Simple Homemade Chocolate Syrup Recipe
This simple recipe for homemade chocolate syrup uses only four ingredients, takes around 5 minutes to make, and tastes amazing. There’s no reason to ever buy a bottle again!
This is sure to be another one of your favorite Quick Healthy Recipes.
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Believe it or not, chocolate syrup is a pantry basic in our house (meaning a staple you’ll always find in our fridge). Don’t hate me, but my husband makes us cappuccinos every morning and drizzles just a bit of syrup in them.
Yes, every morning for more than 20 years now. I’m sure you can imagine what a wonderful way that is to start the day. (You can see Brian’s step-by-step video on how to make awesome cappuccinos at home if you’d like – they are easy and save a ton of money vs. a coffee shop.)
There are lots of other ways to use chocolate syrup, though, and I know many of you also probably have a bottle in the fridge (if the huge, 2-bottle package they sell at Costco is any indication…).
We use it as an ice cream topping, for chocolate milk or mochas, and when I’m feeling fancy, I’ll drizzle some on the plates before I serve pieces of cake (it’s especially good drizzled over this Chocolate Chip Cheesecake).
All this is to say, I used to buy it regularly for these reasons – and then came the “curse” of reading labels.
Yuck. It’s like, 2 inches long- in fine print (I’ve enlarged this for you – I’m helpful like that).
What is all that? Shouldn’t it be mainly sugar and cocoa?
Ingredients
Well, yes it should. This is more like it – just four normal pantry ingredients.
- cocoa powder
- sugar
- vanilla
- salt
Ah…I’m already breathing easier, aren’t you?
Since this is all about the chocolate, I use a good quality organic cocoa powder as well as organic cane sugar and pure vanilla. You’ll want to get the best you can for simple recipes like this.
How to Make Homemade Chocolate Syrup
What about how long it takes to make?
How about 5-8 minutes – and that includes getting out your 4 ingredients.
Simply add sugar, cocoa, and a pinch of salt to a small saucepan.
I’m not sure why salt is included, it just always is in recipes like this. It probably adds depth of flavor or something.
Measure one cup of boiling water and pour about half into the cocoa mixture.
Whisk until a paste forms, getting out as many lumps as you can.
Add the remainder of the water, stirring until smooth and then bring to a low simmer over medium heat, stirring often for about 3 minutes.
TIP: “low simmer” means bubbles just breaking the surface – like the photo above.
Extra Tip: Don’t forget this on the stove – sadly, I’ve had to throw out batches that were burned badly on the bottom from my inattention!
Remove from heat, and add the vanilla. It will boil a bit when it hits, but just stir it in- I like to take a big whiff of it at this point because it’s heavenly.
Let it cool about an hour.
It’s most simple to leave it on the stove and give it a little stir once in a while (though I’m sure I’ve left it more than an hour at one time or another).
Find a jar to store it in.
We’ve uses old salad dressing bottles, Asian sauce bottles and whatever else we could find over the years. Lately we are loving this squeeze bottle that gives the perfect amount and the prettiest drizzle.
Ours probably lasts 3-4 weeks in the refrigerator, but like I said, we use it daily. I’m sure it would last longer if needed.
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Homemade Chocolate Syrup Recipe
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup cocoa powder
- 3/4 to 1 cup sugar; lower amount makes "dark chocolate syrup"
- pinch salt
- 1 cup boiling water
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
Instructions
- Start the water boiling. Mix cocoa, sugar, and salt in a small saucepan. Stir in enough boiling water to form a smooth paste, then stir in the remaining water.
- Bring to a simmer over medium to medium-low heat, stirring often. Let simmer 2-3 minutes (I like the longer time as it makes the syrup a bit thicker), stirring occasionally.
- Remove from heat and add the vanilla. Let cool.
- Scrape it into a bottle or jar and store in the refrigerator 3-4 weeks (or longer?).
Notes
Nutrition
More Pantry Basics Recipes To Try:
Easy, honey-sweetened homemade ketchup
Frugal (aka, cheap) Homemade Pesto
This recipe has been updated – it was originally published in March 2009.
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Rachel- good question! I’ve been thinking about trying a different sweetener, though it’s been low on the priority list because I don’t want to mess with perfection (:-) and we use about a 1/2 tsp. a day. I’ve seen other recipes that use 2x as much sugar as I do, so I feel pretty good about this in a general sense, but have been thinking about another sugar. I hesitate to use maple or honey- both strong flavors- so have been leaning toward sucanat (though it’s a bit strong, too). I think I’ll start 1/2 and 1/2 and see what happens.
Let me know if you try something and you like it!
I see that you have tried it with other sugars and I just wanted to add that I have been making this with blonde coconut sugar and it works really well, I have added just a bit more water so it isn’t too thick. It lasts about 2 months in our house. I am off to go make another batch! Thank you.
Thanks, Rachael- that’s a good suggestion! I’ve experimented, and I’ve been making it with less sugar- for more of a dark chocolate flavor- using sucanant or half white/half sucanant if I don’t have enough. I’ve never bought coconut sugar, though- this is a good excuse to!
