Who else thinks Hershey’s chocolate syrup tastes off? To me, the storebought chocolate syrup tastes like watery chocolate with very little cocoa flavor. It’s like flavorless syrup water! Luckily, this syrup is super easy to make at home with this chocolate syrup recipe and it tastes so much better.

You only need 3 ingredients and less than 10 minutes to make a great batch of chocolate syrup you can use for anything and everything.

Here’s how to make homemade chocolate syrup at home!

What is Chocolate Syrup?

Chocolate syrup is chocolate-flavored simple syrup, usually with cocoa powder. It’s syrupy and slightly viscous and dark brown in color.

It’s one of the easiest syrups to make at home and extremely versatile. You normally add it to cocktails and drinks, but also to desserts and other sweet things.

It might not seem all too special, but homemade chocolate syrup goes a long way! There’s a huge flavor difference between storebought and homemade syrup, with the latter tasting more chocolatey and flavorful.

Bye-bye Hershey’s, hello fancy homemade syrup!

Why Make Your Own Chocolate Syrup?

The storebought chocolate syrup has a weird taste to me; it doesn’t taste like real chocolate! I’ve also heard that some people taste metal in theirs and others think it tastes like watery chocolate. So clearly, chocolate syrup isn’t actually chocolate syrup.

Most retail syrups have high fructose corn syrup as the first ingredient and cocoa is the second to last ingredient. The primary flavor you get is sweet, followed by a subtle earthiness and somewhat chemically taste. It just doesn’t taste very good and there’s no distinct cocoa or chocolate flavor.

So, you can make your own better-tasting and actually chocolatey syrup at home! It’s super easy to make at home with just 3 ingredients with this chocolate syrup recipe. In less than 10 minutes, you have better quality and tasting chocolate syrup. It’s also way cheaper and makes a great gift.

Is Chocolate Syrup Vegan?

Yes, this homemade chocolate syrup recipe is vegan and doesn’t have any dairy or animal products in it. Most chocolate syrups are vegan since it’s made out of cocoa powder, water, and sugar.

Very rarely, if at all, will chocolate syrup include melted-down chocolate which contains dairy, but most of the time it’s just cocoa powder. So, you can easily make it if you’re vegan and use it on anything like pancakes, smoothies, plant-based chocolate milk, etc.

Is Chocolate Syrup Just Melted Chocolate?

No, chocolate syrup is made with sugar, water, and cocoa powder. Melted chocolate would not be used the same as chocolate syrup, although you could probably use it similarly. Chocolate syrup and melted chocolate have different consistencies, ingredients, and flavors. They’re also used for different things

Melted chocolate is much thicker and harder to work with since it tends to harden in cooler temperatures and doesn’t mix as evenly as syrup. However, it’s great for covering small treats like rice krispies or cake pops, as well as fruit!

Chocolate syrup is much runnier and less rigid, as it stays liquid even in cold temperatures. Because of its watery base, it’s perfect for making drinks like chocolate milk, mochas, chocolate cold foam, etc. It’s also perfect for yogurt bowls, pancakes, or any food item that tastes good with chocolate.

Chocolate Sauce vs. Syrup

Although people use these two terms interchangeably, there is a subtle difference between them.

Chocolate sauce is thicker and usually has butter, cream, or milk in it to make it thicker while chocolate syrup is thinner and only made with cocoa powder and water. Chocolate sauce is basically a runny ganache, which is a viscous mixture of melted chocolate and heavy cream.

So, if you make a chocolate syrup with water, sugar, and cocoa powder but also add melted chocolate, you can technically call that a chocolate sauce.

While you can use both in the same foods like desserts, drinks, and more, chocolate syrup is added to liquid items while chocolate sauce is added to edible desserts. For example, you would use chocolate syrup to make chocolate milk and add chocolate sauce to slices of cake or cheesecake.

How to Make Chocolate Syrup

Here’s what you’ll need to make a rich chocolate syrup at home:

• 3/4 cup cocoa powder
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 cup water

Chocolate Syrup Recipe

1. Combine Cocoa Powder and Water. Add water to a small pot and sift the cocoa powder into it.
2. Mix on the Stove. Use a whisk to combine the cocoa powder with the water until no clumps are left. Add sugar and heat the mixture until all the sugar dissolves.
3. Reduce. Reduce the syrup until you get the desired consistency.
4. Store and Enjoy!

