This homemade hot fudge sauce is the best topping for ice cream, cakes, pies, or brownies. It’s thick, fudgy, rich, chocolatey, and so delicious!
Hot fudge sauce is an indulgent dessert topping that adds a touch of rich chocolatey goodness to your favorite treats. It’s thick, gooey, and perfect for drizzling over ice cream sundaes, brownies, or any other dessert that needs a decadent addition.
It’s such a quick and easy way to take your desserts to the next level. Perfect for busy summer time, with kids home from school, lots of family activities, traveling, barbecues with friends, sports, summer camps and more. It can be ready to add to your favorite desserts in less than 20 minutes. This recipe is adapted from Created by Diane.
This homemade hot fudge is so much better than anything you could get from the grocery store. It is thick, smooth, rich, fudgy, chocolatey. It’s really so good – I could eat the whole jar straight with a spoon.
Why this Homemade Hot Fudge Recipe is the best:
- Ready in just over 10 minutes from start to finish
- Simple Ingredients that you can pronounce
- So many ways to use it – like adding to your favorite brownies, milkshakes, ice cream sundaes, and more.
- Much better flavor that store bought hot fudge
Ingredients Needed:
This is a quick overview of the ingredients you’ll need for this Hot Fudge Sauce recipe. Specific measurements and full recipe instructions are in the printable recipe card below.
- heavy cream
- corn syrup
- packed brown sugar
- cocoa powder
- salt
- chocolate – get a good quality chocolate, you can use milk chocolate, bittersweet chocolate or anything in between
- unsalted butter
- vanilla extract
How to make Hot Fudge Sauce?
- Add half the chocolate, the cream, corn syrup, brown sugar, cocoa powder, and salt to a medium sized heavy duty sauce pan. Heat the mixture over medium heat, and stir it all together. Bring it to a boil, stirring often until the chocolate pieces are melted completely. Lower the heat to medium low and keep the mixture simmering, stirring regularly.
- Remove it from the heat, add in the remaining chocolate chips, butter, and vanilla extract and stir it until the chocolate is melted and the mixture is smooth.
- Let the hot fudge cool for about 10 minutes in the pan.
- Transfer the chocolate fudge sauce to a mason jar or other airtight container (keep the lid off for now) to cool to room temperature before storing.
Tips and Tricks:
- You can use your favorite chocolate or chocolate chips for this recipe. I recommend a high quality chocolate, like a baking chocolate bar, or chips like Guittard or Ghiradelli chocolate chips.
Frequently Asked Questions:
How to store hot fudge?
This hot fudge sauce has dairy in it so it needs to be stored in the refrigerator. Let the sauce cool in a container at room temperature, then cover it with a lid and store it in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.
The sauce will thicken as it is chilled, so you will want to reheat it before serving. Heat it in 15 second increments, stirring after each, until it reaches your desired consistency.
You can also freeze the sauce in a freezer safe jar or container for up to 3 months. Let it thaw in the fridge overnight, then slowly reheat it in the microwave in 15 second increments until smooth and hot throughout.
What’s the difference between hot fudge and chocolate sauce?
The main difference between hot fudge sauce and chocolate sauce is the texture. Hot fudge is known for being thick and gooey, and has more of a velvety texture. Chocolate sauce is thinner, and more of a liquid consistency, making it more pourable.
Hot fudge sauce is also more of a rich chocolate flavor. Hot fudge sauce, as the name suggests is best served warm or hot, and is usually heated up before serving on your favorite desserts.
When to use Hot Fudge Sauce?
Hot Fudge is commonly used as a topping for various desserts, here are some favorites.
- Ice Cream – of course its perfect served over your favorite bowl of ice cream. Try an hot fudge sundae with a scoop of vanilla or chocolate ice cream, drizzled with this sauce, some strawberry sauce, whipped cream, and sprinkles.
- Ice Cream Cake – the best ice cream cakes have a thick layer of fudge, they’ll be made even better with a homemade hot fudge.
