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This hot fudge sauce recipe is rich, creamy, and made with peanut butter and chocolate. A quick, easy topping for ice cream, brownies, and more!
Hot Fudge Sauce
Can you define self-control? Want me to tell you about it? Of course I will! Self-control is when you’ve got a saucepan full of rich, creamy, glossy hot fudge sauce staring you down, and you don’t touch it because it’s for a toddler’s birthday party. (Spoiler: I absolutely licked the spoon.)
But honestly, this sauce? Worth every bit of restraint and then some. It’s chocolatey, peanut buttery, ridiculously easy to make, and you’re going to want to put it on everything short of asparagus.
Why You’ll Love This Hot Fudge Sauce Recipe
- It’s quick. This hot fudge sauce recipe comes together in about 5 minutes on the stovetop. No candy thermometers, no double boilers, you just stir and go.
- Minimal ingredients, maximum flavor. All you need are chocolate chips, peanut butter, sweetened condensed milk, butter, and vanilla. That’s it.
- It’s rich, creamy, and pourable. The consistency is thick but smooth, and it sets beautifully over cold ice cream or warm brownies.
How to Make This Hot Fudge Sauce
This homemade chocolate sauce is super simple and ready in minutes. Here’s how to make it in like 5 minutes!
- Add everything to a saucepan. Combine the chocolate chips, peanut butter, sweetened condensed milk, and butter in a small saucepan.
- Heat and stir. Set the pan over medium heat and stir constantly until everything is melted, smooth, and glossy. This takes about 4 to 5 minutes.
- Finish with vanilla. Once smooth, remove it from the heat and stir in the vanilla extract.
- Serve warm. Use it right away over ice cream, cake, fruit, or straight off the spoon. (You do you.)
How To Store It
Let the sauce cool completely, then pour it into a jar or airtight container.
- Refrigerate: Store in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.
- To reheat: Scoop out what you need and microwave it in 15-second bursts, stirring in between until warm and pourable.
If it gets a little too thick in the fridge, just stir in a splash of milk when reheating to loosen it up.
Tools I Used
(Amazon affiliate links) – Check out my kitchen shop here.
- Saucepan – A sturdy, heavy-bottomed pan helps melt everything evenly without scorching the chocolate.
- Heatproof Spatula – Essential for stirring constantly and getting that glossy finish without burning.
- Glass Jars – Perfect for storing leftovers in the fridge, and they look cute if you’re gifting a jar of fudge sauce!
- Measuring Cups and Spoons – Precision matters when you’re working with chocolate and sweetened condensed milk.
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Hot Fudge Sauce
Ingredients
- ⅔ cup chocolate chips
- ⅔ cup fat-free sweetened condensed milk
- ½ cup creamy peanut butter
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- ¼ cup boiling water
Instructions
- Combine and simmer. In a small saucepan, combine the chocolate chips, sweetened condensed milk, and peanut butter. Cook over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, until melted; about 2 minutes.
- Add vanilla and water. Remove from the heat and stir in the vanilla. Then, add in 2 tablespoons of boiled water at a time to thin it out; stir in more water to achieve the desired consistency.
- Finish and serve. Drizzle the hot fudge sauce over ice cream and serve.
- Storage. Let it cool completely before storing it in a jar or an airtight container, tightly covered. Keep refrigerated.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional info is an estimate and provided as courtesy. Values may vary according to the ingredients and tools used. Please use your preferred nutritional calculator for more detailed info.
OMG just love this over my brownies and ice cream.
What’s the best way to reheat?
Hi! Yep, same here! I love this stuff over ice cream, too! The best way to reheat is to do it over medium-low heat on the stovetop. Microwave would be risky – chocolate burns quite quickly in the microwave – but you can do it, just make sure to check on it every 10 seconds, and stir. 🙂
WHERE’S THE RECIPE
Hi!
It’s there now. It was hiding behind a code. :-/ Thanks for letting me know!! xo
No, thank you!
I need this fudge sauce…like NOW Kate! I’d pour it over any and everything 🙂 Pinned and shared on FB girl!
Fabulous sauce here, it would have taken an extreme amount will power not to have eaten the whole pot!
WOW!
That does look so good, and yes that is the definition of elf control!
I always use lo fat ingredients where I can too, I ma not sure if it really counts in recipes like this though 😉 I would eat too much also )
This is brilliant, Kate. I would just set it out on the counter and kip everything within reach into it!
Oh yeah this sauce is incredible! I want to add this to every single ice cream sundae in the world.