Cover your ice cream and mix up your morning coffee with the BEST chocolate syrup recipe! This homemade syrup is made with five simple ingredients and no dairy or corn syrup. It is ready to use in just a few minutes!
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About this Chocolate Syrup recipe
We all scream for ice cream! But don’t we all scream for ice cream with lots of toppings?
My go-to ice cream sundae includes peanut butter ice cream with chocolate syrup for an extra punch of chocolate flavor.
Like me, you probably grew up on the kind that came in the convenient squeeze bottle. But did you know you can make your own homemade chocolate syrup? Instant game changer!
And the best part? It is SO easy to make at home.
I love using it for chocolate milk, mixing it into my morning coffee or using it in cocktails like this s’mores cocktail or a boozy milkshake.
Why you’ll love this recipe
- Homemade chocolate syrup comes together in just a few minutes with only 5 ingredients. It is quick and easy — it’s practically magic!
- Unlike store-bought, bottle chocolate syrup, this recipe contains ZERO high fructose corn syrup or artificial flavors, so you can feel good about knowing what’s in your food.
- It has so many uses: ice cream, chocolate milk, cocktails, desserts and more.
My husband is a HUGE chocoholic and he couldn’t get enough of this! So much better than the big brand syrup! Thanks for sharing!
–Julie
Chocolate syrup vs. chocolate sauce
While chocolate syrup and chocolate sauce (AKA fudge sauce) are both chocolate-flavored toppings for ice cream, there are some key differences.
Fudge sauce has a thicker consistency. It is usually made from butter, real chocolate, cream, sugar and vanilla flavoring. It is most often drizzled over sweets, like red wine brownies or vanilla ice cream.
My homemade mocha fudge sauce has a hint of coffee flavor that is so divine!
On the other hand, chocolate syrup is runnier than fudge sauce. Its recipe includes sugar, water, cocoa powder and vanilla extract *.
Chocolate syrup is also used for topping ice creams and desserts, but it also works well in beverages. It can be stirred into milk to make chocolate milk or hot chocolate, added to coffee drinks to give them a mocha flavor or used to garnish cocktails and glassware.
Ingredients and essentials
👇 For full measurements and step-by-step instructions, scroll down to the printable recipe card. It’s all there waiting for you!
This rich homemade chocolate syrup recipe is made with a handful of basic ingredients. You probably have them all in your pantry right now!
Homemade chocolate syrup is essentially a chocolate simple syrup that combines cocoa powder with homemade simple syrup. The sugar is what gives it its creamy texture.
You can use granulated sugar or cane sugar. It is okay to use brown sugar too.
Like all syrup recipes, water plays a pretty important role here too. If your tap water is safe to
Cocoa powder is what brings the natural flavor of chocolate to this syrup recipe.
You will want to use unsweetened cocoa powder (aka natural cocoa powder) for this recipe. Find natural cocoa powder in the baking aisle of the grocery store. What you are looking for is “100% Cacao” or “100% Cocoa” on the label. (The spelling differs depending on the brand — “cacao” refers to the name of the bean that chocolate comes from.) Organic cocoa powder is okay to use too.
Tip! I recommend sifting the cocoa powder with a fine-mesh strainer * to avoid lumps in the finished syrup.
Vanilla extract * and a pinch of sea salt round out the flavors in this chocolate syrup recipe and balance the bitter chocolate and sweet sugar.
I prefer to use pure vanilla extract but imitation vanilla * or vanilla bean paste * will also work. You can use a pinch of kosher salt in place of the sea salt, but I’d stay away from table salt here.
Best cocoa powder for chocolate syrup
There are a number of brands of cocoa powder out there. Hershey’s Cocoa Powder and Nestlé Toll House Cocoa are pretty common and available at most grocery stores.
If you want a more decadent chocolate flavor, a high-quality brand will make a big difference. Try Guittard Cocoa Rouge, Ghirardelli Cocoa Powder or King Arthur Black Cocoa Powder. You can even use dark cocoa powder to make dark chocolate syrups.
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Instructions
Making this delicious chocolate syrup is SO easy! You will never go back to buying it again — trust me! And since it will keep for several weeks in the fridge, you can make it well in advance of any parties.
- Sift the cocoa powder to remove any lumps. This makes a big difference, so don’t be tempted to skip it.
- Add the water and sugar to a medium saucepan over medium heat. Stir until the sugar has dissolved. You don’t need to worry about bringing the mixture to a simmer or boil.
- Whisk in the sifted cocoa powder and salt. Once that is well combined, take the syrup off the heat and add the vanilla.
- Cool completely, then store in an airtight container, such as a glass bottle or mason jar. Store in the refrigerator for up to two months.
Good simple starting place. (…) To thicken it up, I ended up adding about ⅓ [cup] more cocoa powder and more salt to prevent it from being overly bitter.
–Kim
Tips & tricks
- Take the time to sift the cocoa powder so you don’t end up with lumps in your syrup.
- If you’re making this chocolate syrup for a crowd, you can easily double or triple the recipe. Just be sure to use a bigger saucepan!
- Wait to add the vanilla until after you take the syrup off the heat. Vanilla’s flavor compounds are delicate and can be destroyed by too much heat; adding it at the end gives the best flavor!
