Easy Hot Fudge Sauce – Barefeet in the Kitchen

You only need two ingredients and about five minutes to make this easy hot fudge sauce. Creamy, thick, rich, and chocolatey hot fudge is a dream (and often a “must have in the house at all times” requirement) for any ice cream lover! 

I have a well-known love for ice cream and while I rarely turn down a scoop in a cone, I can’t resist a fancy ice cream sundae whenever I have the chance to make one.

This weekend, I had a blast playing with several new brownie recipes and this hot fudge sauce was worthy of each one.

Brownie Hot Fudge Sundaes

My favorite combination was the Almond Joy Brownies topped with a scoop of Homemade Vanilla Ice Cream and then generously drizzled with this Hot Fudge Sauce.

Years ago, my sister worked as a waitress at Christy Mae’s restaurant in Albuquerque, NM. Known for serving the best comfort food in the area, they also made a brownie sundae that my friends and I could never resist.

Their hot fudge sundae became a favorite indulgence among our circle and recreating it at home is one of my favorite desserts.

This hot fudge sauce is perfect for serving warm, right off the stove. Because it only takes a few minutes to make, I like to make it right before I’m ready to make ice cream sundaes.

If you set the ice cream on the counter when you start this sauce, it will be soft enough to scoop when the sauce finishes and you’ll be ready to assemble your sundaes in no time at all.

If you’re looking for a copycat recipe for Hershey’s chocolate syrup, you’ll want to check out this recipe for Simple Homemade Chocolate Sauce.

Easy Hot Fudge Sauce Recipe

To make this indulgent and irresistible hot fudge sauce, you’ll need the following ingredients:

• semi-sweet chocolate chips
• sweetened condensed milk
• Optional: vanilla or almond extract

Easy Hot Fudge Recipe

Combine the chocolate chips and the sweetened condensed milk in a small saucepan over medium heat.

Whisk or stir constantly until the chocolate has melted and the ingredients have combined smoothly, about 3-5 minutes.

Add extract if desired and stir gently to combine. Serve warm.

The sauce should be quite thick and will very slowly pour off a spoon. Transfer any remaining sauce to an airtight container and refrigerate.

How To Reheat Hot Fudge Sauce

The hot fudge will firm up as it cools. Reheat it in the microwave (at half power!) stirring frequently, until the sauce is smooth and stirrable once again.

If you need to thin down your homemade hot fudge sauce, you can very slowly whisk in a bit of milk, just a tablespoon or two at a time. You likely won’t need to add more than a few tablespoons of milk. If you accidentally add too much, don’t worry though, you’ve just transformed your hot fudge sauce into a rich chocolate sauce and it will still be delicious.

{originally published 12/14/20 – recipe notes and photos updated 2/12/25}