Hot Fudge Sauce
Inside: How to make hot fudge sauce from scratch in 10 minutes using everyday pantry staples. Plus, tips to make it smooth with no lumps.
Hot fudge is sweet, thick and gooey–and I may be biased, but I think my grandmother’s old-fashioned hot fudge sauce is the best. It has a lava-like flow that dams at the base of a dish of ice cream, and with every melt-in-your-mouth bite, the rich flavor coats your tongue. This recipe makes an exceptionally rich chocolate sauce for a plain dish of vanilla and is the best ice cream sundae topping you’ve ever had.
I have a thing for ice cream and fun toppings. There’s nothing better than a few scoops with a rich chocolate sauce, nuts or sprinkles, whipped cream and a cherry on top.
A plain dish of ice cream somehow seems naked to me if it doesn’t have a special sauce to spoon over it. That’s why I have so many ice cream topping recipes on this site. My Butterscotch Sauce, Bourbon Caramel Sauce with Pecans is a fan favorite, as is this decadent Peanut Butter Sauce made with creamy or chunky peanut butter of your choice.
But this recipe is the OG. I’ve enjoyed it since I was a kid because my grandmother always kept a crock of her homemade hot fudge sauce in the fridge to be warmed on the stove (pre-microwave oven days).
A bowl of Breyers vanilla and a ladle of this ice cream topping was the standard dessert at my grandparents’ house.
My belated grandmother, Myne, is licking the spoon after making her fudge sauce.
What makes this hot fudge special is its thickness. When chilled, it’s practically like a pudding, but when warmed up, this rich topping is rich, gooey and sublime.
Why you’ll love this recipe:
- This hot fudge topping is quick and easy to make.
- I make this chocolate sauce with cocoa powder instead of bars of chocolate (convenient because I always have cocoa and seldom have chocolate bars on hand).
- It can be made at the last minute or ahead of time.
- It makes enough to feed a crowd and lasts for a week.
- There are no preservatives or artificial anything.
- The taste and texture are unparalleled. It is sublimely chocolatey with an almost chewy consistency.
Ingredients:
- Granulated Sugar–to sweeten the hot fudge.
- All Purpose Flour–for thickening.
- Iodized Salt–adding salt doesn’t make the topping salty, but it does help develop the flavors. Please don’t skip it.
- Cocoa Powder–I used Hershey’s regular cocoa, but you can use Special Dark.
- Evaporated Milk–not to be confused with sweetened condensed milk. Evaporated milk is simply milk that has simmered to concentrate the milk through evaporation. I used the large can of Carnation evaporated milk.
- Water–right from the tap.
- Unsalted Butter–to give the hot fudge topping a glossy finish.
- Vanilla–to enhance the flavors.
- Instant Espresso Powder–this is optional, but it deepens the chocolate fudge flavor.
How to make hot fudge, step-by-step instructions:
- Combine the sugar, cocoa powder, flour, salt and espresso powder (if using) in a large saucepan.
2. Whisk together the dry ingredients until well combined. Try to break down any lumps.
3. Add a can of evaporated milk and water to the dry ingredients.
4. Add the butter to the pot.
5. Heat the ingredients over medium-high heat, whisking constantly and being sure to remove any dry bits from the corner of the pan. Once the mixture starts to boil, cook and stir for one minute, then remove from the heat.
7. Stir in the vanilla.
Pro-Tips:
- When stirring, be sure to scrape the bottom and sides of the pan, too.
- Don’t leave the pan unattended on the stove. It can turn from watery to thick in the blink of an eye, and you don’t want to scorch the hot fudge.
- Understand that the nature of hot fudge on a frozen dessert means that as soon as the sauce touches the cold scoop, it immediately begins to melt, thus sliding down and forming a thick fudgy mote at the base. It won’t sit atop the ice cream for long.
Variations:
- Instead of vanilla, add two to three tablespoons of Cointreau or Grand Marnier for a chocolate orange sauce.
- For a chocolate raspberry sauce, substitute two to three tablespoons of Chambord for the vanilla.
- If you make homemade ice cream, this sauce is great for creating fudge swirls while packing it. It is soft and scoopable, retaining its melty quality better than chocolate chips.
