Homemade Hot Fudge Sauce
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This six-ingredient homemade hot fudge sauce recipe takes just fifteen minutes to make, and tastes great drizzled over vanilla bean ice cream, brownie ice cream sandwiches or a warm slice of chocolate cake. Or you can do what I do with hot fudge sauce and eat it by the spoonful, straight from the jar!
Why Make Homemade Hot Fudge Sauce?
For my first high school job, I worked in an ice cream shop in my Central Pennsylvania hometown. During that summer between sophomore and junior year, I spent day after day preparing an endless line of hot fudge sundaes and banana splits. (And, thanks to that summer at The Ice Cream Shoppe, I can still swirl a perfect soft-serve cone!) Even now, an ice cream sundae drizzled with hot fudge sauce remains one of my go-to summertime treats. The combination of cold vanilla ice cream and warm chocolate sauce, just slightly melted together? Unbeatable. And I think sundaes taste even better when paired with homemade hot fudge sauce rather than the store-bought kind.
Like my sand tarts and cream cheese peppermints, this homemade hot fudge sauce recipe is based on an old family favorite. It requires just six ingredients and takes less than fifteen minutes to prepare. Plus, the sauce will stay fresh in the fridge for a couple of weeks, so it’s easy to keep a batch on hand for whenever a sundae craving hits.
Hot Fudge Sauce Ingredients
- Evaporated Milk – You’ll need 340 milliliters (one 12-ounce can) of evaporated milk. Do not use sweetened condensed milk, or your sauce will be too thick and sweet.
- Butter – Unsalted butter works best, since you’re salting the sauce separately. Allow the butter to soften to room temperature so it blends easily into the sauce; cold butter can cause the hot fudge sauce to separate or split.
- Dark Chocolate – Quality chocolate makes all the difference here. Choose a good-tasting chocolate from a brand like Guittard, Callebaut, or Valrhona, rather than chocolate chips, which contain stabilizers and emulsifiers that can inhibit melting. I tested my hot fudge sauce with Lindt 70% dark chocolate.
- Confectioner’s Sugar – Confectioner’s sugar (powdered sugar, icing sugar) sweetens the sauce. Take time to pass the sugar through a fine mesh strainer before combining it with the other ingredients—if you skip the sifting step, you might notice hard, white bits of sugar in the finished fudge sauce, which aren’t very appealing.
- Salt – A small amount of fine sea salt balances the sweetness of the chocolate and sugar.
- Vanilla Bean Paste – I prefer a good-quality vanilla bean paste from a brand like Nielsen-Massey. Save the rest of the bottle to make your own vanilla bean ice cream. It pairs perfectly with this homemade fudge sauce!
Hot Fudge Sauce Recipe Tips and Tricks
- Stay near the stove. Pay close attention to the hot fudge while it cooks, and stir (or whisk) frequently, to prevent the fudge sauce from burning or sticking to the pan.
- Choose the right chocolate. Good-quality chocolate makes all the difference in this hot fudge sauce recipe. Select a chocolate from a brand like Callebaut, Valrhona, Lindt, or Guittard, rather than chocolate chips, which contain stabilzers and emulsifiers that make them better-suited to baking cookies than to making sauces. You can experiment with different percentages, but if you choose to use milk chocolate, reduce the sugar to avoid an overly sweet sauce.
- Serve creatively. Top bowls of ice cream, hot fudge sundaes, milkshakes, or banana splits. Drizzle over chocolate cupcakes, a warm chocolate mug cake, or slice of flourless chocolate cake. Pair with Oreo brownie ice cream sandwiches or ice cream cupcakes. Dunk strawberries, pretzels, cookies, or homemade marshmallows. Or for a super-sweet breakfast, drizzle homemade hot fudge sauce over waffles, pancakes, or French toast!
Homemade Hot Fudge Sauce
- Total Time15 minutes
- Yield735 grams (about 26 ounces) 1x
A six-ingredient homemade hot fudge sauce recipe for topping brownies, ice cream sundaes, and banana splits.
Ingredients
350 milliliters evaporated milk (12-ounce can)
113 grams unsalted butter, softened (1/2 cup; 1 stick)
100 grams good-quality chopped dark chocolate (3/4 cup; 3 1/2 ounces)*
225 grams confectioner’s sugar (1 2/3 cups; 8 ounces)
1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
1/2 teaspoon vanilla bean paste
Instructions
In a small saucepan, gently warm the evaporated milk over medium heat until warm to the touch. Do not boil.
Stir in the butter and chopped dark chocolate, allowing both to melt completely.
Whisk in the confectioner’s sugar in 2-3 additions, followed by the fine sea salt and vanilla bean paste. Continue whisking until sugar dissolves.
Raise heat to medium-high. Bring hot fudge sauce to a low boil. Boil, stirring constantly, for 6-7 minutes, or until thickened.
Remove from heat. Allow to cool for 5-10 minutes. Use as desired.
Store leftover homemade hot fudge sauce in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks. Reheat in the microwave or on the stovetop over low heat.
Notes
*Choose a good-quality chocolate like Callebaut, Valrhona, Lindt, or Guittard, rather than chocolate chips.
Make-Ahead and Storage Suggestions
Store homemade hot fudge sauce in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to two weeks. To reheat, warm desired portion in the microwave or on the stovetop over low heat.
More Chocolate Recipes You Might Enjoy
Salted Chocolate Caramel Brownies
Dark Chocolate Raspberry Truffles
Chocolate Irish Cream Pudding
Chocolate Passionfruit Cookies
And if you do make do these, or any of my recipes, don’t forget to tag me @bastecutfold or use the hashtag #bastecutfold on Instagram. I always love to see what you’re making!
