Homemade Chocolate Sauce
Updated
Updated
Homemade Chocolate Sauce is incredibly easy to make without any corn syrup or dairy and rivals anything you’ll buy at the store! Whip up a batch in only 5 minutes and then drizzle it on all your favorite desserts.
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5 STAR REVIEW
In the time it takes to go to the store and buy some chocolate syrup, you could have already made some and be enjoying it. That’s how quick and easy this homemade chocolate sauce recipe is.
You only need 4 ingredients (plus water) – no corn syrup or dairy – just cocoa powder, sugar, salt, and vanilla. You end up with smooth, sweet, chocolate lava! I think it’s even better than Hershey’s.
Possible Variations
- Make it creamier. Use milk instead of water and stir in a tablespoon of butter at the end. Either or both will provide a richer, creamier texture.
- Turn it into mocha chocolate sauce. Just add a teaspoon of espresso powder.
- Give it a spicy Mexican flair. Include a dash of cayenne pepper or chili powder.
- Add some peppermint extract. This would make give it a holiday vibe and it great for Christmas gifts.
Homemade Chocolate Sauce
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1/8 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 cup cold water
- 1 & 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
Instructions
- In a cold saucepan, whisk together the cocoa and the sugar until all lumps are removed. Add the salt and the water and bring to a boil over medium-medium high heat.
- Reduce to a gentle simmer; stirring constantly. Simmer for about 30 seconds and then remove from heat. Let cool and then add in the vanilla.
- Pour into a glass jar and allow to cool. {The chocolate sauce will be very thin when it finishes boiling, but it will thicken quite a bit as it cools.}
- Refrigerate until needed.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional information given is an automatic calculation and can vary based on the exact products you use and any changes you make to the recipe. If these numbers are very important to you, I would recommend calculating them yourself.
Did you make this? Leave a rating below!
Chocolate Sauce vs. Hot Fudge Sauce
The difference between chocolate sauce and hot fudge sauce is that hot fudge usually uses cream and butter, making it thicker than chocolate sauce, which uses sugar and water. So, technically this is chocolate sauce, but it definitely thickens up as it cools, so it’s like in-between. Basically, perfect.
What to use chocolate sauce for?
- Pour it over ice cream.
- Stir it into milk.
- Drizzle it over brownies or angel food cake.
- Layered it in a chocolate trifle.
- Use it as a dip for fruit.
- Give it as a gift! Make a trio of sauces – one regular, one spicy, and one minty!
How to Store Leftovers
Any leftovers should be stored in an airtight jar in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks. Simply reheat in the microwave for a few seconds and give it a stir before serving.
More Chocolate Recipes To Try:
I hope you love this delicious and easy recipe – be sure to give it a review below! Also don’t forget to follow Belly Full on TikTok, Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, and YouTube!
I made this recipe and I am not going back to store bought EVER again! It is so easy to make and even better to eat!!! I did use the butter and milk in mine and measured the vanilla with my heart. ;) There are suggestions on how you can use the chocolate sauce like on ice cream or in milk, but it’s pretty darned good by the spoonful, too!!!
I made this today and used half and half instead of water and added butter at the end as I wanted an extra rich sauce and it is absolutely delicious! So easy and like all the other comments…I will never buy store bought again!
This is perfect, as is! thank you!!
Excellant Chocolate Sauce! Made recipe as written, very good!
Next time I will try it using whole milk and a little butter.
Thank you for all of your recipes!
I made this with milk and added shaved Choc from bunnies in the freezer and my goodness it is rich and flavorful 🤗. Thank you Amy 👍.
This chocolate sauce is spot on. Easy to make and tastes better than the syrup in the big brown bottle!
I knew I was in trouble when I saw this recipe and realized it has ingredients I always have in my pantry. . . So yummy and easy to make. I tried it because a friend brought over brownies and ice cream and my son in law asked if we had chocolate sauce . . . So I surprised him the next night with sauce for our leftover dessert. I’ll try not to make too often because it is addictive if you’re a chocolate lover.
This recipe is PERFECT! Just the perfect balance of sweetness. The ingredients are on hand and I’ll never buy that nasty store bought chemical loaded garbage. Thank you!
The recipe is so easy and tastes delicious. I’ll never use store bought chocolate sauce again!
I’ve made this numerous times, it is the best! Easy and so good. I love that it doesn’t require milk either.
This was SO quick and easy and tasted excellent! I will never buy it from the store again, thank you!
So easy, thankyou
Why have I not been making this all my life?! So good!!
Love, love, love this recipe!
