Homemade Hot Fudge Sauce Recipe - Creations by Kara (2024)

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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 Recipe - Creations by Kara (1)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. 😉

Homemade Hot Fudge Sauce Recipe - Creations by Kara (2)

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 Hot Fudge Sauce Recipe - Creations by Kara (3)

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.

Homemade Hot Fudge Sauce Recipe - Creations by Kara (4)

Free Printable Hot Fudge Christmas Gift Tags

Here’s a sample of what they look like: Hot Fudge Labels Merry Christmas Tags Homemade Hot Fudge Sauce Recipe - Creations by Kara (6)To/From Christmas Gift Tags

Homemade Hot Fudge Sauce Recipe - Creations by Kara (8)

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

Homemade Hot Fudge Sauce Recipe - Creations by Kara (9)

This silky smooth Hot Fudge Sauce is made with basic ingredients you have in your pantry.

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

  1. 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.
  2. Remove from heat and stir in butter and vanilla. Stir till butter melts. Cool slightly before pouring into glass jars.
  3. 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:

16

Serving 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.

Homemade Hot Fudge Sauce Recipe - Creations by Kara (2024)

FAQs

What is the secret to perfect fudge? ›

Valuable tips for successful fudge
  • Don't stir during cooking. Fudge can be cooked on the stove or in the microwave. ...
  • Avoid crystallization. During cooking, sugar crystals can stick to the sides of the pan. ...
  • Let cool before beating. After being cooked, the sugar must crystallize again to create fudge. ...
  • Beat the mixture.

Why is my homemade hot fudge sauce grainy? ›

Be sure to serve warm, and, when reheating, reheat only the amount of sauce you intend to use; repeated heating and chilling can make the sauce grainy.

How long does homemade hot fudge last? ›

Hot Fudge Recipe

Let cool for 20 to 30 minutes before using (it will thicken as it cools). Store in a jar or airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks. To reheat, microwave for 30 seconds to 1 minute until it's pourable but still thick.

What makes hot fudge taste different? ›

Hot fudge is made by boiling together cream, sugar, chocolate, and sometimes butter—the traditional ingredients for fudge—into what is essentially just an undercooked, unset version of the confection. It differs from plain old chocolate sauce by virtue of being gooier and more viscous.

What ingredient makes fudge hard? ›

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.

Why is my 3 ingredient fudge not setting? ›

Why won't my 3 ingredient fudge set? This often happens when the condensed milk and chocolate chip mixture isn't hot enough to start. Everything must be completely melted before it is transferred to the pan to cool.

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.

Will powdered sugar thicken fudge? ›

How to thicken your fudge? If your fudge it noticeably thin, you may want to add more chocolate. If you are out of chocolate, you can also add 1/4-1/2 cup of powdered sugar. This, however, can make the fudge very sweet.

How long do you boil fudge to get to soft ball stage? ›

How long does it take to make fudge:
  1. about 18 min to reach boiling.
  2. about 40 minutes to reach soft ball stage.
  3. 60 minutes to cool.
  4. 28 minutes to beat in a KitchenAid (your time for this may vary)
  5. 4 hours to set.

How long will homemade fudge last? ›

Typically, homemade fudge lasts about 1 to 2 weeks at room temperature, 2 to 3 weeks in the fridge, and up to 3 months in the freezer when stored in an airtight container.

What is the difference between chocolate syrup and hot fudge? ›

Ingredients: Hot fudge sauce is typically made with chocolate, sugar, butter, and cream or milk, while chocolate syrup is made with cocoa powder, sugar, and water or milk. Consistency: Hot fudge sauce has a thicker and creamier consistency than chocolate syrup, which tends to be thinner and more liquidy.

Can you remelt homemade fudge? ›

OMG My fudge is grainy, what do I do? -

Pop the grainy fudge back into the pan along with some water and a little cream and melt the fudge back down to a liquid and re-boil it to temperature. Heat slowly to begin with and make sure the mixture goes completely smooth before bringing it to the boil.

What is hot fudge sauce made of? ›

In a medium saucepan set over medium heat, whisk the chocolate, sugar, heavy cream, corn syrup, cocoa powder, and salt together until the chocolate is melted. Whisking occasionally, allow the mixture to come to a boil. Boil for 3 minutes.

Why did my fudge turn out like caramel? ›

Fudge can turn into caramel due to overcooking or undercooking, incorrect temperatures, or wrong ingredients.

What happens if you overheat fudge? ›

Overcooked fudge, which goes beyond 239 F, evaporates the water, which isn't what you want. It also matters how you treat the fudge after it's cooked. Avoid too much stirring while you are heating the fudge since this agitates the sugar and causes it to clump into sugar crystals again.

How to make fudge more solid? ›

How do you fix fudge that is too soft? Bring the fudge back to a boil with 1–2 US tbsp (15–30 ml) of cream. If your fudge is soft or runny, it probably didn't come up to a high enough temperature while it was cooking. Put it back into the saucepan and add 1–2 US tbsp (15–30 ml) of 35% fat whipping cream.

Should you stir fudge while it's cooking? ›

Don't stir!

Once the fudge reaches soft-ball stage on the candy thermometer, remove from the heat and let the temperature drop to 110°F. Keep that spoon or spatula out of the pot until this happens. If you stir too early in the process, you'll make the sugar crystals too big and end up with grainy fudge.

Why hasn't my fudge set properly? ›

The main reason is that your Fudge has not reached the optimum temperature. If your mixture only reaches 110 or 112 degrees Celsius it will always be soft. That's why we recommend investing in a sugar thermometer. Another reason your Fudge is not setting is that the ratio of liquid to sugar is too high.

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