Balsamic vinegars seem to be gaining in popularity, especially the thick, rich varieties that you can drizzle on top of almost anything like a delicious condiment. Some of them are very acidic and have a strong bite to them, but some of them are sweet and can almost be used in place of a chocolate syrup. You see where I’m heading with this?
You can definitely buy your own chocolate balsamic vinegar at a tap room, but if there isn’t one close by, making your own will work just as well.
I adapted a recipe I found at the Kitchn and thought it was rather unique.
The original recipe was a little too tart for my taste, so I added about 1/2 cup of sugar more and an additional 1/2 cup chocolate chips (to melt). If you use the chocolate chips, I recommend getting true dark chocolate without any milk.
It turned out spectacular – sweet and tangy. It’s thick and syrupy like a true balsamic reduction.
I made this chocolate balsamic vinegar for my boyfriend’s sister. It has to go on a plane, so I wasn’t able to package it nicely. However, mason jars work just fine. I bought a drizzling bottle for it to go in.
One day I’ll focus on making pretty labels. Until then, my cursive is all I’ve got.

- 2 cups balsamic vinegar (If you have a really high-quality vinegar that is already thick and syrupy, you can skip the reduction and use 1 cup of vinegar).
- 1 cup water
- 1 cup sugar
- ⅔ cup cocoa powder
- ½ cup unsweetened chocolate chips
- ¼ teaspoon of salt
- 1 tsp. vanilla extract
- In a saucepan, reduce the vinegar by cooking over low heat for about 20 - 30 minutes. It should become thicker and reduce some of its volume, so you're left with about a cup of vinegar.
- In a separate saucepan, use a medium heat to dissolve the sugar and salt into the water. Stir constantly until it begins to thicken.
- Reduce the heat to low and add the cocoa powder and the chocolate chips, stirring constantly until it becomes thick and syrupy.
- Remove from heat and add the vanilla.
- Wait until the chocolate sauce and vinegar have cooled before you mix them.
- Stir until well-combined and smooth.
- Pour the vinegar into a sterile jar.
Be warned, this will create a really strong vinegar stench in your house. But it’s worth it! Just to play it safe, I’d store this one in the fridge after it’s opened.