Easy Chocolate Sauce Recipe

Easy chocolate sauce poured over vanilla ice cream

The Spruce/Julia Hartbeck

Prep: 10 mins
Cook: 4 mins
Total: 14 mins
Servings: 6 servings
Yield: 1 1/4 cups

This incredibly easy chocolate sauce recipe calls for just three ingredients and takes less than 15 minutes to make. It's a combination of chocolate chips, whipping cream, and some vanilla extract. Once you know how to master this sauce, you'll be whipping it up for topping ice cream, special desserts, or simply when you want a chocolatey dip.

“You will never want eat ice cream without chocolate sauce again! This recipe is really easy and takes just minutes to have warm chocolate sauce to top off fresh brownies, ice cream, or drizzle on top of cake. Enjoy!” —Tracy Wilk 

chocolate sauce/tester image
A Note From Our Recipe Tester

Ingredients

  • 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

  • 3/4 cup whipping cream

  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Steps to Make It

  1. Gather the ingredients.

    ingredients to make easy chocolate sauce

    The Spruce/Julia Hartbeck

  2. In a small saucepan over low heat, cook the chocolate chips along with the whipping cream, stirring constantly. Continue to cook while stirring, until the chocolate chips have melted and the sauce is smooth.

    melted chocolate sauce in a pot

    The Spruce/Julia Hartbeck

  3. Remove the sauce from the heat and add the vanilla extract. Stir to blend.

    easy chocolate sauce in a pot

    The Spruce/Julia Hartbeck

  4. Serve the sauce warm or cooled over dessert or ice cream.

    Easy chocolate sauce served over vanilla ice cream

    The Spruce/Julia Hartbeck

Tips

  • This recipe makes about 1 1/4 cups and can easily be doubled.
  • Be sure to cook the chocolate chips and whipping cream over low heat; if the heat is too high, the mixture can easily burn.

Recipe Variations

  • If you want to add some other flavoring, try a small sprinkle of cinnamon. Make sure the cinnamon is fully incorporated into the sauce and does not leave any lumps.
  • For a surprising variation on this recipe, you can make a white chocolate sauce. Simply replace the semisweet chocolate chips with high-quality white chocolate chips. If you want to leave the color pure white, omit the vanilla extract. If you don't mind a darker color white with the rich taste of vanilla extract, leave it in.
  • Swap out the vanilla extract for 1/2 teaspoon peppermint extract; you can also use both extracts together if you prefer.

How to Store

  • If you have any leftover chocolate sauce, you can store it in a sealed container in the refrigerator. Reheat a small amount in the microwave or reheat the entire batch in a small saucepan over low heat, stirring often. 
  • If you used the sauce as a dip, you won't necessarily want to keep any leftover sauce. Once food has been dipped into the sauce (and likely had bits fall into it), it's not worth saving.

How Can I Use Chocolate Sauce?

  • Make this warm chocolate sauce as part of a decadent dessert sundae bar. Gather all your favorite ice cream flavors plus toppings like sprinkles, crushed cookies (like Oreos), wet walnuts, whipped cream, and cherries. Have ice cream dishes and cones on hand.
  • Spoon over chocolate or vanilla cakes, or serve alongside cheesecake as an optional topping. You can also drizzle on top of freshly baked cookies (or even store bought).
  • Another creative way to use this rich sauce is as a dessert dip, in the style of fondue. Put the warm chocolate sauce in a bowl and serve it with fresh (or dried) fruit skewers, cookies, pretzel rods, or even potato chips. Anything that pairs well with chocolate (from sweet to salty) and is relatively easy to dip will work.
Nutrition Facts (per serving)
243 Calories
19g Fat
19g Carbs
2g Protein
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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 6
Amount per serving
Calories 243
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 19g 25%
Saturated Fat 12g 60%
Cholesterol 34mg 11%
Sodium 11mg 0%
Total Carbohydrate 19g 7%
Dietary Fiber 2g 6%
Total Sugars 17g
Protein 2g
Vitamin C 0mg 1%
Calcium 29mg 2%
Iron 1mg 5%
Potassium 135mg 3%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)