This easy old fashioned hot fudge sauce recipe uses a handful of simple ingredients like Hershey’s cocoa powder, sugar, butter, and milk to make a homemade thick and chewy sauce in only 5 minutes. Drizzle over an ice cream sundae, no bake pies, or cheesecake for the perfect dessert!
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Easy Peasy Hot Fudge Sauce Recipe
I have been making this old fashioned hot fudge sauce for years. Actually, now that I think about it, decades. Yikes. 😳 It’s right up there with 10-minute preacher cookies and a fluffy stack of homemade double chocolate pancakes as treats I no longer even need to look at a recipe for anymore.
Growing up, my mom didn’t micromanage my sisters and I in the kitchen (probably too exhausted from cleaning up after us). Whenever the fancy struck for a sweet treat (daily), we would be left on our own to make it.
So, if you need verification for how easy this hot fudge sauce recipe is, evidently a 10 year old can make it. Even better, without supervision!
I’m still devoted to this recipe 35 years later. I love the way the warm, thick sauce becomes chewy once it hits the cold vanilla ice cream. The magic ingredient that gives it’s signature gooey, thick, slightly chewy texture? Karo corn syrup. In my book, that is how hot fudge should be, or it’s just chocolate syrup!
Better yet, this recipe doesn’t require special ingredients, like heavy cream, evaporated milk, or fancy gourmet chocolates. In fact, I bet you have everything you need to make the best fudge sauce right in your kitchen!
Just made this & it was extremely easy. I doubled the recipe as I was cooking it & it still went well. It’s now my go to & I’ll add various flavors when I do. Today I made it for homemade strawberry ice cream. So it’s perfect.
—Marje
Let’s Make This Together!
Just because it’s “old fashioned” doesn’t make it complicated! It’s as simple as combining sugar, butter, cocoa powder, corn syrup, and milk in a saucepan and heating until it’s a smooth sauce.
For the signature ice cream parlor texture, bring to a boil and simmer for 1 minute, stirring constantly. Remove from the heat, stir in the vanilla, and that’s it! Cool slightly and enjoy immensely.
Yummy Possibilities
What doesn’t taste better with chocolate?? Add homemade fudge sauce to amp up any of these glorious desserts!
- Ice cream sundaes (even better, a hot fudge brownie sundae!)
- Easy cheesecake topping
- Swirl into milk shakes
- Use a dipping sauce for fondue
- Mousse parfaits
- Layer in ice cream cakes
- Mix into bar cookies
- Drizzle on top of pies. My fave? Cool and creamy Andes mint pie.
- Stir in 1/4 cup creamy peanut butter into the sauce after cooking
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Did you make this recipe? I love hearing from you! Leave a star rating and comment below the recipe card. It helps others when searching for recipes and I appreciate feedback from our community. You will always hear back from me! -Melissa
Thick Old Fashioned Fudge Sauce (Cocoa Powder)
Ingredients
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 6 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 tablespoon light corn syrup
- ¼ cup milk, or dairy-free milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- optional: ¼ cup creamy peanut butter for peanut butter hot fudge sauce
Equipment
Instructions
- In a small saucepan place the sugar, butter, cocoa powder, corn syrup, and milk. Heat over medium-low, stirring to combine until butter is melted and sauce is smooth.¾ cup granulated sugar, 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, 6 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder, 1 tablespoon light corn syrup, ¼ cup milk
- Continue stirring as mixture comes to boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer, stirring constantly for 1 minute. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla extract and optional peanut butter until smooth.1 teaspoon vanilla extract, optional: ¼ cup creamy peanut butter for peanut butter hot fudge sauce
- Cool slightly before serving over ice cream. Makes one heaping cup or 9 – 2 tablespoon servings.
Notes
Storing
Leftover hot fudge will stay good for 1-2 months in refrigerator in an airtight container, like a lidded jar. Hot fudge sauce may also be frozen. Make sure it has cooled completely then transfer to ziplock freezer bags. Thaw in the refrigerator, then reheat on the stove.Reheating
When reheating hot fudge transfer the serving amount to a small microwave safe bowl and reheat for 10-15 seconds. It doesn’t take long so watch carefully! It may also be reheated in a saucepan. Warm on low heat, stirring constantly, until warmed and smooth.Free Guide! 5 easy tips for baking like a gluten-free pro!
Simple hacks for fail-proof gluten-free dishes every time!
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didnt try it yet, but my house isnt on fire thats a win in my book.
Great goal!
Delicious! Sometimes it didn’t make it to the ice cream! I just ate it off the spoon:)
Haha! Love hearing this, Nancy! Thanks for sharing.
Best,
Melissa
Just what I was searching for, quick, easy and delicious! Highly recommend!
Yes! Love to hear, Glenna! Thanks for making my day!
Best,
Melissa
Just made it today to use with the ice cream at a birthday party and it was a hit! I will definitely be making it again. I really like that it keeps for 2 months (although I don’t think it’ll last that long in my house 😃). I made it with a little less than 3/4 cup sugar and it tasted just fine. Thank you Melissa for sharing it!
Glad to hear, Amanda! And thanks for adding your modifications. Always helpful for others!
Best,
Melissa
Quick, easy, and delicious hot fudge sundae!
Thank you so much, Susie! I appreciate it!
Best,
Melissa
I made this and have not eaten it yet. It looks too thin. It’s still hot though. Does it thicken up as it cools? If not cigs there a way to thicken it up?
Hi Terri,
It does thicken as it cools. Hopefully it worked out for you!
