Sweet, sour, and bitter, chocolate has roasted and fruity cocoa aromas with creamy melting taste that ranges in flavor based on it being dark, milk, or white chocolate.
From snack time to baked goods, chocolate is a useful and versatile ingredient to make food delicious and memorable. However, not all foods can be served with chocolate without loosing its original flavor.
What to eat with chocolate? Chocolate is excellent when served with cheese, fruit, oats, bread, yogurt, bacon, pretzels, coffee, beer, and nuts. But depending on the recipe, it can transform into covered, dip, and melting chocolate sauce.
Cover strawberries, grapes, potato chips, oranges, biscotti, and pretzel with chocolate for fun snack ideas. Dip apple slices, graham crackers, marshmallows, and waffles for beautifully melted chocolate dessert ideas.
Not only in sweet dessert or snack, chocolate also allows savory dish including barbecue chicken, pasta, mole sauce, chili, and enchilada sauce.
Nothing beats a quiet moment while munching on something chocolatey. Its mood-boosting ability hits the spot at any time of the day, making it an all-day favorite delicacy.
Chocolate is fairly sweet on its own, and from time to time it has you going back for more. Enjoy it with your favorite food or drinks, but try out these incredible duos if you love taking things up a notch.
What foods go well with chocolate?
The idea is to complement or contrast the sweet chocolate flavor when pairing food with chocolate. Chocolate works best with gently spiced or light salted foods.
Salty foods are a foil to the intense chocolaty sweetness. Avoid greasy snacks as they clash with cocoa’s richness instead of complimenting it.
Whether serving chocolate as a dessert or in savory dishes, here are ingredients that go well with chocolate:
- Spice: allspice, cardamom, chili powder, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg
- Nuts: almonds, cashews, hazelnuts, macadamia nuts, peanuts, pecans, praline, pistachios
- Fruits: apricots, bananas, cherries, coconut, currants, lemon, orange, prunes, raisins, raspberries, passion fruit, pears, strawberries
- Vegetables: chili peppers, cloves
- Grains: oats
- Herbs: basil, sage
- Meat: boar, chicken, bacon
- Bread: brioche, challah
- Dairy: unsalted butter, cream, cream cheese, creme anglaise, creme fraiche, milk, sour cream
- Cheese: ricotta, blue, camembert
- Condiments: butterscotch, caramel, corn syrup, maple syrup
- Liquors: rum, bourbon, brandy, cognac
What goes good dipped in chocolate?
All the time is chocolate dipped treats time! They are not only addictive, but also sumptuous and mouthwatering. To top it all, just about anything can be dipped in chocolate.
Some incredible delicacies to dip in chocolate include:
- Fruits: Dip slices of apple, bananas, orange, or pineapples in chocolate for that chocolaty aftertaste. Just about any sweet or tart fruit will do, but strawberries and chocolate are a superstar combo.
- Sweet potatoes: To make dessert style french fries, try wedges of sweet potatoes and dip chocolate sauce for an extra sweetness.
- Bacon: For those craving salty and sweet, be sure to dip bacon in chocolate. You’ll never want to have them served any other way.
- Cookies: Dipping cookies that already have chocolate chips, butter, and milk in chocolate may seem like it’s going too far, but it’s not. It allows you to sprinkle some chopped nuts for that additional crunch.
- Graham crackers: Cinnamon, honey, or chocolate graham crackers are an easy snack to dip in chocolate. Always break them into bite-size pieces before dipping them.
- Candies: Soft and chewy candies such as marshmallows, jelly beans, and gummy bears are a perfect way to improve the original flavor.
- Popcorn: Airy and salty popcorn is even more fun when covered with chocolate. It almost imitates pretzel crackers, and the popcorn boosts the flavor of chocolate due to its saltiness.
- Potato chips: Chocolate covered potato chips or chippers are perfect harmony between a chocolate and a salty snack. You’ll get to explore sweet, salty, and crunchiness in every bite.
What flavor goes with chocolate?
Vanilla is the perfect flavor combo for chocolate. In fact, most chocolate manufacturing companies add a little vanilla to the candy, creating that warm chocolatey feel with minor vanilla undertones.
Add citrus-flavored fruits such as lemon and orange to cut through the chocolate sweetness. Tart fruits such as pineapples, grapes, and pomegranates are fantastic additions as well.
Pair chocolate with coconut, coffee, almonds, bacon, or vinegar for those who love a culinary adventure.
Here are classic flavor combinations to try with chocolate:
- chocolate + almonds + cinnamon + sugar
- chocolate + banana + caramel + cream + vanilla + macadamia nuts
- chocolate + coffee + hazelnuts
- chocolate + custard + pistachio
- chocolate + graham crackers + marshmallows
- chocolate + rum + lavender + vanilla
Eat with Chocolate: Conclusion
When selecting chocolate pairings, always be bold. Go past your comfort zone to discover new flavor combinations that open the door to fascinating culinary experiences.
Chocolate is versatile and blends perfectly with sweet, sour, and tangy delicacies. Therefore, it can be prepared with cheese, fruits, oats, bread, yogurt, bacon, pretzels, coffee, beer, and nuts.
Furthermore, the melting profile allows you to make it into a dipping sauce for slices of apple, banana, orange, and strawberries, sweet potatoes, bacon, cookies, graham crackers, candies, popcorn, and potato chips.
On the other hand, chocolate can be used in cooking to create savory dishes including barbecue chicken, pasta, mole sauce, chili, and enchilada sauce. When blending chocolate into these dishes, it makes bold and rich flavor and slightly less sweetness.
Whether preparing for a chocolate tasting or trying to switch things up in the kitchen, go all out. Use the chocolate flavor combinations shared in this guide and you’ll thank us later!