This incredible Homemade Hot Fudge Sauce is rich, smooth and fudgy. Made in just five minutes, it's the perfect chocolate fudge topping for all your ice creams. You'll never buy store-bought again.
We're right in the middle of ice cream season and there is no more perfect way to top your ice cream than with a couple of spoonfuls of this Easy Chocolate Fudge Sauce. Caramel Brownie Ice Cream, Creme Brulee Ice Cream or my Toasted Marshmallow Ice Cream are the perfect choice to make sundaes with.
This homemade fudge sauce is made in under five minutes and only needs 6 ingredients. It's such a simple recipe that produces the ultimate dessert topping that's perfect every time. Rich, decadent and gooey you'll be eating this straight off the spoon!
Why you'll love this recipe
- Comes together in a flash. It's the weekend and you have guests coming over at short notice ... this recipe will get you out of trouble fast. Make it in ten minutes and you can drizzle it all over those ice cream tubs in your freezer.
- Simple to make. It's literally one of the simplest recipes to make - which means one thing .... it'll be on repeat in your house!
- Family favourite dessert topping. From young to old, everyone loves this sauce! It's nostalgic, comfort food at its best!
- Perfect holiday gift. Make a big batch and package up in cute mason jars. With a gift tag, ribbon and sprig of holly, you have the most gorgeous gift
Hot Fudge ingredients
It takes just 6 ingredients to make the fudge topping. The result is a luscious, smooth, thick old fashioned hot fudge sauce that you'll find any excuse to spoon over your favourite dessert. I've made a few notes on a couple of the ingredients below.
Butter - I recommend unsalted butter so that you can control the amount of salt added to the recipe. If you decide to use salted butter, omit the salt to start off with and then season to taste.
Dark chocolate - 70% dark chocolate provides the perfect balance to the sweetness of the evaporated milk and sugar. I find it makes the hot chocolate sauce perfectly rich and chocolatey without making it too strong and bitter. That being said. If you want to play around with your chocolate- for example using a 90% dark chocolate or going for milk chocolate, then let me know how you go!
What is evaporated milk?
Evaporated milk - is a major part of this homemade fudge sauce. But what exactly is it? Fresh homogenised milk is cooked down to remove 60% of its water. During this process, it turns slightly darker due to the Maillard reaction and thickens to double cream consistency. Once it's in its concentrated form, the evaporated is then chilled and canned into sterilised containers.
In this form, it's more stabilised than regular milk and won't curdle when cooked at high temperatures. That makes it the perfect ingredient for making this hot fudge sauce recipe.
Equipment you'll need
Saucepan: Non-stick medium to large saucepan is best to make this sauce in.
Wooden Spoon: I use a wooden spoon to stir the sauce constantly, alternatively, you could use a rubber spatula.
How to make Hot Fudge Sauce
5 minutes is all you need to make this recipe. Literally, blink and it'll be done!
*Be sure to see the recipe card below for the full ingredients list & instructions!*
1. Add ingredients to the saucepan. They all go in at the same time - sugar, butter, evaporated milk, chocolate, vanilla extract and salt. Description here (Image 1)
2. Heat until thickened. Set the pan over medium heat (any higher and it might catch on the bottom) and stir constantly until the chocolate and butter have melted and all the ingredients have combined (Image 2).
It'll look absolutely luscious - but we're not quite finished. It needs a couple more minutes on the stovetop to thicken perfectly. If you need to reduce the temp to medium-low, then do - you don't want the mixture to boil.
You'll visibly see the chocolate sauce thickening and when a spoon is dipped in it, the sauce doesn't run off so quickly. It will feel gooey and leave a slight trail when poured. Pour it straight into a jar and use immediately or set it aside to cool to room temperature (Image 3 & 4).
And I'm here to say...that is it! Isn't this the easiest hot fudge sauce recipe ever?!!! I mean. Seriously. Two simple steps and you have a jar of pure joy for kids and adults alike!
Even when cooled to room temperature, the sauce will stay thick but spoonable. You can pour it from a jug easily. Once refrigerated it will cool right down but not go hard. As you can see in the image below, you can spoon out your desired amount easily.
What's the difference between hot fudge and chocolate sauce?
The difference between the two lies in the texture and taste. Hot fudge sauce is thicker in consistency and more intense flavour. When cold in the fridge it thickens to a spoonable consistency that needs heating to loosen and pour over ice cream.
