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This silky smooth Hot Fudge Sauce is made with basic ingredients you have in your pantry. It is delectable served over ice cream!
We also like to drizzle this homemade hot fudge sauce over Peanut Butter Pie, Mint Oreo Ice Cream Dessert, and Frozen Oreo Ice Cream Dessert.
Homemade Hot Fudge Sauce
I have tried many recipes for homemade hot fudge sauce over the years, but this one remains my favorite. Not only is it the one I grew up with (thanks for the recipe mom!), it also tastes amazing. But the thing that sets it apart from the others I’ve tried is that it stores really well.
All the other recipes I’ve made have turned grainy when they are stored in the fridge. They melt fine of course, but this one just stays smooth and creamy. So if you get a hankering for a spoonful, you don’t have to heat it up first. Much easier to sneak without your kids catching you. 😉
How to make homemade hot fudge sauce:
Combine sugar, cocoa, and salt in a large saucepan, then slowly stir in the evaporated milk. Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring constantly. Cook and stir for 6-8 minutes, or until thickened. (It will thicken even more as it cools, so don’t overcook it.)
Remove from heat and stir in butter and vanilla. Continue stirring till butter is melted.
After the hot fudge has cooled to room temperature, pour into glass jars.
What is the difference between hot fudge sauce and chocolate sauce or syrup?
-Hot fudge sauce has a deeper, richer flavor that chocolate syrup. Hot fudge sauce is made with sugar, butter, chocolate, and cream or evaporated milk. Chocolate syrup is usually made with a simple mixture of corn syrup or sugar and chocolate.
-Hot fudge sauce is typically thicker when chilled, and liquifies when heated. Chocolate syrup is much thinner, even at room temperature or chilled.
How do I store my hot fudge sauce?
This hot fudge stores really well in the refrigerator, and doesn’t turn grainy. I like storing it in glass jars to I can just pop it in the microwave to heat it up when we need it. I know it lasts for up to two months, but it may last longer, we just eat it up before then!
Homemade chocolate sauce makes fun Christmas neighbor gifts! I found these cute little glass jars at Tai Pan Trading, and just knew I had to use them this year. Although I must admit, I am saving several for myself because I just love them. 🙂 You can also use little mason jars, or any other glass jars you can find.
I made up some cute tags to go with the hot fudge, so I am including the free printables for you. There are three pages.
Page one is the hot fudge labels, page two is the “Merry Christmas” tags, page three is the “To/From” tags. Just click on the link below to download and print the page or pages you need.
Free Printable Hot Fudge Christmas Gift Tags
Here’s a sample of what they look like: Hot Fudge Labels Merry Christmas Tags To/From Christmas Gift Tags
Need more free Christmas gift tags? Check these out:
- Free Printable Gratitude Christmas Gift Tags
- Holly Jolly Christmas Tags
ICE CREAM RECIPES PERFECT FOR CHOCOLATE SAUCE:
- French Vanilla Ice Cream
- Reese’s Ice Cream
- Tin Roof Ice Cream
- Chocolate Oreo Ice Cream
- Frozen Mud Pie
Homemade Hot Fudge Sauce Recipe
Prep Time5 minutes
Cook Time20 minutes
Total Time25 minutes
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups sugar
- 7 Tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder (more or less)
- Dash of salt
- 1 12 oz can evaporated milk
- 1/4 cup butter
- 2 tsp vanilla
Instructions
- Combine sugar, cocoa, and salt in a large saucepan. Slowly stir in the evaporated milk. Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring constantly. Cook and stir for 6-8 minutes, or until thickened.
- Remove from heat and stir in butter and vanilla. Stir till butter melts. Cool slightly before pouring into glass jars.
- Serve warm, and store leftovers in the refrigerator. It heats up nicely in the microwave.
Notes
-I like my chocolate sauce rich, so I use the full amount of cocoa powder. You get a more milk chocolate flavored sauce if you use less cocoa.
-When I am making this just for my family, I cut the recipe in half and only boil it for 3-4 minutes. (Half a can of evaporated milk is about 3/4 cup.)
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
16Serving Size:
1
Amount Per Serving:Calories: 140Total Fat: 5gSaturated Fat: 3gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 1gCholesterol: 14mgSodium: 58mgCarbohydrates: 23gFiber: 0gSugar: 21gProtein: 2g
Serving size is 2 tablespoons.
Did you make this recipe?
Leave a comment below and pin the recipe to Pinterest!
Recipe originally posted on 12/13/2012. Post updated November 2018.
FAQs
Grainy Fudge
If the melting sugar splashes onto the sides of the pan, it turns back into crystals and causes the fudge to seize up. To avoid this issue, swirl the pan instead of stirring it with a spoon. You can use a wet pastry brush to wipe down any sugar that sticks to the sides of the pot.
