Author: With just 3 ingredients, this homemade chocolate syrup is a clean recipe the whole family will love! Use it for chocolate milk, over ice cream, in your coffee, and more!
We’ve been using this homemade chocolate syrup recipe for everything from chocolate milk to homemade mocha coffee, ice cream toppings, and more for over 20 years and have loved every moment.
This syrup is rich and thick and chemical free!
Not to mention the cost savings! This recipe makes the same amount of syrup as a store-bought bottle contains (maybe a little more) and only costs about $0.78 per batch!
Homemade Chocolate Syrup
You may think, why bother with homemade chocolate syrup, instead of just buying it from the store?
Well, first of all, this homemade chocolate syrup really is the best you’ll ever taste. Plus, it’s so easy to make and it has the added benefit of allowing you to control the quality of the ingredients used.
I like to use raw, organic cacao powder in mine (usually available at your local health food store, or you can order from this link), but it works just as well with regular ol’ cocoa powder.
So grab a pan and whip up a batch! Your family will thank you ;-)
Ingredients
The ingredients for making your own chocolate syrup are simple (you probably have everything you need right now!) and can be customized to your tastes! Let’s take a look at each one with their possible substitutions.
- Sugar – There are a lot of different things you can use to sweeten your homemade chocolate syrup. While cane sugar is traditional and will yield the closest flavor profile to store-bought chocolate syrup, you can also use honey or maple syrup instead! If you are using liquid sweetener, reduce the water to a 1/2 cup instead of 1 full cup.
- Cacao Powder – Cacao powder is the key ingredient that gives the chocolate syrup its rich and intense flavor. We love this raw, organic cacao powder! You can use unsweetened cocoa powder as a substitute, if you do that I would recommend a dark cocoa powder for the best taste.
- Vanilla Extract – Vanilla extract enhances the overall taste and aroma of the chocolate syrup. Surprisingly, chocolate doesn’t taste right without a little vanilla in the mix, so don’t skip this!
How to Make Homemade Chocolate Syrup
The process of making homemade chocolate syrup is very easy and once you try it, you’ll be hooked! The full printable directions are at the end of the post.
- Heat: In a medium saucepan, combine the sugar and water. Heat on medium until the sugar is completely dissolved. Note: Use a saucepan that can hold double the amount of syrup you are making, in order to accommodate bubbling.
- Add: Once the sugar is dissolved, add the cacao powder. Stir until thoroughly combined.
- Boil: Bring the mixture to a steady boil. Stir constantly and boil the mixture for 3 minutes.
- Add: Remove the saucepan from heat and add the vanilla extract.
- Store: Allow the syrup to cool and then transfer it into the container of your choice.
Ways to Use Homemade Chocolate Syrup
While the most common way to enjoy your homemade chocolate syrup might be as chocolate milk, here are a few more options for you to try:
- Chocolate Gravy and Biscuits – One of my amazing readers commented that this recipe was just like the chocolate syrup her mom used to make for chocolate gravy and biscuits! So, if you’re looking for a good chocolate gravy recipe, this one seems to do the trick! Try my favorite biscuit recipe for a delicious treat!
- Drizzle over ice cream – Pour chocolate syrup generously over your favorite ice cream flavors to create a classic sundae or add a delightful finishing touch to a simple scoop.
- Add to coffee or hot chocolate – Mix chocolate syrup into your coffee or hot chocolate to give it a rich and indulgent chocolatey twist. Stir until well combined for a velvety texture.
- Dip fruits and treats – Use chocolate syrup as a dip for fresh fruits like strawberries, bananas, or apple slices. You can also dip cookies, marshmallows, or pretzels for a quick and satisfying snack.
- Drizzle over pancakes or waffles – Transform a simple breakfast into a delightful treat by drizzling chocolate syrup over homemade pancakes or waffles. Top it off with some whipped cream or fresh fruits for an extra touch of sweetness.
Homemade Chocolate Syrup FAQs
It can be stored in the fridge indefinitely, so feel free to make a large batch. However, we usually use it in less than a month. A good rule of thumb for this recipe is to treat it as you would a jar of jelly!
Absolutely! Just sub in equal parts honey or maple syrup for the sugar, reduce the water by half and follow the directions as is. We prefer maple syrup in our chocolate syrup as the flavor is much closer to that of chocolate syrup made with sugar but with low glycemic index benefits!
Whatever way you would a bottle of chocolate syrup from the store! You can use it for chocolate milk, as an ice cream topping, in your coffee, or any other way you like to consume chocolate syrup.
If your syrup is still too runny after it has been in the fridge for at least 3 hours, place it back into a pan and bring to a simmer. Continue to simmer the chocolate sauce on low for about 5-10 minutes, depending on how think you’d like it (you’re removing the water content). Stir it frequently to prevent burning. Repeat if needed.
Even More Homemade Recipes
Ready to fill your fridge and pantry with even more homemade versions of your favorite store-bought items? Here are a few of our favorites!
Homemade Chocolate Syrup
Ingredients
- 2 cups sugar
- 1 cup water
- 1/3 cup cacao powder or cocoa
- 1 tbsp vanilla extract
Instructions
- Combine sugar and water in a medium sauce pan. Heat on medium until sugar is completely dissolved.
Note: Sauce will bubble, so pan must be larger than quantity would normally dictate. - Once sugar is dissolved, add cacao powder. Stir until thoroughly combined.
- Bring mixture to steady boil.
- Stir constantly and boil for 3 minutes.
- Removed from heat and add vanilla.
- Allow to cool and then transfer the syrup into the container of your choice.
Notes
Sugar Substitutes:
If you’d like to use other sugar types for this recipe, you can! Just sub in equal parts honey, maple syrup, or coconut sugar for the sugar. If you are using liquid sweetener, reduce the water by half to 1/2 a cup.Nutrition
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Turned out delicious but keeping it in the fridge made it crystalize.
Hey there! Next time, reduce the heat over which you are boiling. If it’s too hot, then too much water will evaporate during the process and it will crystalize. The directions say medium heat, but you might try medium low and see if that works better for your particular stove. I hope that helps! :-)
this tastes amazing. Mines still warm but dies it get thicker as it cools?
Yes it does! It’s like any other syrup that will be much more fluid when hot. And then it thickens up a lot as it cools. Usually it will be at its thickest within 12-24 hours :-)
BEST SYRUP EVER!!! I will never buy syrup again.
Thank you Kayla! Whoo hoo!!
I added extra cocoa powder because I like my syrup strong in my coffee but so far it’s perfect!
This is sooo good! So glad to have found this recipe! I added a little salt to mine. So very tasty!
Whoo hoo! I’m glad you love it, we do too!!