The Best Homemade Chocolate Syrup Recipe

Skip the store-bought chocolate syrup; make your own with simple ingredients. It’s ready in just minutes and tastes even better than store-bought. 

This recipe was originally shared in 2016. I’ve updated this post to give more information and make sure everything is up-to-date.

I love dairy products. Ice cream, chocolate milk, hot chocolate, pudding, cheese, I could go on and on. However, it doesn’t like me very much. I’m okay if I’m careful, but sometimes that’s not the easiest. I mean, really, how do you leave ice cream behind?

While I’ve never been a fan of regular milk, I do love chocolate milk. Sometimes I like to live a bit dangerously and drink it. And if I’m going to risk the side effects of being lactose intolerant, I want it to be the best chocolate milk. 

Thankfully, a few years ago, I figured out how to make chocolate syrup, which makes the best chocolate milk. And guess what, it’s super easy. I will never go back to store-bought. It’s perfect for chocolate milk, ice cream sundaes, anything you’d normally put chocolate syrup on.

Homemade Chocolate Syrup Recipe

This is a simple recipe using only five ingredients you likely already have in your pantry. You can also scroll down to get the full recipe, including a printable version or keep reading for more details and tips.

• Cocoa Powder– Any cocoa powder will work fine for this recipe. My favorite is from Equal Exchange because I like their mission and it’s high quality chocolate. 
• Sugar– I’ve only made this with normal white sugar but you could experiment with using sugar substitutes. Just be sure to check the measurements if it’s not a 1-to-1 replacement. 
• Vanilla Extract– Again any kind will work but if you have the room in your budget higher quality vanilla is often worth it. My favorite is the store brand from Thrive Market. It’s affordable but still very high quality. 
• Salt– Just use any salt, it’s only a small amount so any kind is fine.

I like to buy all of these ingredients from Thrive Market because the prices are good, it’s a great company, and everything is delivered to my door. You can read my full review on Thrive Market here on the site. 

How to Make Chocolate Syrup

I almost feel silly writing this out because it’s one step. Just put the ingredients in a pot, don’t forget the water which I didn’t bother to list above, and heat until it starts to thicken.

And then you let it cool and it will thicken even more and be perfect to use in anyway you generally use chocolate syrup. 

How to Store Your Homemade Chocolate Syrup

You can store this in a jar, but I keep mine in a glass cruet. It makes it easier to pour, plus it looks pretty. You want to be sure to store this in the fridge. (I’m unable to find the glass cruet used in this post anywhere other than Amazon. I’m not supporting Amazon but I’m leaving the link so you can see more details to try and find it locally.)

This should stay good for about a month or two in the fridge. Keep an eye on how it looks and smell since it doesn’t have preseratives. 

More Delicious Recipes to Try

If you enjoy this recipe be sure to try more of my recipes here on the site. 

• Old-Fashioned Chocolate Soda (this is a perfect way to use this chocolate syrup)
• Chocolate Coffee Ice Cream
• Homemade Salted Caramel Coffee Syrup

Once you try this, you will never go back to the store-bought. It’s delicious, easy to make, and has better ingredients. I just have to keep reminding myself that lactose and I aren’t friends, so I can’t have too much chocolate milk.