This Classic Hot Fudge Sauce with cocoa powder takes just 5 minutes to come together in one pot. Simply add four common pantry ingredients and a dash of vanilla, and you've got yourself a classic hot fudge recipe!
For other easy chocolate sauce recipes, try my chocolate dipping sauce or chocolate gianduja spread.
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✔️ Why This Recipe is Great
5 Minute Hot Fudge Sauce: no matter which swaps you need to make in the ingredients, the secret to this hot fudge sauce recipe with cocoa is in the boiling step.
Dutch vs. Natural Cocoa Powder: the difference between natural cocoa powder and dutch cocoa powder is the way they’re processed. Natural cocoa powder is made the same way as chocolate, while dutch-processed cocoa powder is treated with an alkalizing agent. The result is a more neutral pH in Dutch cocoa.
This difference affects the flavor, color, and baking properties of the cocoa powder, making dutch-process cocoa powder milder in flavor, less reactive to baking soda, and a darker color. I recommend using either cocoa powder type here, depending on what flavor you're looking for.
Batching-Friendly: this is a very easy fudge with cocoa powder that lends itself to making the night before or up to a few days ahead in a large batch. It's a great hot fudge sauce for ice cream, cheesecake, brownies, and even enjoying straight off the spoon.
But especially if making a larger batch, be sure to use a nonstick pot rather than a copper or heavy-bottomed pot (they have a tendency to burn on the bottom).
🥛 Ingredients
Sugar: while you could use brown sugar or coconut sugar, using allulose (for a sugar-free hot fudge sauce) or white sugar keeps the chocolate as the star flavor, which is essential in a hot fudge recipe with cocoa powder rather than processed chocolate.
Cocoa Powder: you can use any type of cocoa powder you’d like, but to increase the nutrition of your sauce, I recommend using a fine cocoa powder like the one I use from Guittard.
Butter: I recommend using a salted butter for this homemade fudge sauce, but if you're watching your salt intake or tend to like a lighter salt level, you can use unsalted butter and add just ⅛ to ¼ teaspoon of fine sea salt.
Milk (or Water): this necessary for any chocolate sauce recipe with cocoa powder, to help thin out the sauce and give you more control over the texture.
Vanilla: this optional ingredient can be added as vanilla extract or vanilla powder, though it merely adds more complexity to balance the sweetness (and adds that classic fudge sauce flavor).
See recipe card for exact measurements and quantities.
🥣 How to Make Hot Fudge Sauce at Home (step-by-step)
Step 1. Put the sugar, cocoa powder, butter, and milk into a large pot (image 1) and heat over medium until everything is melted (3-4 minutes) (image 2), and stir until well-combined. Do not add the vanilla yet.
Step 2. Let everything heat up, and once the mixture gets to a medium-low boil (tiny bubbles ~2mm big throughout the liquid) (image 3), set a timer for two minutes and let it boil without stirring it. I repeat: do not stir it. If the bubbles change size or frequency, your heat is too high and should be lowered to keep the bubbles steady.
Pro Tip
To test the fudge sauce halfway through your timer, dip a spoon in and very quickly take ¼ teaspoon or so of the sauce out and drop it into a glass of room temp water (image 4). If the sauce remains liquid in the water rather than holding loosely together, then the butter and sugar aren't cooked enough; at two minutes it will be done or at least done enough.
Step 3. When the timer goes off, turn off the heat, move the pot to a cool burner, and immediately stir in the vanilla (image 5); don't mix it for more than 15-20 seconds or you may cause the sauce to crystallize.
The corn syrup-free hot fudge sauce is now done and can be immediately poured over ice cream, cake, or brownies, and leftovers can be stored in a jar in the fridge (image 6) (but it will harden quite a bit; just heat it for 20 seconds in the microwave).
👨🏻🍳 Recipe Notes & Tips
Testing Doneness: to test hot fudge sauce for doneness, no sooner than halfway through your two-minute timer, dip a spoon into the boiling liquid and very quickly take ¼ teaspoon or so of the sauce out and drop it into a glass of room temp water.
If the sauce remains liquid in the water rather than holding loosely together, then the butter and sugar aren't cooked enough; at two minutes it will be done or at least done enough.
Salted or Unsalted Butter: if you prefer to add salt to your chocolate fudge sauce, made sure you've used unsalted butter, and only use super finely-ground salt. I appreciate the shortcut of just using salted butter, though, because the standard amount added is reasonable for this hot fudge sauce recipe.
Use Quality Cocoa: when making chocolate sauce with cocoa powder, most of the flavor comes from the cocoa you use, so it's important to use a high quality cocoa powder. If not, your hot fudge sauce will end up flatter-tasting rather than complex. I like this one from Guittard.
Storage & Expiration: this hot chocolate fudge sauce can last up to 2 weeks in the back of the fridge, or up to 6 months in the freezer. If kept longer in the freezer it may still be good, but the texture could go off, so heat it over a warm burner for a few minutes to recombine.
❓ What to Do With Hot Fudge Sauce
- put it on ice cream, as shown here
- slather leftover hot fudge sauce between layers in a cake
- pour it over brownies for a rich sauce
- mix it into a no-bake energy bar recipe, to help bind the dough
- drizzle it over pancakes for a sweet treat on a special occasion
🙋🏻♂️ Frequently Asked Questions
Homemade hot fudge sauce is a cooked mixture of dairy & sugar or corn syrup, plus cocoa powder and milk or water. Some recipes also include vanilla extract, like the one here.
