All you need for easy homemade chocolate syrup is 5 ingredients and 5 minutes. This rich dairy-free chocolate syrup is perfect on ice cream and in milkshakes, and is much better than store bought!
Why this recipe works
- All you need is 5 ingredients and 5 minutes
- Rich, clean, chocolate flavor
- Dairy-free, vegan, and contains no preservatives or high fructose corn syrup
Chocolate syrup from the store is full of ingredients I can't spell or even pronounce, not to mention that slightly tinny, chemically taste. Who needs all those preservatives and high fructose corn syrup?
Homemade Chocolate Syrup contains only five common pantry staples. Plus, it comes together in about 5 minutes!
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What you need
With only five ingredients, water, sugar, salt, vanilla, and cocoa powder, you probably already have the ingredients in your pantry.
How to make chocolate syrup at home
A homemade chocolate syrup recipe really is just chocolate-flavored simple syrup. If you can boil water and sugar together, you can make this easy chocolate syrup recipe.
Step 1: Make a simple syrup
Simple syrup is the secret to making this homemade chocolate syrup recipe. It's just equal parts sugar and water, by weight.
Heat the water and sugar in a 1-quart saucepan set over medium-high heat until the sugar dissolves. Bring to just boiling, then reduce the heat to Low and simmer for 3 minutes, stirring regularly (photo 1).
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Step 2: Stir in cocoa powder
Add the cocoa powder and salt to the simple syrup. Continue to simmer, stirring constantly, for two more minutes. The cocoa powder should be fully dissolved and the chocolate syrup should be smooth and slightly thickened (photo 2).
Make sure to scrape the bottom of the saucepan so the cocoa powder doesn't burn while it's simmering.
Step 3: Strain and cool
Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the vanilla extract (photo 3, top). Strain the chocolate syrup through a fine mesh strainer into a bowl to remove any lumps of undissolved cocoa powder.
Let the chocolate syrup cool to room temperature (it will thicken upon standing). Transfer to a clean jar and cover with a tight-fitting lid (photo 3, bottom).
What could be simpler?
Questions asked and answered
Here are some questions you might have...
The main difference is that chocolate sauce (aka hot fudge sauce) is much thicker than chocolate syrup, which has the consistency of runny honey.
You can store a jar of tightly sealed chocolate syrup in the refrigerator for up to 4 weeks.
Pro Tip: How to use chocolate syrup
This really is the best chocolate syrup recipe around, easy and quick. You probably don't need me to tell you what to use it on (or in), but I will anyway:
- As an ice cream topping (or swirled into homemade ice cream)
- In marble cake or brownie recipes
- In a killer chocolate milkshake
Rich, clean chocolate taste
Homemade chocolate syrup made with cocoa powder has a rich, clean chocolate flavor, not tinny or chemically at all. For an even deeper chocolate flavor, replace the cocoa powder with dark chocolate cocoa powder, and add ½ teaspoon of espresso powder.
This chocolate syrup recipe makes about 1 cup, and can be easily doubled.
Say goodbye to store-bought chocolate syrup (sorry, Hershey's!), and leave the car keys alone. You'll want to make this recipe again and again!
Slainté! L’chaim! Cheers!
Tammy
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Recipe
Easy Homemade Chocolate Syrup (Dairy-Free)
Equipment
- 1-quart saucepan
Ingredients
- ⅔ cup water
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- ½ cup cocoa powder, sifted, see Recipe Notes
- ⅛ teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Instructions
- Heat the water and sugar in a 1-quart saucepan set over medium-high heat until the sugar dissolves. Bring to just boiling, then reduce the heat to Low and simmer for 3 minutes, stirring regularly.
- Add the cocoa powder and salt to the simple syrup. Continue to simmer, stirring constantly, for two more minutes. The cocoa powder should be fully dissolved and the chocolate syrup should be smooth and slightly thickened. Make sure to scrape the bottom of the saucepan so the cocoa powder doesn't burn while it's simmering.
- Remove the saucepan from the heat and stir in the vanilla extract. Strain the chocolate syrup through a fine mesh strainer into a bowl to remove any lumps of undissolved cocoa powder.
- Let the syrup cool to room temperature (it will thicken upon standing). Transfer to a clean jar and cover with a tight-fitting lid.
- You can store a jar of tightly sealed chocolate syrup in the refrigerator for up to 4 weeks.
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