These easy chocolate dipped strawberries feature a velvety chocolate shell that's prepared by melting in the microwave! This recipe uses 3 common ingredients, and takes about 15 minutes of hands-on time. Do not let the candy shop convince you that you can't do this at home.
Making chocolate covered strawberries is a kid-friendly activity and they are easily made vegan and gluten-free. Read on to make them yourself!
Chocolate dipped strawberries are a classic Mother's Day and Valentine's Day dessert in the USA. I also like to share them with friends on their birthdays (it's a great treat for an easy work birthday party), as an easy date night chocolate dessert, or after picking strawberries when they are ripe in late spring and early summer.
If you're not married to the idea of making them on Valentine's day, a hot tip is to purchase strawberries right after the holiday, when they are always on sale!
For more strawberry treats, check out my Baked Strawberry Pie, Gluten-Free Strawberry Muffins, Strawberry Rhubarb Coffee Cake, and Strawberry Basil Smoothie.
If you are loving easy chocolate desserts, check out my other chocolate covered treats like Dark Chocolate Maple Buttercream Candies, No Bake Peanut Butter Truffle Balls, Healthy Chocolate Peanut Butter Energy Balls, and Chocolate Dipped Gluten-Free Peanut Butter Cookies.
And for more quick and easy chocolate desserts, check out my Italian Hot Chocolate, Microwave Hot Chocolate, Vegan Chocolate Raspberry Smoothie, and Overnight Chocolate Chia Pudding.
Jump to:
How to make it (with photos)
Ingredients
This incredibly easy chocolate covered strawberry recipe needs only chocolate chips, a little bit of oil, and fresh ripe strawberries! See my notes for choosing ingredients below the photo.
- Chocolate - I recommend semi-sweet chocolate chips and/or chopped dark chocolate for this recipe. When making this recipe quickly, I use semi-sweet chocolate chips. When I have a little more time, I'll combine a dark chocolate bar with chocolate chips for a high-quality chocolate shell. In general, if you can use chocolate without lecithin (a stabilizer) it will melt more smoothly. Enjoy Life Chocolate Chips and baking chocolate are perfect for this.
- Oil - I use just a little bit of avocado oil or vegetable oil to thin the chocolate for a chocolate shell with a nice thickness. It also gives the chocolate a velvety texture that I love when eaten at room temperature. You can leave it out but I recommend trying it if you can!
- Strawberries - Fresh ripe strawberries are best for this recipe. I recommend taking them out of the refrigerator and giving them a rinse a few hours beforehand so they are solidly room temperature when you begin making this recipe.
See the recipe card for the full ingredients list with quantities.
Step-by-Step Instructions
Once you wash and fully dry the strawberries, this recipe only takes 10-15 minutes plus cooling time. It's really that easy!
- Prepare the strawberries: Rinse and dry the strawberries completely with a towel or paper towel. They need to be at room temperature for dipping, so allow them to warm up (and pat dry a second time) if they were stored in the refrigerator. The chocolate will only stick to the strawberries if they are completely dry.
- Melt the chocolate: In a microwave safe bowl or liquid measuring cup, combine the chocolate and oil. Microwave in 20 second increments, stirring well in between, until the chocolate is melted and smooth. Use a thermometer if possible to keep the temperature around 100 degrees F or lower to prevent burning.
- Dip the strawberries: Line a baking sheet or pan with parchment paper or a silicone liner. One at a time, hold the strawberry leaves in a small bundle between your fingers and dip the strawberries into the chocolate. Pull straight out, allow the excess chocolate to drip off briefly, and set on the prepared pan. Leave a little room between the strawberries. Once dipped, drizzle any excess chocolate over the strawberries and allow to cool at room temperature until the chocolate hardens completely.
Best topping ideas
Chocolate covered strawberries are excellent without any toppings, but you can certainly make them more festive by adding some! Sprinkle the toppings over the chocolate-dipped part while the chocolate is still wet so the toppings stay on securely.
Here are some of my favorite toppings:
- crushed nuts- Finely crush your favorite nuts. You can do this using a food processor or by placing the nuts in a sealed bag, wrapping it in a towel, placing it on a hard durable surface, and then hitting them with a mallet. I like crushed hazelnuts, peanuts, or pistachios with this recipe.
- drizzled white chocolate - Melt white chocolate chips the same way you melted the regular chocolate and drizzle it over the dipped chocolate strawberries.
- flaky sea salt - Add just a little sprinkling of flaky sea salt to the chocolate dipped part of each strawberry. Be careful to avoid the exposed strawberry skin since it can cause the water to leave the strawberry and make that area soggy.
