Easy Homemade Hot Fudge Sauce
This easy hot fudge sauce only contains 4 ingredients and will be ready in less than 30 minutes!
Hot fudge sauce is an absolute necessity for anyone who loves ice cream. What goes better with cold and creamy vanilla ice cream than a soft and smooth chocolate sauce? Not much of anything, right?!
I first made homemade hot fudge sauce nearly four years ago, and while it’s very good, I wouldn’t say it’s perfect. There is a longer list of ingredients and some of the reviews were that it was a little bit too bitter and became too chewy when it was poured over ice cream. Challenge accepted. I’ve been testing some new recipes here and there for awhile and I finally found a total winner, the search is definitely over!
Save This Recipe
Enter your email address, and we'll send it straight to your inbox!
A few recipes I tried were just too involved for something simple like a hot fudge sauce, and some got too painfully hard once poured over ice cream – no good!
This hot fudge sauce recipe, as it turns out, is pretty much all over the Internet and most people attribute it to a mom or grandma’s recipe box, which makes me love it even more. You likely have all of the ingredients you need in your pantry, and you can whip this up in less than a half hour, beginning to end. It’s on the sweeter side, so not too bitter, and it remains nice and soft when it’s poured over cold ice cream.
Make this immediately and keep a jar in the fridge all summer – there’s nothing quite better than a fabulous hot fudge sundae!
Three years ago: Snickers Cake
Four years ago: Jalapeno Cheddar Bagels
Easy Homemade Hot Fudge Sauce
Ingredients
- 2 cups (240 g) powdered sugar
- 12 ounce (340.2 ml) can evaporated milk
- ½ cup (113.5 g) salted butter
- ¾ cup (135 g) semisweet chocolate chips
Instructions
- Place all ingredients in a medium saucepan over medium heat.
- Bring to a boil and, stirring constantly, boil for 8 minutes.
- Remove from the heat and allow to cool slightly before serving. The sauce can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 1 month. Reheat as needed.
Notes
Did you make this recipe?
Leave a review below, then snap a picture and tag @thebrowneyedbaker on Instagram so I can see it!
This is a fabulous, easy recipe with I expensive ingredients!
This will be my go to hot fudge recipe!💝
Who knew hot fudge sauce was so easy to make!! Never buying from the store again. I followed the instructions to a T and the results were perfection! You have to “boil and stir constantly“ for the full 8 minutes. No extra chips needed! It reheats beautifully later after being in the fridge.
Even after following EXACTLY, and letting it cool completely I still ended up with chocolate syrup. Just wouldn’t thicken at all. Don’t waste your ingredients on this one.
This is a fabulous, easy recipe with I expensive ingredients!
This will be my go to hot fudge recipe!
I can’t get evaporated milk in Denmark. Is there a substitute?
I made the hot fudge sauce today. I have been craving hot fudge topping over ice cream and I forgot to buy some at the store. It tastes really good. I think I will use milk chocolate chips next time to see the difference and decide from there which I prefer. In the meantime I know what I am having tonight for late evening snack.
Thank you for finding and sharing this recipe. I made it and tried it tonight and it takes me back to hot fudge Sunday’s at my grandparents house. I love it, thank you!
I made the recipe exactly as listed and ended with a product that is a beautiful toffee, but not dark brown colored creation. Is it possible that the amount of chocolate chips is listed incorrectly?
Hi Roxanne, The amount is correct; I’m so sorry this didn’t work out for you.
Fabulous and extremely easy!!!
I’ve made this twice, now. Love the flavor and how easy it is to make. Yes, it takes CONSTANT stirring while boiling and requires allowing time for it to cool down before topping a dish of ice cream so it’s not just hot syrup. The texture/consistency is a bit ‘grainy’, so I’ll be putting in more effort next time by using clarified butter and using the suggestion of adding some vanilla extract.
This was very thick, but you do have to constantly stir it while boiling for 8 mins. I added a large tablespoon of P B to mine and it’s yummy!
I halved the recipe as there’s only 2 of us 80% of the time here. I do believe I over cooked it a little because the second it was o. The ice cream it became like a chocolate caramel. Very chewy! Has great flavor and I plan on playing with it a bit to see how to make ne more of a sauce rather than a candy. Lol
I wouldn’t make this again. Once it cools the consistency is just wrong.
It was absolutely delicious. Loved how easy it was to make.
its just chocolate milk its not thick at all i tried adding more powderd suger it did absoultly nothing i dont know what to do please helpppp!
It will thicken as it cools.
This was very easy to make, and it is very tasty. This is a keeper.
Thank you seam easyer to do mom made the best known I am going to try?💜🙏
How do I make it thick, recipe is very runny.
It will thicken as it cools and add 1 – 12 oz. Package of semi sweet chocolate chips not 3/4 cup.
It will thicken as it cools for 8 min
Thanks for this info; I just posted a question regarding whether the amount of chocolate chips needed to be increased! After reading your post, I ran to the kitchen and dumped the remainder of the 12 oz. bag into the still hot pan and it mostly melted and improved the texture. It looks like hot fudge!
Trying to print your hot fudge sauce recipe so that I can try it out, but when I click the print button, the new page says “bad gateway”. Help?
This came out lovely! Can this be frozen? If so, how long for?
Thanks
This came out fantastic! Really easy and sooo delicious. Thank you!
Mine didn’t come out fudgy or thick. It’s really runny and It doesn’t hold it’s shape the way yours does in your pics. Should I cook it longer? I couldn’t get mine to boil but i kept it on the heat for about 15 minutes, stirring constantly
This is super awesome.Ive made is several times. Its fast, easy, and delicious. Thank you!
Amazing! This is a family favorite! So easy, make it for holiday gifts!
Do you have any suggestions for making a large quantity?Many small batches rather than one big one? Thinking of this for the neighborhood gift exchange.
Hi Cathy, I think one large batch should work okay!
I found that adding a bit of vanilla really enhances the flavor. My second batch I made with 1/2cup chocolate chips and 1/2 unsweetened chocolate 2 t vanilla, 1/2 t salt. Really great, grown up flavor. Not for those who don’t love the dark side!
Hello. We tried this recipe and it was more like an icing and needed MUCH more chocolate. It was much too heavy on the evaporated milk and confectioners sugar. It really was not good. We tried to rescue it by adding more (and more) chocolate but just ended up tossing it. I would not make this again.
I have tried to make this recipe twice. Despite my following the recipe exactly both times, the mixture came out runny like hot chocolate. I have made countless cheesecakes, layered cakes, and assorted pastries. Therefore, I know my way around the kitchen. So, it’s not an error on my part; this recipe is a total bust. There is way too much liquid.
Words can’t describe how good this stuff is!! it is incredible. It never made to the ice cream – – – ate it right out of the jar!!
Can you please confirm this is regular evaporated milk and not sweetened condensed milk? Thanks.
Hi Kaisha, Yes! Evaporated milk, NOT sweetened condensed milk.
I’ve made the hot fudge sauce twice following the recipe exactly, and both times the butter has not fully incorporated. It just leaves a skim around the edges. Any thoughts?
Just made the recipe and I, too, have butter standing around the edge of the pan. Any thoughts, anyone?.
Gwen and Roma, That’s so strange, I’ve never had that happen! I would allow it to cool, and then whisk it to incorporate to see if everything will come together nicely. If it still doesn’t work, then the next time I might try melting the butter and chocolate together over very low heat first, then adding the powdered sugar and evaporated milk and bringing everything to a boil.
Thank you so much for putting the mass in the ingredients list. I perfer to measure by weight and so few recipes do.