Hot Fudge Sauce
This 3 Ingredient Hot Fudge Sauce comes together in about 10 minutes on the stovetop with chocolate chips, sweetened condensed milk, and butter. It’s rich, smooth, and works as an ice cream topping, cheesecake drizzle, or fruit dip. One batch makes 8 servings and keeps in the refrigerator for up to 3 weeks.
Dessert is non-negotiable in my house. Doesn’t matter how good dinner was – I need something sweet before the night is over.
And nine times out of ten, that something involves chocolate.
This 3 ingredient hot fudge sauce is what I keep on hand all year long. Three ingredients, one pot, ten minutes, and you’ve got a sauce that’s richer and better than anything from the store.
I pour it over ice cream when I want something quick, spoon it over Chocolate Chip Cheesecake Bars when I’m feeling fancy, and honestly I’ve been known to eat it straight from the jar with a spoon. No regrets.
If chocolate sauce is your love language, I also have a homemade Strawberry Sauce and a Salted Caramel Sauce for when you want to switch things up. Can’t decide? I’ve got a Homemade Dessert Sauces Roundup that covers all three.
Put that Hot Fudge Sauce to Work:
- Ice Cream Sundae Board – build a full topping spread and let everyone go wild
- Pizookie – pour it straight over the top while the cookie is still hot
- Dessert Nachos – chocolate drizzle over pretzels, peanut butter, and marshmallow
- Walking Dessert Tacos – topping bar where this sauce absolutely earns its place
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As you have heard before “Keep it simple!” That’s true in this sense!
See recipe card for complete information on ingredients and their quantities.
Ingredient Notes
Chocolate chips – Dark, milk, or semisweet all work. Dark chocolate gives you the richest, most intense flavor and is what I use every time. Baking chocolate and melting wafers are also fine here.
Sweetened condensed milk – Don’t grab evaporated milk by mistake – they’re not interchangeable. Stick with the full fat version. Fat free and Splenda versions both made the sauce thinner and grainier and aren’t worth it when you’re already making something this good.
Butter – Use good unsalted butter. Store brand butters have gotten inconsistent and the extra water content can make your sauce turn out thin. Splurge on the grass fed, full fat stuff here. You won’t regret it!
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How To Make Hot Fudge Sauce From Scratch
- Melt the butter in a heavy bottomed saucepan over medium heat. Slowly stir in the sweetened condensed milk and bring to a gentle simmer. Add the chocolate chips and stir continuously until fully melted and smooth.
- Remove from the heat and stir for another minute or two as it cools slightly. Pour into a glass jar or container with a lid. Serve immediately or refrigerate until ready to use.
For the full recipe and detailed instructions, please refer to the recipe card at the bottom of the post.
Storage & Reheating
Refrigerator: Keep tightly sealed for up to 3 weeks. It thickens as it chills – that’s normal, so don’t panic when it happens.
Freezer: I don’t recommend you doing this. Chocolate can crystallize and separate when frozen and may not come back together smoothly when you reheat it.
Reheating: Microwave in a jar or microwave safe bowl at half power in 20 to 30 second intervals, stirring between each one, until it’s pourable again.
Variations
Salted chocolate – Stir in a pinch of flaky sea salt at the end. Sweet and salty is never a bad idea with chocolate.
Vanilla – Add a teaspoon of vanilla bean paste rather than extract. Paste doesn’t have the water content that can thin the sauce out.
Peanut butter – Toss in a handful of peanut butter chips while the sauce is still warm and stir until melted.
Thinner sauce – Stir in a splash of heavy cream to loosen it up if you want it more pourable straight from the fridge.
Cocoa powder version – Some readers swap the chocolate chips for dark cocoa powder and cook it a little longer. It works and gives you a slightly different, more intense flavor. Just be sure to stir it until it dissolves completely.
What’s the Difference Between Hot Fudge Sauce and Chocolate Sauce?
Chocolate sauce is thinner, pourable at room temperature, and usually made with cocoa powder, sugar, and water or cream. It stays liquid even when cold.
Hot fudge sauce is thicker and richer because it’s made with real chocolate and butter. It thickens when it hits cold ice cream – that’s the whole point – and firms up even more in the refrigerator.
The texture is closer to a soft fudge than a syrup, which is why it clings to ice cream instead of running straight off.
This recipe is firmly in hot fudge territory. It gets thick, it gets glossy, and it does that satisfying thing where it sets up slightly when it meets a cold scoop of ice cream.