- sprinkles - Use holiday sprinkles or colored ones (great for kids!) to make these a little more fun and family friendly.
- decorating sugar - Just like sprinkles, decorating sugar can make these a bit more festive for a variety of occasions.
Expert Tips
Make candy-shop quality chocolate dipped strawberries with these expert tips!
Pick chocolate without stabilizers for easy melting.
Dark baking chocolate or chocolate chips without lecithin will melt more easily and smoothly. Lecithin is a stabilizer and is intended to prevent melting. I use Enjoy Life Chocolate Chips (no lecithin) and sometimes also add a chopped bar of dark chocolate for a refined taste.
A deep jar for chocolate dipping makes this recipe easier.
It's easier to dip the strawberries in a deep wide-mouthed jar or liquid measuring cup. This is one of the reasons I recommend microwaving the chocolate rather than using a double boiler, since the double boiler would require transferring the chocolate to another container for easy dipping.
Use coconut oil if in a warmer climate.
I added just a little bit of oil to the chocolate to thin and soften the shell. At room temperature, this makes a really divine creamy chocolate strawberry bite. If making these in a warmer climate, using coconut oil can provide a little extra security against melting since it is solid at room temperature.
Recipe FAQs
Here I answered some frequently asked questions about homemade Chocolate Covered Strawberries. Don't see your question? Leave it in the comments at the end of this post and I'll get back to you within two business days.
Chocolate covered strawberries last one day or a little more at room temperature, and up to 3 days in the refrigerator. I think they are best kept at room temperature. If refrigerating, store in a closed container with paper towels above and below the strawberries to prevent extra moisture from building up. Around days 2 or 3 when the strawberries noticeably release their liquid, consume the strawberries quickly because they will soon go bad.
Frozen chocolate covered strawberries thaw with a mushy center and the chocolate shell usually falls off. I do not recommend it.
Because they last for a little over 24 hours at room temperature, you can make chocolate covered strawberries the day of or the night before. If serving in the evening, however, I recommend making them earlier that day.
Strawberries should be room temperature when dipping in chocolate. If they are cold, condensation can build up behind the chocolate layer causing it to fall off the strawberry.
Related chocolate covered treats to try...
Dipping treats in chocolate makes them so much more special! Here are more delicious chocolate desserts to try:
Love this recipe? Please leave a 5-star 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 rating in the recipe card or comment field below. Thank you!
Chocolate Dipped Strawberries
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups semi-sweet chocolate chips or chopped dark chocolate (300 grams)
- ¾ teaspoon vegetable oil , avocado oil, or other neutral tasting oil
- 18-20 medium fresh strawberries
Instructions
- Prepare the strawberries: Rinse and dry the strawberries completely with a towel or paper towel. They need to be at room temperature for dipping, so allow them to warm up (and pat dry a second time) if they were stored in the refrigerator. The chocolate will only stick to the strawberries if they are completely dry.
- Melt the chocolate: In a microwave safe bowl or liquid measuring cup, combine the chocolate and oil. Microwave in 20 second increments, stirring well in between, until the chocolate is melted and smooth. Use a thermometer if possible to keep the temperature around 100 degrees F or lower to prevent burning.
- Dip the strawberries: Line a baking sheet or pan with parchment paper or a silicone liner. One at a time, hold the strawberry leaves in a small bundle between your fingers and dip the strawberries into the chocolate. Pull straight out, allow the excess chocolate to drip off briefly, and set on the prepared pan. Leave a little room between the strawberries. Once dipped, drizzle any excess chocolate over the strawberries and allow to cool at room temperature until the chocolate hardens completely.
Notes
- Dark baking chocolate or chocolate chips without lecithin will melt more easily and smoothly. Lecithin is a stabilizer and is intended to prevent melting. I use Enjoy Life Chocolate Chips (no lecithin) and sometimes also add a chopped bar of dark chocolate for refined taste.
- It's easier to dip the strawberries in a deep wide-mouthed jar or liquid measuring cup. This is one of the reasons I recommend microwaving the chocolate rather than using a double boiler, since the double boiler would require transferring the chocolate to another container for easy dipping.
- A double boiler is a perfectly fine way to melt the chocolate. It is also more reliable since you are less likely to burn the chocolate this way.
- I added just a little oil to the chocolate to thin and soften the shell. At room temperature, this makes a really divine creamy chocolate strawberry bite. If making these in a warmer climate, using coconut oil can provide a little extra security against melting since it is solid at room temperature.
Julia
These are so delicious. I made sure to completely dry the strawberries and used the enjoy life chocolate chips. I
Saved the recipe, shared it with my sister, and will be making it again soon!