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5-minute Hot Fudge Sauce has just three ingredients and is perfect to use all summer long! This simple recipe tastes like melted fudge and you can reheat leftovers to thin!

hot fudge sauce with spoon dripping


Easy Hot Fudge Recipe

If there is one thing I want all summer long it’s ice cream!! I crave it in summer, probably because it’s so hot here in Sacramento. (Well…let’s be honest. I crave ice cream all the time because it’s so darn good!)

Recently Jordan had some friends over and they wanted ice cream sundaes. We had the ice cream covered but, to my dismay, we were out of chocolate sauce. Now, as a food blogger, I took this as a huge fail: I always have all the sauces on hand. I have chocolate sauce when I make pie and need a drizzle and caramel sauce for when I’m making something gooey. So how in the WORLD was I out of ALL OF THEM at once?! #momfail #bloggerfail

So I did what a good blogger does in these situations: I made my own hot fudge sauce. And, dare I say, it’s BETTER than the kind you buy?

5-minute hot fudge sauce has just 3 ingredients and is perfect for all your ice cream sundaes!

hot fudge sauce on ice cream

What’s the difference between hot fudge and chocolate sauce?

It’s so easy to buy hot fudge and chocolate sauce that making it homemade has to be easy or why bother, right? Well, I got you covered because this hot fudge recipe is the BEST.

Honestly, I’ve always wondered this! The main difference is the texture. Hot fudge is thicker and more rich while chocolate sauce is thinner and more pourable. Chocolate sauce stays sauce in the refrigerator, while hot fudge gets cold and thick…like fudge.

And, let me tell you, my hot fudge sauce recipe tastes like melted fudge! It’s PERFECT to put on top of your favorite O Organics ice cream!

Ice cream cartons stacked with a jar full of chocolate sauce

3 Ingredients Needed

Some recipes are for hot fudge with cocoa powder, but this recipe uses sweetened condensed milk! There are only three total ingredients:

  • Chocolate Chips – use your favorite flavor, but use a good brand! We love Trader Joe’s, Guittard, and Guirradelli.
  • Sweetened Condensed Milk
  • Butter – unsalted or salted. The butter might seem like an odd ingredient, but it’s necessary. Without it the hot fudge will seize and not act properly, so don’t skip it.
hot fudge sauce in jar

How to make hot fudge

  • Add sweetened condensed milk and chocolate chips to a saucepan. Heat over medium heat, stirring constantly, until chocolate chips are melted.
  • Remove from heat and stir in butter. Stir until butter is melted.
  • Place hot fudge in a jar. Use while hot.

Storing homemade hot fudge sauce

As much as I’d like to use 2 cups of hot fudge all at once, there’s no way I can do that. The great thing about this recipe is that you can chill and reheat it whenever you need to. Simply store it, covered, in the refrigerator, then microwave or heat in a small saucepan until it’s thin enough to pour. Hot fudge whenever you want it!

hot fudge sauce with spoon dripping

Favorite Recipes using liquid fudge:

hot fudge sauce in jar

5-minute Hot Fudge Recipe

4.90 from 442 votes
Easy 5-minute Hot Fudge sauce is the perfect ice cream sundae topping. Just 3 ingredients and you have an easy chocolate sauce recipe!

Recipe Video

Cook Time 5 minutes
Total Time 5 minutes
Yield 2 cups
Serving Size 1 jar

Ingredients
 

  • 1 (14 ounce) can (396g) sweetened condensed milk
  • 1 cup (170g) semi-sweet chocolate chips
  • 2 tablespoons (28g) unsalted butter
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
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Instructions

  • Add sweetened condensed milk and chocolate chips to a saucepan. Heat over medium heat, stirring constantly, until chocolate chips are melted.
  • Remove from heat and stir in butter and vanilla. Stir until butter is melted.
  • Place hot fudge in a jar. Use while hot.
  • Store leftovers covered in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks. To reheat: place jar in microwave and heat in 30 second increments, stirring between each, until melted and smooth.

Recipe Notes

  • This is a very thick sauce – the hotter it is the thinner, but it’s hot fudge, not chocolate sauce.
  • You can use salted or unsalted butter.
  • Leftovers – store in an airtight container in the refrigerator. It will thicken and harden as it cools so heat to thin.

Recipe Nutrition

Serving: 1jar | Calories: 1258kcal | Carbohydrates: 155g | Protein: 21g | Fat: 63g | Saturated Fat: 38g | Cholesterol: 103mg | Sodium: 263mg | Potassium: 1247mg | Fiber: 7g | Sugar: 141g | Vitamin A: 925IU | Vitamin C: 5.2mg | Calcium: 619mg | Iron: 6.1mg
Nutritional information not guaranteed to be accurate
Course Dessert
Cuisine American

**Did you make this recipe? Don’t forget to give it a star rating below!**

hot fudge collage


Dorothy Kern

Welcome to Crazy for Crust, where I share recipes that are sometimes crazy, often with a crust, and always served with a slice of life.

4.90 from 442 votes (342 ratings without comment)

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215 Comments

  1. Iโ€™m really looking forward to trying this recipe. But I donโ€™t have chocolate chips on hand can I replace that with semi sweet dark chocolate instead? If yes then in what quantity?

  2. My husband and I love this recipe! I see a lot more ice cream sundaes in our future!! Super easy and delicious and better then store bought.

  3. Really tasty and easy recipe. Love that I already had all the ingredients in the pantry! The hot fudge was not overly sweet which I like. Only thing I found was that it thickens up really quickly once off heat, but will definitely be making this again!

  4. THIS IS IT!!!!! I am so excited! I searched for YEARS for the perfect thick gooey hot fudge sauce recipe. They all come out thin and syrupy. This one is so perfect I’m completely overwhelmed with joy! Thank you thank you thank YOU!!!

  5. The easiest and truly decadent hot fudge sauce! Itโ€™s a keeper! I added a splash of vanilla. I want to make it again and maybe add cinnamon & cayenne for a Mexican hot fudge, a splash of peppermint extract for a seasonal flair, and also stir in a little instant coffee granules for another spin. Thanks for a fabulous recipe!
    This is a new favorite! And I am thinking of using it as a fudge sauce the next time I make mud pie and it would also make a wonderful Christmas gift! My mind canโ€™t stop thinking of ways to use it. ๐Ÿ˜Š