Did you know it was this easy to make homemade espresso hot fudge sauce? Some links in this post are affiliate links that earn me a commission if you purchase through them.
You’ll be hard pressed to share your espresso hot fudge sauce with anyone. Hot fudge sauce always tastes great, but adding coffee to any chocolate enriches the flavor.
This? Heaven!
When my husband had his birthday this summer, I didn’t know what to get him. He didn’t need any thing.
He deserves gifts and appreciation, but “things” are hard. We’re at the stage in our life where we don’t need stuff.
Food, however, is always welcome. I still found a few small things for him, but this espresso hot fudge sauce? It was the highlight for him.
I could have gone all grown up and made something like this balsamic roasted figs with honey, lemon and vanilla. That would be fantastic drizzled over ice cream, too, but…well, that’s something that sounds amazing to me, but my husband is more into straight chocolate. Go fig! (Get the pun?)
I promised him that the jar of espresso hot fudge sauce I made was just for him. I’m not sure exactly how, but apparently it magically disappeared once I went to bed each night.
The entire jar was gone in under a week. That was pretty successful.
My dad’s birthday is four days after my husband’s birthday, and I struggle with gifts for him, too. This year, I found him a couple great insulated water bottles for biking… and made him another batch of the espresso hot fudge sauce. It was a winner for him, too.
This past week, a friend of mine had a milestone birthday. Me being me, I had promised long ago to make my marshmallow fluff for her for her birthday present.
I picked up a bottle of my favorite wine from the trip to Italy I took too many years ago and figured the espresso hot fudge sauce complemented the theme perfectly. She got a jar, too.
She opened her presents at her surprise party, and she insisted that guests grab a spoon to taste some of each – even though these were intended just for her, no sharing with her family or anything. I got a few requests for the recipe right then and there… which is when I realized I hadn’t shared the recipe with anyone yet.
I’m sorry. Let me rectify this immediately.
I’m pretty sure my husband just warmed up the jar of espresso hot fudge sauce and ate spoonfuls of it. I’d love to drizzle it over strawberries and pineapple. But over ice cream? Heaven!
I had a little salted caramel gelato in my freezer, and this was so good it didn’t even need whipped cream. Or a cherry. I had both in the house, but once I took a bite, I didn’t want anything else.
Although coupling it with a salted caramel sauce? Yeah, that I think I could do! Or whoa, what about bourbon butterscotch sauce? Yeah, that works, too!
Maybe you like to mix your chocolate with a strawberry sauce? Now I’m thinking ice cream bar.
The best news? Espresso hot fudge sauce is incredibly simple to make. Actually, this could be dangerous. Nahhhhh….
How to Make Espresso Hot Fudge Sauce
Use a heavy saucepan. Add cream, hot espresso (or strong coffee), honey, brown sugar, cocoa powder, and salt.
Turn heat to medium and bring to a boil. Whisk constantly until the sugar dissolves, then let boil slowly (turn down the heat if you have a rapid boil) for five minutes.
Remove from heat after five minutes. Add half the chocolate and stir until dissolved, then add the other half, stirring again.
Cut your butter into small chunks and stir to incorporate. Add vanilla last, and stir again.
Pour into a clean glass jar. This fills two pint size jars or one quart jar with just enough left over for a little snacking.
Do not cover until fully cooled, then cover and refrigerate. This lasts about two weeks in the fridge. I think, as it’s never lasted that long.
Reheat gently before serving.
What would you eat with this espresso hot fudge sauce?

Espresso Hot Fudge Sauce
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- 1/3 cup honey
- 1/4 cup hot espresso or strong coffee
- 1/3 cup brown sugar
- 1/4 cup cocoa powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 8 ounces dark chocolate chopped
- 2 tablespoons butter unsalted
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
Instructions
- In a heavy saucepan, add cream, honey, espresso, brown sugar, cocoa powder, and salt.1/2 cup heavy cream, 1/3 cup honey, 1/4 cup hot espresso or strong coffee, 1/3 cup brown sugar, 1/4 cup cocoa powder, 1/4 teaspoon salt
- Over medium heat, bring to a slow boil, stirring constantly until sugar dissolves. Let boil, stirring periodically, for five minutes.
- Remove from the heat. Add half the chocolate, and stir until melted. Add the remaining chocolate and stir again.8 ounces dark chocolate
- Cut butter into chunks and add to sauce, stirring until incorporated. Add vanilla and stir again.2 tablespoons butter, 1 teaspoon vanilla
- Serve immediately, or pour into a clean glass jar. Let cool completely before covering, then store tightly sealed in the fridge for up to two weeks.
Notes
- The espresso really makes this a richer, deeper chocolate flavor. If you don't have espresso, you can substitute strong brewed coffee instead.
- For more tips and tricks, be sure to read the full article above.
Nutrition
This site uses an online source to provide nutrition estimates as a courtesy. If you need exact values, please calculate yourself.

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My plain old vanilla ice cream just became sheik! Thank you
You’re welcome – we love it. I’m actually making a batch to give to my kids’ cross country coaches tomorrow as a little thank you!
I just bought a new ice cream maker, and this will be the perfect touch for its first batch of ice cream.
Thank you, Tara! I love homemade ice cream – and I think this will make a perfect accompaniment! You’ll have to let me know how it goes!