Hot Fudge Sauce

This Hot Fudge Sauce is the ultimate topping for ice cream, with a rich chocolate flavor. It's made in one pot in under 10 minutes and keeps well in the refrigerator for all your ice cream cravings!

I'm all about food that has juxtaposing characteristics, such as soft and crunchy (like this No-Bake Nutella Pie) or sweet and salty (like these Strawberry Pretzel Jars), but for me, the ultimate juxtaposition in food is the combination of hot and cold. A creamy cold scoop of ice cream with a rich hot fudge sauce is the ultimate contrast to create an exciting sensorial experience that keeps your taste buds engaged. And, it's just plain delicious.

This recipe is the ultimate Hot Fudge Sauce, with a super rich, perfectly sweet chocolate flavor that is balanced with the right amount of salt to contrast. It's also simple to make in one pot and will keep for quite a while in your fridge, perfect for those late-night cravings. Hot fudge can and should be heated up right before serving for the ultimate bowl of ice cream (maybe with some whipped cream and sprinkles, too?).

Developing this Recipe

When I first set out to make this recipe, I thought it would be easy! Boy, was I wrong, and wow did I make A LOT of hot fudge to get to this final recipe. I initially started off thinking it would be more like a chocolate ganache, but quickly realized it needed more ingredients than just chocolate and cream to get the flavor and texture I was after. After so many failed tests, I went back to one of my favorite books by David Lebovitz for inspiration, and this final recipe I'm sharing here is inspired and assisted by the hot fudge sauce recipe in The Perfect Scoop.

Ingredients Needed

I always try to limit the amount of ingredients a recipe has and never add anything unless it's completely necessary, but I was surprised by how many ingredients this seemingly simple sauce needed to get the right texture and flavor. But I promise, each one has a reason! Here is an overview of the ingredients, with the full recipe listed below the article in the recipe card.

• good-quality "baking" chocolate (use a whole chocolate bar that has been chopped up, couverture chocolate such as my favorite Callebaut Couverture Callets, or high-quality chocolate chips like Ghirardelli, Guittard or Callebaut with the preference in that order)
• heavy cream (or light cream or half-and-half is even fine to use here, though it will slightly thin the consistency)
• water (this is an essential ingredient to prevent the sauce from feeling too chewy or gummy when it hits the ice cream)
• cocoa powder (it doesn't matter if you use dutch-processed or natural as they will both work--dutch-processed will result in a dark richer chocolate flavor whereas natural can result in a lighter color with a more bitter nuanced flavor)
• brown sugar + granulated sugar (you could technically use one or the other in equal portions, though I really think it's worth it in chocolate recipes to use a mix of both for nuance in flavor)
• coarse kosher salt (this sauce has a high level of salt to really bump up and play off of the chocolate and sugar, and I recommend you keep it this way!)
• unsalted butter or refined coconut oil (this helps create the perfect fudgy texture, make sure to use the refined oil for a flavorless taste)
• vanilla extract

How to Make Hot Fudge Sauce

This is super easy to put together and here is an overview of how to make it (with the full recipe written below this article in the recipe card):

Kelli's Best Tips

This recipe is relatively straightforward, however, there are a few key points I wanted to share:

• Use pure high-quality chocolate that you like the taste of, sticking with semi-sweet to dark chocolate. Chocolate chips can work in a pinch, but stick to high-quality brands.
• Don't walk away from it when it's on the stove. This sauce contains a lot of sugar and chocolate, and because of that, it can easily burn. Make sure to stay with the hot fudge sauce and stir as it's coming up in temperature, making sure nothing gets stuck to the bottom of the pot.
• Whenever I make an emulsion of chocolate in fat, I make sure to keep an immersion blender in case the mixture doesn't come together well. I've never had that happen when I tested this recipe, but it's just something I've always been cautious of when making anything with melting chocolate. If you find your sauce isn't smooth, place the stick blender into the bottom of the chocolate, turn it on to the lowest setting and gradually lift the blender up as it is blending.
• This can easily be made dairy-free, as canned full-fat coconut milk works similarly to heavy cream, and coconut oil can be used instead of butter.

How to Store it

Hot Fudge should be served when hot, but leftovers need to be stored in the refrigerator. It will be quite thick once it's completely chilled. It can last up to 1-2 weeks or more, depending on the freshness of the cream used to make it.

To warm it up again, scoop the hot fudge into a pot and warm it over the stove. Or you can use the microwave in 5 second intervals. Heat until hot, but because as it doesn't take much and it can burn in the microwave easily.

Must-Make Ice Cream Recipes

Just in case you need a little inspiration for something to pour your hot fudge sauce on top of:

• Caramelized Banana Ice Cream
• Best Ever Chocolate Ice Cream
• Vanilla Bean Ice Cream
• Strawberry Ice Cream

More Chocolate Recipes

I am so honored when you make a recipe from my site! If you make this Hot Fudge Sauce recipe, please leave a star ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating with your experience! If you have any questions about this recipe, feel free to comment here, and tag me on Instagram!

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