Chocolate Ganache Calculator

Enter how much chocolate you have, pick the type and what you are making, and get the exact amount of cream to use for a perfect ganache.

Quick Facts

Method
Chocolate-to-cream ratio by weight, set by chocolate type and use
Dark 1:1 standard, milk ~1.5:1, white ~2:1; firmer for truffles, looser for glaze.

Your Results

Calculated
Cream needed
-
Heavy / whipping cream by weight
Ratio (chocolate : cream)
-
By weight
Total ganache yield
-
Chocolate + cream

Ready

Enter your chocolate weight and choose the type and use.

How the ganache calculator works

Ganache is nothing more than chocolate melted into hot cream, but the texture it sets to is decided almost entirely by one number: the ratio of chocolate to cream by weight. This calculator picks the right ratio for your chocolate type and intended use, then tells you exactly how much cream to weigh out for the amount of chocolate you have.

The core formula is simple:

Cream (g) = Chocolate weight (g) ÷ ratio, where the ratio is expressed as chocolate : cream.

For a classic dark-chocolate ganache the ratio is 1:1, so 200 g of chocolate needs 200 g of cream. For firm dark truffle centers the ratio is 2:1, so 200 g of chocolate needs only 100 g of cream. For a thin pouring glaze the ratio flips to 1:2, so 200 g of chocolate takes 400 g of cream.

Why the ratio changes with chocolate type

Ganache sets because the cocoa butter and cocoa solids in the chocolate emulsify with the fat and water in the cream and firm up as they cool. Dark chocolate is roughly 50–70% cocoa solids and cocoa butter, so it thickens strongly. Milk chocolate contains more sugar and milk solids and less cocoa butter, so it sets softer at the same ratio — you compensate by using less cream (about 1.5:1 for a standard ganache). White chocolate has no cocoa solids at all, just cocoa butter, sugar and milk solids, so it is the softest of the three and needs the least cream (about 2:1 standard, 3:1 for truffles).

Common ratios at a glance

  • Dark / semisweet: truffles 2:1, standard 1:1, glaze 1:2 (chocolate:cream)
  • Milk: truffles 2.5:1, standard 1.5:1, glaze 3:4
  • White: truffles 3:1, standard 2:1, glaze 1:1

Use "heavy cream" or "whipping cream" (roughly 35% fat). Half-and-half or milk has too little fat to set a stable ganache.

Turning the numbers into ganache

  1. Chop the chocolate finely (or use callets/chips) and put it in a heatproof bowl.
  2. Heat the cream until it just begins to simmer at the edges — do not boil it hard.
  3. Pour the hot cream over the chocolate and let it sit undisturbed for about one minute so the chocolate softens.
  4. Stir gently from the center outward until the mixture is smooth and glossy.
  5. Let it cool and set. Truffle-ratio ganache firms enough to scoop and roll; standard ganache pipes when cooled to spreadable; glaze is used while still warm and pourable.

Frequently Asked Questions

What ratio should I use for a standard ganache?
For dark or semisweet chocolate, use 1:1 by weight — equal amounts of chocolate and cream. For milk chocolate use about 1.5:1 (chocolate:cream) and for white chocolate about 2:1, because those contain more sugar and milk solids and less cocoa butter and so set softer at the same ratio.
Can I use volume (cups) instead of weight?
Ganache ratios are defined by weight, and weighing is far more reliable. If you must estimate volume, heavy cream is about 240 g per US cup, and chocolate chips are about 170 g per US cup — but chip volume varies a lot with packing, so a kitchen scale gives much more consistent results.
My ganache is too thin or too thick — can I fix it?
Yes. If it is too thin, gently warm it and stir in more melted chocolate. If it is too thick, warm it and stir in a little more hot cream, a tablespoon at a time. Rewarm slowly over a water bath or in short microwave bursts and stir well, since overheating can split the emulsion.
Why did my ganache split or turn grainy?
Splitting usually means the emulsion broke — often from cream that was too hot, chocolate that seized, or stirring too vigorously. Fix it by stirring in a spoonful of cold cream or a little warm milk and blending until it comes back together; an immersion blender helps re-emulsify without adding air.

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