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You are here: Home / Recipes / Hot Fudge Sauce Recipe for One

Hot Fudge Sauce Recipe for One

05/17/21 | Desserts, Frozen, Recipe for One, Recipes, Small-batch Dessert

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Classic ooey, gooey 5-minute fudge sauce perfect for drizzling over ice cream, brownies, or pancakes and waffles.

Hey, friends. Over the last couple years, I’ve added a few quick and easy single-serving dessert sauces to the site:

  • 30-Second Easy Chocolate Sauce
  • Peanut Butter Sauce
  • Nutella Sauce
  • 2-ingredient Magic Chocolate Shell

And I have another one for you today: Hot Fudge Sauce (for one).

Picture of hot fudge sauce recipe on ice cream with whipped cream, sprinkles, and a cherry.

This is your classic ooey, gooey fudge sauce that is perfect for drizzling over ice cream, brownies, maybe even some pancakes or waffles if you’re feeling real wild in the AM.

And it’s SO GOOD.

The best part is, if you have cocoa powder in your cupboard, you can probably make some fudge sauce right now because this recipe uses just five ingredients: sugar, cocoa powder, butter, milk, and optional vanilla.

Ingredient Notes

  • Butter: Salted or unsalted butter will work in this recipe. If using unsalted butter, just add a pinch of salt.
  • Cocoa powder: Both Dutch-process and natural cocoa powder (the kind you’re more likely to find in large grocery stores) can be used. Dutch-process cocoa will give you a darker-colored sauce with a more robust chocolate flavor, while natural cocoa powder yields a lighter-colored sauce with a bright, slightly acidic tang to it. I used natural cocoa powder for the sauce you see in the photos.

Photo of hot fudge sauce for one being drizzled over ice cream in a white bowl.

How to Make Fudge Sauce

  1. On the stove, melt butter in a small saucepan, and whisk in milk followed by cocoa powder and sugar.
  2. Then just whisk continuously until the mixture thickens into a sauce.
  3. Stir in vanilla and let the sauce sit at room temperature to thicken further while you scoop your ice cream or plate your brownies, and then drizzle away.

Totally easy, right?

What to Make With Fudge Sauce

  • Blend fudge sauce with vanilla ice cream and milk for The Best Chocolate Milkshake you’ll ever taste
  • Drizzle it over the top of Frozen Hot Chocolate, Hot Chocolate, or a Homemade Mocha or Iced Mocha
  • Add a scoop of ice cream to One Giant Chocolate Chip Cookie and top with hot fudge sauce and sprinkles
  • Make breakfast dessert by pouring fudge sauce over Chocolate Chip Waffles and whipped cream

FAQ

Can I make a larger batch of fudge sauce?

Absolutely. This recipe doubles or triples with no changes except you will need to extend the cooking time for sauce to thicken. To change the recipe yield, hover over the serving size in the recipe card below or click if you’re on mobile, and slide the slider.

Can I make this sauce ahead of time?

Yes! If you make a larger batch and want leftovers or just want to make your sauce in advance, you can store the prepared sauce in the fridge in an airtight container for 3 to 4 days.

It will become solid as it cools, but will return to its smooth, pourable state with 10 to 20 seconds in the microwave and a couple good stirs.

Close up photo of hot fudge sauce recipe on ice cream with whipped cream, sprinkles, and a cherry in a white bowl.

Hot Fudge Sauce Recipe for One

Hot Fudge Sauce Recipe for One

Classic ooey, gooey 5-minute Fudge Sauce, just begging to be drizzled over ice cream, brownies, or pancakes and waffles.
5 from 29 votes
Print Pin
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Prep Time: 1 minute minute
Cook Time: 2 minutes minutes
Cooling Time: 2 minutes minutes
Total Time: 5 minutes minutes
Servings (Hover or Click to Change Yield): 1 serving
Calories: 227kcal
Author: Tracy

Ingredients

  • 2 tablespoons (25g) granulated sugar
  • 1 heaping tablespoon (8g) cocoa powder
  • 1 tablespoon (14g) salted butter *
  • 2 tablespoons milk any percentage
  • 1/8 teaspoon vanilla extract

Instructions

  • In a small bowl, combine sugar and cocoa powder. Stir together and set aside.
  • In a small saucepan, over medium heat, melt butter. Whisk in milk followed by the sugar and cocoa powder mixture. Whisk continuously, beating out any lumps as they form, until mixture begins to thicken and bubble 2-3 minutes.
  • Remove from heat and continue whisking for about 30 seconds to cool the sauce slightly before whisking in the vanilla. Allow to sit and thicken for 2 to 3 minutes. Serve over ice cream, brownies, or pancakes and enjoy!

Notes

*If using unsalted butter, add a pinch of salt. 
Did you make this recipe?I'd love to see it! Tag @BakingMischief or hashtag it #BakingMischief.

This post may contain affiliate links, which means I receive a small commission if you make a purchase using them. There is absolutely no additional cost to you.

Comments | 30 comments

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Comments

  1. Vicki says

    December 6, 2024 at 4:36 pm

    5 stars
    I read a few comments and decided to quadruple the recipe. So glad I did. It was more delicious than the recipe I had used previously from a cookbook using evaporated milk and chocolate chips.

    Reply
    • Tracy says

      December 15, 2024 at 5:15 am

      So glad you enjoyed it, Vicki!

      Reply
  2. Lisa says

    May 19, 2023 at 3:04 pm

    5 stars
    Rich and think and chocolate!! I was craving a chocolate sauce for my coffee ice cream and this is the winner!!!

    Reply
  3. Anne says

    March 9, 2023 at 12:41 pm

    5 stars
    Could I add peppermint or orange extract to get different flavors if I wanted?

