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 Baker’s 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
I’m planning on making this (whipped) as icing for a two layer regular size cake. Should I double it or make it as is? Thank you!
Hi Mary! If whipping the ganache, you’ll have close to 3 cups. This should be enough to fill the cake and for some decorations on the outside. If you are going to cover the outside of the cake also you may wish to double the recipe. Enjoy!
I’d like to frost a two layer 9 in round cake with whipped ganache. I’m thinking of using 12 oz of chocolate to 12 oz heavy cream based on this recipe, but I’m seeing a lot of conflicting information from different recipes about whether to use 12 oz chocolate to 12 oz or 10 oz heavy cream (a few recipes even say only 8 oz cream!). Will a 1:1 ratio of chocolate to cream be stable enough to support a 2 layer cake?
Thanks!
Hi Nora, I’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.
I plan on using this recipe as a topping for an ice cream cake – any pointers? Should I pour it on while still warm, etc? Thank you!
Hi Shawna! This is a perfect ice cream topping. We find it’s delicious when still warm because it melts the ice cream underneath just a bit. So tasty!
Hi Sally,
I want to add sea salt to this to make truffles with, when do you suggest I add the sea salt?
Hi Ryan, I strongly recommend using our chocolate truffles recipe instead. The recipe is pretty similar, but they form a little easier. You can add sea salt to the chocolate before pouring over the cream.
This was perfect! My daughter and her husband wanted me to make chocolate layer cakes with chocolate ganache between the layers. It was so easy to make and tasted delicious.
If I don’t have heavy whipping cream, can I use half and half?
Hi Aisha, we don’t suggest it as the end result won’t be as rich and thick.
I would like to use this as a filling in my chocolate molds and then give as gifts. Do the completed chocolates need to be refrigerated or can they stay at room temp? How long? If refrigerated does that affect the chocolate? Thank you!
I have carpal tunnel and would have trouble chopping the chocolate. Can it be done in the food processor with either the grater or the metal blade?
I had to make this yesterday for my birthday cake, so I googled and got lots of conflicting information. I ended up chilling the chocolate and using the grater. I have a high-quality food processor; it could not handle two of the 4 ounce Baker’s chocolate bars, but it worked fine one at a time. I was able to chop the leftover pieces that got stuck above the grater. The ganache was easy to make and delicious! The stated amount was just right for a 9×13 cake.
I would like to whip the ganache onto a fluffy frosting. Should I add more cream than the recommended 1:1 ratio? Thank you.
Hi Diane, no matter how much ganache you are making, you always need equal parts chocolate and cream. See the section titled “Whipped Ganache” for more details. I hope this helps!
Tried and true. And delicious in cream horns!
This cake is Amazing!!! I made it gluten and almost dairy free and it came out beautifully. I subbed Cup for Cup flour, Kite Hill almond cream cheese and Forager cashew sour cream. I kept the buttermilk since it seemed critical to the recipe success. The chocolate batter was very thick but cooked up fine. I topped it with the chocolate ganache and got rave reviews. Will definitely make this again.
I wouldn’t use cocoa powder by itself. You’ll make chocolate milk; Even adding sugar to it will just make it sweet. One of the components of chocolate chips, or bar chocolate is cocoa butter. That, and the cocoa powder, MIGHT make a ganache. But, for the expense of buying cocoa butter, and if you really need to pinch pennies, please stick with in-expensive chocolate chips. It’s a lot easier, and in the long run, cheaper. Good luck…
Hello Sally,
I’m in a pinch, as in pennies.. can you substitute cocoa powder to make the ganache?
We haven’t tested ganache with cocoa powder so I’m uncertain of the results. However, keep in mind that cocoa powder is unsweetened so you would likely need to add in some sugar. Let us know if you find a good recipe for making it this way!
Can I use this receipe to cover marshmallow pops? Cooking with grandaughters and this is one of my go to ganache recipes
Does this work the same with white chocolate ? Couldn’t find that info here .
Hi Dave, If using white chocolate, reduce the cream to 2/3 cup (160ml). White chocolate is softer, so you need less cream. Enjoy!
Hi Sally! Thanks for this detailed recipe. I just made this for your chocolate peppermint thumbprints. It was delicious!
I hadn’t planned ahead, so all I had to work with was cheap chocolate chips. I was soooo afraid it wouldn’t work, but I went ahead with it. I mashed up the chocolate chips before starting in hopes that it would melt better that way. It actually worked!!!! This is sooo delicious! So, if any of you are working with cheap chocolate chips, it works! 🙂
I made the ganache but when I added the whipping cream to the chocolate and let it sit a film was on top. I don’t know what happened. My cream didn’t boil. Did it get it too hot? I continued to stir the chocolate anyway. It is cool on my flourless chocolate cake. There are just a few little grains wildly dispersed. It is not as smooth or shiny as yours. I learned something. Can you tell me what it is? I am a newbie and because you are able to give expert advice in an encouraging way,I am still having fun!
