Last Updated on April 14, 2026 by Deliciously Organic Editor
This homemade chocolate sauce recipe is my go to when you want something fast, simple, and made with real ingredients. It’s a 4 ingredient homemade chocolate sauce that tastes rich and chocolatey, dissolves smoothly into milk, and stores well so you can keep it on hand.
If you’re used to the conventional store bought kind, this homemade version is a solid swap. It takes just a few minutes on the stove and you’ll have a jar ready for ice cream, yogurt, smoothies, or straight off the spoon.
Chocolate Sauce Recipe
This homemade chocolate sauce recipe is made with maple syrup instead of corn syrup and comes together in one saucepan. It’s glossy, pourable, and perfect for dessert nights or quick treats.
Ingredients for Chocolate Sauce
You only need four ingredients:
- 1 cup maple syrup
- 1 1/2 cups water
- 1 3/4 cups unsweetened cocoa powder
- 2 tablespoons vanilla extract
Maple syrup tip: I like Grade B because it has a deeper, more caramel like flavor that holds up really well against cocoa. Use whichever pure maple syrup you already keep on hand, but if you want that bold chocolate flavor, Grade B is a great pick.
And, this is the cocoa powder that I use, but if you prefer a darker syrup, this one would be a good fit!
How to Make Chocolate Syrup
- Pour 1 cup maple syrup and 1 1/2 cups water into a medium saucepan.
- Warm over medium heat until it’s just starting to simmer.
- Slowly whisk in 1 3/4 cups cocoa powder. This takes a minute or two. Keep whisking until the cocoa is fully incorporated and smooth.
- Remove from the heat and whisk in 2 tablespoons vanilla extract.
- Pour the sauce through a fine mesh sieve into a glass jar. This helps catch any tiny cocoa lumps so the sauce is extra smooth.
That’s it. You’ve got a homemade chocolate sauce recipe that works as chocolate syrup, chocolate drizzle, and even a quick hot chocolate starter.
What to Use Chocolate Sauce For
This is one of those recipes that gets used up fast. Here are a few easy ways to use it:
- Drizzle over ice cream
- Spoon onto yogurt with berries
- Pour over granola or oatmeal
- Blend into a smoothie or milkshake
- Stir into cold milk for chocolate milk
- Warm it slightly and use as a dessert dip
How to Store the Leftovers
Pour the sauce into a glass jar with a lid and store it in the refrigerator for up to 3 weeks.
A quick note: the ingredients may settle a bit in the fridge. Before using, just stir or shake the jar and it’ll come right back together.
More Chocolate Recipes to Try
If you like this chocolate sauce recipe, you’ll probably also love:
- No Bake Fudgy Chocolate Tarts
- Dark Chocolate Creams
- Sourdough Chocolate CakeÂ
- Gluten free brownies
- Chocolate lava cakes
Homemade Chocolate Sauce
Adapted from Food Network Magazine
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 5 minutes
- Total Time: 10 minutes
- Yield: Makes about 2 1/2 cups
- Category: Dessert
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Gluten Free
Ingredients
- 1 cup maple syrup
- 1 1/2 cups water
- 1 3/4 cups unsweetened cocoa powder
- 2 tablespoons vanilla extract
Instructions
- Pour maple syrup and 1 1/2 cups water in a medium sauce pan. Warm over medium heat until just simmering. Whisk in cocoa powder (it will take a minute or two to get all of the cocoa completely incorporated). Remove from heat and whisk in vanilla. Pour through a fine mesh sieve into a glass jar. Store in the refrigerator for up to 3 weeks. The ingredients will settle a bit while in the refrigerator, so make sure to stir or shake the container before using.
I’ve been wanting a more natural chocolate syrup alternative to the stuff in the store. Looks easy too!
will definitely be trying…way better than anything store bought and my little one loves chocolate sauce (of course)…so this will be a much better change!
Can you use honey instead of maple syrup?
I haven’t tested it yet, but I’m pretty sure honey would work well. I would use a light honey, such as clover for this recipe.
I tried honey and it worked great. 🙂
Good to know! 🙂
Honey is one of the few foods that dosn’t spoil, so I guess if you boil the water this migh keep longer than maple syrup.
The only problem with using honey is that you’re killing the nutritional value when you heat it. (https://bee-health.extension.org/at-what-temperature-does-honey-have-to-be-heated-too-too-destroy-the-health-benefits-for-humans/#:~:text=Excessive%20heat%20can%20have%20detrimental,destroys%20invertase%2C%20an%20important%20enzyme.)
If you want to use honey, you could blend all of the ingredients in a vitamix until smooth. Or just use the maple syrup!