I never ate chocolate sauce because of all the yuck in it. Thank you for sharing. It’s soo good. I drizzle it in my vanilla yogurt in the mornings.
Absolutely Delicious! It thickened up nicely. I made it for a strawberry crepe topping and everyone enjoyed it. I will use some of the leftovers for the decoration of my chocolate martinis!
Super easy, GREAT
I made this with date sugar for a lower glycemic impact. I used 2/3 c of the date sugar and 3/4 c of cold water. The date sugar contains fiber so it needs more water. The taste is awesome! I can’t wait to try some of the variations you suggested.
This is fast, easy and tastes outstanding
Perfect… and so quick…. Love it!!
Wow this was so delicious and easy! Going in my permanent recipe binder, thank you for sharing!!
This is absolutely the best :) We make this every single week at our home :)
Quick and easy and delicious!
This recipe is great! It is so easy and very tasty. It’s a keeper.
This is the best chocolate sauce recipe ever!!! I can’t believe the amazing results with just 4 ingredients and only minutes to make. No more store bought Hershey’s for us!
We use this syrup to make chocolate milk when we want some and have definitely left it in the fridge for 1-2 months without issue!
Thanks for the recipe, been making it for awhile now. When I don’t have vanilla I use spiced rum, so fantastic.
This is so yummy! I used it over a peanut butter cookie dessert pizza. My family loved it! I added a little powdered milk to add a little creamy flavor and texture.
This is so yummy! I used it over a peanut butter cookie dessert pizza. My family loved it!
Hi, I just made this recipe alongside your caramel sauce recipe, and they both came out great!
Thank you for sharing.
So easyand delicious. I made this as written and added the butter as suggested.
A second time I substituted Splenda for a sugar free version. Also delicious.
I love the this. One of the best. It was the first time. Now on I will use it . I mixed milk and half & half
It was perfect and easy
I made this to go with my crepes and it tasted like heaven 10/10 will make again
I have lost count of the times I have made this! We always have some in the fridge. I make a double batch and pour into 3 mini glass milk bottles for storage. Sometimes we warm it in the microwave a little, it is pourable from the fridge but not thin enough for a fine drizzle.
My family loves this recipe so much, I’m constantly making a new batch. But it’s SO EASY I don’t mind!
This is simple, quick to make, as good tasting as anything you can buy…and no High Fructose Corn syrup!
Excellent recipe!!!
Delicious and so easy to make!
Love
So easy! Perfect for iced mocha!! Thankyou!
I absolutely love this sauce – it is divine! Today I am making yet another batch to give as a birthday gift. I’ve tweaked it to use less sugar by cutting back to 1/2 cup. I, too, use the Hershey Special Dark Cocoa and add: 1-1/2 tsp of Medaglia D’oro Instant Espresso Coffee and 1 T+ Jack Daniel’s Whiskey. It is so delicious – I serve it over ice cream, Greek Yogurt w/berries, drizzle over dates OR just a spoonful to go with coffee. Yum!
Superb! I made this to use in a rum cream drink I made.
This was so easy and fantastic!
I made the recipe as is and sugar free (using allulose). In my revised recipe I used evaporated milk, instead of water, and added 1/2 tablespoon of butter at the end. I got the calories down to 2.7g per serving and the sugar down to 0.11g. Your recipe is a keeper and will make it when I have company who are not concerned about their sugar intake. Since my family is concerned about their sugar intake I will use allulose in the recipe instead of cane sugar and evaporated milk instead of water.
.”evaporated milk.”? Do you mean dry milk reconstituted with water? Otherwise please explain what is “evaporated milk”. Thank you.
Evaporated milk in the USA comes in cans. about 60% of the water has been removed from fresh milk. in some countries is known as “unsweetened condensed milk.”
Bought some frozen lidl profiteroles but they came with such little sauce I needed some more but had no cream. Found this recipe and made a half quantity, substituting water for milk. So quick, easy and delicious and the profiteroles were swimming in delicious chocolate sauce which is how we like them! This recipe is cheap too using cocoa rather than real chocolate. You’d never know. Winner all round. Thank you!
fabulously simple and simply delicious
LOVED this recipe!!! Will make again and again. So easy and great flavor.
Great recipe. I substituted evaporated milk for the water and added 1 T water.
My friend introduced me to this recipe and site. I love it. I want to feed my kids healthy foods and I wok full time. These are easy to do and taste wonderful – even better knowing that it is not full of preservatives. Thank you!
The best chocolate sauce ever !
This is a foolproof recipe that I have made many times. Quick, easy and a crowd pleaser! Good on ice cream, cake, fresh fruit.we love it in my house!