Chocolate Covered Strawberries {EASY} – Two Peas & Their Pod

Quick Summary

Chocolate Covered Strawberries are the perfect dessert for Valentine’s Day or any special special occasion. They are easy and fun to make at home! Just dip the strawberries in your favorite chocolate and decorate with your favorite toppings.

Chocolate Covered Strawberries, I don’t know who came up with this combo, but I would like to thank them. Strawberries and chocolate are a match made in heaven! The elegant, bite-size berries are such a popular dessert, especially for Valentine’s Day and special occasions. They always feel so special!

I know chocolate covered strawberries are a fancy little dessert, but they are easy and fun to make at home. Plus, it is a lot cheaper to make them at home too. You just need fresh strawberries and chocolate! You can also add fun toppings, but that is up to you. Get creative and customize your own berries.

My boys love helping, they love dipping and dunking the strawberries into the smooth melted chocolate. It is a fun activity for the entire family. They like to pretend they are Oompa Loompas working at the chocolate factory…ha!

Prepare the Strawberries

Look for the biggest and most beautiful fresh strawberries you can find. You want them to be red, juicy, and sweet. Don’t use soft or mushy strawberries.

Don’t wash strawberries in advance, as the added moisture will cause the strawberries to go bad faster. When you are ready to make chocolate covered strawberries, you can wash them right before to remove any dirt or chemicals.

Place the strawberries in a colander and run it under cold water for 10-20 seconds, making sure that every single strawberry has been thoroughly rinsed.
Place the strawberries on a clean towel and dry them individually with a paper towel. Let them sit on the towel to air dry until they are completely dry. It is best to dip room temperature strawberries.

The Best Chocolate To Use

You can dip the strawberries in dark, semi-sweet, or milk chocolate. You can even go with white chocolate. There are no rules, use your favorite chocolate.

For best results, use a high quality chocolate. You want the chocolate flavor to be rich, smooth, and luxurious! It is worth splurging on the “good chocolate” for this recipe. If you use a cheap brand of chocolate, it won’t melt as easily and the strawberries won’t taste as good.

You can use chocolate chips, chocolate melts, or chop up a nice bar of chocolate. I really like Guittard chocolate. Pascha chocolate is also a good option, especially if you have any dietary restrictions. It is organic, gluten-free, dairy-free, soy-free, and vegan.

If you want a softer chocolate, add a little coconut oil to the chocolate and melt. If you want a a crisper chocolate that cracks when you bite into the strawberry, don’t add the oil. Both ways are great, it is personal preference.

how to make chocolate covered strawberries

Topping Ideas

Classic chocolate covered strawberries are always a favorite, but you can also personalize them with your favorite toppings! This is a fun way to get kids involved or to make your berries feel a little extra special. Try topping with:

Chocolate drizzle– melt extra chocolate to drizzle over the dipped strawberries.
Chopped nuts (pecans, walnuts, or almonds would be delicious! Just make sure they’re finely chopped!)
Sprinkles-use chocolate sprinkles for a classic look or use colorful sprinkles for a pop of color. You can also use festive sprinkles to match the holiday or special occasion.
Toffee bits-If you can’t find toffee bits, finely chop up Heath or Skor candy bars.
Shredded coconut– toasted coconut is good too!
Mini chocolate chips– you can never have too much chocolate:)
Graham cracker crumbs-graham crackers and chocolate is always a winner!
Crushed Oreos-always a hit with kids…and adults:)

Make sure you have your toppings ready to go BEFORE you melt the chocolate because once you start dipping, you need to add the toppings right away.

How to Make Chocolate Covered Strawberries

The key to a mess-free strawberry dipping experience is a little bit of preparation! Make sure you have everything ready to go before you get started.

