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Get ready to wow your family, your guests, and even yourself with this, the best hot fudge sauce recipe in all the land. It is seriously the best–not kidding! This post contains affiliate links. For more information, see my Disclosure page.

a mug of ice cream with a jar of hot fudge sauce in the background and hot fudge sauce dripping off a spoon onto the ice cream in the mug

Lots of dairy and chocolate all cooked together yield the most delicious and rich hot fudge sauce!

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What Makes This the Best Hot Fudge Sauce?

This sauce is the sauce we used to make at the restaurant, and it is the best hot fudge sauce in the world. Hands down.

Does it have the fewest ingredients? No, that prize goes to good old ganache which makes a fine ice cream topping.

If you’re looking for good, old-fashioned fudge sauce, you need look no further. Here are the things that are awesome about this fudge sauce:

It gets a thick and a bit chewy when cold.
You have to heat up in order to pour it.
It has deep, rich flavor that is exactly what is needed to set off a perfect vanilla ice cream. Or coffee ice cream.
There is enough salt in it to round out the flavors, counteract any bitterness that might be present if you use a really dark chocolate and to make the sauce sparkle on your tongue.

It is truly an old fashioned hot fudge sauce with deep, rich chocolate flavor.

How Can I Vary This Hot Fudge Recipe?

This sauce can be flavored in many ways. Here are some ideas to try:

Add a bit of orange zest and/or cinnamon to the boil
Switch out the rum for orange liqueur.
Use your favorite alcohol.
Add some peppermint extract for the holidays.
Whisk in powdered freeze-dried raspberries or other freeze-dried fruits.
Add some heat in the form of chipotle pepper or smoked hot paprika

Play with this sauce and make it your own.

When you want to relive your visits to the soda fountain where the hot fudge was thick and rich and tasted of fudge and not “brown,” then please make it according to the original recipe which calls for light rum and vanilla.

Why Is There Alcohol in This Ice Cream Sauce?

Even just a bit of alcohol, whether it be rum or Kahlua or Godiva chocoalate or whatever, brings out the alcohol soluble flavors that would otherwise remain locked away.

The entire recipe, and it makes just over a quart, uses only 2 Tablespoons of alcohol. You can’t taste it, but you would miss it were it not there.

If for any reason you cannot have alcohol, you can substitute 2 Tablespoons of very strong coffee.

Is There Any Good Commercial Hot Fudge Sauce Out There?

If you don’t have time to make your own sauce, even a quick one, there are some options that are available for purchase. Keep in mind that your taste might be different, and some I like you may not, and vice versa. But here are some different hot fudge brands for you to consider.

The Best Hot Fudge Sauce Recipe in the World

Enough talk! Please go and make some of this sauce. And then come back and tell me that it really is the best hot fudge sauce in the world. Make a sundae, and don’t forget to put the cherry on top. I promise you will feel just like a kid again.

And please share your photos with me! You can show me on Instagram by tagging me at @onlinepastrychef and using hashtag #pcorecipe. I can’t wait to see how you make this fudge topping your own!

The Best Hot Fudge Sauce in the World

Name: The Best Hot Fudge Sauce in the World
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 30 min
Yield: 1 + quart
Ingredients: 4 oz unsalted butter, (1 stick); 8 oz granulated sugar, (1 slightly generous cup); 11.75 oz light or dark corn syrup, (1 cup); 16 oz heavy cream, (1 pint or 2 cups); 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt; 5.3 oz whole milk, (about 2/3 cup); 1.75 oz cocoa powder, (1/4 cup); 1.3 oz water, (2 Tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon water); 1 oz light rum, (2 Tablespoons); 1 teaspoon vanilla extract or vanilla paste; 8 oz excellent quality semi-sweet chocolate, , chopped (I used Ghirardelli 60%)

Yield: 1 + quart

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes

Total Time: 30 minutes

This rich, deeply fudgy sauce attains incredible complexity and depth two ways. First, the addition of a touch of alcohol brings out alcohol-soluble flavors. Starting with a lightly caramelized base affords more depth and that bit of chew and stretch you expect from an excellent fudge sauce. A full recipe yields over a quart, so you can either half the recipe or make the full recipe and share with friends.

