Tessa Arias, Chef and Cookbook Author
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One of the first things we learned in my baking class in culinary school was how to temper chocolate.
I was SO excited to learn because it always really intimidated me.
Turns out, it’s actually easy. All it takes is a little practice, precision, and patience.
Learning how to temper chocolate is the key to shiny, smooth chocolate that snaps when you break it and stays firm at room temperature (no refrigeration required).
I’ll walk you through the exact temperatures, best chocolate to use, microwave and seeding methods, and how to fix common mistakes so your chocolate sets perfectly every time.
Reader Love
We made this today, for Valentine’s family activity. We had so much fun!
I tempered in microwave. Followed every step and it worked. Thank you so much. They turned out delicious and pretty. Thank you so much.
–
Sprinkle of Science
What does it mean to temper chocolate?
Tempering chocolate is the process of heating and cooling chocolate to specific temperatures so the cocoa butter forms stable crystals.
When properly tempered, chocolate:
- Sets firm at room temperature
- Looks shiny and smooth
- Snaps cleanly when broken
- Resists white streaks (fat bloom)
Without tempering, melted chocolate dries dull, soft, and streaky — and often needs refrigeration to stay firm.
I’ve included two methods for tempering chocolate in the recipe card below: stovetop and microwave.
Why & When to Temper Chocolate
If you’re dipping strawberries or making homemade candy like truffles or peanut butter cups, tempering gives you a professional finish, without adding stabilizers or refrigerating.
If you’re simply adding chocolate to brownies, mousse, or ganache, tempering is not necessary.
Two Rules for Melting Chocolate
These apply whether you’re melting or tempering.
1. Don’t Overheat It.
- Dark chocolate: never above 120°F
- Milk or white chocolate: never above 110°F
Overheating damages flavor and prevents proper crystal formation.
2. Keep Water Away.
Even a drop of water will cause chocolate to seize and turn grainy.
If your recipe includes butter, liqueur, or coffee, melt it together with the chocolate — not after.
Best Chocolate for Tempering
Use high-quality baking bars or couverture chocolate, NOT chocolate chips.
Good options (chop finely with a serrated knife):
Best option (no chopping required!):
DO NOT use chocolate chips. They contain stabilizers to hold their shape, which interferes with smooth tempering.
For a full breakdown, see my Chocolate in Baking Guide.
Do you need a thermometer?
Yes. I strongly recommend one.
Tempering is about precise temperature control. Guessing increases failure risk — and chocolate isn’t cheap.
A digital instant-read thermometer works perfectly.
Baking Success Tips
- Temper at least 16 ounces.
- Finely chop chocolate for even melting.
- Avoid glass bowls if possible, they retain heat longer.
- Work in a cool, low-humidity room.
- If chocolate thickens too much, gently rewarm to working temp.
- If temperature rises too high, add more chopped chocolate.
- Don’t refrigerate finished dipped items unless necessary.
Storage & Make-Ahead
Tempered chocolate can be reheated and re-tempered multiple times.
Store tempered chocolate creations at a cool room temperature in a dark dry environment. Do not refrigerate unless absolutely necessary.
FAQs
The process involves controlling the melting, cooling, and reheating of chocolate within specified temperature ranges depending on the kind of chocolate.
The goal of tempering chocolate is to ensure the development and longevity of Form V crystals, one of the six types of cocoa butter crystals.
This type of fat crystal is stable and contributes to the coveted textural properties of a delicious chocolate treat!
Maintaining and controlling the development of Form V crystals is also crucial to avoid the unpleasant white, chalky appearance that can form on chocolate when recrystallization occurs.
A double boiler is simply a heatproof bowl set over a saucepan filled with about an inch of simmering water.
You just want to make sure the bowl on top doesn’t touch the water.
This allows the chocolate to be melted gently by the heat.
You can use metal or glass bowls for the top part of the double boiler.
Glass will take longer to cool down as required to temper in Step 2.
I don’t recommend it. They contain added ingredients to help them hold their shape and have a lower concentration of cocoa butter, which will interfere with smooth tempering.
Yes, but not for tempering. The way to fix seized chocolate is completely counterintuitive. Stir in a little bit of melted butter, oil, or water back into the mixture. The fixed melted chocolate should only be used for chocolate sauce or hot chocolate and not for tempering.
Streaks usually mean the chocolate wasn’t fully tempered or the temperature went too high. Reheat gently, add more seed chocolate, and repeat the cooling process.
Dark chocolate should be worked at 88–90°F, milk chocolate at 85–87°F, and white chocolate at 82–84°F. These temperatures maintain stable crystals without melting them.
‘Chocolate’ candy melt products available at many stores produce a similar crunchy coating when dipped. However, most chocolate compound products aren’t actual chocolate because the cocoa butter has been replaced by hydrogenated industrial oils. They taste artificial and don’t provide the same satisfaction.
