5 minutes, people! That’s all you need until you are in chocolatey heaven. This Homemade Chocolate Sauce recipe is made on the stove top, with common ingredients you likely already have in your pantry and fridge. You can be adorning everything with shiny hot fudge sauce in a heartbeat.

A small pot of chocolate sauce.

An easy chocolate fix in an emergency

I first made this Homemade Chocolate Sauce recipe to drizzle over my Cookie Crust Brownie Pie. I needed something super chocolatey, very luxurious and with just the ingredients I had in my pantry and fridge at the time. Everyone needs something like that right?!. I’d already done all my shopping for the weekend and there was no way I was getting myself into respectable clothes and back in the car to go out and buy anything more.

This sauce turned out beautifully and I’ve used it numerous times since and I know you will too. I’m fairly confident you will want to keep this gorgeous, oozy treat stashed in your fridge at all times for a chocolate emergency. I’ve also used it on this No Bake Oreo Cheesecake too.

How to make chocolate sauce

Dark brown sugar is the key to this dark and luxurious chocolate sauce. Mix that in a saucepan over low heat with some unsalted butter until it’s all smooth. Add the remaining ingredients (and feel free to swap out the dutch processed cocoa for plain unsweetened cocoa) and mix them well. Now bring to a low simmer and stir until smooth and glossy. Done.

I use simple squeeze bottles to store my chocolate sauce and these are the swing top glass bottles shown in the photos. These are a nice touch if you’re serving it immediately, however, if you store any leftover sauce in the fridge in these bottles, make sure to remove the metal parts before reheating in the microwave.

A glass bottle filled with Homemade Chocolate Sauce.

How to use chocolate sauce

I love that this sauce is silky, shiny and uber-chocolatey. All that in mere minutes. I can think of many times this super simple recipe will come in handy.

  • Your guests are waiting at the table for your glorious chocolate cake but you just want to finish it off with something really special.
  • You forgot to buy any sauce for your ice cream sundaes – tragedy! Not anymore.
  • You wake up on Sunday morning and you just neeeeeeeeed pancakes …. with chocolate sauce
  • You have some strawberries or marshmallows that seriously need to be dunked in some form of chocolate
  • You feel like dunking your cookies in something other than milk

Ok, that last one may be a step too far …. maybe. But you get the point. This Homemade Chocolate Sauce will save you from any number of possibly devastating dessert tragedies in the nick of time. Enjoy 🙂

MAKE AHEAD – Yes, this Homemade Chocolate Sauce can be made ahead of time and reheated when you need it. This will keep in an airtight jar or sealed plastic squeezee bottle for up to 2 weeks.

STORAGE – I use sealable plastic squeeze bottles to store mine, however you can use conserve jars similar to these small weck jars as well. Seal it so that it’s airtight and keep it in the fridge

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A small pot with a spoon inside, lined with remnant of chocolate sauce.

More recipes you’ll love

This Homemade Chocolate Sauce recipe is one I turn to most often when I want a quick and easy hot fudge sauce. A handful of ingredients and a few minutes and you'll have a thick chocolate sauce for ice cream, cakes, pancakes or any indulgent desserts.
4.6 from 8 ratings
This Homemade Chocolate Sauce recipe is one I turn to most often when I want a quick and easy hot fudge sauce. A handful of ingredients and a few minutes and you'll have a thick chocolate sauce for ice cream, cakes, pancakes or any indulgent desserts.

Ingredients

  • 3/4 cup / 150g / 5.5oz dark brown sugar, packed
  • 1/4 cup / 57g / 1/2 stick unsalted butter
  • 1/4 cup whole (full cream) milk
  • 35 g / 1/3 cup / 1.5oz dutch processed cocoa (notes)
  • 1 tablespoon plain (all purp) flour notes

For best results, always weigh ingredients where a weight is provided

Instructions
 

  • In a small saucepan over low heat, melt together the butter and sugar until smooth.
  • Add the milk, cocoa and flour and whisk well. Bring to a low simmer, continuing to whisk for a couple of minutes until it starts to thicken.
  • Once it's thick, smooth and glossy it's ready.

Notes

  1. Feel free to use plain unsweetened cocoa
  2. I use a standard Australian 20ml tablespoon (4 teaspoons worldwide)
  3. For best results you should always weigh ingredients like flour and sugar. Kitchen scales are relatively cheap but if you can’t weigh the ingredients, use the spoon and level method (don’t scoop).
  4. I store my sauces in these squeeze bottles in the fridge. These small weck jars are also really good. 
  5. These are the swing top glass bottles shown in the photos.

MORE CHOCOLATE RECIPES? CLICK HERE

Have you tried this recipe?Don't forget to leave a rating and comment below and let me know how it was! I love hearing from you. Nutrition information is approximate and derived from an online calculator. The brands you use may cause variations.

2 photos: chocolate sauce in a pan, chocolate sauce being poured into a glass bottle.