This Chocolate Syrup Recipe is so easy to make that you will never run to the store for chocolate syrup again! Plus, you can make it as thick or thin as you prefer. It’s perfect to add to a plate of my Banana Split Nachos or be the star of my Chocolate Syrup Mug Cake!
Chocolate Syrup
When you look back in history, chocolate syrup wasn’t used to sweeten your favorite desserts. In fact, in the late 1800s, cocoa was made into a syrup to mask the unpleasant flavors of some medicines! Lucky for us, chocolate syrup soon became packaged for home use (think Hershey’s Chocolate Syrup) and is now used on all our favorite treats! Even better yet, you can make your own!
Ingredients & Substitutions
- Cocoa Powder – I used standard unsweetened cocoa powder, no particular brand. You can use Dutch Process for a richer flavor.
- Granulated Sugar – I have not personally tested this recipe with artificial or sugar-free sweeteners, but many readers have stated that it will work.
- Water – The substitutions for water are vast! We have tried coffee in place of water as well as milk. Some readers have also used carnation milk or evaporated milk. You can really play around with this particular ingredient substitution.
- Salt – I prefer kosher salt, but if you are using table salt use half the amount listed.
Chocolate Ganache vs. Syrup
Chocolate ganache is generally thicker and shinier than chocolate syrup. It is also usually just made with two ingredients–heavy cream and chocolate. The longer you let chocolate ganache rest, the thicker it will be, which makes it great for cake filling, truffles, and frosting that hardens as it cools.
Chocolate Syrup will also harden a bit as you let it cool, so it could be used as a dairy-free ganache. It would be an excellent frosting, although I would not recommend making truffles with this recipe.
How to Make Chocolate Milk with Chocolate Syrup
This chocolate sauce is basically a replacement for Hershey’s Chocolate Syrup!
To make some of the most decadent and rich chocolate milk of your life, just add 2-3 tablespoons to 8 ounces of cold milk. Stir and enjoy it! Easy peasy!
If you want a simpler version of a delicious Homemade Chocolate Milk, <— try this one!
Looking for More of the Best Chocolate Milk Recipes?
As mentioned earlier, making your own chocolate milk is probably your best bet when it comes to making it fit your nutritional needs. This syrup recipe is great because it can be added to milk in your desired amount. The same goes for my chocolate milk powder. With no preservatives, you know exactly what is going in the powder and you can tweak it as you see fit.
How to Store the Syrup
Once the syrup has cooled, you can scrape it out of the saucepan and into your airtight container. Store it in the refrigerator for up to 3 months. If you start to notice a film on top, discard it immediately.
Can You Freeze Homemade Chocolate Syrup?
Yes! I like to put it in freezer-safe sealable plastic bags and remove as much air as possible. Be sure to label and date. It should last about 6 months in the freezer. To thaw, place in the refrigerator.
More Syrups and Sauces
Chocolate Syrup Recipe
Ingredients
- ¾ cup (88.5g) cocoa powder
- 1 cup (200g) sugar
- 1 pinch salt
- 1 cup water
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
Instructions
- Combine the cocoa powder, sugar, salt, and water in a medium saucepan.
- Put the saucepan over medium heat. Whisk constantly until the mixture thickens and begins to simmer.
- Let it simmer for about 3 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Remove the pan from the heat and add in the vanilla. It will thicken as it cools so don't worry if it seems thin.
- Let the syrup cool before storing it in an airtight jar.
Did you make this recipe?
Thank you for making my recipe! You took pictures, right? Well go ahead and post them on Instagram! Be sure to mention me @iambaker and use the hashtag #YouAreBaker.
The flavor was great, but the syrup never did thicken (despite my obediently refusing to worry.)
We had it over vanilla ice cream, and it was tasty, just runny. My husband liked it anyway.
Obviously, this would not work for a hot-fudge sundae because if it ever DID get thick, it would probably get runny again, once heated.
I’ve been making this syrup routinely since we ran out of chocolate syrup for my sons daily milk one morning. I will NEVER buy chocolate syrup from the store again. As long as I have cocoa powder and sugar available, I will always make this recipe.
Can I use coconut sugar?
What is the shelf life of this in the fridge?
How to Store the Syrup
Once the syrup has cooled, you can scrape it out of the saucepan and into your airtight container. Store it in the refrigerator for up to 3 months. If you start to notice a film on top, discard it immediately.
Didn’t help me trying to make more than 1cup. And there’s no 3/4cup on anything I own
For 3/4 cup measure, 1/2 c plus 1/4 c = 3/4 c. Or just measure 1/4 c three times.
Go to the store and buy it. Clearly you should never be in the kitchen. My 8 yo granddaughter could figure this out!
Jennifer, you can also use ounces to measure out in a pinch. A cup is 8 ounces, you can break down from there: 1/2 cup = 4 ou., 1/4 = 2 ou., 3/4 = 6 and so on. You can often find ounces on many things laying around a kitchen, like baby bottles, a jigger (AKA: shot glass) is typically an ounce, large measurements can be found on inexpensive juice pitchers (though less accurate, but in a pinch…) I hope this was helpful, have fun, and good luck with you cooking and baking adventures. At first we seem to have more imperfection than perfection but keep it up and it will be just the opposite in no time!
Kim, that wasn’t necessary, did you think it through before you posted or just hop on and type away? Don’t you remember when you were starting out, most of us didn’t have everything we needed for our kitchen and not everyone had a studious loved one to teach us what our kitchen needed. Next time, perhaps refrain from salty and snarky comments, especially when you don’t know someones background, age, or situation. The energy you put into degrading her could have been used to build her up, educate, and encourage, much like Sadie’s. The world comes with its own obstacles (for everyone), but women especially typically have to work twice as hard to attain what is often freely given to males. The last thing we need to do is be another obstacle for each other.
Thanks it worked perfectly 🥰
Wow! I used another recipe for chocolate syrup before, but couldn’t find it, so looked online & found this one when I ran out & my grandson wanted chocolate milk. This one is so much better!! I will see what its like after sitting in the fridge, but tried some in milk after letting it cool & it was perfect!! Thanks for the recipe!
Does this work for iced coffees?
Sure!
Awesome syrup. Thank you
My daddy use yo make this when we were kids to put on pancakes I have been trying to figure out how he made it thanks to you I got the same recipe thank you so much bless his soul