What's the difference between hot fudge and fudge? ›
Hot fudge is made by boiling together cream, sugar, chocolate, and sometimes butter—the traditional ingredients for fudge—into what is essentially just an undercooked, unset version of the confection.
How long does homemade hot fudge last? ›
Store leftovers in an airtight container for up to 3 weeks. Enjoy on top of ice cream, in a chocolate or Oreo milkshake, in a dessert crepe, fondue, or with a spoon!
How do you thicken hot fudge sauce? ›
For a thicker chocolate sauce, truer to the consistency of hot fudge, use heavy cream, whole milk, or half and half in place of water.
What is the secret to good fudge? ›
Tips for Making Fudge
- Monitor the Temperature with a Candy Thermometer. If you end up with soft fudge that turns into a puddle in your hands or hard fudge that is a bit reminiscent of a crunchy candy, improper temperature is likely to blame. ...
- Avoid Stirring Once the Mixture Comes to a Simmer. ...
- Beat Thoroughly.
Once a seed crystal forms, it grows bigger and bigger as the fudge cools. A lot of big crystals in fudge makes it grainy. By letting the fudge cool without stirring, you avoid creating seed crystals.
What is McDonald's hot fudge made of? ›
Hot Fudge Topping
Ingredients: Sugar, Water, Nonfat Milk, Hydrogenated Palm Kernel Oil, Cocoa (processed With Alkali), Corn Syrup, Salt, Disodium Phosphate, Soy Lecithin, Natural Flavor, Potassium Sorbate (preservative), Polyglycerol Esters Of Fatty Acids. Contains: Milk, Soy.
Why is hot fudge so good? ›
In fact, hot fudge sauce is just a fudge that never sets! Cream or milk, sugar, and butter are slowly boiled down until slightly thickened and light caramel-colored. This boiling-down process not only gives the sauce it's great gooey texture, but also contributes that special “fudgey” taste to the chocolate.
Why does hot fudge taste different? ›
In the simplest terms, it all comes down to viscosity — hot fudge is thicker than both chocolate sauce and chocolate syrup, with a richer, more decadent chocolate flavor.
Why does hot fudge get hard when it cools? ›
Corn syrup is really the secret ingredient to making the best hot fudge, because without it, the chocolate and butter would harden up as the sauce cools. If you prefer not to use corn syrup, try golden syrup, which is made from cane sugar and works just as well.
Just pop it in the microwave and heat in 45 second intervals until smooth! Storage: This is just fine kept at room temp for a day, but if you are going to keep it overnight or for an extended period of time, pop it in the fridge and just reheat in the microwave.
Can you reheat hot fudge sauce? ›
The great thing about the hot fudge sauce is that it stores really well in the fridge. You can chill it and reheat it as many times as you want and it will still not split on you and remain the shiny glossy fudge sauce.
How do you make hot sauce more viscous? ›
As the acid cooks down, the moisture will evaporate out, and as a result, the consistency will change. The longer you simmer your hot sauce, the thicker and more concentrated it'll become. Just stir as you go, and monitor the sauce until the consistency and heat level is to your liking.
How much cornstarch to thicken fudge? ›
If you do not want your fudge to be overly sweet, you can combine 1 tbsp corn starch with 1 tbsp water and slowly mix into your fudge mixture. This should allow your fudge to thicken, because cornstarch is a thickeneing agent in desserts.
Why is my fudge soupy? ›
The main reason is that your Fudge has not reached the optimum temperature. If your mixture only reaches 110 or 112 degrees Celsius it will always be soft. That's why we recommend investing in a sugar thermometer.
How do you fix grainy hot fudge? ›
Stir in a bit of water or cream — the amount you need will vary based on how big a batch you're making, but a half cup of liquid should be a good starting point. Stir gently as the mixture reheats, making sure that you don't burn the fudge.
How do you fix soft grainy fudge? ›
OMG My fudge is grainy, what do I do? -
Pop the grainy fudge back into the pan along with some water and a little cream and melt the fudge back down to a liquid and re-boil it to temperature. Heat slowly to begin with and make sure the mixture goes completely smooth before bringing it to the boil.
How do you get rid of grainy texture in sauce? ›
All you have to do is cool the broken sauce, add a tablespoon of lemon juice (or white wine, if you don't mind the flavor), and whisk vigorously.
How do you fix grainy hot chocolate? ›
I've tried a couple of different techniques:
- Whisk in the cocoa powder with the milk before heating.
- Lower the heat and add the cocoa powder bit by bit.
- Create a cocoa powder slurry with a 1:1 ratio of water to cocoa powder by volume, smoothing out any graininess with my (clean) finger and drizzling that in slowly.
Homemade Hot Fudge Sauce
To/From Christmas Gift Tags 
