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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!
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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!
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!
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.
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.
Favorite Recipes using liquid fudge:
- Drizzle it on peanut butter dip
- Make Hula Pie with it
- Pour it over Peanut Butter Ice Cream Brownies
5-minute Hot Fudge Recipe
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
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 Video
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
**Did you make this recipe? Don’t forget to give it a star rating below!**
I’m in heaven! I just made this and I was praying my jar was too small so I could eat it by the spoonful (no reason to dirty another jar, right?). It was and I did! YUM! The texture is so creamy and I think the butter is the reason. I will never have to try another hot fudge recipe. Thank you so much for sharing this recipe!
So glad you liked it!
What’s the consistency & texture when cold? I need a hot fudge sauce for a layer in an icebox cake. I don’t want it to be too liquidy, but I also want to be able to cut into it without a problem!
This should work – it firms up quite a bit when cold, but isn’t hard.
Just finished 3 batches using some Dove shaved chocolate I purchased at a discount store. It is awesome ❤️. I made 7 / half pints. I’m sealing them in a boiling water bath for 15 minutes. For shelf storage. I’m so excited. Taking a few to Michigan on vacation next month to give away. Thank you!!!
CAUTION: The acidity level of the sauce might not be safe for canning. According to Ball most homemade chocolate sauce recipes are not suitable for safe home canning.
I was skeptical even with all the glowing reviews but after making it I’m a total fan. How yummy! I didn’t have semi sweet chips, or Ghirardelli on hand so I used Hershey dark chocolate chips and it was wonderful.
Just one “complaint” re: the nutritional info. A can of sweetened condensed milk is 1300 calories on it’s own. All said and done this is closer to 2800 calories. As good as it is who cares, but that is a pretty large disparity.
Thanks for the only hot fudge topping I’ll ever need.
I’m glad you enjoyed it! The nutrition info is automatically calculated and not guaranteed to be accurate.
Delicious !
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