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Chocolate sauce

Vegetarian

Sauce au chocolat

Dark chocolate melted into hot cream and milk with a spoonful of golden syrup and a knob of butter. Glossy and pourable when warm, it thickens as it cools.

Chocolate sauce is a French sauce, ready in about 12 minutes and made with dark chocolate (70–85%) and heavy cream. It serves 10 and is rated beginner to cook.

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Prep
5 min
Cook
5 min
Rest
2 min
Total
12 min
Serves
10
Level
Beginner
Calories
180

Ingredients

10 servings (about 45 g)

Equipment

Method

  1. Step 1

    Chop the chocolate (opens in a new tab) finely so it melts evenly and put it in a heatproof bowl.

  2. Step 2

    Heat the cream, milk (opens in a new tab) and golden syrup (opens in a new tab) in a saucepan (opens in a new tab) over medium heat until steaming, with small bubbles at the edge, about 3 minutes. Do not boil.

  3. Step 3

    Pour the hot cream over the chocolate (opens in a new tab) and leave untouched for 2 minutes, then stir from the centre outwards with a spatula (opens in a new tab) until smooth and glossy.

    Ingredients tossed in a hot wok
    How it looks · Photo: Aesthos AR. Photography on Pexels

  4. Step 4

    Stir in the butter (opens in a new tab), salt and vanilla (opens in a new tab). Serve warm; it should run slowly off a spoon in a thick ribbon.

    A finished dish being plated
    How it looks · Photo: Willians Huerta on Pexels

About this dish

Origin
Not attributed to one place · Origin uncertainA ganache-style sauce found throughout European and American pastry; no single origin.Also popular in France, United Kingdom, United States, Belgium
Dish
Dessert · Sauces
Cooking method
Simmered
Taste
sweet, rich, bitter, creamy
Diet
Vegetarian (lacto-ovo) · No gluten ingredients · Keto-style · Low-carb
All labelsVegetarian (lacto-ovo) · Eggetarian · Lacto-vegetarian · Pescatarian · Flexitarian-friendly · No gluten ingredients · Egg-free · Pork-free · Beef-free · Keto-style · Low-carb · Low-sodium
Without the optional extras: Alcohol-freeWorked out from the ingredients. How labels work
Good for
Child-friendly · Make-ahead
Cook more with
Dark chocolate (70–85%) · Heavy cream · Milk · Golden syrup · Butter
Techniques
Simmering

Allergens

  • Contains: Milkfrom dark chocolate (70–85%), heavy cream, milk, butter
  • May contain: Peanutsfrom dark chocolate (70–85%)
  • May contain: Tree nutsfrom dark chocolate (70–85%)
  • May contain: Soyfrom dark chocolate (70–85%)

Based on typical versions of these ingredients and not verified allergen-free. Brands differ and cross-contact happens, so always check labels. For severe allergies, follow your clinician’s advice.

Nutrition

180 kcal per serving

Estimated

1 serving ≈ 44 g · recipe makes 10

Where the energy comes from

  • Protein 4%
  • Carbohydrate 22%
  • Fat 74%
Nutrition per serving and per 100 g
NutrientPer servingPer 100 g
Energy180 kcal408 kcal
Protein1.9 g4.3 g
Carbohydrate9.9 g22.5 g
Net carbohydrate8.3 g18.8 g
Sugars6.6 g15.1 g
Added sugars——
Fibre1.6 g3.7 g
Fat15 g34.1 g
Saturated fat9.1 g20.8 g
Trans fat——
Cholesterol27 mg61 mg
Sodium41 mg94 mg
Salt equivalent0.1 g0.2 g
Vitamins & minerals per serving
Potassium
135 mg
Calcium
31 mg
Iron
1.9 mg
Magnesium
36 mg
Vitamin A (RAE)
95 µg
Vitamin C
—
Vitamin D
—
Vitamin B12
0.1 µg
Folate (DFE)
—

How these numbers were made

  • Calculated from USDA FoodData Central (SR Legacy) per-100 g values and the listed quantities.
  • Optional ingredients are not included: vanilla extract.
  • Golden syrup: Cane syrup (FDC 167743) used as a stand-in for golden syrup (partially inverted refined cane-sugar syrup).
  • “—” means the value isn’t known for enough of the ingredients; it is never zero by default.
  • Values are estimates for guidance, not for medical dosing. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. fdc.nal.usda.gov.

Good to know

Tips

  • For a thicker, fudgier sauce, use 200 g chocolate; for a thin pouring sauce, add 50 ml more milk.

Common mistakes

  • Boiling the cream onto the chocolate, or stirring too hard, which can make the sauce grainy or oily.

Serve with

  • Profiteroles, poached pears (poire belle Hélène) and vanilla ice cream.
  • Waffles and crêpes.
  • Brownie sundaes and banana splits.

Storage

  • Refrigerate in a covered jar for up to 10 days.

Reheating

  • Warm in a bowl over hot water or in 15-second microwave bursts, stirring.

Variations

  • Cocoa chocolate sauce (United States): Cocoa powder, sugar and water simmered together with a little butter. It is cheaper and keeps well.
  • Hot fudge sauce (United States): Adds brown sugar and more butter and is simmered until thick and chewy.

Original editorial recipe · FriendsPantry editorial · Not yet independently reviewed · Added · Updated

Goes with

Recipe DNA

How this dish is built

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Grouped by each ingredient’s role in the dish. Each band’s width is its share of the dish by weight. Choose a component to see what it does.

What the dish is built around

Main ingredient

Used in step 2

Make it milder, swap ingredients for your diet, change the batch size or thickness — the original stays as it is.

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