Hot fudge sauce is a denser, milk-based chocolate sauce, while a classic chocolate sauce can be made with milk or water, and usually uses dark chocolate rather than cocoa powder.
Homemade hot fudge sauce can last up to 2 weeks in the back of the fridge, or up to 6 months in the freezer.
Yes! Just make sure to use butter in the recipe, to make up for the lack of cocoa butter (see my recipe).
Yes, while cocoa powder is better, you could swap the ½ cup cocoa powder for 2.5 oz. of melted chocolate. Just make sure to use 1 tablespoon less butter in the recipe, to make up for the cocoa butter in the chocolate (see my recipe).
Have you tried this recipe?
If you like the recipe, please leave a 5-star ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating on the recipe card, or even a comment! I love to hear how your recipes turned out, and your feedback can help other readers! Also join us on Instagram, Facebook & Pinterest.
📖 Recipe
Classic Hot Fudge Sauce With Cocoa (in 5 Minutes!)
Ingredients
- 1 cup sugar classically white sugar; otherwise brown, allulose, coconut, or raw sugar
- ½ cup cocoa powder
- 6 tablespoons salted butter + ¼ teaspoon salt for unsalted butter
- ¼ cup water or milk any milk will work
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract optional
Instructions
- Put the sugar, cocoa powder, butter, and milk into a large nonstick pot and heat over medium until everything is melted (3-4 minutes), and stir until well-combined.
- Let everything heat up, and once the mixture gets to a medium-low boil (tiny bubbles ~2mm big throughout the liquid), set a timer for two minutes and let it boil without stirring it. I repeat: do not stir it. If the bubbles change size or frequency, your heat is too high and should be lowered to keep the bubbles steady. To test the fudge sauce halfway through your timer, dip a spoon in and very quickly take ¼ teaspoon or so of the sauce out and drop it into a glass of room temp water. If the sauce remains liquid in the water rather than holding loosely together, then the butter and sugar aren't cooked enough; at two minutes it will be done or at least done enough
- When the timer goes off, turn off the heat, move the pot to a cool burner, and immediately stir in the vanilla; don't mix it for more than 15-20 seconds. Your homemade fudge sauce is now done and can be immediately poured over ice cream, cake, or brownies, and leftovers can be stored in the fridge (but it will harden quite a bit; just heat it for 20 seconds in the microwave).
Amy
Great recipe! I remembered a fudge sauce based on cocoa powder from an old recipe book of mine and went looking for one (most are chocolate chips and evaporated milk). This one was just as I remembered. Works great!
Max
Thank you for the kind words, Amy! I'm glad you're enjoying it. 😀
Anita
Loved it!
Max
Glad to hear it, Anita!
Melanie
Recipe made a very nice syrup, it set up to a semi soft consistency on ice cream, the way a good fudge topping should.
Max
Thank you so much for your comment! I'm so glad you enjoyed it.
Tania
So easy, and sets up perfectly chewy on ice cream! I did use salted butter and added another half teaspoon of salt, but that's just because I like a bit of salty chocolate (the salted nuts and fudge on sundaes are always my favourite part). Shared the recipe with friends so they can enjoy it too, that's how you know it's good.
Max
That sounds delicious! Thank you for taking the time to leave a comment, and I'm so glad you're enjoying it. 🙂
Sarah
Fast &Yummy! Brownie with ice cream with this sauce is sinfully good.
R. M.
I used to make this when I was a teenager (50 years ago), and my dad loved it. I just rediscovered the recipe here, so thank you for this. You helped to bring back some wonderful memories as I ate my hot fudge sundae.
Max
Oh, I'm so glad to hear that! It's based off of my grandma's boiled frosting recipe, so the approach would probably be considered more 'classic.' Thank you for your sweet comment, R.M.!
Amber
So delicious and simple. Love this recipe!
Max
Thank you so much for the kind words, Amber! My grandma would be tickled pink. 🙂
Michelle
Oh YES! Eating this straight out of the bowl, no icecream!
Max
So glad you enjoyed it, Michelle!!
Hannah
My mom used to make this all the time for dessert after her wonderful feast of dinners. She saddly past away 3 years ago and we've all been missing her hot fudge. I've watched her make it so many times but I never really payed attention. Tonight I was on a hunt for the recipe. I'm so glad I found it. I really wanna make it and suprise my family for the holidays.
Max
Oh, that's so sweet, Hannah. Thank you for sharing your story. I'm sorry for your loss, but I hope your mom's recipe & my grandma's overlap enough to bring that memory alive for your family. <3
Janis
I just finished mine only to discover that I'm out of ice cream.
Max
Oh no, I hate when that happens! I hope there's enough left for after your next trip to the store..! ;D
M
Two minutes at a gentle boil with no stirring left mine scorched on the bottom and disgusting. Not very happy with this recipe.
Max
I'm sorry to hear that, M. I've been making this recipe for over a decade, as it's actually an adaptation of m grandmother's boiled chocolate frosting recipe, and I've never had an issue with it burning. It sounds like your boil ended up hotter than mine, so I'll add a note about the type of pot and height of flame you want for a medium boil, as that's the only approximation you have for keeping it at the proper temperature. When I was little we would put the tiny bit of the mixture into room temp water to test doneness, so I'm sorry you had that experience, but I appreciate your feedback so that I can make it better!