Name: Hot Fudge Sauce Recipe
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 5 min
Total time: 10 min
Ingredients: 1 cup heavy cream; ½ cup unsalted butter; ½ cup granulated sugar; ¼ teaspoon salt; 6 ounces semi-sweet chocolate bar (finely chopped); ¼ cup unsweetened cocoa powder

By: Jill Mills Updated: Jun 7, 2025

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Ready in 5 minutes with just 6 basic ingredients, this Hot Fudge Sauce is rich, decadent, and incredibly chocolatey. The perfect addition to ice cream sundaes, cheesecake, and more!

I first made this hot fudge sauce a few years ago and, since then, I haven’t bought it from the store once. Why bother when I can make it at home in less than 5 minutes with ingredients I already have on hand?! It tastes way better too. We love this with vanilla ice cream for a casual family night dessert but there are so many other uses for it too, which outlined below. The best part is that it keeps in the fridge for up to a week, so you can make it once and enjoy it over and over again throughout the week.

Why This Is The Best Hot Fudge Sauce Recipe

This recipe is a staple in our home. Here are a few reasons why!

Only 6 ingredients. And they’re all super simple, like heavy cream, sugar, cocoa powder, and baking chocolate! I usually already have everything on hand to make this.
Ready in 5 minutes. Yes, homemade hot fudge is that easy and that fast to make! I love being able to whip it up on a whim, whenever the craving for a hot fudge sundae hits.
Rich, chocolate-y flavor. This recipe uses both a semi-sweet chocolate baking bar and unsweetened cocoa powder. That’s double the chocolate flavor!
Endless ways to use it. I know hot fudge sundaes are the most obvious use for this sauce but I encourage you to think outside the box too! It works on some many desserts and even as a dip. I included lots of ideas before!

A spoonful of hot fudge above a jar with the fudge drizzling into the jar

Hot Fudge vs Ganache vs Chocolate Syrup

While they’re all delightful chocolate sauces, hot fudge, ganache, and chocolate syrup are not the same. Chocolate ganache is made with just chocolate and heavy cream. It’s pourable but hardens when it cools and is often used to top desserts, like my brownie bundt cake. It’s also not usually as sweet, depending on the chocolate used.

Chocolate syrup is the thin, pourable liquid that’s typically super sweet and used to make chocolate milk. Hot fudge sauce, on the other hand, is the rich, sweet chocolate sauce used in hot fudge sundaes. It’s thinner than ganache but not as thin as chocolate syrup and when cooled, has a spoonable texture. It’s also usually served warm (hence the “hot” in the name).

Ingredients needed to make hot fudge sauce

What You’ll Need

Homemade hot fudge sauce is made with just 6 very simple ingredients – including lots of chocolate, of course! Scroll down to the recipe card below for the exact measurements.

Heavy cream – Heavy cream is the base of the sauce, creating the pourable consistency and creamy texture.
Unsalted butter – We use unsalted butter since the amount of salt in butter can vary. If you prefer to use salted butter, simply omit the salt in this recipe.
Granulated sugar
Salt
Semi-sweet chocolate bar – The chocolate in the fudge sauce! I recommend a quality bar of semi-sweet chocolate, such as Ghirardelli. The quality of the chocolate definitely impacts the fudge sauce!
Unsweetened cocoa powder – Cocoa powder gives the hot fudge sauce an even richer chocolate flavor.

How To Make Hot Fudge Sauce

This recipe is easy to whip up anytime the chocolate craving strikes!

Butter, sugar, and heavy cream in a saucepan

Whisking chopped chocolate into heavy cream

Simmer. Heat the cream, butter, sugar, and salt over medium heat until the butter is melted, stirring frequently. Bring it to a simmer and let simmer for one minute.
Add the chocolate. Reduce the heat to low. Add the chocolate and stir continuously until melted and smooth.
Add the cocoa powder. Remove the mixture from heat. Whisk in the cocoa powder then return to heat. Cook on low for 30 seconds, whisking constantly until smooth.
Enjoy. Enjoy the hot fudge immediately or transfer to a jar with a lid to store.

Pouring hot fudge over a bowl of vanilla ice cream

Tips & Tricks

This recipe is super easy but there are still a few things to keep in mind!

Use quality chocolate. Chocolate is the star of the show here so I highly recommend choosing a quality baking bar of chocolate. Regular semi-sweet chocolate chips are not a great option – they don’t melt as smoothly and won’t taste as great.
Simmer, don’t boil. When warming the heavy cream, be sure to bring the mixture to a gentle simmer but NOT to a boil. It should be hot enough to easily melt the chocolate but not hot enough to boil.
Stir frequently. It’s important to stir or whisk the ingredients frequently the entire time they’re over heat, to ensure that nothing sticks to the pan and the chocolate melts evenly.

Ways To Use It

Now the fun part! There are so many ways to use this hot fudge sauce. Yes, of course it’s great with a scoop of vanilla ice cream, some whipped cream, and a cherry to make a simple hot fudge sundae. I also love adding fudgy, chewy brownies to make a decadent brownie sundae.

But don’t limit yourself to ice cream! Hot fudge is also wonderful drizzled over cheesecake, pound cake, ice cream cake, ice cream bread, and any other desserts that could use an extra bit of chocolate. It’s also great for dipping graham crackers, vanilla wafers, and strawberries and I always add it to my hot chocolate charcuterie board.

Proper Storage

Fridge. Store hot fudge in a jar with a lid in the fridge. It lasts for up to 1 week.
Reheat. Since the sauce thickens when refrigerated, it will need to be warmed up again. Reheat in a microwave-safe bowl in the microwave, heating in 30-second intervals and stirring well between each interval.

5 from 3 votes