Ingredients

4 oz unsalted butter, (1 stick)
8 oz granulated sugar, (1 slightly generous cup)
11.75 oz light or dark corn syrup, (1 cup)
16 oz heavy cream, (1 pint or 2 cups)
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
5.3 oz whole milk, (about 2/3 cup)
1.75 oz cocoa powder, (1/4 cup)
1.3 oz water, (2 Tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon water)
1 oz light rum, (2 Tablespoons)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract or vanilla paste
8 oz excellent quality semi-sweet chocolate, , chopped (I used Ghirardelli 60%)

Instructions

Place the butter, sugar, corn syrup, heavy cream, salt and milk in a large, heavy-bottomed saucepan. Heat over medium heat until it comes to a boil.
Meanwhile, whisk together the cocoa powder, water, rum and vanilla into a thin paste.
Place the cocoa paste in a large bowl.
Chop the chocolate into small pieces (or use excellent quality chocolate chips or paillettes) and add to the bowl.
When the dairy comes to a boil, regulate the heat so it maintains a slow boil but doesn't boil up in the pan.
Stir the dairy frequently and boil until it reaches a light caramel color, about 20-30 minutes (less time if you half the recipe). You don't want the color to be as dark as a Sugar Daddy, but it should be significantly darker than sweetened condensed milk. Here is a picture that hopefully will help with deciding if it's done or not.

Once the dairy is a lovely shade of deep tan, pour it into the bowl with the chopped chocolate and cocoa paste. Allow it to sit for a minute or two and then whisk until smooth.
Strain it just to make sure it is completely smooth.
Store in jars in the fridge.
If you used fresh dairy, the hot fudge sauce will keep for a good 2-3 weeks in the refrigerator. If your dairy was close to the expiration date, use the sauce up within 5-7 days.

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Nutrition Information:

Yield: 32 Serving Size: about 2 Tablespoons
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 175 Total Fat: 10.6g Saturated Fat: 6.8g Cholesterol: 29mg Sodium: 88mg Carbohydrates: 20.1g Fiber: 0.7g Sugar: 13.6g Protein: 1.3g

Even if you don’t make this hot fudge sauce now, do keep it in mind for the holidays. Your friends and family will thank you.

close up of a green bowl of vanilla ice cream topped with hot fudge sauce

This quick hot fudge sauce is ready in just a few minutes. It is the second best hot fudge sauce recipe! 🙂

Want a Quickie Hot Fudge Sauce Recipe? Try my Best Quick Hot Fudge Sauce Recipe. It uses a couple of shortcuts to get complex flavor in a short amount of time.

3 glass jars filled with hot fudge sauce with canning rings in the background

I store the hot fudge sauce in these canning jars, but I don’t process the jars to make the sauce shelf-stable. If you give this sauce as a gift, tell folks it will last a couple of weeks in the refrigerator.

Thank you for spending some time with me today. Happy Ice Cream Tuesday! Have a lovely day.

Looking for a quick hot fudge sauce that you can put together in about five minutes? My friend Chris has an excellent one she makes in a blender. Do check that one out too: Best Ever Hot Fudge Sauce.

**It occurs to me that, because of the jars I used, I may have implied that I canned the best hot fudge sauce in the world.

In fact, I did not can it, and I know next to nothing about canning. I used these jars because they’re small and cute, but I’m just storing the sauce in the fridge. It should last a good 2-3 weeks if you used fresh dairy.

Thank you for spending some time with me today. Take care, and have a lovely day.

This is the best hot fudge sauce recipe in the world. i am not kidding, y'all. This recipe makes a generous quart, so it's perfect for giving OR keeping and serving to a crowd. #hotfudge #dessertsforacrowd