5-Minute Homemade Chocolate Sauce

By Terri Wuerthner

Updated 09/14/18

Homemade Chocolate Sauce
The Spruce
Ratings (121)
  • Total: 10 mins
  • Prep: 5 mins
  • Cook: 5 mins
  • Yield: 24 Servings
Nutritional Guidelines (per serving)
134 Calories
2g Fat
29g Carbs
2g Protein
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)

This popular chocolate sauce takes only 5 minutes of cooking time, and it is much better than any store-bought chocolate sauce. Purchased chocolate sauces won't taste the same after you sample this fresh, rich, and very chocolate-dense version.

Warm the chocolate sauce up to make a hot fudge sundae or serve it cold or at room temperature. Drizzle the sauce over ice cream or use it to dress up a chocolate chip pie or pound cake. And it's a great topping for chocolate chip pancakes!

Although this basic sauce is wonderful as it is, it may be enhanced and varied in several ways. Take a look at the tips and variations below the recipe for some alternative flavor ideas. 

Chocolate sauce ingredients.
 The Spruce

Ingredients

  • 2 1/4 cups granulated sugar
  • 3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1 1/2 cups milk (whole milk recommended)
  • 1 tablespoon vanilla extract

Steps to Make It

Place the granulated sugar, cocoa powder, flour, and salt in a medium-sized saucepan, along with 1/2 cup of the milk and whisk to combine into a thick paste.

Melted chocolate.
 The Spruce

Add the remaining milk and bring the mixture to a boil; whisk to blend thoroughly.

Whisking chocolate sauce.
 The Spruce

When sauce the sauce comes to a boil, reduce the heat to low and simmer very gently for 5 minutes, whisking often. Remove from heat, add the vanilla extract, and let the sauce cool.

Simmering chocolate sauce.
 The Spruce

Store the sauce in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks, covered.

Stored chocolate sauce.
 The Spruce

Warm the sauce in the microwave or on the stovetop, if desired, and enjoy!

Kitchen Notes

The sauce may be used hot or cold; on ice cream, cake, fruit, or combined with milk to make a quick cup of hot chocolate (blend milk and amount of sauce to your own taste).

Keep this sauce on hand throughout the year, as it is a low-fat treat and a little bit goes a long way. For a light dessert with a chocolate fix, slice a few bananas, sprinkle them with walnuts, and then drizzle some of this chocolate sauce on top: an elegant and satisfying dessert with lots of texture, flavor, nutrition from the milk and bananas, and very little fat (though it does have sugar). It can be made with low-fat or even skim milk, for a wonderful treat when seriously watching fat intake. Will it be as good as with whole milk? No, but it will be almost as good--a fair compromise for such rich, chocolate flavor.

Variations

Add orange liqueur and a bit of orange zest for a chocolate orange sauce

Add a couple of tablespoons of bourbon and some cherries for a cherry bounce chocolate sauce

Add some mint extract and chopped fresh mint leaves for a chocolate mint sauce

Add some crushed peppermint candy for a chocolate peppermint sauce

The recipe makes about 3 cups of chocolate sauce or about 2 dozen 2-tablespoon servings.