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Hot Fudge Sauce Recipe (3 Ingredients)

Hot fudge sauce is rich and decadent and the perfect topping for all your desserts. Spoon it over ice cream, cheesecake, or use it as a fruit dip!

hot fudge sauce dripping from a spoon into a clear jar

Homemade Hot Fudge Sauce

Dessert is where it’s at in my house. No matter what delicious dinner I make, I always need a bite or two of something sweet before I head to bed.

The struggle is real, ya’ll!

My favorite thing to eat is cheesecake but I tend to over indulge with this.

You can’t have part of a slice, you have to eat the whole slice!

So, when I have no will power, I turn to ice cream.

I can put one scoop in a dish, top it with a little chocolate sauce, and have the perfect portion.

Also, makes the ice cream pint last longer…

I always have hot fudge sauce or magic shell on hand because I love chocolate, but don’t want leave out all the delicious ice cream flavors out there by only buying chocolate ice cream.

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overhead picture of a wood board with chopped fruit and chocolate sauce

Are you currently buying your hot fudge sauce at the store? Well STOP THAT RIGHT NOW!

This hot fudge sauce recipe is so much better than store bought which is full of extra preservatives to make it shelf stable.

You don’t need that crap in your life.

What is the difference between hot fudge and chocolate sauce?

They are really the same thing with with two different textures. Chocolate sauce is thinner and stays liquidy when cold in the fridge.

Think chocolate syrup that you pour into milk to make chocolate milk.

Hot fudge sauce is much thicker and needs to be slightly warmed to pour over vanilla ice cream.

Who makes the best Hot Fudge?

You do now!

This one hot fudge sauce recipe with sweetened condensed milk simplifies the ingredients and the process, giving it that smooth and creamy texture like your favorite fudge.

What is Hot Fudge made of?

Most recipes will use heavy cream, sugar, and cocoa powder. Some even use evaporated milk and corn syrup.

I don’t know about you, but I don’t have time for all that nonsense.

labeled picture of sauce ingredients

As you have heard before “Keep it simple!” That’s true in this sense!

Ingredients Needed

I prefer to use dark chocolate chips to get the richest flavor I can get.

How to make Hot Fudge Sauce from scratch

First: In a heavy-bottomed pot, melt the butter. Add in the sweetened condensed milk, heat and stir to combine. Bring to a simmer.

Second: Slowly stir in your choice of chocolate chips. I prefer dark, but that’s just me:)

Third: Once the chocolate starts to melt, remove from the heat. Spend a couple minutes stirring and letting it cool slightly.

Fourth: Serve immediately over your fave dessert or store it in a jar or container with lid in the refrigerator.

For the full recipe and detailed instructions, please refer to the recipe card at the bottom of the post.

chopped fruit on a board with fudge sauce
photo credit: second street services

How long does it last?

It will keep in your refrigerator, tightly closed, for up to a month if you don’t eat it all before then.

How do I reheat it?

Place the jar, or a microwave safe bowl, in the microwave and heat at 20-30 second intervals until warmed through.

Be sure to stir in between heatings!

Tapas Tips & Tricks

  • stir in vanilla extract for another level of flavor.
  • toss in a few peanut butter chips for a great flavor combo.
  • add in some extra salt to make a salted chocolate sauce.
  • store in small jars and give as gifts!

If you love this recipe as much as I do, please write a five-star review in the comment section below (or on Pinterest with the “tried it” button – you can now add pictures into reviews, too!), and be sure to help me share on facebook!

Pinterest image of fudge sauce with text "easy hot fudge sauce - just 3 ingredients"

This easy recipe for homemade hot fudge sauce is just what you need to round out your dessert plans! Think ice cream sundae bar, dessert treat board like this one, or just eating by the spoonful!

square picture of chocolate sauce in a clear jar

Hot Fudge Sauce

Yield: 2 cups
Cook Time: 5 minutes
Additional Time: 5 minutes
Total Time: 10 minutes

Hot fudge sauce is RICH and DECADENT and the perfect topping for all your desserts. Spoon it over ice cream, cheesecake, or use it as a fruit dip!

Ingredients

  • ½ cup chocolate chips (milk, semi sweet, or dark)
  • 1 can (14 oz) sweetened condensed milk
  • ¼ cup unsalted butter

Instructions

  1. In a heavy bottomed saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat.
  2. Slowly stir in the sweetened condensed milk and chocolate chips until the chocolate is all melted and has a smooth consistency.
  3. Remove from the heat. Stir and let cool.
  4. Pour into a glass jar or other container with a lid.
  5. Serve immediately with your favorite treat.
  6. Store in the fridge for up to 3 weeks.

Notes

*If you love this recipe, please leave me a comment and rate it 5 stars. Thank you!

Nutrition Information:
Yield: 8 Serving Size: 1/4 cup
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 118Total Fat: 9gSaturated Fat: 6gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 3gCholesterol: 17mgSodium: 8mgCarbohydrates: 10gFiber: 1gSugar: 9gProtein: 1g

This nutrition information was generated via a third party, Nutritionix, and can not be held liable for any discrepancies in the information provided.

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Sharon

Saturday 20th of May 2023

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.

Jennifer Stewart

Monday 22nd of May 2023

To each their own.

Theresa

Wednesday 26th of April 2023

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

Jennifer Stewart

Wednesday 26th of April 2023

great tips! So glad you liked it!!

Dana

Tuesday 18th of April 2023

Delish and super easy!

Georgia

Wednesday 1st of March 2023

I actually have a question. Are you able to can this sauce? Will it be shelf stable?

Janet F

Friday 14th of April 2023

@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

Jennifer Stewart

Wednesday 1st of March 2023

I have not actually tried to can it.

Kerri

Thursday 12th of January 2023

I only had milk chocolate chips, still yummy on cheesecake. Will try the dark chips next time.

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