Did you use pure chocolate or chocolate with hydrogenated palm kernel oil? That will make a difference. The latter is not meant to melt well, it is made to withstand heat and maintain shape
Hi there! I want to make a fudge filled cheesecake – a favorite of mine from my hometown. The copycat recipe (or as close to it as I’ve found) says to use 12 oz semi-sweet mini morsels. The person who made it said that the morsels didn’t melt quite enough. They pondered if using a ganache next time might do better. So, my question to you is – do you think this ganache would work well as the layer in the cheesecake? Or do you think it would melt too much? Any other thoughts? Thanks!
Hi Kellen, Unfortunately we don’t recommend baking this ganache. You can certainly use it as a topping for a cheesecake, or even as a layer in a no bake cheesecake. Let us know what you try!
Can ganache be stored in the refrigerator? Can it be frozen? Can you freeze it when it is on a flourless cake?
Hi Deborah, See recipe step 5 for refrigeration and freezing instructions. Yes, it can be frozen on top of a cake also. Enjoy!
Hi Sally,
If I use this as a glaze for baked cake donuts, should I let the donuts and ganache cool before dipping?
Thank you
Hi Mia, let the donuts cool until easily to handle before dipping. The ganache is pretty liquid right after mixing, so I recommend letting it thicken for several minutes before using as a topping.
Hey Sally! When you say that this ganache recipe can be piped, could you pipe on the cake to frost, and then smooth with the bench scrape/spatula, or will that overwork the chocolate? I don’t necessarily trust my pouring abilities….thank you!
Hi Bri, that shouldn’t overwork the chocolate/ganache at all. After the ganache cools and thickens, you can pipe then spread. I do it all the time.
Could I add peppermint somehow to make a peppermint chocolate ganache? I was thinking peppermint extract over crushed peppermints, but I’m gifting it with a cheesecake, so I’m nervous about experimenting.
Hi Sally, Yes you could add a very small amount of peppermint extract (it’s very strong) with no other changes. Sounds delicious!
I have an unsweetened chocolate bar that I’d love to use – could I sweeten the cream and use that in the ganache?
Any thoughts about how to make this into a salted caramel ganache? I’ll experiment, but I thought I’d ask the pros first 🙂
Hi Meredith. We have never tried it! You can try making homemade caramel, and then pouring the hot caramel sauce over the chopped chocolate instead of the one cup of heavy cream used here. Let us know if you try anything!!
Can I use this ganache to dip peanut butter rice krispie balls in?
Yes, definitely!
What do you recommend for nice, thick layers of frosting between a 3 layer 8″ round cake? Buttercream or ganache? I’m thinking of ganache between layers and buttercream for top & sides? Thanks!
Hi Deb, You really can’t go wrong either way, it really just depends on the flavor you prefer! To fill the cake with ganache you can follow the directions for whipping the ganache for thicker layers! Filling the cake with ganache and frosting the outside with buttercream sounds like the best of both 🙂
This will be my first time making a ganache. I’d like to use it as a topping for my cheesecake and have it just barely run over the sides but be even on top. Would I need to let it cool first?
Hi Brian, yes let the ganache cool first. To get that exact thickness and consistency, I recommend at least 20 minutes before using.
Hi Sally,
Can I use the chocolate ganache instead of the cheesecream filling for your chocolate-cheescake bundt cake? I am looking to fill up this bundt cake of your with something else than cheescake.
Do you think this will work? Do I have to whip the ganache?
Thank you very much,
Vanessa
Hi Vanessa, Unfortunately we don’t recommend baking this ganache. You can definitely skip the cheesecake filling and then add this ganache to the top of the baked and cooled cake.
For the whipped ganache, you recommend it just being cooled (at room temp), and not chilled in the fridge before whipping?
Hi Ginny, as long as the ganache is completely cool and thickened, you can whip it. It can cool at room temperature or in the refrigerator.
Hi,
My next project is a 2 layer 9 and a half inch round cake. I was wondering with the whipped ganache If it will yield enough to fill the inside layers and to add small details and decorations to the outside of the cake?
Hi Alex, If whipping the ganache, you’ll have close to 3 cups. This should be enough to fill the cake and for some decorations on the outside. If you are going to cover the outside of the cake also you may wish to double the recipe. Enjoy!