Judah and I have been reaping the benefits of this homemade syrup for quite a few months now. I always have some available in the fridge, because we are quite the chocolate milk drinkers. And, now that it's summer, the syrup is making frequent appearances on top of our ice cream.
Ben doesn't drink as much chocolate milk as we do. He's missing out. But, he consumes his fair share (plus more) of ice cream.
Before making the homemade chocolate syrup, I would buy the Hershey's brand. Have you ever read the label of ingredients? Wow! I'm not one to study the ingredient lists and nutritional information, but this is one area where I'm feeling really good to serve Judah an easy healthier homemade version instead.
I know you'll ask, so I'll answer you now. This syrup lasts...like really lasts...in the fridge for pretty much as long as you need it. The recipe marks 2 months, if you don't use it all up by then, but I've even had it last longer when we came back to it from vacation. Store it in a recycled bottle. I like to save any glass bottle or jars I use up from other products and reuse them to store homemade recipes such as this.
Like I said, we use this in ice cream and chocolate milk. But, I have also made myself a few nice cups of mocha flavored coffee with a couple drops of the syrup, and use it in one of our favorite frozen desserts. How will YOU put this chocolate syrup to use?
(In the recent months, you might have seen a few different recipes for homemade chocolate syrup. I tried a couple of different ones at the beginning, but settled on this as being my favorite of them all.)
Recipe Card
Homemade Chocolate Syrup
Ingredients
- 1 cup water
- ½ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 2 cups sugar
- Pinch of salt
- ¼ teaspoon vanilla
Instructions
- Combine the water and cocoa powder in a medium saucepan. Heat over medium while stirring with a whisk to dissolve the cocoa. Stir in the sugar until dissolved. Bring to a boil while stirring occasionally and heat for 3 minutes, watching carefully to avoid boiling over. (Turn down the heat, if necessary.) Remove from the heat and mix in the salt and vanilla. Let set to cool. Use a funnel to pour into a clean glass jar with a tight fitting lid. Store in the refrigerator for up to two months.
- Source: Adapted from Small Notebook
Nutrition
Heather says
I've been using this recipe for over a year now and it is my favorite. I'm making some right now to have for hot chocolate for our faculty tomorrow since it is going to be a chilly rainy day in Texas!
Nikki Gladd says
So great, Heather! Do you just warm the mixed milk and syrup to make the hot chocolate?
Elizabeth says
I made this for the first time today and it was a huge hit with the kiddos.
sarah says
great recipe, My family is chocolate milk fanatics and this stuff is yummy! The first time I made it, it boiled over quite a bit. But lesson learned, now I watch it very carefully:) I also cleaned out an old ketchup bottle to put the syrup in. It pours easier that way:) thanks for sharing!
Nikki says
Thanks, Sarah! Yes, you definitely have to watch it from boiling over! 🙂 Glad you love it as much as I do!
Dave says
I made it for the first time Homemade Chocolate Syrup , It was so easy
Shelsea says
I am so glad I found this, thank you so much for sharing, I can't wait to try it today. I have a question, is it necessary to keep it refrigerated? None of the ingredients are dairy, so it doesn't seem it would spoil outside of the fridge. The reason I ask is I'm wanting to make this to share with family, friends, and co-workers and am unsure if it's okay to give to them unrefrigerated or what the shelf life would be until they get through their bottle of syrup before pulling this out of the pantry. 🙂
Anyway, I love how few ingredients this has. I was in major need of chocolate syrup this morning and *really* didn't want to go to the store today, so it was so awesome to find something that only used what I already had, haha!
Nikki says
Hi Shelsea,
I'm not an expert on what needs to be refrigerated and what doesn't, but I think you can probably just store this in the pantry. I'm afraid, though, that it might not thicken up as nicely if not stored in the fridge. And, it might not last as long. I always store mine in the fridge, but I really am not sure it needs to be. Sorry I couldn't be of more help! If you're just concerned if it would last long enough for the day to transport it to your coworkers, I think it will definitely be fine. 🙂
Natalie says
Mmm.... So good! My kids are chocolate milk fiends so we go through a lot of Hershey's syrup. Last night while I was grocery shopping, I picked up a bottle of Hershey's syrup and looked at the ingredients yet again. We've gone "crunchy" around here and chocolate syrup is one of the last remaining bits of artificial-ness that we haven't given up. As I put the bottle back on the shelf and my 3 year old asked, "Why did you put that back?", I decided that if I can raise my own chickens for eggs and meat, there's no reason I can't make my own chocolate syrup. This recipe just got a thumbs up from the kids (and from me!) so here's to a new homemade staple!
Nikki says
Wahooo!!! And, such an easy recipe, too! 🙂
Sophie says
I just made this and am letting it cool now. It kept boiling over after I put the sugar in so I just kept taking it off and putting it back on, lol. It's also veryy thin. Is it going to thicken as it cools? It smells great 🙂
Nikki says
Hi Sophie,
Yes, it will thicken as it cools and as it is refrigerated. 🙂 I"m actually getting ready to make another batch today! Also going to go edit the recipe to add a little disclaimer about watching it carefully as to not let it boil over. Turning down the heat a little will help. Hope you enjoy your syrup when it's ready! 🙂
Gail says
i make a version of this and i LOVE LOVE LOVE it.
Karen says
Despite Alexa's injury, my use of too small a pot and 1/4 of the sauce boiling over, we all enjoyed this on ice cream tonight. At least the cooking disaster resulted in delicious-ness. 🙂
Jessica @ Sunny Side Up says
There are lots of things that are fun to make homemade some of the time. Then there are things like chocolate syrup that I immediately decide will ALWAYS need to be made homemade. It's just that much more delicious! Your photos are fantastic, too!
Tracey says
My husband could live on chocolate milk, I really need to try and make this for him soon! Love your pics, the lighting is just gorgeous 🙂
Susan McMenamin says
Thank you for sharing this recipe. My grandkids are gonna love it and I appreciate the fact that there is no additives.
Dannii @ Hungry Healthy Happy says
I love making my own chocolate syrup - but I usually use dates instead of sugar.