Ice cream is amazing, but you know what’s even better? Taking your favorite ice cream to the next level by customizing it with your favorite toppings. Whether you like nuts or sprinkles or sauces or whipped cream (or all of the above), there are so many ways to top your ice cream.
For me, there are few ice cream toppings that can beat hot fudge. I’ll admit, I’m biased because I’m the biggest fan of chocolate and when I’m not reaching for chocolate ice cream, I drown my scoop of vanilla with an amount of hot fudge sauce that I’d rather not publicly disclose. As a chef, recipe developer and food writer, I could make my own hot fudge sauce, but sometimes it’s nice to have the option to open a jar and get dessert started sooner.
With that in mind, I went on a hunt for the best store-bought hot fudge sauce. Could I find one that gave me the rich, delicious ice cream sundae experience? Read on to find out what I discovered when I put six different brands of hot fudge sauce head to head in a blind taste test.
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What Is Hot Fudge Sauce?
Before we get started, let’s back up a bit. What even is hot fudge sauce? Hot fudge is a thick, chocolate dessert sauce that’s made with cocoa or chocolate, sugar, butter, cream and sometimes corn syrup. Hot fudge is usually warmed before serving and has a dense, almost chewy texture. Don’t get it confused with chocolate syrup, which is much thinner and is often mixed into milk to make chocolate milk.
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What to Look for When Shopping for Hot Fudge Sauce
With store-bought products, there’s very little you can do to know if it is up your alley or not, without trying it. But whenever I purchase anything from a grocery store shelf, I look at the ingredient list. In this case, ideally, you’d want to see real chocolate and cocoa powder being used. You should also check the label to see if the sauce has preservatives or artificial ingredients, if those ingredients are a concern for you. Generally speaking, the shorter the ingredients list and the more ingredients that you recognize, the better.
I prefer hot fudge to be less sweet, so when I pair it with ice cream, the sweetness doesn’t overpower the experience. For me, anything exceeding 16 grams of sugar per serving tends to be too sweet, but that’s personal preference. As for consistency and overall flavor, there’s really no substitute for tasting—so I took on that part for you, testing each one to help guide your decision.
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Courtesy Namrata Hegde
How I Tested These Hot Fudge Sauces
I tested these hot fudge sauces in three rounds, with my partner passing me spoons in a random order without me looking. First, I tried it straight out of the jar. In the second round, I gently heated each hot fudge sauce and tasted each one while it was warm. The third round was the most fun! I tried each hot fudge contender on scoops of vanilla ice cream. (Talk about a great day at the office!)
To figure out which hot fudge sauce reigned supreme, I kept a running spreadsheet to evaluate them. As I tasted, I evaluated several factors: how chocolatey they were, their level of sweetness, their texture and consistency and how they tasted when eaten with vanilla ice cream. Some sauces held their rank with and without ice cream. In one case, the ice cream test became the ultimate tie-breaker between the two top flavors.
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Courtesy Namrata Hegde
6 Store-Bought Hot Fudge Sauces, Ranked Worst to Best
6. King’s Cupboard Organic Hot Fudge Sauce
Courtesy Namrata Hegde
This hot fudge topping didn’t hit the mark for me. Even though it’s made with natural ingredients and no preservatives, the chocolate flavor itself wasn’t the most pure or rich tasting. I love a smooth, fudgy sauce, but this was quite grainy. When put on the ice cream, it didn’t blend well with it and almost stayed separated. It lacked the indulgent punch I expect from hot fudge.
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5. Berryhill Hot Fudge Topping
Courtesy Namrata Hegde
This contender includes preservatives and high fructose corn syrup in the ingredients list, which initially gave me pause. When I ate it straight out of the jar, the consistency wasn’t very fudgy and was quite thin. When warmed up, it thinned out further. It did blend well with the ice cream, but I wish the consistency and chocolatey flavor were better.
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4. Hershey’s Hot Fudge Topping
Courtesy Namrata Hegde
The Hershey’s hot fudge sauce tasted exactly as it’s marketed—like Hershey’s chocolate in hot fudge form. While that may be appealing to many Hershey’s fans, it wasn’t my favorite. On the plus side, it stayed thick and fudgy in every stage of the tasting, which was great, but it lacked the depth and richness I’d expect out of hot fudge sauce. Additionally, I found it to be quite sweet and when paired with ice cream, it became a little one-note with the sweetness overpowering the chocolate. It wasn’t quite the balanced, indulgent experience I was looking for.
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3. Smucker’s Hot Fudge Topping
Courtesy Namrata Hegde
Smucker’s hot fudge is the most widely available brand in the market, so I had high expectations.Even though it uses high fructose corn syrup and has a long ingredient list, the chocolate flavor and sweetness were very good. When I tasted it straight out of the jar and warmed it up, the sauce maintained its fudgy consistency. When I drizzled it on top of the ice cream, it semi-hardened and became almost like a caramel. I can see why people love it! If you’re looking for an affordable option that you can almost definitely find, this is the one for you.
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2. Coop’s Original Hot Fudge Sauce
Courtesy Namrata Hegde
Coop’s was a strong contender for the winner. I really liked the branding and the “dripping fudge” on the cap instantly made me crave hot fudge. It uses just six ingredients that are similar to ingredients you’d use to make the sauce at home: light cream, cane sugar, butter, unsweetened chocolate, natural cocoa powder and brown cane sugar.
It had the perfect smoothness, richness and decadent chocolate flavor that I’d expect out of hot fudge. (I think the addition of brown sugar might be the secret to the depth of flavor in this sauce.) Ultimately, what broke the tie between the winner and Coop’s was how the sauce performed when drizzled over ice cream. I found the texture of Coop’s to be a little less desirable in the ice cream test, although the amount of sugar is perfect. This is a jar I will definitely reach for again!
You can find Coop’s at some small grocery stores and food shops and you can also buy it on Amazon. To find a location near you, check out the brand’s store locator. At around $13 a jar on Amazon, it’s a splurge, but once jar will keep well in the fridge and will make many, many sundaes.
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1. Sunday Night Dark Chocolate Premium Hot Fudge Sauce
Courtesy Namrata Hegde
I have never tasted store-bought sauce like Sunday Night ever before. It’s a small-batch, women-owned company whose hot fudge sauce truly blew me away. They do have a classic version, but this dark chocolate one I found was the best I’ve had. They boast about nothing artificial in their product—no corn syrup or preservatives—which is what I appreciated the most. And they are right, it’s made with just nine ingredients!
Just like Coop’s, Sunday Night is made with a blend of unsweetened chocolate and cocoa powder, although the use of Dutch-processed cocoa in Sunday Night and vanilla extract changes the flavor profile. It’s a bit sweeter than Coop’s, but when I drizzled it over the ice cream, it was the perfect combination. Straight out of the jar, warmed up or with vanilla ice cream, this hot fudge sauce delivered in every stage with the best texture, sweetness, consistency and chocolatey flavor.
Sunday Night is also found in some small grocery stores and food shops and you can buy it on Amazon. The brand’s store locator shows most in-store locations on the East Coast and the Midwest. This brand is also a splurge, at a little over $12 a jar on Amazon.
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