More Desserts That Want this Sauce on Top:
- Chocolate Chip Cheesecake Bars – drizzle it warm right before serving
- Oreo Poke Cake – chocolate sauce goes into every hole and over the top
- Caramel Apple Bar – melted chocolate as a dipping and drizzle station
- Walking Dessert Tacos – build your own dessert with all the toppings
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, it works fine. You’ll just get a slightly saltier sauce which honestly isn’t a bad thing.
Two likely causes – low quality chocolate chips that don’t melt cleanly, or a small amount of water getting into the mixture and causing the chocolate to seize up. Use good chips or melting chocolate and make sure your pot and utensils are completely dry.
It can firm up slightly depending on how cold the ice cream is, but it won’t get hard like a caramel candy. That slight thickening is actually what makes hot fudge sauce different from regular chocolate syrup.
Yes, it works. The sauce will be thinner and less sweet but still delicious.
Absolutely. The ratios scale easily and it keeps for up to 3 weeks in the fridge so there’s no reason not to.
I don’t recommend it. Chocolate can crystallize in the freezer and the texture may not fully recover when you reheat it.
Yes. Melt the butter, whisk in the cocoa powder until smooth, then add the sweetened condensed milk and cook until thickened. The flavor will be slightly different but still great.
Recipe Tips & Tricks
- Use a heavy bottomed pan. Thin pans cause hot spots and can scorch the chocolate.
- Don’t rush the melting. Low and slow keeps the sauce smooth and glossy.
- Stir constantly once the chocolate goes in. This isn’t a sauce you can walk away from.
- Vanilla bean paste is better than extract here. No added water means it won’t thin out your sauce.
- Make it a gift. Pour into small jars, tie with ribbon, and done. People love this.
Once you make this 3 ingredient hot fudge sauce recipe at home, the jarred stuff from the store is going to collect dust. It’s faster than a grocery run, cheaper than the name brand, and honestly just tastes better. Hope it earns a permanent spot in your fridge.
If you love this recipe as much as I do, please leave us a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ five-star review in the comment section below. Thanks!
Hot Fudge Sauce
Equipment
Ingredients
- ½ cup chocolate chips milk, semi sweet, or dark
- 14 ounces sweetened condensed milk not evaporated milk
- ¼ cup unsalted butter
Instructions
- In a heavy bottomed saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat.
- Slowly stir in the sweetened condensed milk and chocolate chips until the chocolate is all melted and has a smooth consistency.
- Remove from the heat. Stir and let cool.
- Pour into a glass jar or other container with a lid.
- Serve immediately with your favorite treat.
- Store in the fridge for up to 3 weeks.
Notes
- Use a heavy bottomed pan. Thin pans cause hot spots and can scorch the chocolate.
- Don’t rush the melting. Low and slow keeps the sauce smooth and glossy.
- Stir constantly once the chocolate goes in. This isn’t a sauce you can walk away from.
- Vanilla bean paste is better than extract here. No added water means it won’t thin out your sauce.
- Make it a gift. Pour into small jars, tie with ribbon, and done. People love this.
Nutrition
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Can you use Salted butter?
Yes you can!
Does this get chewy once it gets cold from the ice cream?
It can depending on how cold the ice cream is. But not to where it’s like a hard caramel or anything.
This was very good and easy. I added a pinch of salt and 2 tsp vanilla. Def needed the vanilla. Thanks for sharing the recipe!
I love the addition of salt! It really balances it out:)
I’ve made this twice. First batch I used margarine because I didn’t have butter. It was perfect. Second time,I had the unsalted butter and it was very thick when it cooled making it difficult to get out of the jar and, after heated, was still too thick to pour. Regardless, it was delicious & I will try again.
Very easy and quick! And very good. Why buy up in the store when you can make it❤️
Can this be frozen?
I have not tried to freeze it only because we use it up so fast I haven’t had the chance to. But, when freezing it, chocolate tends to crystalize and separate. It’s possible they will return when warming it again but I am not 100% sure.
This sauce is going to get me in trouble. Absolutely delicious! Just had it over rocky road ice cream. To die for.
I am so glad you like it!!
My husband just made this sauce and it is delicious. Super fast and we had all of the ingredients on hand.
I am so glad that you like it!
Currently living in small town in Central Mexico, fudge sauce is difficult to find and expensive when you do. This recipe is simple and absolutely delicious! Thank you!!
I’m so glad you like it! I lived in a small rural town for a while so I know what it’s like to not be able to find stuff:)
Very very good!! Wanted to just eat it right out of the pan. Thank you for sharing.
So glad you like it!! It’s on of my favorites with ice cream and fresh fruit.