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Ingredients
- 16 ounces (454 grams) baking chocolate, finely chopped
Instructions
Tempering Chocolate by Seeding:
Tempering Chocolate by Seeding:
- In a double boiler, melt 2/3 of the chocolate, stirring often, until the thermometer registers around 115°F, but absolutely no higher than 120°F. If tempering milk or white chocolate, heat to 110°F. Remove from the double boiler. Make sure all equipment that comes in contact with the chocolate remains completely dry. Any water will cause the chocolate to seize.
- Gradually seed in the remaining chocolate to bring the temperature down, stirring vigorously and constantly. Stir until the temperature drops to 84°F. This can take some time, usually about 15 minutes, so just be patient – it will come down to temperature! A glass bowl will take longer to cool. Speed this process up by carefully placing the bowl of chocolate into an ice bath, making sure not to get ANY water in the chocolate.
- Reheat the chocolate briefly by placing the bowl back over the double boiler for 5 to 10 seconds at a time, stirring, until it reaches 89°F. This is the “working temperature.” Do not leave the chocolate over the water or let it exceed 91°F.
- You’re done! Test your temper by dipping a small piece of parchment into your chocolate. Let it sit at room temperature for a few minutes. The chocolate should be smooth and firm. If it’s streaky or runny, try stirring in more chocolate to the mixture to bring the temperature down further.
- Tempered chocolate can be tempered over and over again. You want to keep the working temperature of about 89°F when working with it. If it goes far below that temperature, set it back over the double boiler until it is 89°F again. If it goes much above that temperature, add more seed chocolate to drop the temperature.
Tempering Chocolate by Microwave:
Tempering Chocolate by Microwave:
- Put 2/3 of the chocolate in a microwave-safe bowl. Melt at 50% power in 1-minute intervals, stirring between each interval, until melted and smooth. The chocolate should only be between 100 – 110°F.
- Add remaining chocolate in small amounts while stirring. Be sure that the pieces are completely melted before adding more.
- The chocolate will thicken and become cool, shiny, and smooth as you continue stirring and “seeding” it by adding additional small amounts. When it has reached the range 84-91°F, the chocolate will be tempered and ready to work with.
Notes
Fun Uses for Tempered Chocolate:
This post was originally published in 2013 and updated with more tips and new photos in 2020 and 2023. Photos by Ashley McLaughlin.
Article Credits:
- Written by Tessa Arias
- Edited by Jessie Bruce, Master’s of Public Health Nutrition and Dietetics Candidate at UC Berkeley
Sources:
- Industrial Chocolate Manufacture And Use (2009). In Beckett S. T. (Ed.), (Fourth ed.). United Kingdom: Blackwell Publishing Ltd.
- Amendola, J. (2002). Understanding Baking: The Art and Science of Baking (3rd Edition). Wiley
- Global Education US. VitalSource
- Brenner, M., Sorensen, P., & Weitz, D. (2020). Science and Cooking: Physics Meets Food, From Homemade To Haute Cuisine (First ed.). New York, NY: W. W. Norton & Company, Inc.
- Lonchampt, P., & Hartel, R. W. (2006). Surface bloom on improperly tempered chocolate. European Journal of Lipid Science and Technology, 108(2), 159-168.
doi: Wiley - McWilliams, M. (2016). Foods (8th Edition). Pearson Education (US). VitalSource
- Reaver, A. (2021, Nov. 10). Lipids II – classification, function [Course Lecture]. Introduction and Application of Food Science, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, United States.
- Culinary Institute of America. (2022). Tempering Chocolate for Homemade Candy. Retrieved March 20, 2022, from CIA Foodies
Where is the video, I don’t see it??? Instructions sound great, haven’t tried it yet.
Hello! Thank you for this terrific information with the right amount of science so that I understand why certain steps and temperatures are important. In shopping the chocolate aisle I’ve seen a lot of flavor variations like sea salt, caramel, etc. Will these still work when tempering or should they be avoided? Also, I’m in love with salted dark chocolate. After tempering my chocolate, I plan on pouring it into molds. Should I sprinkle the sea salt as soon as I’ve poured the chocolate into the molds or wait until after it’s cooled? Thank you!!
Hi Cyndee, great questions! We’d recommend avoiding chocolate containing caramel for tempering, as the added ingredients could interfere with the crystal structure and temperature control needed for proper tempering. We haven’t tested tempering store-bought sea salt chocolate, but I don’t see why it wouldn’t work. Just be mindful that added ingredients might slightly affect the process. If you’re adding your own salt, wait until the tempered chocolate has cooled slightly. This helps the salt stay on the surface for better texture and visual appeal. Also, the type of salt matters! Flaky salt like fleur de sel will give a different taste experience than finer sea salt. Have fun experimenting to see which you prefer 🙂 Hope that helps, and happy chocolate making!