Chocolate sauce on the other hand is pourable whether refrigerated or at room temperature. With a runnier consistency, it's easily mixed into a liquid, such as milk to make milkshakes.
Ways to use Hot Fudge Sauce
Where do I start? There are so many ways to enjoy this sauce. The obvious is with a spoon straight from the jar! It's that good!)
But seriously, you can drizzle it over your breakfast pancakes or waffles, ice cream cake, or your favourite brownie or pie like my Chocolate Mini Tarts. For the ultimate indulgence, layer it with ice cream, like my Raspberry Chocolate Ice Cream and whipped cream for an epic ice cream sundae. (Doing this reminds me of the epic Ice Cream Parlour in Harrods that we went to a couple of years ago! It was every bit as indulgent as you can imagine!)
My kid's favourite is when I blend it with ice cream to create a thick shake. Seriously dreamy. You can also dip fresh juicy strawberries into the sauce for Valentine's Day treat; who am I kidding ... a year-round treat! With 4th July celebrations coming up, serve on top of a scoop of Marshmallow Ice Cream, and graham crackers for the ultimate s'mores treat.
If these aren't enough reasons to always have a jar readily available in your fridge at ALL times, then I don't know what is!!
Recipe tips
- Stir constantly. The sauce thickens pretty quickly and stirring it constantly prevents it from sticking and possibly burning.
- Keep the temp on medium to low. Don't let the mixture boil. Like when making custard, if it boils then the sauce will separate and go grainy in texture.
- Make a big batch. The recipe is perfect for scaling up. Store an extra jar in the freezer and you'll always have some on tap!
Frequently asked questions
Absolutely. That's the beauty, make this the best hot fudge sauce. Once it's cooled just pop it into a jar and refrigerate. You'll have it on hand for whenever you have a chocolate craving or want to elevate your ice cream dessert.
To store: Once cooled, seal the sauce in an airtight container and refrigerate. It'll last for up to one month.
To freeze: You can even freeze it in an airtight freezer-safe container. Pop in the fridge to thaw completely.
Reheat in the microwave at 10-second intervals, stirring between each interval.
Alternatively, pour the sauce into a small saucepan and reheat on low heat on the stovetop.
More chocolate-forward recipes
If you tried this recipe for Hot Fudge Sauce or any other recipe on my website, please let me know how you go in the comments below. I love hearing from you. Also, please leave a star rating whilst you're there!
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📖 Recipe
Easy Homemade Hot Fudge Sauce
Equipment
- Saucepan
Ingredients
- 100 g granulated sugar
- 1 can evaporated milk, 12oz/354ml
- 60 g unsalted butter
- 150 g dark chocolate 70%, coarsely chopped
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Add ingredients to a saucepan. Add the sugar, evaporated milk, butter, dark chocolate and vanilla into a medium-based saucepan.
- Heat until thickened. Set over medium heat, bring the mixture to a gentle boil, stirring constantly. Heat for approximately five minutes or until the mixture has thickened. Remove from the heat and pour into an airtight container. Use straight away whilst it's hot. Or leave to cool to room temperature, cover with a lid and refrigerate. As it cools, the fudge sauce will thicken even further.
All recipes are developed and tested in Metric grams. I strongly recommend that you bake using digital scales for a more accurate result. I have provided a conversion to US customary in the recipe but please note that I haven’t tested using this method.
Notes
To Freeze: You can even freeze it in an airtight freezer-safe container. Pop in the fridge to thaw completely. TIP 1: Stir constantly. The sauce thickens pretty quickly and stirring it constantly prevents it from sticking and possibly burning. TIP 2: Keep the temp on medium to low. Don't let the mixture boil. Like when making custard, if it boils then the sauce will separate and go grainy in texture. TIP 3: Make a big batch. The recipe is perfect for scaling up. Store an extra jar in the freezer and you'll always have some on tap!
Ang
Thank you for sharing this recipe. I made it to use drizzled over caramel cheesecake. The recipe is well described. As the sauce is thickening keep a close eye on it as it will appear to want to bubble over the sides of the saucepot. I think it is necessary to use 70% dark chocolate to offset the taste of the evaporated canned milk which would be more prominent with anything less. I used Grand Marnier towards the end of the cooking process for the same reason. It's a quick and easy to come together sauce. Thank you again for sharing it.
Emma
Hi Ang - thanks for the comment. Glad you enjoyed it 🙂