    Reply
    • Tracy says

      March 13, 2023 at 6:21 am

      Yes! But I’d use just a drop or two instead of 1/8 teaspoon since those flavors are so potent.

      Reply
  4. Galya says

    July 25, 2022 at 2:06 pm

    5 stars
    I added a two tablespoons of semi-sweet chocolate chips and reduced the sugar to one tablespoon – delicious!

    Reply
  5. Marci says

    May 5, 2022 at 1:45 pm

    So easy so delicious and I had all the ingredients I was in a pinch and this was perfect thank you

    Reply
  6. Valerie says

    April 23, 2022 at 4:04 pm

    5 stars
    I didn’t really expect it to thicken, but it did 🙂 Smooth and tasty. Keep in mind the flavor depends on the quality of your cocoa powder. Get the good stuff if you can. I made sundaes with vanilla ice cream and toasted walnuts.

    I used: salted butter, whole milk, white sugar, cocoa powder, vanilla extract. I doubled the ingredients. It turned out perfectly.

    Reply
  7. Peggi says

    January 19, 2022 at 8:57 pm

    5 stars
    This was SO good!! Had vanilla bean ice cream and I just gotta have Chocolate on mine. Found this recipe doubled it for 2, also used unsalted butter with a pinch of butter and delicious! I do like my fudge stick to your ribs thick but the flavor is great so I didn’t care! Love that it was homemade as I try to make what I can instead of buying it and will definitely make this instead of buying!

    Reply
    • Tracy says

      January 20, 2022 at 12:36 pm

      So glad you enjoyed it, Peggi!

      Reply
      • Peggi says

        January 21, 2022 at 8:23 pm

        Have you tried it using heavy cream instead of milk?

      • Tracy says

        January 22, 2022 at 6:55 pm

        I haven’t tried it before, but it should work just fine!

  8. Theresa says

    January 8, 2022 at 6:15 pm

    5 stars
    Delicious and very easy to make!

    Reply
    • Tracy says

      January 8, 2022 at 6:47 pm

      So glad you enjoyed it!

      Reply
  9. Marcie Denton says

    December 11, 2021 at 5:03 pm

    I had not read the comments, and I expected this to be kind of grainy. It was not! It was smooth, yummy, and easy. Thanks for a great recipe!
    – and btw, I used almond milk, because we did not have any animal milk in the fridge. The butter was dairy though.

    Reply
    • Chicagoan says

      July 14, 2022 at 1:29 pm

      5 stars
      Same- tried with dairy butter but with soy milk instead. Turned out beautiful and silky! The salt is a must!

      Reply
  10. Leanne says

    November 17, 2021 at 7:23 pm

    5 stars
    This recipe is perfect and the instructions are accurate. We 5x the recipe for an ice cream sundae party and yum yum! Gorgeous dark colour too!

    Reply
    • Tracy says

      November 17, 2021 at 7:28 pm

      So happy to hear!!

      Reply
  11. April Newman says

    November 6, 2021 at 1:35 pm

    Excellent! My husband insisted he could wait for me to make some when he discovered we were out. A quick google search landed me here. I made and served it before his brownie sundae sitting on the counter had even begun to melt. Thank you!

    Reply
  12. Whirlycook says

    September 23, 2021 at 9:23 pm

    5 stars
    This super easy recipe makes a thick, glossy and delicious hot fudge sauce. I had mube on vanilla ice cream with a sprinkle of toasted chopped walnuts. Thank you for the recipe!

    Reply
  13. Ginger Jabour says

    March 20, 2021 at 8:08 pm

    5 stars
    So delicious and simple! I made a hot fudge cake with it for my son’s birthday. He and my husband both had to get second helpings.

    Thanks!

    Reply
    • Tracy says

      March 25, 2021 at 11:26 am

      So happy to hear it, Ginger!!

      Reply
  14. Maureen M. says

    April 17, 2020 at 8:04 pm

    I’m vegan so I substituted butter with extra virgin coconut oil and substituted milk with coconut milk. Turned out GREAT!!!!

    Reply
    • Tracy says

      April 17, 2020 at 9:34 pm

      So happy to hear this works with vegan ingredients!! Thanks for reporting back!

      Reply
  15. Katelyn says

    January 6, 2020 at 8:31 pm

    5 stars
    Made it using imperial instead of butter & it worked perfectly!! So tasty and a lot more convenient than going to the store.

    Reply
    • Tracy says

      January 13, 2020 at 6:19 pm

      So glad to hear Imperial worked! Thanks for reporting back!!

      Reply
  16. Kate says

    May 29, 2019 at 5:46 am

    5 stars
    I quadrupled the recipe with no problems. Because I was using unsalted butter, I added a pinch of salt. Turned out glossy and delicious. Quick and easy, too. Served on ice cream with local sliced strawberries.

    Reply
    • Tracy says

      June 5, 2019 at 2:42 pm

      Thanks, Kate! I’m so glad you enjoyed it, and to hear that there were no problems multiplying the recipe!

      Reply
    • Sarah says

      January 16, 2020 at 8:47 pm

      yeah, i made delicious sauce by just using a wack of milk and cocoa and so on, it was glossy and thick, and had an eggy taste to it. loved it so much!!!!! thank you very much for this recipe. 🙂

      Reply
      • Tracy says

        January 17, 2020 at 7:20 am

        So glad you enjoyed it, Sarah!!

5 from 29 votes (16 ratings without comment)

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Welcome!


Hi, I'm Tracy! Welcome to Baking Mischief, where we realize that not everyone is cooking every night for a family of four. We have delicious sweet and savory recipes, mostly scaled for one or two, and we love our pop culture around here, so keep an eye out for film, book, and TV-inspired treats as well! Read more»
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