Imagine you can make decadent chocolate truffles with nothing more than water and chocolate? These One Ingredient Chocolate Water Truffles will amaze you with their melt-in-your-mouth quality and luxurious texture. Since there is no cream or added sugar, you'll taste the pure chocolate flavor. You can use this recipe as a base for so many other flavors and coatings. You can coat them in coconut, chopped nuts or dip them in chocolate. As long as you use dairy-free chocolate (which most dark chocolate is), they are also vegan. If you like making chocolate treats, check out my Classic Chocolate Truffles and learn how to Temper Chocolate at Home.
WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS
- Fast and easy to make - the most work is chopping up the chocolate and the hardest part is waiting for the ganache to set. Otherwise, there is hardly any effort required to make these delicious truffles.
- Pure chocolate flavor - since there's only chocolate and water in this recipe, the flavor is clean and pure. That's why I recommend using the best chocolate you can find, or the one you love to eat the most.
- Smooth texture - these truffles are smooth and melt like ice with a cooling effect on your tongue. The silky texture is a result of the correct proportions of chocolate and water, as well as the right type of chocolate with the appropriate sugar and fat content.
- Customizable - you can flavor these in many ways by adding a little vanilla extract, coffee or peppermint extract. Roll them in a variety of coatings, such as chopped nuts, cocoa powder, toasted coconut, freeze dried fruit or dip them in more chocolate.
- Dairy free and vegan - since this truffle recipe doesn't contain cream, it is also vegan friendly.
WHAT IS CHOCOLATE GANACHE?
Chocolate ganache is an emulsion of chocolate in liquid. It is an oil-in-water emulsion with fat droplets of cocoa butter (and milk fat if using cream) in a continuous aqueous phase of water. Traditional chocolate truffles are made from ganache of various proportions of chocolate and cream. When heated and combined gently, the mixture becomes uniformly smooth and glossy. Depending on the ratios of chocolate and liquid, it can be pourable to use a glaze with a soft set, it can be thick and spreadable or it can be firm and scoopable. Truffles are made from the latter which is stiff enough to shape into balls.
INGREDIENTS FOR CHOCOLATE WATER TRUFFLES
- Dark chocolate - you'll need pure dark chocolate to make these chocolate truffles. It will only work if you use high quality dark chocolate with a high cocoa butter content because the fat is required to form a smooth emulsion and set to a firm texture. You can use anything between 55 and 70% cocoa solids. Note that as you increase the cocoa solids, you will also increase the intensity and bitterness. If you prefer sweeter chocolate, use 55%. This semisweet chocolate works wonderfully and has a great flavor with good fluidity. Also, as the cocoa solids increase, the amount of water in the recipe also increases. These bittersweet chocolate callets are very convenient and you can blend them with the semisweet chocolate to your desired taste preference.
- Water - that's right! You just need regular tap water.
STEP BY STEP INSTRUCTIONS: HOW TO MAKE CHOCOLATE WATER TRUFFLES
- STEP 1). Chop the chocolate. Chop up the chocolate very finely so it melts quickly and evenly. Place the chocolate in a heatproof bowl.
- STEP 2). Heat the water. Bring 1 cup of water to a full boil. Measure out the amount required for the recipe and pour it over the chopped chocolate.
- STEP 3). Form the ganache. Cover and let stand for 1 minute, then whisk gently until completely smooth and glossy. If the chocolate is not completely melted because perhaps it is cold in your kitchen, then heat it again GENTLY by placing the bowl in the microwave for just 10-20 seconds at medium power until smooth, thick and glossy, or set it over a pot with simmering water (a double boiler if you are using a metal bowl). It is very easy to over-heat warm ganache, so be cautious. You will know it is emulsified when it looks tight, smooth, thick and glossy with not signs of separation.
- STEP 4). Cool. Let the mixture cool uncovered at room temperature for 30 minutes until it is no longer warm, then cover the bowl tightly with plastic wrap and leave it at room temperature for at least 2 hours to fully set. It may take longer as it depends on the temperature and humidity of your room. Do not refrigerate. This gradual cooling time allows the cocoa butter crystals to take an organized shape for a silky texture.
- STEP 5). Form the truffles. use a teaspoon or a melon baller to scoop up heaped teaspoons of ganache, use your fingers to mold and shape it so it is pliable, then roll into smooth balls. Immediately roll in cocoa powder to coat them evenly, or dip them in melted chocolate. Store in an airtight container for up to 5 days.
WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN CHOCOLATE CHIPS AND CHOCOLATE BARS
The main difference between chocolate chips and chocolate bars is the amount of cocoa butter. Most chocolate chips have a higher proportion of sugar and/or cocoa mass, or added cocoa powder to give them stability against melting so they hold their shape when baked into cookies. Chocolate bars or tablets (also called "moulded" chocolate) usually have higher fluidity thanks to added cocoa butter which gives it greater meltability and smooth eating quality.
EXPERT TIPS FOR CHOCOLATE WATER TRUFFLES
- Use high quality chocolate with high cocoa butter content. A high fat content is necessary to make as table ganache.
- Add 1-3 teaspoons of white or brown sugar to the hot water to sweeten it to your taste. Adding sugar will change the texture and make them a little softer, and they will also be smoother with a nice melting quality. This is a personal preference and depends on your taste.
