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This silky smooth Hot Fudge Sauce is made with basic ingredients you have in your pantry. It is delectable served over ice cream!
We also like to drizzle this homemade hot fudge sauce over Peanut Butter Pie, Mint Oreo Ice Cream Dessert, and Frozen Oreo Ice Cream Dessert.
Homemade Hot Fudge Sauce
I have tried many recipes for homemade hot fudge sauce over the years, but this one remains my favorite. Not only is it the one I grew up with (thanks for the recipe mom!), it also tastes amazing. But the thing that sets it apart from the others I’ve tried is that it stores really well.
All the other recipes I’ve made have turned grainy when they are stored in the fridge. They melt fine of course, but this one just stays smooth and creamy. So if you get a hankering for a spoonful, you don’t have to heat it up first. Much easier to sneak without your kids catching you. 😉

How to make homemade hot fudge sauce:
Combine sugar, cocoa, and salt in a large saucepan, then slowly stir in the evaporated milk. Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring constantly. Cook and stir for 6-8 minutes, or until thickened. (It will thicken even more as it cools, so don’t overcook it.)
Remove from heat and stir in butter and vanilla. Continue stirring till butter is melted.
After the hot fudge has cooled to room temperature, pour into glass jars.
What is the difference between hot fudge sauce and chocolate sauce or syrup?
-Hot fudge sauce has a deeper, richer flavor that chocolate syrup. Hot fudge sauce is made with sugar, butter, chocolate, and cream or evaporated milk. Chocolate syrup is usually made with a simple mixture of corn syrup or sugar and chocolate.
-Hot fudge sauce is typically thicker when chilled, and liquifies when heated. Chocolate syrup is much thinner, even at room temperature or chilled.
How do I store my hot fudge sauce?
This hot fudge stores really well in the refrigerator, and doesn’t turn grainy. I like storing it in glass jars to I can just pop it in the microwave to heat it up when we need it. I know it lasts for up to two months, but it may last longer, we just eat it up before then!

Homemade chocolate sauce makes fun Christmas neighbor gifts! I found these cute little glass jars at Tai Pan Trading, and just knew I had to use them this year. Although I must admit, I am saving several for myself because I just love them. 🙂 You can also use little mason jars, or any other glass jars you can find.
I made up some cute tags to go with the hot fudge, so I am including the free printables for you. There are three pages.
Page one is the hot fudge labels, page two is the “Merry Christmas” tags, page three is the “To/From” tags. Just click on the link below to download and print the page or pages you need.

Free Printable Hot Fudge Christmas Gift Tags
Here’s a sample of what they look like: Hot Fudge Labels Merry Christmas Tags
To/From Christmas Gift Tags

