The Best Hot Fudge Sauce

Name: The Best Hot Fudge Sauce
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 8 min
Total time: 30 min
Ingredients: 2/3 cup (155ml) heavy cream; 1/2 cup (120ml) light corn syrup; 1/3 cup (70g) packed dark or light brown sugar; 1/4 cup (25g) unsweetened cocoa powder; 1/8 tsp salt; 5 oz semi-sweet chocolate, (finely chopped, divided*); 2 Tbsp (28g) unsalted butter; 1 tsp vanilla extract

Published August 2, 2017. Updated May 14, 2019

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This is the best Hot Fudge Sauce recipe! It’s deliciously rich and creamy, and it has a deep decadent chocolate flavor. Definitely a recipe you’ll want to keep on file.

My Favorite Hot Fudge Recipe!

I’ve made this hot fudge sauce three times this summer, so that means it’s about time that I share the recipe. It’s my favorite hot fudge sauce recipe ever!

It’s so easy to make and it’s a thousand times better than the store-bought stuff, there’s just no comparison. This homemade hot fudge is deliciously rich, velvety smooth, and perfectly chocolatey.

In other words, before summer’s up I hope you’ll have made it at least once. It just makes ice cream that much better.

I mean, how could this not be good? It’s made with all the best things. Chocolate. Cocoa powder. Cream. Butter. Sugar. I’m sold.

Hot Fudge Sauce Ingredients

For this homemade hot fudge recipe, you’ll need:

Heavy cream
Light corn syrup
Brown sugar
Unsweetened cocoa powder
Salt
Semi-sweet chocolate
Unsalted butter
Vanilla

How to Make Hot Fudge Sauce

In a 1 1/2 quart saucepan, combine cream, corn syrup, brown sugar, cocoa powder, salt and 3 oz. of the chocolate.
Bring mixture to a light boil over medium heat, then reduce heat and let simmer, stirring frequently, about 5 minutes.
Remove from heat, add in remaining 2 oz. chocolate, butter and vanilla extract and stir until smooth.
Let cool to warm. Serve over ice cream.

When the chocolate sauce is just finished it will be fairly runny (and incredibly hot!) so let it cool until it has a thicker consistency. Then, bring on ice cream and load on the hot fudge sauce!

Can I Make it Richer?

If you are a serious chocolate lover and want some extra decadence, feel free to use bittersweet chocolate. I don’t like it too strong, so I stick with semi-sweet. It’s got just enough chocolatey power that it won’t overwhelm vanilla or strawberry ice cream.

How to Store Hot Fudge Sauce

If you are lucky enough to have some leftover hot fudge, just refrigerate it (sneak a few spoonfuls here and there) and reheat it within a week for another treat.

I recommend reheating only the amount of hot fudge sauce that you need in a separate bowl. This way, the rest of the homemade hot fudge doesn’t seize up or get clumpy from being reheated and chilled over and over again.

My Favorite Ways to Use Hot Fudge Sauce

Stir into hot milk or water to make hot cocoa.
Drizzle over cakes, pies and brownies.
Dip graham crackers in it.
Stir it into morning oatmeal for some decadence.
Drizzle over ice cream and top with whipped cream to make a sundae.

Tips for the Best Hot Fudge Sauce

You really can’t substitute any of the ingredients in this recipe, so make sure you have exactly what’s listed in the recipe.
The homemade hot fudge will thicken up as it cools.
Pure vanilla extract will give you the best flavor.

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