I have always liked the flavor of good ol’ sugar as opposed to stevia or sucanat, maple sugar or honey-all having their own distinct flavor. I am really happy to have found blue agave nectar and it’s sweet mild flavor. I bought a two bottle pack, 36 oz. each, at Costco for $10-Organic. Great to sweeten drinks like iced tea. I know you are busy but I can’t wait for you to come up with some great uses for it while I enjoy my home-made carmel I made this last Sunday….yum! I do eat it with just a spoon occasionally. thank you!
I’m looking at ways to use Agave more, so you never know…stay tuned. 🙂
JUST FYI: they are now saying that agave is NOT good for you. It is basically just table sugar, and should not be used as a healthy alternative to sugar. Do your research. (not meant to be snotty, just do a search on agave. It is no longer considered healthy)
Hmmm, I totally had to look up this 4-year-old comment you were replying to, Carol. 🙂 As a matter of fact, I did do research after this as agave became popular and have never used it after realizing it was not healthier (FYI, this was years ago – there are plenty of health sites that questioned it back then, it’s not just now). There are no recipes on my site that use it.
Looks great, do you know if a less refined sugar would work as well? Say maple sugar or sucanat? I love chocolate milk as an occasional treat and hate spending the money on organic chocolate syrup that often still has corn syrup in it!
THanks for the recipe. I still buy the yucky bottle and feel guilty about it. I had tried an organic brand but couldn’t justify the sky high price. I will be making this and some homemade icecream this coming week! Thanks againg!
Anon- Good for you for riding your family of HFCS! It’s not easy, because it’s in everything, but I’m hoping if enough people stop buying it, they’ll go back to plain ol’ sugar.
Awesome! Found your recipe when searching on ‘natural chocolate syrup’ after I saw that HFCS was the #1 ingredient in that staple brown plastic bottle in our fridge. YUCK! I’m systematically reducing the HFCS in my child’s diet one step at a time. Just threw the brown plastic in the trash. Can’t wait to have a natural choice with 4 natural ingredients in my fridge next week! Thanks again. Will subscribe to your blog so I can follow your other good ideas!
Kim- Good for you. As you know, I think this is the best with coffee. 🙂
Mirawyn- Thanks so much, sure glad you are finding things you like. I’m off to eat some granola now!
I found your blog searching for a recipe just like this, and I’m hooked. I made this and the granola last night (hey, I had all the granola ingredients anyway…), and both turned out great.
I already have some of your other staples on my to-try list, starting with the teriyaki sauce and spice rub!
Thanks so much, and keep them coming!
I JUST learned how dang easy it is to cold brew coffee at home in a French press and have been madly researching recipes for syrups to put in my daily drink… Thank you so much for posting this, as soon as I get some lids for my empty bottles I’m going to make this chocolate syrup!
Yea, Laura!
I just wanted to say thanks for the recipe–it’s so easy and delicious, and has become a staple in our mocha-loving household. No more Hershey’s for us! 🙂
Thanks for the recipe!
i have a great husband who makes me my morning mochas when i need them too : ) we recently found ourselves reading more labels b/c we have more time to make more from “scratch.” yet the last batch of syrup i made only lasted a week…i have an ice cream problem, my daughter likes chocolate milk and it’s been a heavy mocha week…doubling up the recipe this time! thanks for sharing, we need more resourceful people like you in our lives.~stacy
I’m totally jealous about the morning cappucino thing! 😉
Thanks for posting this, no more mystery ingredients for me !!
Thanks so much for your comments, Colleen and ZooKeeper! I’m glad you’re finding useful things on the site – that’s my goal, so I’m really happy to hear your thoughts.
Be sure to check out the other pantry basics – I plan to keep adding new ones.
HI,
I found your site looking for a natural chocolate syrup recipe for my six kids! I just love this site. I went to the others on your suggested sites list–but I like yours the best. I am a mom of six children, transplanted to the very expensive tropical paradise of Florida during the housing crash! So, I find myself back at square one financially, getting back to basics and trying to save as much money as possible. The cost of living is very high here. We also have several special needs due to a child with Down syndrome and two with Type 1 diabetes. I am trying to buy better food for our family–organic and all natural. And I want to begin growing some of our own. Your website is a real enocuragment for all of this! I love the layout and pics–very enjoyable and user friendly!
God bless you!
Colleen Allison
Thanks for the recipe and instructions. When it’s this easy and yummy… why buy it with all the extra junk in it (even the organic ones aren’t nearly as good!) Plus I can store it in a glass container. My guys love chocolate milk and syrup on their ice cream, so this will work well! Thanks. I like your keep it simple, natural, easy site!
Hope you both like it as much as we do.
Thanks for visiting!
We will be trying this recipe out as we are needing chocolate syrup. It will be nice knowing exactly what is in this syrup compared to the store bought. Thanks for sharing.
I found you from the link you left at moneysavingmom.
Sounds yummy!! My kids LOVE chocolate syrup so now we have a home made solution!! Thank you!!
Heather