Need more free Christmas gift tags? Check these out:
- Free Printable Gratitude Christmas Gift Tags
- Holly Jolly Christmas Tags
ICE CREAM RECIPES PERFECT FOR CHOCOLATE SAUCE:
- French Vanilla Ice Cream
- Reese’s Ice Cream
- Tin Roof Ice Cream
- Chocolate Oreo Ice Cream
- Frozen Mud Pie
Homemade Hot Fudge Sauce Recipe
Prep Time5 minutes
Cook Time20 minutes
Total Time25 minutes
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups sugar
- 7 Tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder (more or less)
- Dash of salt
- 1 12 oz can evaporated milk
- 1/4 cup butter
- 2 tsp vanilla
Instructions
- Combine sugar, cocoa, and salt in a large saucepan. Slowly stir in the evaporated milk. Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring constantly. Cook and stir for 6-8 minutes, or until thickened.
- Remove from heat and stir in butter and vanilla. Stir till butter melts. Cool slightly before pouring into glass jars.
- Serve warm, and store leftovers in the refrigerator. It heats up nicely in the microwave.
Notes
-I like my chocolate sauce rich, so I use the full amount of cocoa powder. You get a more milk chocolate flavored sauce if you use less cocoa.
-When I am making this just for my family, I cut the recipe in half and only boil it for 3-4 minutes. (Half a can of evaporated milk is about 3/4 cup.)
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
16Serving Size:
1
Amount Per Serving:Calories: 140Total Fat: 5gSaturated Fat: 3gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 1gCholesterol: 14mgSodium: 58mgCarbohydrates: 23gFiber: 0gSugar: 21gProtein: 2g
Serving size is 2 tablespoons.
Did you make this recipe?
Leave a comment below and pin the recipe to Pinterest!
Recipe originally posted on 12/13/2012. Post updated November 2018.
FAQs
Grainy Fudge
If the melting sugar splashes onto the sides of the pan, it turns back into crystals and causes the fudge to seize up. To avoid this issue, swirl the pan instead of stirring it with a spoon. You can use a wet pastry brush to wipe down any sugar that sticks to the sides of the pot.
What is hot fudge sauce made of? ›
A combination of bittersweet chocolate and cocoa powder gives this sauce a deep, well rounded chocolate flavor. Using both corn syrup and granulated sugar gives the sauce just the right viscosity and makes it sweet but not overly so.
Why did my hot fudge sauce crystallize? ›
A supersaturated solution is highly unstable, and any agitation will cause crystallization to occur throughout the solution. If fudge is stirred while it's still hot, fewer crystals form, and they grow larger as the syrup cools, resulting in a coarse, grainy candy.
What are the ingredients in Smuckers hot fudge sauce? ›
Corn Syrup, Nonfat Milk, High Fructose Corn Syrup, Sugar, Soybean Oil, Cocoa Processed With Alkali And Cocoa, Contains 2% Or Less Of: Fully Hydrogenated Cottonseed Oil, Mono And Diglycerides, Salt, Sodium Phosphate, Sodium Citrate, Vanillin (artificial Flavor).
What is the secret to smooth fudge that is not gritty? ›
Once the sugar has dissolved and the mixture has come to a boil, do not stir it. If you do, the sugar can crystallize, giving your fudge a gritty texture. As you beat the fudge, pay attention to color and texture. Once the fudge loses its sheen and thickens, put down your spoon.
How do you make homemade hot sauce smooth? ›
The more liquid you incorporate—whether it's brine, vinegar, or soy sauce—the thinner your sauce will be. For a smoother texture, prolonged blending is your best bet. If you want your sauce even smoother, then straining that blended sauce is an even better option.
How to fix split hot fudge sauce? ›
If the mixture hasn't separated too badly, you may get away with a little vigorous blending or whisking. Pour the broken sauce into a blender and blend until smooth. If the sauce isn't hot enough to serve right away, return it to the stove over low heat. Stir constantly until warm to avoid it breaking again.
How do you keep fudge from crystallizing? ›
During cooking, sugar crystals can stick to the sides of the pan. If you stir the mixture, these crystals could fall in and crystallize a part of the sugar again. To work around this issue and dissolve all crystal traces, brush the sides of the pan with a brush dipped in water at the beginning of the cooking process.
What happens if you overheat fudge? ›
Too cooked
This fudge was cooked to a temperature of 118 °C (244 °F). At this temperature, the sugar is too concentrated and there is not enough water left to form syrup around sugar crystals. The result is hard and brittle fudge.
What is Dairy Queen hot fudge made of? ›
Artificially Flavored Vanilla Reduced Fat Ice Cream: Milkfat And Nonfat Milk, Sugar, Corn Syrup, Whey, Mono And Diglycerides, Artificial Flavor, Guar Gum, Polysorbate 80, Carrageenan, Vitamin A Palmitate, Chocolate Flavored Hot Fudge Topping: Corn Syrup, Skim Milk, Sugar, Hydrogenated (Palm Kernel or Coconut Oil), ...
Hot Fudge Topping
Ingredients: Sugar, Water, Nonfat Milk, Hydrogenated Palm Kernel Oil, Cocoa (processed With Alkali), Corn Syrup, Salt, Disodium Phosphate, Soy Lecithin, Natural Flavor, Potassium Sorbate (preservative), Polyglycerol Esters Of Fatty Acids.
What makes hot fudge taste different? ›
Hot fudge is typically made with chocolate and cream, resulting in a rich and intense chocolate flavor and a creamy, thick texture. Chocolate syrup, on the other hand, is often made with cocoa powder, sugar, and water or milk, giving it a milder chocolate flavor and a thinner, more pourable consistency.
Why does my fudge taste grainy? ›
When making fudge, you are actually creating very tiny sugar crystals that feel velvety on the palate. The issue arises when large crystals form, which in essence create that grainy texture. This can happen from stirring the sugar mixture after it starts to boil, or from stirring it once it is already starting to cool.
How do you fix grainy hot chocolate? ›
Funnily enough, it's super simple. First boil some water. Second, very slowly, as in 1-2 tsp at a time add in the boiling water and whisk the chocolate vigorously until the mixture is smooth again. The hot water will essentially melt the clumps back to a liquid consistency.
How do you fix grainy sauce? ›
All you have to do is cool the broken sauce, add a tablespoon of lemon juice (or white wine, if you don't mind the flavor), and whisk vigorously. This trick works best if you haven't already added acid to the sauce. Add too much acidity, and you might get the opposite effect of further breakage — balance is the key.
Why does my sauce taste grainy? ›
Usually a grainy sauce is because it has broken - that happens when the protiens bind into little balls. If you are using milk and it's not whole milk that would be the reason why. Low fat milk breaks exceedingly easily and isn't worth trying to make a sauce from.