Can You Make Chocolate Syrup With Actual Chocolate?

If you make chocolate syrup with actual chocolate, then what you’re making is a chocolate sauce. (Although, sometimes the terms are used interchangeably.)

You’ll need to use milk or cream instead of water for this chocolate syrup because water + chocolate leads to seizing.

Food Science Break: Chocolate is made of cocoa butter, and as we all know, fat and water do not mix. If water gets into your chocolate, the chocolate will clump up and separate (or seize), and it’s impossible to mix back together without adding more cream. That’s why when you melt chocolate at home in a double broiler, everyone tells you to be very careful not to get any water into the chocolate.

Melt your chocolate, add a little more than the same amount in heavy cream (thin it out with a little milk), and mix until smooth. You want it to be a thinner version of chocolate ganache that is still runny but thicker than chocolate syrup.

How to Store Chocolate Syrup

Once your syrup is done, let it cool slightly before adding it to a jar or bottle with an airtight lid. Once completely cool, store the chocolate syrup in the fridge for up to 3 weeks.

Syrups last a very long time in the fridge, so if you make a large batch your syrup should be good for at least 2 weeks, if not more.

If your syrup suddenly has floating things in it, that’s a sign that mold is growing and you should toss the syrup in the trash.

I don’t recommend keeping your syrup out on the counter, as it will spoil faster that way. However, if you add double the amount of sugar than water to your syrup, then it’s perfectly fine to leave it on the counter since that amount of sugar acts as a bacteria killer.

What Cocoa Powder to Use

Did you know there’s multiple types of cocoa powder? Don’t worry if you didn’t, because I didn’t know either! I just knew I had a brown powder that smelled like chocolate in my parent’s kitchen.

The two main types are natural and Dutch-processed cocoa powder.

Regular or natural cocoa powder is unsweetened chocolate, with the cocoa butter removed, and then powdered.

Dutch process cocoa is the same as natural cocoa, except that it’s treated with an alkaline agent to make it less acidic. This cocoa is much darker and less bitter than natural cocoa; it’s also the cocoa powder used in Oreos!

For this recipe, you can use either cocoa powders! They might give slightly different flavors, but both will work. (This really only matters when baking.)

I will say, though, that the better the quality of the cocoa powder, the better your syrup will taste.

Chocolate Syrup Texture

You can also customize and adjust the syrup texture according to your preference.

For thinner syrup, add more water and reduce the syrup for less time. You can just heat the mixture until the sugar dissolves, then take it off the stove.

For thicker syrup, add less water and reduce the syrup for more time. The longer you reduce the mixture, the more water evaporates and the thicker your syrup will be. Alternatively, you can add more sugar (be careful, though).

If you’re experimenting with adding cocoa powder, be careful of how much cocoa powder you add! Too much cocoa powder can make your syrup taste extremely bitter and chalky. I would add no more than an extra 2 tbsp of cocoa powder beyond the amount in this chocolate syrup recipe.

However, dutch cocoa powder is less bitter so don’t add more than 1/4 cup extra.

Also, if you don’t fully sift and whisk in your cocoa powder, you’ll end up with a gritty syrup that has small pockets of unmixed cocoa powder that give an unpleasant mouthfeel.

How to Use Chocolate Syrup

Chocolate syrup is amazing for making chocolate drinks or adding to small snacks and desserts. Here are just some ways you can use it in your home cafe:

• Chocolate milk
• Iced mochas
• Chocolate matcha lattes
• Chocolate cold foam
• Drizzled on cake
• Ice cream topping
• Pancake syrup
• Oatmeal topping
• Yogurt topping
• Fruit dip
• Chocolate cocktails

Tips:

Here are some tips for making an amazing chocolate syrup at home!

• Use Hot Cocoa Mix: If you don’t have chocolate or cocoa powder, you can use hot chocolate mix in a pinch! Just add half the amount of water to the whole packet of mix and you’ll have a convenient chocolate syrup. Just note that it will be really sweet!
• Store in a Squeezy Bottle: For easy use, store your syrup in a squeezy bottle! It’ll be so easy to add to milk or drinks and you won’t have to clean an extra spoon. Squeeze bottles are also very clean to use!