- Do not over-mix. If you over-whisk the ganache, it can separate and will be difficult to save without readjusting the ingredient quantities. If your ganache does split, you can try to recover it by adding a tiny bit of warm water and whisking again to bring it into emulsion. This sill change the texture, and the truffles will be slightly softer, but they will still be delicious.
- Do not refrigerate. The cocoa butter crystals need time to gradually set in an organized fashion for the silkiest texture. If you rush it by placing it in the fridge, the texture will be compromised and the truffles can be grainy. I'd only recommend refrigerating if you live in a very hot and humid climate in which the ganache will not set at room temperature.
RECIPE FAQ
This recipe requires dark chocolate because there is not enough cocoa butter or cocoa solids in milk chocolate to set the ganache. Milk chocolate has less than 30% cocoa solids where as dark chocolate has at least 50% cocoa solids.
Using high quality dark chocolate is very important for this recipe as it relies on cocoa butter to make a stable emulsion. Use bar chocolate and chop it up finely, or use these couverture semisweet chocolate chips. The amount of cocoa solids is very important as it dictates how much water is necessary for the correct texture. You can use chocolate with between 55% and 60% cocoa solids for this particular recipe. If you use chocolate with more or less cocoa solids content, the amount of water will vary.
If you prefer a darker profile, you can use up to 70% dark chocolate. The truffles will have a strong bittersweet taste and you will need to increase the water to account for the higher cocoa solids. You can also add some sugar to the hot water to enhance the flavor and to help bind moisture in the aqueous phase for a smooth ganache. I have made this recipe successfully with a blend of 80g of 52% chocolate and 20g of 85% chocolate.
Yes, you can easily make a larger batch of chocolate truffles by simply multiplying the amount of chocolate and water by 2 or 3 or 4. The difference will be the amount of cooling time to set the ganache.
If you would like to dip these truffles in more chocolate, you can enrobe them using my easy method for tempering chocolate. Read all about it here.
I would not recommend freezing these truffles as it changes the texture once they thaw.
These one ingredient chocolate truffles keep well for up to 5 days in the fridge.
Store these one ingredient chocolate truffles covered in an airtight container in the fridge. They are also stable for 3-4 days at a cool room temperature.
If you love cake, check out these recipes!
Ultimate Moist Chocolate Fudge Cake Lemon Pistachio Cake Sticky Toffee Date Cake Moist Lemon Blueberry Bread Olive Oil Chocolate Bundt Cake Best Vanilla Cupcake Recipe with Chocolate Fudge Frosting Chocolate Chip Banana Cake with Creamy Milk Chocolate Frosting Blueberry Peach Upside Down CakeFor the love of chocolate
Looking for more decadent chocolate recipes? Try these:
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Here are more delicious desserts that don't require an oven:
Video
One Ingredient Chocolate Water Truffles
Ingredients
- 3 ½ oz 100g semisweet chocolate*
- 3 tablespoon 45ml hot water
- cocoa powder for rolling OR
- more melted chocolate for dipping
*see notes in article above under FAQ section for recipe adjustments based on cocoa content
Instructions
- Chop the chocolate. Chop up the chocolate very finely so it melts quickly and evenly. Place the chocolate in a heatproof bowl.
- Heat the water. Bring 1 cup of water to a full boil. Measure out the amount required for the recipe and pour it over the chopped chocolate.
- Form the ganache. Cover and let stand for 1 minute, then whisk gently until completely smooth and glossy. If the chocolate is not completely melted because perhaps it is cold in your kitchen, then heat it again GENTLY by placing the bowl in the microwave for just 10-20 seconds at medium power until smooth, thick and glossy, or set it over a pot with simmering water (a double boiler if you are using a metal bowl). It is very easy to over-heat warm ganache, so be cautious. You will know it is emulsified when it looks tight, smooth, thick and glossy with not signs of separation.
- Cool. Let the mixture cool uncovered at room temperature for 30 minutes until it is no longer warm, then cover the bowl tightly with plastic wrap and leave it at room temperature for at least 2 hours to fully set. It may take longer as it depends on the temperature and humidity of your room. Do not refrigerate. This gradual cooling time allows the cocoa butter crystals to take an organized shape for a silky texture.
- Once set, use a teaspoon or a melon baller to scoop up heaped teaspoons of ganache, use your fingers to mold and shape it so it is pliable, then roll into smooth balls. Immediately roll in cocoa powder to coat them evenly, or dip them in melted chocolate. Learn how to temper chocolate the easy way in this article here. Store in an airtight container for up to 5 days.
Steph
I love how simple this is and that it doesn't need loads of fancy ingredients!
If you wanted to make the ganache more spreadable to use as a cake filling, can you simply add a bit more water ? E.g. is it like when making buttercream, where you can just add a bit more liquid until you get your desired consistency?
christina.marsigliese
Hi Steph! If you add too much water then the emulsion will break and the consistency won't be smooth. You can try adding some sugar to bind some of the moisture, but you would have to experiment with the amounts of added sugar and water.
Steph
Thank you so much for replying and for the advice 🙂
christina.marsigliese
You are welcome!