FAQs
Hot fudge is a thick sauce to spoon over ice cream and cake. Ganache is made from tempered chocolate and cream and used as a decadent cake icing or a rich filling between layers.
Chocolate sauce is thinner and can be served straight from the refrigerator. Hot fudge is a richer, thicker sauce that must be heated to loosen before serving.
Storage:
- Store leftovers in a resealable crock, glass jar with a lid or other microwaveable airtight container for up to a week.
Reheating:
- Reheat in the microwave at full power in 30-second bursts, stirring after each until the sauce is hot.
- You can also reheat in a saucepan over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally until it’s warmed through.
Uses for the hot fudge recipe:
- It’s the best ice cream topping and makes outstanding hot fudge sundaes.
- Spoon it over cheesecake.
- Add scoops of vanilla ice cream to brownies and pour the chocolate sauce over for a brownie sundae.
- Top slices of pound cake with vanilla ice cream, strawberry sauce and hot fudge for a Neapolitan dessert.
This hot fudge recipe tastes infinitely better than any store-bought variety. Its mouthfeel is dense, almost chewy and redolent with chocolate flavor.
While chocolate sauce sits obediently atop an ice cream perch, this hot fudge sauce recipe slicks down a scoop of vanilla to settle in a warm molten dam at the base of the bowl. I had never thought about this phenomenon until I tried to capture a photo with the fudge sauce topping a bowl of vanilla.
No matter how many times I tried, the chocolatey lava immediately ran down the slopes of the ice cream, creating a thick, fudgy mote surrounding the scoops.
More toppings for ice cream you’ll love:
Hot Fudge Sauce
INGREDIENTS:
- 2 cups sugar
- 5 tablespoons flour
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ⅔ cup cocoa powder
- 1 tablespoon instant espresso powder optional
- 12 ounces evaporated milk
- ½ cup water
- 2 tablespoons butter
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
DIRECTIONS:
- In a medium saucepan, blend 2 cups sugar, 5 tablespoons flour, 1 teaspoon salt, ⅔ cup cocoa powder and 1 tablespoon instant espresso powder (if using).
- Add 12 ounces evaporated milk, ½ cup water and 2 tablespoons butter.
- Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly until sauce bubbles and thickens, about 5-8 minutes.
- Remove from heat and stir in ½ teaspoon vanilla extract.
- Serve over ice cream.
RECIPE VIDEO:
NOTES:
NUTRITION:
Don’t Forget To “Pin It” For Later!
Excellent hot fudge sauce.
I had made homemade vanilla ice cream
earlier in the day and served it for
dessert. YUM!
By far the best fudge sauce! This is a family staple!!
Super good and fudgy.
delicious! I didn’t cook for the full 20 minutes, it seemed just right after 5 minutes.
The pictures of the fudge sauce slowly sliding down the spoon on top of the ice creams is THE picture. I want to grab that spoon and forget the ice cream all together. This looks so fantastic!
I’m so glad you like it, Katrina! Thank you!
Isn’t it funny how those childhood memories stay so vivid in your mind. I just did a post with similar ties. And for this sauce….I am counting the ways to use it….or just eat it off the spoon.
I’ve eaten it off the spoon before…
Oh Lord, that is a very ooey gooey sauce Lisa! I love it! Family recipes like this can be amazing that way! <3
Such a brilliant idea can’t wait to make as per your recipe, thanks
Yikes that looks good, my mom just loved hot fudge sauce and I recreated her recipe years ago,only problem is it’s too dangerous to have around the house, I’d eat it all long before it ever got near a bowl of ice cream 🙂
That can be a problem. Best to make it for an occasion with other people around!
Oh my God. Have seen espresso fudge sauce. Must now have espresso fudge sauce. Because I am a sucker for hot fudge, and the espresso in it sounds SUBLIME. Also – what a lovely memory!
LOL! It’s so decadent!
I remember it well…
ooo you’re right, so much better than the plain chocolate sauce!
Lisa, this sauce is calling my name! I feel like I should be able to reach right into my computer screen and pick up that spoon or a strawberry dipped in that yummy fudge sauce. Thanks for sharing.