Line a large sheet pan with parchment or wax paper. The chocolate won’t stick to the paper as it dries, which enables you to pick it up cleanly once it hardens!
If you are going to use toppings, make sure you have them all ready to go! I like to put them in small bowls.
Put the chocolate in a microwave-safe bowl, and microwave in 20 second intervals, stirring after each time, until melted and smooth. This should take about a minute, but the time will vary depending on your microwave. Make sure you don’t overheat the chocolate. If you want a softer chocolate, add a little bit of coconut oil to the chocolate before melting.
You can also use a double boiler to melt the chocolate: In a saucepan, bring about an inch of water to a simmer. Set a metal bowl inside the saucepan; making sure the bottom of the bowl doesn’t touch the hot water. Add the chocolate and stir occasionally until melted. Remove the bowl from the saucepan and dip the strawberries.
Now that our chocolate is melted, it’s time to get dipping, the fun part! Hold the strawberry by the green leaves and slowly dip the fruit into the chocolate, covering the berry almost to the top. Lift and gently shake the excess chocolate off the berry. Place on the paper lined sheet pan.
If you are going to dip the berries in any toppings, do it now before the chocolate sets up and then set on the paper to dry.
If you want to drizzle with white chocolate or extra chocolate, make sure your chocolate is melted and smooth. Place the dipped strawberries on the parchment paper or wax paper. Dip a fork in the melted white chocolate or chocolate and drizzle over the dipped strawberries.
Continue dipping until you run out of strawberries!
Let the strawberries sit at room temperature for about one hour, until the chocolate firms. If you want to speed up the process, you can put the sheet in the refrigerator for 5 to 10 minutes or until the chocolate is firm. Remove from the fridge and store in a cool, dry place for up to 10 hours.

chocolate covered strawberries on platter

How to Store

Chocolate covered strawberries really are best the day they are made! Fresh is best in this case.

If you have to store them for longer than a day, you can. Put them in a sealed sealed container in the refrigerator for up to 48 hours. They will still be good, just not as good as the first day:)

Don’t freeze chocolate covered strawberries. The berries will get mushy after being frozen.

More Chocolate Desserts

Desserts

Chocolate Covered Strawberries

16 oz fresh strawberries
10 oz chocolate chips or chopped chocolate, semi-sweet, milk, or dark chocolate
1 tablespoon coconut oil, optional (for softer chocolate)
Optional toppings: chopped nuts, coconut, toffee bits, mini chocolate chips, crushed Oreos, sprinkles, or melted white chocolate or chocolate, for drizzling

First, wash the strawberries. Place them on a clean towel and dry them individually with a paper towel. Let them sit on the towel to air dry until they are completely dry. It is best to dip room temperature strawberries.
Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper or wax paper and set aside.
Put the chocolate in a microwave-safe bowl, and microwave in 20 second intervals, stirring after each time, until melted and smooth. This should take about a minute, but the time will vary depending on your microwave. Make sure you don’t overheat the chocolate. If you want a softer chocolate, melt the coconut oil with the chocolate.
Hold the strawberry by the green leaves and slowly dip the fruit into the chocolate, covering the berry almost to the top. Lift and gently shake the excess chocolate off the berry. Place on the parchment paper or wax paper.
If you are going to dip the berries in any toppings, such as chopped nuts, coconut, or toffee bits, do it now before the chocolate sets up and then set on the parchment paper or wax paper.
If you want to drizzle with white chocolate or extra chocolate, make sure your chocolate is ready to go. Place the dipped strawberries on the parchment paper or wax paper. Dip a fork in the melted white chocolate or chocolate and drizzle over the dipped strawberries.
Repeat with the rest of the strawberries. Let the strawberries sit at room temperature for about one hour, until the chocolate firms. If you want to speed up the process, you can put the sheet in the refrigerator for 5 to 10 minutes or until the chocolate is firm. Remove from the fridge and serve at room temperature.

To melt the chocolate using a double boiler: In a saucepan, bring about an inch of water to a simmer. Set a metal bowl inside the saucepan; making sure the bottom of the bowl doesn’t touch the hot water. Add the chocolate and stir occasionally until melted. Remove the bowl from the saucepan and dip the strawberries.
See the post for tips on what chocolate to use and for additional topping ideas!
Chocolate dipped strawberries are best the day they are made, but you can store them in the refrigerator for up to 48 hours.

Calories: 159kcal, Carbohydrates: 15g, Protein: 2g, Fat: 10g, Saturated Fat: 6g, Trans Fat: 1g, Cholesterol: 1mg, Sodium: 3mg, Potassium: 192mg, Fiber: 3g, Sugar: 11g, Vitamin A: 16IU, Vitamin C: 22mg, Calcium: 21mg, Iron: 2mg