Homemade Hot Fudge Sauce
This Chocolate Sauce recipe first appeared on My Sauce Recipes, where I am a contributor.
This Homemade Hot Fudge Sauce recipe is a delicious treat to pair with your favorite dessert! Calling for just 5 ingredients, this chocolate sauce comes together in less than 10 minutes and is wonderfully chocolatey. Makes 16(ish) servings.
The BEST Homemade Hot Fudge Sauce
We’re all BIG chocolate lovers in our house… and there’s something wonderful about a perfectly decadent chocolate sauce on top of most any dessert, right?
It adds a little something extra, and I love it.
Also, it’s so great with so many things. (More ideas on this in a bit.)
Why I love this recipe:
For years, we’ve purchased jarred Hot Fudge Sauce from the grocery store. Recently, I wanted to try my hand at making my own.
Turns out, Hot Fudge Sauce is incredibly simple to make at home. All you need are a handful of ingredients and a little time.
Also, this easy hot fudge recipe is just about perfect for anything you could consider adding it to. I would also not judge you if you ate it by the spoonful.
Here’s some more things I adore about this recipe:
- It makes a large batch… so you’ve got plenty to keep in your fridge and enjoy, or you can portion some out to share!
- You can pair it with anything chocolatey. Need a drizzle for cake or a cupcake? Boom. Want an ice cream topping? Here ya go.
- It’s balanced. Sometimes, sauces like these can get a little sweet for my likings. This one is not.
- You can make this sauce thicker or thinner. If you like a thicker fudge sauce, simply use less milk. If you want it to drizzle more easily, add a little more. I have notes on what to do in the recipe card below.
No matter how you look at it, this Homemade Chocolate Fudge Sauce is a simple treat to make at home!
Dessert recipes to pair with this fudge sauce: Brownies from Scratch | No Churn Fudge Brownie Ice Cream | Strawberry Chocolate Cake | No Churn Peppermint Ice Cream Milkshake | Chocolate Raspberry Cupcakes with Easy Raspberry Frosting
Need some sweet treat ideas? Check out my Dessert Recipe Index!
What you need to make this recipe:
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Let’s talk ingredients!
In addition to the tools above, you’re going to need some ingredients to make this recipe, too! Chances are, you might already have some of them in your fridge or pantry. Scroll down to the recipe card for the full measurements and instructions.
Here’s what you’ll need:
- Sweetened condensed milk — this canned goodness is the base of our sauce and provides creaminess, as well as sweetness. It is not the same thing as evaporated milk.
- Unsweetened cocoa powder — this is going to give our sauce the BEST flavor! You can use Dutch process cocoa or the regular unsweetened baking cocoa. Either will work.
- Kosher salt — adding salt to sweet things helps balance out the sweetness! Just a pinch will do. I like to use a medium-grain kosher salt here, so use something similar in size.
- Whole milk — this thins out the sauce just a little bit so it’s perfectly drizzleable
- Vanilla extract — the 100% pure kind is amazing and lets these chocolate flavors sing!
Please note that this recipe does not call for heavy cream, half-and-half or even chocolate chips (or chopped chocolate bars.)
What to use Hot Fudge Sauce on:
Who doesn’t love a drizzle of chocolate on top of, well, anything?
If you’re looking for some things to add this recipe to, let me suggest:
- Ice cream (homemade or store-bought!)
- Hot fudge sundaes
- Pound cake
- Brownies
- Cheesecake
- Pancakes (like The BEST Chocolate Chip Pancakes) or waffles
How to make this Homemade Hot Fudge recipe:
Choose your saucepan. I like to use a medium-sized one with a heavy bottom.
Add the sweetened condensed milk, unsweetened cocoa powder and salt to the saucepan.
DID YOU KNOW?
Using a small rubber spatula will help get all the sweetened condensed milk out of its jar. Just be prepared… it will be sticky!
Heat the ingredients over medium heat until combined, stirring constantly, then pour in the milk.
Continue stirring until smooth, and cook until the mixture thickens enough to coat the back of a spoon.
Pro tip!
It’s important to stir, stir, stir as this chocolate sauce comes together because you do not want it to burn! The constant stirring will help the ingredients come together, and it will also prevent anything from sitting on the bottom of the pan for too long.
Remove the saucepan from the heat, and stir in the vanilla extract.
Serve warm or let cool, then store in a mason jar in the fridge.
How to store and reheat leftovers
Store the cooled chocolate sauce in a mason jar. Keep it in the fridge for up to a month!
How to reheat: Pour into a bowl, and reheat in 15-second increments, stirring between each one so the chocolate sauce does not burn.
Frequently Asked Questions
You’ll need a can of sweetened condensed milk, cocoa powder, kosher salt, milk and vanilla extract to make this recipe.
Chocolate syrup is thinner than chocolate sauce.I’ve also read that most chocolate sauces use a fat in the recipe (like butter, milk, etc.) while syrups use water.
The consistency is the main difference. A fudge sauce is thicker and more decadent while a chocolate sauce is thinner.
More dessert sauces to try:
Homemade Hot Fudge Sauce
This Homemade Hot Fudge Sauce recipe is a delicious treat to pair with your favorite dessert! Calling for just 5 ingredients, this chocolate sauce comes together in less than 10 minutes and is wonderfully chocolatey.
Ingredients
- 14 oz. sweetened condensed milk
- 1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder (100g)
- ½ cup whole milk (120g)
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt (3g)
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract (6g)
Instructions
- Combine the sweetened condensed milk, unsweetened cocoa and salt in a medium saucepan.
- Heat over medium heat while stirring constantly until combined, then pour in the milk.
- Continue stirring until smooth, and cook until the mixture thickens enough to coat the back of a spoon.
- Remove the saucepan from the heat. Stir in the vanilla extract.
- Serve warm or let cool, then store in a mason jar in the fridge for up to a month.
Notes
This makes around 2 cups of hot fudge sauce. Serving size listed is 2 tablespoons. You can serve more or less, but the nutrition will vary accordingly.
You can make this a thicker sauce by adding less milk. If you want your fudge sauce to be thicker, start with ¼ cup of milk and see if that consistency is pleasing to you.
How to store: Cool the sauce before pouring into a mason jar or another airtight container. Store in the fridge for up to a month.
How to reheat: Pour into a bowl, and reheat in 15-second increments, stirring between each one so the chocolate sauce does not burn.
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Nutrition Information:
Yield:
16Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 133Total Fat: 4gSaturated Fat: 2gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 1gCholesterol: 12mgSodium: 85mgCarbohydrates: 22gFiber: 1gSugar: 19gProtein: 4g
Nutrition facts are an estimate and not guaranteed to be accurate.
