Believe it or not, chocolate syrup is a basic in our house. Don’t hate me, but my husband makes us cappuccinos every morning and drizzles just a bit of syrup in mine. Mmmm…it’s a wonderful way to wake up (for almost 13 years, too!). Update: Go here to see Brian’s step-by-step video on how to make awesome cappuccinos at home!
Of course we do occasionally use it for ice cream and when I’m feeling like a chef or something, I’ll drizzle some on the plates before I serve pieces of cake. Needless to say, I used to buy it regularly- then came the curse of reading labels. Uck. It’s like, 2 inches long- in fine print. What is all that?
This is more like it – just four little ol’ ingredients. Ah…I’m already breathin’ easier. 
And the time it takes to make? How about 5 minutes:
How to make chocolate syrup
1. Add sugar, cocoa, and a pinch of salt to a small saucepan. I’m not sure why it’s there, it just always is- probably adds depth of flavor, or something.
2. Measure one cup of boiling water and pour about half into the cocoa mixture.
3. Whisk until a paste forms, getting out as many lumps as you can.
4. Add the remainder of the water, stirring until smooth and then bring to a low simmer over medium heat, stirring often (“low simmer” means bubbles just breaking the surface – like the photo on the right) Simmer for 3 minutes, stirring occasionally. Note: Don’t forget it on the stove – sadly, I’ve had to throw out batches that were burned badly on the bottom from my inattention.
5. Remove from heat, and add the vanilla. It will boil when it hits, but just stir it in- I like to take a big whiff of it at this point. Heavenly.
6. 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 before…
7. Find a jar to store it in. We use an old salad dressing jar that we couldn’t find the lid for, so we found an old milk jug lid that fit just right. Have you got the idea yet just how fancy-shmancy we are around here?
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
- 3/4 cup cocoa powder
- 3/4 – 1 cup sugar; lower amount makes “dark chocolate syrup” (Update: see comments for other sweetener options!)
- pinch salt
- 1 cup boiling water
- 1 tsp. vanilla
- Mix cocoa, sugar, and salt in a small saucepan. Stir in enough boiling water to form a smooth paste. Stir in remaining water.
- Bring to a simmer over medium 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?).
-Jami
I believe a cottage can be anywhere or anything (condo, ranch, farmhouse) as long as you have a "cottage mentality" which puts people above things, celebrates imperfections, embraces simplicity, and finds joy in everyday life. Thanks for joining me!
Sounds yummy!! My kids LOVE chocolate syrup so now we have a home made solution!! Thank you!!
Heather
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.
Hope you both like it as much as we do.
Thanks for visiting!
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!
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 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.
Thanks for posting this, no more mystery ingredients for me !!
Claudia
claudiafranson.blogspot.com
I’m totally jealous about the morning cappucino thing!
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
Thanks for the recipe!
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!
Yea, Laura!
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!
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!
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!
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!
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.
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!
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!
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 wanted to let you know that I have been making this syrup for a few months now. We eat alot of homemade icecream and have iced mochas for after school snacks.
Today I made it with turbinado sugar (sugar in the raw). Also I added about 1/2 tbsp. of cornstarch to make a thicker syrup.
It turned out well.
Jeanne- I just made it yesterday again, too, and I reduced the sugar to 3/4 c. and used 1/2 sucanat and 1/2 white. I let it boil a bit longer (too much multi-tasking!) and it was so thick it wouldn’t pour out of the bottle without adding a bit of water! It’s a stronger chocolate flavor, and that’s about all the difference, besides the thickness.
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I love this recipe. Also for Rachael, you can take cocoa and just whisk it into real maple syrup. Oh my its good.
Love this- I doubled it and with half of it I added about a cup ( maybe some more) of fresh raspberries juice. Turned out WONDERFUL. Thank you so much for this. The none Raspberries half turned out wonderful too.
I love this recipe! I will never buy Hershey’s Syrup again
For what it’s worth, when I toured the Scharffen Berger chocolate factory, they said the little bit of salt they add “fools the tongue” to cover any bitter taste in the chocolate.
Ah-ha! Knew there had to be some good reason…
Just needed a guide, and your was fun to read, so I used it! Thank you
I did this with sucanat and it turned out great. Thank you for the recipe! Have been in need and you came up in a search. (a tip on sucanat: some brands, like the Now brand, tend to have a very strong molasses flavor, wouldn’t recommend for this, but there are plenty that don’t)
~Lynda
Lynda- Thanks for the tip on sucanat! That’s good to know, ’cause most of the time I’d prefer the flavor to be milder in order to let the dish’s flavor come through, you know what I mean?
I used 1/2 cup sugar, 1/4 cup raw honey and 1/4 tsp nustevia powder…deliscious!