My easy hot fudge recipe comes together so easily with pantry staples in just a few minutes. Once you learn how simple it is to make your own hot fudge sauce, you’ll never get store-bought again! Smooth, rich, and incredibly decadent, hot fudge sauce is the perfect, chocolatey finishing touch for ice cream, waffles, and even cheesecake.
The best part is that it lasts for ages in the fridge, and it freezes beautifully, so you can always have some on hand! This hot fudge recipe also makes a thoughtful and delightful homemade gift for all the chocolate lovers in your life. For more sauce and topping recipes, try my caramel sauce, whipped cream, and butterscotch.
Hot Fudge Is Different From Other Chocolate Sauces
This classic ice cream sundae topping is in a decadent world of its own. While hot fudge sauce is technically a sauce made from chocolate, it is quite different from chocolate sauce or chocolate syrup. Chocolate sauce, also known as chocolate syrup, is typically made with only 3 ingredients– cocoa powder, water, and sugar. It stays quite runny, and is used to flavor beverages as well as a dessert topping.
A classic hot fudge sauce combines melted chocolate, cocoa powder, cream, sugar, and butter for a thick, spoonable sauce that is heated before being used as a topping for ice cream and other desserts.
Ingredients
These are the key ingredients to make a delicious fudge sauce. You can find the full list of ingredients in the recipe card!
Heavy cream — heavy cream makes this hot fudge recipe thick and velvety with a smooth consistency and keeps the sauce from becoming too firm on ice cream or cold desserts.
Salt — while optional, salt actually helps to amplify the flavor of chocolate. You just need a pinch, but it makes a big difference!
Chocolate — chop up a bittersweet chocolate bars for easy melting. Use good-quality chocolate for the best flavor.
Cocoa powder — unsweetened cocoa powder is the best option, so the hot fudge recipe has a deep chocolate flavor without becoming too sweet. You can use natural cocoa powder or Dutch-processed cocoa powder for a darker chocolate flavor.
Hot Fudge Recipe
Equipment
- Small pot
- Whisk
- Mason Jar
Ingredients
- 1 cup heavy cream (240ml)
- ½ cup granulated sugar (100g)
- ¼ teaspoon salt optional
- ½ cup unsalted butter (113g)
- 6 ounces semi-sweet or bittersweet chocolate finely chopped (170g)
- ¼ cup unsweetened natural cocoa powder (20g)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Combine the cream, sugar, salt, and butter in a small pot the place over medium heat, stirring frequently until the butter melts and the mixture starts to simmer.
- Simmer for just under a minute then reduce heat to medium-low. Add the chocolate in and stir until melted.
- Remove from heat and whisk in the cocoa powder and vanilla then return to heat and cook on low for about 30 seconds or until glossy and smooth.
- Jar and store in the refrigerator, when ready to use reheat in a saucepan over medium low heat.
Notes
- Add corn syrup for a softer hot fudge. While I typically make homemade hot fudge recipe without corn syrup, you can add ¼ cup of light corn syrup at the beginning of the recipe. This will give you an extra glossy fudge that stays softer at a cooler temperature.
- Use unsalted butter. Different brands of butter have varying levels of salt in their salted butter. This is why you should use unsalted butter and add ¼ teaspoon salt instead. You can skip the salt entirely if you prefer, but I do like the extra something special it brings to the hot fudge recipe.
- Do not use high heat. Chocolate and cocoa powder can burn easily. Use low to medium heat only so the sauce doesn’t burn on the bottom of your pot.
- Hot fudge will naturally thicken more as it cools, so don’t worry if it’s not super thick immediately when taken off the heat.
- Use different chocolate for a sweeter sauce. You can use dark chocolate bars with a lower percentage of cacao (60% to 70%) in place of the bittersweet for a sweeter hot fudge recipe. If you don’t have chocolate bars, you can use semisweet chocolate chips.
Nutrition
How To Make Hot Fudge
1. To a small saucepan, add heavy cream, sugar, salt, and butter. Place over medium heat. Stir frequently until the mixture comes to a simmer.
2. Simmer, then reduce to medium-low heat.
3. Stir in the chopped chocolate until melted.
4. Remove the pot from the heat, and whisk in the cocoa powder and vanilla extract.
5. Return to low heat and cook just until smooth and glossy.
6. Transfer to a jar, if not using immediately, and store the hot fudge sauce in the refrigerator.
Does Hot Fudge Harden?
No, with the inclusion of heavy cream, this easy hot fudge sauce recipe stays soft on ice cream and will not turn into a chocolate shell. It will thicken more as it cools, though.
Ways To Use Homemade Hot Fudge Sauce
Here are a few ways to use this homemade hot fudge sauce:
- Serve it over ice cream to make a hot fudge sundae.
- Make brownie sundaes using this hot fudge recipe, my brownie recipe, and a scoop of ice cream (I have recipes for vanilla ice cream, chocolate ice cream, and strawberry ice cream if you want to take a stab at making it from scratch!).
- In an ice cream cake as decoration and to help the cookies stick to the cake layer.
- Drizzle it over fried ice cream.
- Use the best hot fudge sauce as a topping for cheesecake, waffles, and pancakes.
How To Store And Reheat
When storing leftovers, make sure you use a clean, airtight jar. You can store hot fudge sauce in the fridge for up to a month. It will thicken up in the fridge but will not solidify. When you want to use it, reheat the sauce in a saucepan over medium-low heat. Or, pop it in the microwave in 15-second intervals, stirring between each, until the sauce is as hot as you want.
Pro Tips For Making This Recipe
- Add corn syrup for a softer hot fudge. While I typically make homemade hot fudge recipe without corn syrup, you can add ¼ cup of light corn syrup at the beginning of the recipe. This will give you an extra glossy fudge that stays softer at a cooler temperature.
- Use unsalted butter. Different brands of butter have varying levels of salt in their salted butter. This is why you should use unsalted butter and add ¼ teaspoon salt instead. You can skip the salt entirely if you prefer, but I do like the extra something special it brings to the hot fudge recipe.
- Do not use high heat. Chocolate and cocoa powder can burn easily. Use low to medium heat only so the sauce doesn’t burn on the bottom of your pot.
- Hot fudge will naturally thicken more as it cools, so don’t worry if it’s not super thick immediately when taken off the heat.
- Use different chocolate for a sweeter sauce. You can use dark chocolate bars with a lower percentage of cacao (60% to 70%) in place of the bittersweet for a sweeter hot fudge recipe. If you don’t have chocolate bars, you can use semisweet chocolate chips.
Frequently Asked Questions
You can use half and half or evaporated milk. Keep in mind that the hot fudge sauce won’t be quite as thick.
You can freeze it for up to 3 months in a freezer-safe jar or airtight container once it has cooled to room temperature. Thaw it in the refrigerator for 12 hours before reheating it. If you want to give it as a gift, make the batch fresh and include storage instructions with the jar of hot fudge.
No. Hot fudge is made with butter, cocoa powder, sugar, and more, while chocolate ganache only requires 2 ingredients: chocolate and heavy cream. Ganache also becomes thick and sturdy enough to use as a frosting, filling, or candy, while hot fudge will always be runny.
If you’ve tried this hot fudge recipe, then don’t forget to rate it and let me know how you got on in the comments below. I love hearing from you!
