Homemade hot fudge sauce can be made with only 5 ingredients and about 15 minutes. It’s an easy way to have fresh sauce for your next dessert.
Jump to RecipeWhen it’s time for dessert, there’s nothing like having an easy recipe to make your own hot fudge sauce topping. We like it on various desserts, but my favorite dessert is a simple bowl of my favorite ice cream with caramel sauce and hot fudge. It makes the best ice cream sundaes!
You have control over the ingredients by making this easy hot fudge recipe yourself. Instead of all the additives and preservatives in the store-bought sauce, you make it your own. I made mine with evaporated milk to make it smooth and thin. You could substitute heavy cream for the evaporated milk to give it a more creamy texture.
This amazing sauce is the perfect addition to any dessert. I prefer it over chocolate syrup because of the thickness of the hot fudge sauce.
Serving Suggestions:
- Add to an ice cream sundae
- Serve over fresh fruit
- Make it as a side for an ice cream party
- Pour into a chocolate milkshake
- Add in any recipe that calls for hot fudge sauce
- Mix with peanut butter on bread for a delicious sandwich
While this uses simple ingredients that you should be able to find at any grocery store, the hardest to find can often be light corn syrup. I find it in the same aisle as other baking goods such as cooking oils.
If you want to change the flavor, you can adjust the additive. I used vanilla extract since that’s what I prefer. But you could also try adding a pinch of salt to give it a salty-sweet taste.
Another adjustment to the taste could be by using different chocolate. I prefer the semisweet chocolate chips so it doesn’t get too sweet. But you could also try dark chocolate chips or milk chocolate chips.

Homemade Hot Fudge Sauce Step by Step
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup chocolate chips, semisweet, miniature
- 6 tbsp evaporated milk
- 6 tbsp light corn syrup
- 4 tbsp butter, sliced
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Preparation
In a medium saucepan, over low heat, combine the semi-sweet chocolate chips, evaporated milk, and light corn syrup.
Continue to whisk until the chocolate has melted and the liquids have combined.

Stir in the butter until melted.
Cook and stir continuously for 5 minutes.

Remove from the heat and stir in the vanilla extract.

Homemade Hot Fudge Sauce Leftovers
Storage: Store leftovers in the refrigerator in an airtight container after it has cooled to room temperature.
Reheating: The best way to reheat the homemade fudge sauce is in a saucepan over medium-low heat until warm. Or, you can reheat in the microwave, just make sure to stir often to avoid hot spots.
Freezing: To freeze the fudge sauce, put it into a sturdy container (such as a mason jar or other glass jar) making sure to save room at the top. When ready to use, thaw in the refrigerator then slowly reheat.

Recipe
Originally Published On: May 1, 2023

Hot Fudge Sauce
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup chocolate chips (semisweet, miniature)
- 6 tbsp evaporated milk
- 6 tbsp light corn syrup
- 4 tbsp unsalted butter (sliced)
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
Recommended Equipment
Instructions
- In a medium saucepan, over low heat, combine the semi-sweet chocolate chips, evaporated milk, and light corn syrup
- Continue to whisk until the chocolate has melted and the liquids have combined
- Stir in the butter until melted
- Cook and stir continuously for 5 minutes
- Remove from the heat and stir in the vanilla extract
All nutritional information is based on third-party calculations and should be considered estimates. Actual nutrition content will vary based on brands used, measuring methods, portion sizes, and more.
My hubby would eat this up! He loves fudge on ice cream. But I love that this is so easy to make. It’ll be a great addition to my dessert arsenal and perfect for those days when we just want a little extra.
I can’t wait to make this! I put hot fudge sauce on my ice cream all the time. I’d much rather make it homemade than microwave a jar.
I love a good hot fudge on a sundae. I look forward to making this recipe since it’s only 5 ingredients and ready quickly. Looking forward to trying it!
So easy to make. will love this for my homemade ice cream. Making this soon
Oh la la! There is nothing like homemade hot fudge sauce. This is amazing over ice cream – or over anything!
There’s nothing I love more than chocolate fudge sauce! It’s so good with everything, especially ice cream!
Wow, this hot fudge sauce recipe is simply mouthwatering! I love how easy it is to make, and the ingredients are readily available. The step-by-step instructions with photos are very helpful, making it easy to follow along. I can’t wait to try it on my ice cream!
I know its probably super easy to do but I hsve never made homemade fudge sauce! Would be fun to do for our next ice cream night!
I can think of so many uses for this sauce. Right now the one I’d most like is to slice some bananas and drizzle this on top. Simple but so good.
This is great timing. I love that I can now make my own hot fudge sauce without the icky high fructose corn syrup from the grocery store. I can’t wait to try it – your instructions are perfect! Now to go grab some ice cream.
Never tried this sauce before but seems interesting and yummy. I think I want to try it with my fruit salad and see how it tastes. Thank you for sharing!
I love how easy it is to make fudge sauce. Five simple ingredients. Nice and short.
I’ve not made this before but it sounds nice and easy. It would be perfect to make for the kids ice cream over the summer.
Oh wow, it’s been this easy to make some fudge sauce? Once I make it, I will try it on the sandwich I will be having or spring-rolls. Thank you for the recipe and hoping for the best on my experiment.
I cannot wait to try this for our next family ice cream night. Seems so easy and everyone loved hot fugde.
OMG I really enjoy hot fudge!!! The idea of adding it to a peanut butter sandwich sounds delicious!