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:
And I have another one for you today: Hot Fudge Sauce (for one).
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.
How to Make Fudge Sauce
- On the stove, melt butter in a small saucepan, and whisk in milk followed by cocoa powder and sugar.
- Then just whisk continuously until the mixture thickens into a sauce.
- 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.
Hot Fudge Sauce Recipe for One
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
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.
Kate says
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.
Tracy says
Thanks, Kate! I’m so glad you enjoyed it, and to hear that there were no problems multiplying the recipe!
Sarah says
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. 🙂
Tracy says
So glad you enjoyed it, Sarah!!
Katelyn says
Made it using imperial instead of butter & it worked perfectly!! So tasty and a lot more convenient than going to the store.
Tracy says
So glad to hear Imperial worked! Thanks for reporting back!!
Maureen M. says
I’m vegan so I substituted butter with extra virgin coconut oil and substituted milk with coconut milk. Turned out GREAT!!!!
Tracy says
So happy to hear this works with vegan ingredients!! Thanks for reporting back!
Ginger Jabour says
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!
Tracy says
So happy to hear it, Ginger!!
Whirlycook says
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!
April Newman says
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!
Leanne says
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!
Tracy says
So happy to hear!!
Marcie Denton says
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.
Chicagoan says
Same- tried with dairy butter but with soy milk instead. Turned out beautiful and silky! The salt is a must!
Theresa says
Delicious and very easy to make!
Tracy says
So glad you enjoyed it!
Peggi says
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!
Tracy says
So glad you enjoyed it, Peggi!
Peggi says
Have you tried it using heavy cream instead of milk?
Tracy says
I haven’t tried it before, but it should work just fine!
Valerie says
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.
Marci says
So easy so delicious and I had all the ingredients I was in a pinch and this was perfect thank you
Galya says
I added a two tablespoons of semi-sweet chocolate chips and reduced the sugar to one tablespoon – delicious!
Anne says
Could I add peppermint or orange extract to get different flavors if I wanted?
Tracy says
Yes! But I’d use just a drop or two instead of 1/8 teaspoon since those flavors are so potent.