Such a GREAT chocolate sauce 🙂
My daughter will be so excited…thanks for sharing!
Have I ever told you how much I LOVE you?! This sounds scrumptious and I cannot wait to try it. Do you have a preferred cocoa powder that you use?
Haha…Thanks. 🙂 I prefer Dagoba or Wilderness Family Naturals. Enjoy!
love this too thank you! am making my second batch today! i buy rapunzel organic cocoa .is small company think. i stopped buying dagoba several years ago after found out is now owned by hersheys . i grew up on hersheys chocolate and loved everything hersheys but after found out about GMOS, no more hersheys for me ! though very impressed that they said are not using GMO sugar beets anymore in thier candy but still will only buy organic .
i used to buy alaska chocolate orgnaic syrup but it has guar gum in it .this recipe is so much better thank you!
Yum! No, seriously, I already tried this today. 🙂 I used cacao and im not sure if that’s what caused it, but it ended up not being sweet enough for us. Which is strange, because I typically prefer a darker, less sweet chocolate. Anyway, just added a little more maple syrup and we were good to go! I’m so excited because it really does dissolve so nicely into milk…every syrup recipe I’ve ever tried has not dissolved well.
Thanks for posting this!! 🙂
I’m glad you enjoyed it! Thanks for the feedback. 🙂
Brilliant, Carrie! This on is a for sure make up TONIGHT! ….I’m looking for a recipe for “happy, heathy” powdered coffee creamer to keep at work, in my bag, no refrigeration required. At school, I used organic powdered milk, but this won’t work in hot coffee, as it “cooks” into odd bits of lumpiness. Scenario – brew a nice Keurig coffee and have some non-hydroginated creamer to add without the need of a microwave; as I found I could only hydrate they instant milk first then add it to my coffee. Have you any ideas?
Thanks! Hmm…that’s a tough one. You could try Wilderness Family Naturals coconut milk powder mixed with a bit of organic whole cane sugar, and whatever spices you like (cinnamon, cocoa, etc.). Their milk powder has a tiny bit of preservatives, but it’s much better than the alternative. http://www.wildernessfamilynaturals.com/category/coconut-products-milk-powder.php) If you give it a try, let me know what you think!
Carrie,
Do you have an organic/stevia sweetened home-made recipe for powdered instant cappacino or hot chocolate? Thanx for all that you do.:)
I do! I did a guest post over on Babble a while ago.http://blogs.babble.com/family-kitchen/2010/09/30/deliciously-organic-make-your-own-hot-cocoa-mix/ You can replace the maple sugar with stevia. I would add a bit of stevia, stir the mixture and taste it dry. If it’s not sweet enough, I’d add a bit more.
Wow. I love how easy it is to make this. Only four ingredients. YUM!
You read my mind! This is exactly what I wanted last night. I ended up just mixing some cocoa and agave with coconut/almond milk but I think this will be MuCH better. Will be trying this weekend 🙂
My older daughter lives for chocolate milk! I should totally make a batch of this for her!
Does it have a maple flavor from using the maple syrup?
I don’t think it does. A few comment on Facebook that they made it and they were pleased with the “rich chocolate” flavors.
I use maple syrup all the time as a sweetener and it has a sweet taste. I don’t taste maple syrup flavor at all. I usually buy it from SAMs or Aldi’s.
Jan
Just made it. Yummy!! Not as thick as what we’re used to using, but delicious to the point that I was scooping out the chocolate leftovers from the pan ;). It’s more of a dark chocolate vs. milk chocolate…just how we prefer it. Thanks Carrie~~
I am SO excited to try this since my hubby likes chocolate milk after he works out (much better than a whey protein shake with all those icky synthetic chemicals) and the doctor told me today my skinny 5 year old son needs some higher calorie drinks. Perfect timing!
I use 1/2 c cocoa, 1 c sucanat (definitely not paleo-friendly but adds such a rich flavor), a dash of sea salt, vanilla extract and a 1/2- 3/4 c water, melt it down in a sauce pan until sugar dissolves. Nestle can’t hold a candle to that stuff. My husband loves it!
This is probably a silly question but is this delicious sounding recipe mixed into serving portions ie. add how much syrup to a 16 oz. cup of water for a serving or is it 2 1/2 servings of chocolate milk?
I didn’t really measure the amount of syrup per cup of milk. I’ve been pouring a glass of milk and adding about a tablespoon of the syrup and stirring. If it’s not enough chocolate flavor, I add a bit more.
Thanks.
I’ve been buying Trader Joe’s organic chocolate syrup for my son’s chocolate milk, but I’m going to give this a try. It won’t save money since maple syrup is expensive, but it will be nice to use the syrup instead of sugar.