Great instructions and explanation to what tempering does to chocolate! I tried this for the first time today, but accidentally heated the chocolate a bit past 120. I think this is why my finished product had no shine. However it set at room temp which was what I needed. Thank you so much!
Does this tempering work in warm (86-95F) and humid kitchens? Do you need to refrigerate the chocolate when it reaches the final temperature?
You mention that using a “Chocolate thermometer” is a good tool when tempering chocolate. Is a “chocolate thermometer” the same as a “candy thermometer” ? Which brand would you recommend using? Is a “high-quality digital thermometer” the same as an Instant Read Thermometer that we might use in other food preparation? Many thanks!
Hi Maggie! A candy thermometer will work just fine, but it’s not exactly the same as a chocolate thermometer. Chocolate thermometers typically have a smaller temperature range, which makes them easier to read and more precise for tempering chocolate. Some even have features to alert you if the chocolate moves out of the tempering range. Tessa loves the Taylor candy thermometer and this chocolate thermometer. She also loves this digital instant-read food thermometer for general use. Hope that helps! 🙂
If I’m using a chocolate melter and I run low on the tempered chocolate, when adding more chocolate, do I need to:
1- Re-temper the big quantity of chocolate again (Up to 50 then seed temperature back down), or
2- just simply bring it to working temperature (30 degrees)?
I was wondering if chemically speaking, adding new chocolate to a small batch of tempered chocolate would make it tempered as well or would I need to bring this whole new batch to keep making truffles up to 45-50 degrees and back down. Hope that makes sense. Thanks!
Hi Julia! Unfortunately, simply adding new chocolate to tempered chocolate won’t temper the new chocolate. You should only add unmelted chocolate to tempered chocolate in two cases: during step 2 of the seeding method when you’re lowering the temperature, or if the tempered chocolate’s temperature rises above 89°F.
I recommend melting the new chocolate separately, following the tempering process to ensure any crystals are fully melted. Once it’s cooled to 89°F, mix it well into the tempered chocolate. Please let me know if you have any other questions, I hope that was helpful!
Great article! Thanks for sharing your knowledge!
I’m trying to temper Trader’s Joe chocolate for candies but I can’t. Despite trying at least 5 times I can’t get it tempered. I use microwave method and electronic thermometer.
I also have a question about chocolate I wanted to ask, it’s about working temperature and thinness. Trader’s Joe chocolate is to thick at working temperature (I use mix of theirs dark and milk pound chocolate 1:1). I can pour in molds but there’s no chance I can pour it out. I tried to add some cocoa butter but can’t figure out how much and when to add. Do you have any suggestions as you mentioned you used it.
And would chocolate sets at 77 room temperature? Because I’m a bit frustrated about not being able to make tempering right and honestly don’t know what I constantly do wrong. It doesn’t set, doesn’t snap.
Having an Infrared Thermometer is, in my opinion, the most essential tool for tempering because small changes in temperature happen quickly. Instead of seeding with small pieces of chocolate, I use whole callets. When the callets stop melting, I lift them out with a fork and stir until the desired temperature is reached, after which time I place the bowl in another bowl of hot water until the temperature reaches working temp. There is nothing more challenging (and messy) than tempering. The effort eclipses anything I’ve ever made, including puff pastry, croissant, fondant and sugar paste flowers!
Kiersten can you clarify this statement a little. Do you mean heat separately. I like to add a little raspberry
extract about a half teaspoon.
“If your recipe calls for liquid, such as butter, water, coffee, or liqueur, always melt it alongside the chocolate simultaneously.”
Hi Donald! Yes, to clarify, if your recipe includes other liquids like butter, water, coffee, or liqueur, it’s best to melt those liquids together with the chocolate at the same time. This ensures that all the ingredients are properly combined and melted together, resulting in a smooth and consistent mixture. For example, if you’re planning to add raspberry extract to your tempered chocolate, you would typically incorporate it into the chocolate as you’re melting it, usually about a half teaspoon as you mentioned. This allows the flavors to meld seamlessly and evenly throughout the chocolate mixture without causing the chocolate to seize from the temperature change. I hope this helps 🙂
Thank you yes it helped clarify.
Thanks for telling us about the process of chocolate tempering. This is actually super easy and helpful for everyone to know about for sure. Thanks. Keep posting more good information on this!
Awesome guide for tempering chocolate! This can be confusing, but the concise instructions made it super easy! My tempered chocolate turned out 10/10 and it took the truffles that I coated with this up a notch. Definitely keeping this guide in my back pocket!
Hello. I have question. After tempering and putting my chocolates into cases, should i put it into fridge?
Hi Rafa! When tempered correctly, your chocolate won’t require refrigeration unless your filling (or whatever you’re dipping in the tempered chocolate) requires refrigeration. Unless you’re in a super hot environment, the tempered chocolate should set up beautifully snappy and shiny without the need for chilling. I hope that helps! Check out the pink tip box (above the recipe) for more tips 🙂