The Best Hot Fudge Sauce is easy to make and beats store bought options. It turns out thick, gooey, fudgy and delicious—perfect every time!
If you have been frustrated trying to make your own hot fudge sauce in the past, let your mind be at ease. If you follow these simple instructions to the tee—you will be delighted with the sauce and yourself for mastering this simple recipe. This sauce is perfect as an ice cream topper, drizzled over a cake or pie, used to make chocolate milk, or even used as a fudge layer in other recipes. Once you learn how to make your own, you will never reach for store-bought fudge sauce again!
Can I make this in the microwave?
There are recipes out there for microwave hot fudge, but the best results for homemade hot fudge sauce are achieved through cooking on a traditional stovetop. The heat in microwaves just isn’t as reliable. This recipe is best made on the stovetop—it is still simple and quick to make.
Cooking Tips:
The cooking allows the sugar to bind with the other ingredients; too hot, and the sugar burns, too cool or too short, and the sugar could end up grainy or crystallized. The blending has to do with working air into the sauce or aerating it. The smooth, creamy texture is a result of this blending, so be sure to blend for the full two minutes, even if it seems pretty well blended before that. Also, an immersion blender doesn’t work great for this step. Both the temperature and the time are key here, so be ready with your ingredients and a timer—you will love the result!
A common mistake in candy making is cooking the sugar too fast. When a candy recipe says “bring to a boil” you should warm it at low-medium heat until everything is melted, then turn the heat up to medium-high until boiling begins. Then, always reduce the heat to medium to sustain a simmering boil. If you just flip the heat up to high, you risk burning or otherwise ruining your sugar. Doubling a candy recipe can be difficult as it affects the cooking time, pot size, and more. Substitutions are unpredictable in candy making because each ingredient has a very specific purpose. This is cooking chemistry. Unless you are an experienced candy maker, just stick to the recipe.
Will the sugar crystallize?
Crystallizing is pretty common when working with sugar, but by heating the sugar just right, you can avoid that crystallization. Be sure to follow the cooking and blending very closely.
Does hot fudge sauce need to be refrigerated?
We recommend storing the fudge sauce in the refrigerator. There is probably enough sugar in it to keep fine at room temperature, but it is always safer in the fridge and will keep fresher. Reheat in the microwave in small, 20-30 second increments of time.
Storage Instructions:
This sauce can be used for up to one month if kept in the refrigerator. If you bottle this to store it, using professional bottling techniques after you make it, it will last from 6-12 months, unopened, in the fridge.
If you like this yummy hot fudge recipe, you may also be interested in these other fudgy delights:
- Peanut Butter Fudge Pie With Pretzel Crust
- Sweetened Condensed Milk Frosting
- M&M Fudge Brownies
- Easy 5 Minute Peanut Butter Fudge
- Fudge Swirled Oreo Bottom Cheesecake Cupcakes
Watch the video below where Rachel will walk you through every step of this recipe. Sometimes it helps to have a visual, and we’ve always got you covered with our cooking show. You can find the complete collection of recipes on YouTube, Facebook Watch, or our Facebook Page, or right here on our website with their corresponding recipes.
Love this recipe! Rich, decadent and easy. The only change I make is to add cream instead of evaporated milk.
I make this delicious hot fudge a lot! And it makes a lot so I keep a pint jar for myself and give smaller jars to my friends. This last time I made it my chocolate chips didn’t melt all down. Weird. Could have been the brand. I don’t know. So I strained it in a mesh strainer before I blended it and it came out perfect! I love Rachel’s recipes! She’s my go to girl!
This is amazing! The only thing I did wrong was by accident I read a tablespoon of vanilla and added a whole tablespoon. I’m not mad about it… It’s awesome. (p.s I always get a bit anxious about reading the wrong measurement…im not an idiot… Just an anxious cook!)
It really IS the best hot fudge sauce! The sauce came out very thick and velvety. Absolutely delicious. The only complaint I had was cleaning out the blender and leaving too much behind. Thank you for the recipe.
This Recipe is TOP NOTCH. I knew I had selected the best one after looking out for many.. I wish I had carefully read each and every step and didn’t try to wing it. The I didn’t melt the butter before hand but being experienced enough I made sure that I didn’t burn the sugar and have the heat on low..
Also I waited too long between the blending and waited for the mix to cool. Another step I didn’t realize the importance. I got a near perfect sauce still..tastes delicious just a little gritty because to improve my misrke I kept whisking on very low heat for 10 + mins in 2 goes. So I’m wondering how to troubleshoot and get rid of the grit? Should I reheat the sauce in a boiler and slowly add 20-40 ml more evaporated milk to make a thinner consistency just until steaming hot or simply bring to a simmer /bubble! And add the hot mix immediately to a blender for a 2 min blend for airation and make steam escape
PS am not risking using anything other than more evsporated milk to do this. Unless someone can help and tell me if water or regular milk might help,?
Excellent recipe. Perfect every time. The only change I make is to use cream instead of evaporated milk. It is a wonderful recipe.
The only hot fudge recipe I use! So delicious, i even cut out some of the sugar and it still tastes great.
The only hot fudge recipe I use! So delicious, i even cut out some of the sugar and it still tastes great.
I don’t see where i can give a start rating but would definitely be a 5/5
I made this delectable treat, had to make a second batch because someone (two) DRANK it up before it had even cooled enough to jar up. A little annoyed, but tickled that it was loved THAT much! I can’t put it in the blender until they go to bed so they think it is still too hot, but I gotta ask, why the blender? It is already velvety smooth.
My variations: Since the kids (hubby and child) attacked the first batch, I didn’t have enough supplies for the second batch, so….
I didn’t have enough butter, so I added cocoa butter to make it up to the measurements.
I didn’t have enough regular cocoa powder, so I added black cocoa to make the measurements.
This stuff is dangerous!
So silky smooth and full of rich delicious chocolate. I changed it up a bit: I melted the butter first then added the chocolate chips to melt. I added the sugar and evaporated milk and let that come to a slow boil while stirring constantly. Then I whisked in the cocoa powder and let boil for the 7 minutes. The blender step is really important because it whips and thickens the sauce.
This is the best chocolate fudge sauce I have found.