I bet agave nectar would be great in this too!
I want to try this out in my cold brew coffee too. Instant iced mocha 🙂
Great idea!
What did I do wrong? It was bitter. Ever have this happen?
Different cocoa powders have different levels of acidity. If it is too bitter, add a bit more maple syrup to taste.
If you made this with agave instead of maple syrup, how much would you use?
I’m not sure. I don’t use agave, so I’m not exactly familiar with the substitution ratios. I know it’s sweeter than most sugars, so I’d use a little less than this recipe calls for, taste and see if you need to add more.
Awesome chocolate syrup recipe! Thank you for sharing it! 🙂
This is just wonderful!!!!
There is no excuse for wasting your money on hersey syrup in the store. What a great recipe. I have been encourageing my preschool and playgroup moms to go non processed. It is a work in progress. this is great in my morning coffee to make a little mocha. Thank you.
Thank you. What a great idea to use the syrup in coffee!
Is there a way to make this one sugar free? I usually use stevia. Would Agave work?
I don’t recommend agave because it is a highly processed sweetener. For more info, read here: http://www.westonaprice.org/modern-foods/agave-nectar-worse-than-we-thought If you make your own stevia simple syrup, that might work, but I haven’t tried it.
Love this recipe! I am drinking my chocolate milk right now! It is a hit in my home! Thanks!
Wow, this looks delicious. Store-bought organic chocolate sauce is so expensive. I will definitely try this!
I love this syrup! I make it about every two weeks.
Made this today and is so good! My two boys approve! Thank you!
Just got around to making this today and it truly is a thing of beauty! Perfect for my grandkids raw milk. Thank you, thank you, thank you!!
~Karen
Yay! I’m so glad you all enjoyed it! 🙂
I’ve been meaning to try to make a chocolate sauce and haven’t got around to it! My daughter would thank you! 🙂 Thank you!!
Just made my 2nd half batch. It’s magically delicious with good ingredients. No taste of maple. Great find.
This is the best recipe I’ve found! It does not taste like maple syrup. We use this on ice cream, in frapps, and even on muffins and cupcakes for “icing”. And I eat it plain.
This tasted great, but it’s not dissolving in cold milk, which is a bummer, since I made it specifically for iced coffees…..
Hmm..I’m not sure why it isn’t dissolving. Did you happen to make any substitutions?
Was curious, so I tried it with honey just now. I had to up the water to 2 cups and I added some raw sugar and about a cup of honey and 2 tablespoons of vanilla and the 1 3/4 coco powder. It really is more like dark chocolate, but still tasty. Maybe with a little more honey or raw sugar…next time! Going in my coffee tomorrow morning! 🙂
My kids (5&2) just had chocolate milk for the first time last night. They thank you for the pleasure!!!
I have been making a batch today. I been doing homemade with organi. Cane sugar for about a year and am now trying to take that next step away from the sugar.
Okay…I have no vanilla extract (….or a vanilla bean…or almond extract to substitute…) — I’m going to try eliminating the vanilla. And I kind of halved the recipe. Fingers crossed! My three-year-old is too wise when it comes to tasting the “real thing” but I am not leaving the house in negative 13 temps!!!
Hope you enjoyed it! 🙂
incredible! happy dance ensued immediately after making/tasting! thank you!
You’re welcome! I’m so glad you enjoyed it!!
We love this and make it every few weeks now, thanks! Any good suggestion of what I can store it in? My 2 year old will only do chocolate milk, so we use it everyday, and while I don’t miss Ubet, I do miss the easy squeeze package!
You could purchase a plastic squeeze bottle at a dollar store. That might make it easier than a mason jar.
Just curious about the maple syrup, isn’t pure maple syrup quite expensive? If you’re using ‘pancake’ syrup, that is not organic. I have made a similar chocolate sauce using honey (for granola) and it is quite good. Thank you.
I like to use pure maple syrup. I purchase it on Amazon via the “subscribe and save” program and it’s more affordable than buying a small jar at the grocery store.
What kind of vanilla do you use? If I used 2 tablespoons of the stuff we have you wouldn’t be able to taste anything else for a week. Usually we can’t use more than a few drops without it being overpowering.
I make my own. If you find you can only handle a few drops of vanilla, then you can reduce the amount.
Oooh, and oldie, but a goodie! Looks great! I’ll try it in kefir or almond milk since I’m allergic to cow’s dairy now. 😉
Thank you for posting, perfect!!
Thanks so much for these chocolate recipes! For the Chocolate Sauce, can you substitute Organic Blue Agave syrup for the maple syrup?
Sorry, I just noticed your reply to Shane about agave syrup..
Would cacao powder work just as well?