Best,
Melissa
Perfect! Exactly what I was craving! I wouldn’t change a thing!
Thank you, Pam!
Just made this & it was extremely easy. I doubled the recipe as I was cooking it & it still went well. It’s now my go to & I’ll add various flavors when I do. Today I made it for homemade strawberry ice cream. So it’s perfect
Thank you for sharing, Marje! Strawberry ice cream sounds like absolute perfection! You must live somewhere warm because we are still in soup season here!
Best,
Melissa
Easy and perfect
Thank you so much, Karen!
I love this recipe for how easy it is and that it is way better than anything you can buy at the store! My family loves it and frequently asks for it!
Hi Marilyn,
I completely agree! I have never had anything remotely as good from a store or ice cream shop. This is the recipe I grew up on, though, so I’m a little partial…
Best,
Melissa
Best hot fudge sauce ever! My mom is allergic to corn, so I substituted brown rice syrup for the corn syrup. The sauce was a huge it. Rich, chewy, and fudge. This recipe goes in my permanent file.
Hi Joy,
Yay! Love when a recipe goes in the permanent file. It’s definitely in mine. I’ve been making it over 30 years!
Best,
Melissa
Quick, easy, and ingredients that I already have. My daughter said it was the best hot fudge she has ever had.
Thank you so much! I’m so glad it was a such a hit!
Best,
Melissa
Does the butter need to be salted or unsalted?
Either will work!
Fantastic.
So glad you enjoyed, thanks for writing!
Quick, easy and delicious. Next time I will add some peanut butter!
Hey Shannon,
A true emergency dessert at its best! So glad you enjoyed it! 🙂
Best,
Melissa
Just like my Mother’s, but more smooth. I bet the corn syrup is the secret to that.
Just the recipe I was looking for. It is like the Swedish “mudcake” that is super easy to make, and is gone from the school open day cake sale in five minutes. Same ingredients too, fat, sugar, cocoa… This is a basic fudge recipe, so I suppose I could have given it a few degrees more, and made fudge. I used a sugar thermometer, to be on the safe side. 105 degrees Celsius made perfect sauce. I used cream (because I had some in the fridge), and stirred in extra cream at the end to make sure it stayed a sauce. I had to double the recipe, because it was necessary to check the taste quite often as it cooled, to make sure it was still good. It was still good every time! Everyone else loved it too. Perfect!
Hello! Thank you so much for writing and for the helpful tips 🙂 I love the idea of using a splash of cream at the end to keep it a sauce. If you like your hot fudge more “saucy” than “chewy” this is a great way to keep it that way. I’m super intrigued by the Swedish mud cake too. I’m definitely going to give that a try!
Best,
Melissa
Absolutely Delish!
Thanks Robin!
Best,
Melissa
How much is in one serving and how much does this make?
Hi Cynthia,
It makes a heaping cup, so the serving size would be 2 tablespoons. Enjoy!
If anyone is like me and finds the aftertaste of bittersweet chocolate to be gross you won’t like this sauce. It would work great in baking if any recipe calls for fudge sauce, but not appealling to someone who greatly dislikes bittersweet chocolate. I may try this again, with far less cocoa powder and using cream instead of milk.
Hello, Thanks for writing. I’m a dark chocolate fan, so you won’t find any complaints from me! But, you also could try swapping out dutch cocoa powder in recipes that call for a lot of baking cocoa. Dutch cocoa is alkalized, so it has a more mellow flavor.
Best,
Melissa
I just made this and followed the directions exactly as printed…it was looking good! But it turned to solid rock once it was on the ice cream. Not chewy…just hard rock. What did I do wrong? I followed directions exactly as written. The flavor was good. And then it was incredibly hard to clean my sauce pan since it had turned into industrial strength glue. Advice?
Oh no! That’s a big bummer. Possibly it cooked at too high of heat and it got too hard. I’ve never had any problems with cleaning my saucepan. I usually just let some hot water sit in it and it comes right up. It does harden slightly and get chewy when it hits the cold ice cream, but it shouldn’t turn to rock. 😳 Thanks for writing. I adapted the recipe to make sure it doesn’t cook at too high of heat. Hopefully others can avoid running into the same problem you did.
Best,
Melissa
I made this, and it was easy and delicious, although I always reduce the sugar. I like Lisa’s idea, too – I make my hot chocolate that way – with cinnamon/nutmeg/chili pepper in a 3:1:1 ratio. (Also known as Mayan chocolate.) When I didn’t have anything else to put the sauce on, I got out a frozen banana – it was yummy!
Barbara, all great ideas! I’m going to try that hot chocolate. I have some this hot fudge sauce in my fridge right now, so why not??
How much sauce does one recipe make?
It makes about 1 1/2 cups. Enjoy!
Hey Susannah, I made this tonight so I more accurately measured it. It makes 1 cup without the peanut butter addition. Sorry for the misinformation before!
I’m going to tweak this recipe because my taste buds believe darker is better, plus my own chocolate syrup recipe gets a full pinch of cinnamon for flavor, a half pinch of nutmeg for warmth, and a tiny pinch of cayenne pepper to nibble gently around the edges of your tongue. If you want to exchange recipes or ideas on variations, let me know. I love to share.
Those all sound absolutely amazing! I will definitely give some of them a try of those ideas. Thanks!
It looks PERFECT. The perfect consistency and texture. WILL be trying this one.
Thank you! Please let me know what you think!
What Do you think of substituting heavy cream for the milk?
I think that sounds like a fantastic idea. You might want to cut back on the boil time, though, or it will get too thick. I’d love to hear how it turns out!