Variations and substitutions
Sugar-free chocolate syrup: You can easily make this recipe sugar-free by using your favorite sugar substitute. Check out my recipe for sugar-free syrup for more info.
Mocha syrup: Instead of 1 cup water, use ½ cup coffee and ½ cup water OR 1 cup coffee for a delightful coffee flavor.
White chocolate syrup: You can make a homemade white chocolate syrup with white chocolate chips and milk. So delicious for white chocolate mochas.
Dark chocolate syrup: Use dark cocoa powder to make a dark version of this syrup. I wouldn’t recommend cutting down on the sugar content because sugar acts as a preservative. Instead, stir in more cocoa powder 1 tablespoon at a time.
Mexican chocolate syrup: Add ½ teaspoon cinnamon to your chocolate sauce to give it a lovely spiced flavor. Then drizzle it over Mexican chocolate cake.
Peanut butter chocolate syrup: Stir in 2 tablespoons of peanut butter while the mixture is still warm. Stir until it melts.
Boozy chocolate syrup: Stir in 1 ounce of coffee liqueur such as Kahlua for an alcoholic kick.
Mint chocolate syrup: Add ¼ teaspoon peppermint extract instead of the vanilla. Or infuse about 10 fresh mint leaves with the mixture after removing it from the heat. Let cool completely and discard the mint leaves before storing. See this mint syrup for more details on using fresh mint.
Uses for chocolate syrup
Chocolate syrup has so many uses! Here are my top picks:
Ice cream: The most obvious is to spoon it over your favorite ice cream. I recommend adding bourbon caramel sauce and some homemade sprinkles. Maybe some whipped cream too? Go wild. It will taste good on everything from homemade chocolate ice cream to vanilla ice cream to peanut butter brownie ice cream.
Milkshakes: You can also pour it into the blender to make a chocolate milkshake. Or drizzle it on top. This double chocolate s’mores milkshake would be perfect, as would this boozy peanut butter chocolate milkshake.
Chocolate milk: One of my favorite ways to use this homemade sauce is to make the BEST chocolate milk ever. Add 1-2 tablespoons to a glass and top with cold milk. Then stir until dissolved. It would be a beautiful garnish on the edges of a glass containing chocolate milk tea with boba, too.
Coffee drinks: Add it to your morning coffee or espresso-based drinks like lattes and cappuccinos to give them a mocha flavor. This copycat java chip frappuccino is one of my faves, as is this dark chocolate peppermint mocha and this s’mores frappuccino.
Cocktails: This is a cocktail site, so I’d be remiss not to mention a few cocktails. Guinness floats are so much fun, as is this chocolate mint julep and this chocolate old-fashioned. It’s a nice touch in a chocolate martini and would really level up a virgin White Russian, too!
Baked goods: And of course it works so well with desserts! Use it as a dipping sauce for churros or drizzle it over cake, Toblerone cheesecake or a batch of rich red wine brownies.
Breakfast: You could even drizzle this over chocolate chip pancakes or waffles. Or chocolate pancakes!
FAQ
Because chocolate syrup doesn’t have any dairy products, unlike hot fudge sauce, it can keep in the fridge for about two months. Store it in a glass jar or other airtight, food-safe container.
Yes! This recipe does not contain any dairy or animal products, so it is safe to share with your vegan or dairy-free friends and family.
Chocolate sauce is made with melted chocolate, whereas chocolate syrup is made with unsweetened cocoa powder. Chocolate sauce usually contains dairy products, including butter and heavy cream, while chocolate syrup is made with water. Both are sweetened with sugar, flavored with vanilla and used for ice cream toppings. Chocolate sauce is the better choice for making chocolate milk, mocha drinks and cocktails.
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Chocolate Syrup
ingredients
- 1 cup water
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- ¾ cup unsweetened cocoa powder sifted
- pinch sea salt
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
instructions
- In a medium saucepan, combine water and sugar over medium heat and stir until the sugar has dissolved.1 cup water, ½ cup granulated sugar
- Whisk in the cocoa powder and salt until combined. Remove from heat.¾ cup unsweetened cocoa powder, pinch sea salt
- Stir in vanilla extract.½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- Let cool completely and store in an airtight, food-safe container such as a mason jar.
notes
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Kim says
Good simple starting place.
The recipe came out too thin for our preferences. I looked for notes on texture in the modifications but didn’t manage to find them.
To thicken it up, I ended up adding about 1/3 more cocoa powder and more salt to prevent it from being overly bitter.
Susannah says
Hi Kim! Glad to hear you were able to make this recipe work for you. Truthfully, this is one I’ve been meaning to revisit and adjust the ratios, so thank you for the reminder to do that soon. The last time I made it, I used twice as much sugar, like you would for rich simple syrup, and that helps to thicken it as well, but you’d also want to add more cocoa for balance, so you absolutely had the right instinct! Thanks so much for sharing your experience.
Julie says
My husband is a HUGE chocoholic and he couldn’t get enough of this! So much better than the big brand syrup! Thanks for sharing!
Susannah says
So happy to hear it suited a true chocolate lover! Thanks for this story, Julie. It made my day.