Hot Fudge Recipe & 3 Variations

My mom used to whip up this quick sauce when unexpected guests happened to stop by or when she felt we all needed a quick pick-me-up dessert. With just a few pantry items, you’re on track to a rather wonderful (and just a bit indulgent) dessert that few people would turn down. It’s perfect on vanilla ice cream!

I bet you’ll be inspired to create your own variations and I’d love to hear about them! If you like the idea of homemade frozen goodies, be sure to check out my list of 14 delicious frozen desserts!

Fantastic Homemade Hot Fudge

Only 6 ingredients. You probably have everything you need to make this yummy hot fudge. The ingredients are simple and wholesome. Look in your pantry and fridge for what you need, just easy stuff like milk, butter, sugar, cocoa, etc.

No artificial ingredients. Take a look at the list of ingredients on a jar of a very well-known brand of hot fudge: Nonfat Milk, Corn Syrup, High Fructose Corn Syrup, Sugar, Soybean Oil, Cocoa Processed With Alkali, Cocoa, Contains 2% Or Less Of: Fully Hydrogenated Cottonseed Oil, Modified Corn Starch, Mono And Diglycerides, Salt, Sodium Phosphate, Sodium Citrate, Vanillin (Artificial Flavor). I don’t want to yuck anyone’s yum….but…yuck! We can do way better than that!

Three popular variations. After you’ve tried the “no-frills” hot fudge, you’ll want to try the variations (all included in the recipe!):

• Peanut butter hot fudge
• Black Forest hot fudge (with cherries)
• Mocha hot fudge

Ingredient Notes

• Sugar: Just plain white granulated sugar is all you need. This recipe is made without corn syrup, an ingredient that is added to many commercial hot fudge sauces (or even worse, high fructose corn syrup) and even some homemade recipes.
• Cocoa Powder: Use a good quality cocoa powder. It’s usually found in the baking aisle. Most cocoa powder is unsweetened, made simply from roasted cocoa bean particles that are ground into a fine powder. It’s rich in antioxidants, particularly polyphenols (Healthline).
• Flour: A couple tablespoons of all-purpose flour serves to thicken the sauce.
• Milk: You’ll love that this hot fudge is made with milk. Most of us always have milk in our refrigerators. Whole milk naturally makes the richest hot fudge but feel free to substitute 2% or even lowfat milk. I’ve tried them all and really, there’s not that much difference. Thankfully, this recipe is made without heavy cream which isn’t usually a staple in my house.
• Butter: Butter is the reason why you can use lowfat milk. It adds richness to the sauce and great flavor. I usually use unsalted butter but if salted butter is all you have, that works too. Don’t substitute butter flavored spreads that come in tubs. Definitely don’t use margarine.
• Pure Vanilla Extract: What would we do without our dear friend, vanilla? It’s an essential item in the kitchen.
• Add-Ins for Variations: Add peanut butter, sweet cherries, or espresso powder to enhance your hot fudge with exciting flavor sensations, but not all at the same time!

How To Make Hot Fudge Sauce

Ready to begin? Stir together the sugar, cocoa, and flour in a small saucepan.

Add the milk and butter, and over medium heat, cook and stir until the mixture comes to a boil.

Boil for a few minutes, remove from the heat and stir in the vanilla.

That’s it! Can you believe how crazy easy (and economical) it is to make your own hot fudge?! 

Let the hot fudge cool just a bit before you spoon it on ice cream. It thickens up a little as it cools. 

How To Serve Hot Fudge

Ice cream sundaes: Ready to make your ice cream sundae? I sure am! Get ready with the toppings! I like M&Ms, nuts (try these spiced pecans), crushed Oreos, crunchy oat topping, whipped cream, cherries, sliced bananas, strawberries …. Or just plain hot fudge! It’s really so good.

Turtle sundaes: Vanilla ice cream topped with hot fudge and warm caramel sauce, along with a handful of toasted pecans. A turtle sundae is never slow to disappear!

Hot fudge brownies: Warm brownies topped with a scoop of ice cream and hot fudge. It doesn’t get much better than that!

Hot fudge and fruit: Skip the ice cream and drizzle the sauce over sliced bananas, strawberries, cherries, or raspberries. Fruit and chocolate, yum! It’s almost like a quick and easy version of chocolate fondue.

Hot fudge for breakfast: Why not?! Hot fudge sauce can take the place of maple syrup on pancakes and waffles. Try it on chocolate protein pancakes or banana pancakes. Another option for pancakes that we love is homemade chocolate syrup which is similar to Hershey’s syrup. It can be refrigerated for up to 3 months.

Troubleshooting

A common mistake is overcooking or overheating the sauce which can turn it grainy. Cooling the sauce too quickly can also cause it to become grainy. It’s best to let it cool at room temperature until it’s completely cool before refrigerating it. Making hot fudge with cocoa powder rather than chocolate chips makes a smoother sauce, too.

Easy Hot Fudge Variations

1. Peanut Butter Hot Fudge: Reminiscent of a Reese’s peanut butter cup, with swirls of creamy peanut butter in warm hot fudge, this variation is one of my favorites. Not a fan of peanuts? Substitute almond butter, cashew butter, or even Nutella (hazelnut plus double the chocolate!), or sunflower butter if you have nut allergies.
2. Black Forest Hot Fudge: For all you cherry lovers, Black Forest hot fudge will be your new favorite. Plenty of fresh dark cherries are drenched in warm hot fudge. So good!
3. Mocha Hot Fudge: Chocolate and espresso, a match made in heaven! Mocha hot fudge sauce is richly flavored with espresso powder, a perfect topping for ice cream. Espresso powder is instant coffee (you’ll find it in the coffee aisle of the grocery store) and is quite concentrated.

Storage & Reheating Tips