Just made it for a Memorial Day treat and it’s TERRIFIC! Didn’t change anything! My hubby is quite pleased!
So glad you like it!
I made this today and my husband and I both thought mine is much better. The only difference is I use Hershey’s dark chocolate cocoa instead of chocolate chips, and cook it a little longer and then add vanilla. The chocolate chips just didn’t make it nearly as good. I melt the butter, add a few large spoons of the cocoa and stir while cooking until smooth. Then I add the sweetened condensed milk and cook till it starts to thicken. Take off stove and add about a teaspoon of vanilla. It is not only great on ice cream, but great drizzled on cake instead of icing. Of course, after it’s refrigerated, it is heaven by the spoonful.
To each their own.
Wonderful tasting recipe. I did deviate just a little. I added 1/2 of half & half to make it thinner so it would go further. Also added a splash of vanilla. Better than ANY store bought hot fudge topping. Thanks bunches
great tips! So glad you liked it!!
Delish and super easy!
3 ingredients…so easy and quick! Love it! Will be making it again! Used salted butter without issue
I actually have a question.
Are you able to can this sauce? Will it be shelf stable?
I have not actually tried to can it.
@Georgia, usually something like this is too dense to can but you can go to USDA canning book online(free) to see if there is a recipe there
I only had milk chocolate chips, still yummy on cheesecake. Will try the dark chips next time.
Can you use heavy cream instead of evap milk?
I have made it with heavy cream before and turned out.
Hi! I adore this recipe and have made it many times without issues. I always double this recipe and add about 3/4 tsp of salt, nearly 1 Tbl of vanilla, and 2 Tbl of rum extract (just a preference of mine). Even a double batch usually doesn’t last for a week! Thank you for the great recipe!
So glad you like it!! It’s one of our favorites too!
I made this and it is wonderful I used a Double boiler everything went fine thx for the recipe
so glad you liked it!
I made this recipe and after it cooked it was grainy. Do you know why that happened? There’s no sugar granules used so I don’t understand why it’s grainy. It tasted good but just grainy..?
I can think of two possibilities… 1. The quality of the chips could have led to that. I have had this happen with a batch or two of chocolate chips that weren’t great and it ruined the batch. 2. There might have been a little water that gotten into mixture somehow and caused some of the chocolate to seize up.
Oh my goodness! So good!!!
How much salt and vanilla would you add?
@MKA, I don’t measure but it was probably a couple of teaspoons of vanilla and 1/2 to 3/4 teaspoons of salt.
I have made this several times. I always add vanilla and salt. It is the best- the only recipe I will use and I have tried quite a few! Highly recommend! It never lasts in our house more than a week.
This makes my heart so happy!! I am definitely going to add vanilla and salt when I make it this weekend!
I made the hot fudge sauce a few days ago for a friend of mine and I had to sample before taking it to her. Delicious !!! And so easy to make. Definitely I’ll make it again. Perfect for ice cream, brownies and other desserts. Thank u for a great recipe
Thank you so much!
How do you heat up the refrigerated leftovers?
I microwave at half power in 15 second intervals until smooth again.
Fantastic recipe! It got me out of a jam. Only takes a few minutes and tastes great. Thanks so much
So glad it worked out!
I can’t wait to try this. I’ve used just the Condensed milk and 1-1/2 C of chocolate chips and it is missing something. The butter and a little vanilla should work perfect. Thank you for posting.
Oh, my! What wonderful Hot Fudge sauce. I’m making it for Christmas gifts and the recipients are going to love it! So easy and yet so delicious!! I would give you 10 stars if I could!
This is a super easy and delicious fudge sauce. I’ve made it before with just condensed milk and chocolate. The butter makes it smooth and creamier. I also added vanilla. Perfect over ice cream and by the spoonful. Definitely something to keep on hand.
Awesome sauce!!!
Well chocolate chips never melted It was even brought to a boil for a good five to seven minutes then I took electric mixer and mixed it for another 5 minutes I still didn’t melt they were just Hershey chocolate chips
@denise828@yahoo.com,
If the milk & butter mixture was too hot when you added the choc chips, the chocolate will cook & never melt. I’ve learned this myself the hard way. I hope this helps.
Great tip! Thanks!
This was fabulous!!! Definitely 5 stars. Will be using this recipe for now on. Thank you
I did make the hot fudge recipe and it was delish. It was also very easy to make. I used semi-sweet chips and liked it a lot. But I think next time I’ll try dark chocolate chips. It lends itself to experimenting which I also love. Maybe some salt. Definitely five stars!
Thanks.
Thank you so much! I am glad you liked it. Dark chocolate is my fave!