Why does white chocolate need so much more chocolate than dark?

Because it has no cocoa solids at all and sets only on its cocoa butter, which is roughly 28 to 35 percent of the bar. Dark chocolate carries both cocoa solids and a higher proportion of cocoa butter, so it sets far harder for the same weight of cream. Using a dark ratio with white chocolate reliably produces something that never sets.

My ganache split. Can I fix it?

Almost always. Splitting usually means the cream was too hot, or the mixture was stirred too vigorously while the emulsion was still forming. Add a spoonful of warm milk and stir from the centre outward in small circles, or blend it briefly with a stick blender kept below the surface so it does not draw in air. Both usually bring it back.

Can I use chocolate chips instead of couverture?

You can, and the ratios will be less reliable. Chips are formulated to hold their shape in a cookie, which means less cocoa butter and often added stabilisers, so they melt thicker and set differently. If you are following a published ratio, use a couverture, because the ratio was written for one.

How long can ganache sit at room temperature?

A dark ganache at a firm ratio is stable at cool room temperature for a day or so, and shops routinely keep it out. Ratios with more cream, and milk and white ganaches generally, are far less stable and are better refrigerated. If the cake also carries cream cheese or whipped cream, refrigerate it regardless of the ganache.

Chocolate

Ganache Ratio Calculator

Published couverture ratios for dark, milk and white chocolate across five uses, scaled to your quantity.

Quick answer

Dark chocolate ganache for a drip is 1 part chocolate to 1 part cream by weight, so 400 g of chocolate takes 400 g of cream. Milk chocolate needs roughly twice the chocolate of dark for the same set, and white about three times, because it has no cocoa solids at all.

Chocolate type

What it is for

Chocolate you have (g)

Result

400 g of cream

to 400 g of dark chocolate, a 1:1 ratio by weight

Every figure, with what it is based on
Figure	Value	Basis
Ratio, chocolate to cream	1:1	Published
Chocolate	400 g	Your figure
Cream	400 g	Published ratio
Total ganache	800 g	Derived
Why this type differs	Dark couverture sets hardest for a given weight of cream because it carries the most cocoa solids and cocoa butter.	Published

400 g x (cream parts / chocolate parts), by weight

These are published couverture manufacturer ratios. Weigh both sides: chocolate callets pack differently depending on shape, so a cup of chocolate can vary by a third in weight between two fills of the same jug.

The formula

cream = chocolate x (cream parts / chocolate parts), by weight

Ganache sets on cocoa butter and cocoa solids, and the three chocolate types carry very different amounts of both. Dark chocolate is mostly cocoa. Milk chocolate replaces much of that with milk solids and sugar. White chocolate has no cocoa solids whatsoever and sets purely on its cocoa butter.

That is why substituting white for dark at the same ratio gives you a sauce rather than a ganache, which is the commonest way this goes wrong.

Always weigh. Chocolate callets pack differently depending on their shape and how you pour them, so a cup of chocolate can vary by a third in weight between two fills of the same jug.

Derived, published or convention?

These ratios are PUBLISHED figures from couverture manufacturer charts. Which firmness suits which job is TRADE CONVENTION. The bag in front of you beats any chart, because makers print ratios for their own recipes.

Ganache ratios by chocolate type and use, chocolate to cream by weight
Use	Dark	Milk	White	Cream for 400 g dark
Pourable glaze, still fluid when it sets	1:2	2:2	2.5:2	800 g
Drip cake, thick enough to stop partway down the side	1:1	2:1	3:1	400 g
Soft filling, spoonable at room temperature	1:1	2:1	3:1	400 g
Whipped frosting, holds a piped shape once beaten	3:2	5:2	7:2	267 g
Truffle centres and firm panels, cuts cleanly	2:1	3:1	4:1	200 g

Published couverture manufacturer ratios. Ratios are by weight, never by volume.

Gear for these numbers

These are rendered from the verified catalog and re-ordered against your numbers once you calculate.

Intermediate

Callebaut

Callebaut No. 811 Finest Belgian Dark Chocolate Callets, 1 kg

$44.85

The reference dark couverture at about 54 percent, in callets that melt evenly, which is what the published tempering ranges on this site assume.

Best for: ganache, tempering and drips

Check price on Amazon

Amazon prices move often, so check before you buy.

Expert

VALRHONA

Valrhona Guanaja 70 Percent Dark Chocolate Feves

$43.99

At 70 percent it sets harder for the same cream than a 54 percent does, so a ganache recipe written for Callebaut 811 needs more cream if you swap to this.

Best for: firm ganache and a more bitter finish

Check price on Amazon

Amazon prices move often, so check before you buy.

Intermediate

Etekcity

Etekcity 0.1 g Food Kitchen Scale with Bowl

$18.99

A tenth of a gram matters for baking powder and salt, where a 1 gram scale rounds an ingredient that is measured in single grams.

Best for: weighing leavening and salt accurately

Check price on Amazon

Amazon prices move often, so check before you buy.

Questions people ask

Why does white chocolate need so much more chocolate than dark?: Because it has no cocoa solids at all and sets only on its cocoa butter, which is roughly 28 to 35 percent of the bar. Dark chocolate carries both cocoa solids and a higher proportion of cocoa butter, so it sets far harder for the same weight of cream. Using a dark ratio with white chocolate reliably produces something that never sets.
My ganache split. Can I fix it?: Almost always. Splitting usually means the cream was too hot, or the mixture was stirred too vigorously while the emulsion was still forming. Add a spoonful of warm milk and stir from the centre outward in small circles, or blend it briefly with a stick blender kept below the surface so it does not draw in air. Both usually bring it back.
Can I use chocolate chips instead of couverture?: You can, and the ratios will be less reliable. Chips are formulated to hold their shape in a cookie, which means less cocoa butter and often added stabilisers, so they melt thicker and set differently. If you are following a published ratio, use a couverture, because the ratio was written for one.
How long can ganache sit at room temperature?: A dark ganache at a firm ratio is stable at cool room temperature for a day or so, and shops routinely keep it out. Ratios with more cream, and milk and white ganaches generally, are far less stable and are better refrigerated. If the cake also carries cream cheese or whipped cream, refrigerate it regardless of the ganache.

Worked out for you already

A note on what this can and cannot tell you

This calculator does arithmetic on the numbers you give it. It does not know your oven, your recipe or your altitude. Figures are labelled as derived, published or trade convention, and where no honest figure exists the calculator says so instead of producing one. Researched guidance, not professional advice.