says
Regular toothpicks will work, although if you can find the longer, "cocktail" style picks, that's probably a better way to go. Skewers are nice if you have them.
Renée ♥ says
Toothpicks will work in a pinch, but skewers would probably work better.
Melinda says
I've always been a bit intimidated by chocolate fountains, although your tips make total sense. Knowing me, I probably would have put the fountain right in front of a fan!
Erin says
I like that you provided some tips! I'm sure despite those hardaches with the wind and such that the fountain was a big hit. I mean seriously, how fun!?! Great idea!
Danielle says
My mouth is watering thinking of this chocolate fountain (wind and all!) Great tips! Thanks for sharing, cheers 🙂