- Breakfast items – instead of a traditional maple syrup try this hot fudge drizzled over your favorite pancakes, waffles, or french toast.
- Cheesecake – spread it on top of your baked cheesecake, especially with the addition of fresh berries.
- Brownies – warm up some fudgy brownies and pour hot fudge over the top.
- Skillet Cookies – hot chocolate fudge sauce can really take a warm gooey cookie to the next level.
- Fruit Dip – serve it up as a fruit dip with your favorite fresh fruit, apples, strawberries, or bananas are extra good
- Fondue – or serve it up like fondue with marshmallows, pound cake, pretzels, etc.
This homemade hot fudge sauce is a great easy recipe that takes your favorite dessert to the next level, with its velvety texture, and rich chocolate flavor. It’s the perfect way to make your desserts indulgent and extra delicious.
More Sweet Sauce Recipes:
Hot Fudge Sauce
Ingredients
- 6 oz high quality chocolate (divided)
- 2/3 cup heavy cream
- 1/3 cup corn syrup
- 1/3 cup packed brown sugar (sifted after measuring)
- 1/4 cup cocoa powder (sifted after measuring)
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 2 TBS unsalted butter
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Instructions
- Add half the chocolate chips, heavy cream, corn syrup, brown sugar, cocoa powder, and salt to a medium heavy duty sauce pan over medium high heat. Bring the mixture to a slow boil, stirring occasionally, until the chocolate is melted.
- Lower the heat to medium low and let the mixture continue to boil for 5 minutes, stirring regularly.
- Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the remaining chocolate, butter and vanilla. Stir until the chocolate is smooth, and the mixture is totally melted.
- Let the mixture cool for about 10 minutes in the pan, then transfer it to a jar to cool to room temperature before covering and storing in the refrigerator.
Nutrition
This homemade hot fudge sauce was first posted on July 27, 2015. The photos and text were updated for clarity on June 23, 2023
Patricia says
This is amazing. I found myself making sure i had enough ingredients for another batch. I love the way is softly solidifies on cold ice cream. I can’t believe its so easy. I have been buying little jars of hot fudge at the supermarket, believing it was too difficult to make. This is so much better than anything you can buy . This will be a staple in my refrigerator. Thank you
Aimee says
Yay! I’m so glad you love it!
Sharon McCain says
This is by far the most delicious hot fudge sauce recipes. Yummy. Thank you
Aimee says
😀 So glad you love it as much as we do !
Casey says
This sounds delicious! How do you re-heat it?
Aimee Berrett says
I just microwave in 30 second increments stirring after each till its smooth!
LindaLinda says
This is one of the best hot fudge sauces I’ve ever made, and I’ve made a bunch in my 67 years. I was out of corn syrup so I used honey, no heavy cream so whole milk instead, and I had a mix of dark chocolate and semi-sweet chocolate chips. Outstanding and my new favorite!
Aimee Berrett says
Linda, this is exactly the type of comment I love to see! I am so glad you loved it! And made it work for you even without all the called for ingredients! Did you eat by the spoon or on top of ice cream? 🙂
Linda says
I had a little dip of ice cream with a lot of sauce, but it is definitely spoon-worthy. 😉
Miranda @ Cookie Dough & Oven Mitt says
That sauce looks so decadent. I want to sit down and eat that entire jar!
Michelle De La Cerda says
I’d skip the pie and just eat the sauce.
dishofdailylife says
Yum! That would last about 2 minutes in my house! I need to try it!
healingtomato says
What a delightful way to use fudge. I would never have thought of putting it on pie. Edwards makes the best pies in the world.
Nicole says
Never made my own hot fudge sauce before but definitely gonna try this one!
reesa lewandowski says
OMG I have never made my own before, but it looks so easy & delicious!
Christine Hamilton says
I haven’t made hot fudge before. I think its time to try!
Emily says
This looks so delicious! Yum!
Jamie @ Coffee With Us 3 says
I want some right now!
Diana Rambles says
WOW! So rich and yummy!!
savoryexperiments says
Yummy! I want to slather it on everything!
Jackie says
YUM!!!