This homemade chocolate fudge sauce recipe get its fudge-y flavour from cocoa powder and is made either in the microwave or on the stove top.
Homemade chocolate fudge sauce takes ice cream, brownies, or your favourite spoon to a whole new level of deliciousness.
Warm and gooey.
The best possible way chocolate can behave.
This homemade chocolate sauce has been made so often, and is so very loved, that I’m shocked it has not yet made an appearance.
Microwave Hot Fudge Sauce
My homemade chocolate sauce recipe is made in the microwave. But you could make it on the stove if you prefer.
Either way, watch it closely and stir often.
Unless you enjoy scraping chocolate from all your kitchen crevasses.
Because boiling cream + sugar = sticky volcano.
How To Make Chocolate Sauce with Cocoa Powder
To make chocolate with sauce with cocoa powder, you simply mix sugar, cocoa powder and heavy cream, and stir and heat until combined. Butter is then added for richness, along with a dash of vanilla and pinch of salt to bring the fudge-y flavour together.
Many hot fudge recipes call for melted chocolate and corn syrup.
I find the cocoa powder-based version has a thicker texture and better flavour.
As it cools, it becomes almost chewy. And you don’t have to worry about tempering chocolate or having it seize. Easy peasy.
Also, you wanna talk about making a killer ice cream cake? Just spread a layer of softened ice cream in the bottom of a springform pan. Freeze. Make cocoa hot fudge sauce, cool slightly, and spread on frozen ice cream layer. Top with crushed chocolate wafers and another layer of softened ice cream, in a complementing flavour. Freeze again.
Or just pour it all over chocolate and bananas.
Cocoa Hot Fudge Sauce
Video
Ingredients
- ¾ cup sugar
- ½ cup cocoa
- ½ cup heavy cream or milk
- 4 tbsp butter
- 1 tsp vanilla
- pinch of salt
Instructions
Microwave Method
- In a large microwave-safe bowl, combine sugar, cocoa and cream. Cook on high 2-3 minutes, until sugar dissolves and mixture boils.
- Stir in butter and cook on high 2-4 minutes more, watching closely and stirring every 30 seconds or so, until mixture thickens. Stir in vanilla and a pinch of salt.
Stovetop Method
- In a medium saucepan, whisk together the sugar and cocoa. Add the cream and stir until smooth.
- Place over medium heat and cook, stirring often, until the mixture starts to bubble and the sugar has fully dissolved, about 2–3 minutes.
- Add the butter and continue cooking, stirring frequently, until the sauce thickens slightly, about 2–4 minutes. Remove from heat. Stir in the vanilla and a pinch of salt.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Made this today 4/18/2026
Used stovetop method as directed. Used whole milk instead of heavy cream. Came out perfectly delicious, creamy not grainy at all. Love this recipe!
Thank you much for posting!
Excellent hot fudge sauce that’s so easy to make. It’s my new go-to for hot fudge.
Chocolate cake recipes made with cocoa sometimes recommend adding coffee (brewed, instant or espresso) to increase the flavor of the chocolate. What is your opinion adding instant coffee to this recipe?
Hi James, 100% DO it! I love adding a little instant coffee, but probably not more than 1/4 tsp unless you want a mocha flavor.
Very easy, good tips and turned out delicious! Last time I buy syrup from the store with questionable ingredients.
This seemed like such an easy and delicious recipe, but it took me 2 tries to get it right. My first attempt was using the only cocoa I had in the pantry–The Saco Pantry Premium Cocoa, Natural & Dutched Blend. It makes great hot chocolate, so I thought it would work. However, after following the recipe exactly, the chocolate was not smooth! It had shards of chocolate, chewy, sort of uncooked flavor. My husband said he like the texture, but I didn’t.
So, I looked online and discovered that Dutched process cocoa powder is created when natural processed cocoa powder’s acidity is neutralized to a pH of7 with a potassium carbonate solution. It results in a darker colored and richer flavored cocoa powder.
So, today I bought some Ghiradelli Premium Cocoa Powder, and the only ingredient listed is “cocoa.” I tried the recipe again and it came out smooth and delightful!
My unscientific opinion is that the two types of chocolate in the blend that I used yesterday cooked differently and created the lumps of chocolate, rather than making the sauce silky smooth.
To prevent others from making the same mistake, maybe you could add this information to the recipe, suggesting that cooks use one or the other type of chocolate, but not a blend!
Not a problem–it was great to have chocolate sundaes two nights in a row! Tonight, we added some fresh, delightful Hood strawberries (found only in Oregon, I’m afraid), and had a decadent dessert.
It is Impossible for words to describe HOW PERFECT this recipe is. My ONLY sadness is I didn’t discover this in my youth. I made it to put on ice cream (of course) and I have snuck back to fridge 3 times today to take another spoonful. thank you!!
Easy, fast, absolutely delicious. Thank you!
Do you have directions for stovetop?
Hi PJ! Yes, the stovetop instructions are below the microwave instructions!
Let it sit for a bit and now it has crystallized. Should I add butter or cream when we want to eat it?
This is how you can fix crystallized hot fudge sauce:
1. Place the crystallized sauce in a microwave-safe bowl. Add 1-2 tbsp of cream or milk.
2. Microwave on medium power for 20-30 seconds. Stir well after each interval to help dissolve the crystals.
3. Once the sauce begins to smooth out, add 1-2 tbsp of butter. Microwave for another 10-20 seconds and stir until fully incorporated.
4.If small crystals remain, strain the sauce through a fine-mesh sieve.
These steps should help restore your fudge sauce to a smooth, creamy consistency.
Yes
Just made this for the first time and I will never buy hot fudge sauce again. It’s super easy and so delicious.
Yay! So happy to hear it.
Can you use heavy whipping cream?
Yes! It’s perfect.