Homemade Chocolate Syrup Recipe
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Try this homemade chocolate syrup recipe instead of buying the chemical-filled stuff at the store!
I don’t know about you, but I think sometimes, life just calls for some really good chocolate syrup.
Whether you are topping ice cream or making chocolate milk for the kids, you can’t go wrong with having a little of the stuff in the fridge. The problem is, the stuff you buy at the store almost doesn’t qualify as real chocolate thanks to the laundry list of other added ingredients that don’t seem to even qualify as real food.
So in a desperate search for a clean chocolate syrup recipe (Mini Chef wanted chocolate milk for his birthday!) I came across a recipe (the site no longer exists) that was so obviously screaming for me to clean it up that I got right to work. The truth is, all I did was change the sweetener, adjust the measurements slightly and cut out the salt. And whaaaamo! Instant, healthy, chocolate syrup!
Homemade Chocolate Syrup Recipe
Clean Eating Chocolate Syrup
Ingredients
- 1 cup Sucanat OR coconut sugar, OR 3/4 cup honey
- 1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
- 1 cup water
Instructions
- Whisk all ingredients together in a pot and bring to a soft boil, stirring constantly.
- Once the syrup thickens (about 5 minutes), remove from heat and transfer to a glass container. Store in the fridge.
Notes
Nutrition
Yummy. I make it with carob because of chocolate allergy at our house.
This will last up to about 2 weeks. Not that it really goes bad, but the water will start to separate. All you really have to do is blend it again.
I can’t wait to try this! My kid loves chocolate milk but I hate the “brand name” syrup because it’s loaded with JUNK! Thank you!
I made this today and it tastes great! Better than the store bought one! It took me much longer to get it thicker, about 20 minutes, as I was hesitant to heat too quickly. But I think I will be closer to the 5 minutes next time. Yum!
This sounds really good! Can’t wait to try it!
Now THAT’S a recipe! lol
so excited to try this my little one loves chocolate milk (so does mommy and daddy) and I would feel so much better giving her this! (and consuming this)
Looks a lot simpler than I expected.
This looks yummy for the holidays!
We tried this and thought it was pretty bitter. Not sure if adding more sugar will help.
Something went wrong there. This is definitely not supposed to be bitter! What type of chocolate did you use? Did you change anything?
I just made this yummy syrup using organic coconut sugar. I think I need to add a little more sugar to get the boys to enjoy it too. I will add it directly to the cup so I can wean it back 😉 shhhh
this is one of my very favorite recipes, I know you don’t use stevia, but I subbed it for half the sugar and it was GREAT! So rich and delish! with no guilt.
Hi, this sounds great- how long does it keep for and does it need to be stored in the fridge? Thanks.
I think mine lasted about 2 weeks, and yes, it needs to go in the fridge.
First time commenting….but I LOVE your recipes. This turned out awesome! I mixed it with some greek yogurt and froze it for the kids. They think I am a rock star! Thanks again!
Keane – Haha! That’s wonderful!! 🙂
I just love this recipe! My kids even enjoyed it and they are always skeptical. Thank you!!
Catina – Thanks! Glad they like it!
Was soo excited to try, very disapointed with outcome. Maybe I just haven’t been eating clean long enough for this to taste sweet. found it a bit bitter and it did not mix w milk well in milk, I never got a chocolate flavor.
Cass – Something definitely went wrong there. What type of chocolate did you use?
I made this last night for my sons who wanted chocolate milk. I made it with half cocoa powder, half special dark cocoa powder, and honey. It’s absolutely wonderful. My younger son is a bit picky, but he thought it was better than store bought. Thank you for sharing!
Dani – That’s wonderful! 🙂
Just got done making this, waiting for it to cool so I can put the jar in the fridge, and it is AMAZING! No more store-bought “chocolate” syrup for this family! 😀
Rebekah – yay!! so glad you like it! 🙂
This is an AWESOME recipe! My kids love it!! I found mine was a little bitter too even though I followed the recipe to the T so I added a pinch (literally a pinch) of kosher salt to it and it took the bitterness right out! Thanks for great recipes!!!!!!
Jenny – Nice tip! Thanks! Glad you all enjoyed it. 🙂
I made this today, and expected it to be amazing as your other recipes have been. But I don’t know what went wrong, it tasted quite bitter. I used Cadbury Bourneville unsweetened cocoa powder, with a mix of agave syrup and honey, instead of 3/4 cup honey. Any ideas of what I can do to make it taste better?
Ali – My guess would be the cocoa powder. Some brands can be very bitter. But you can add more sweetener until you get a flavor you like.
What brand cocoa powder do you use? I am new to clean eating.
Jeannette – I get the Trader Joe’s organic stuff.
just made this and it was delicious! I’ve put it in my coffee and made chocolate milk for my pcky daughter and she liked it too. This is very dangerous for me because I could grab a spoon and eat the whole jar!
Steph – Ya, that’s why I only made it the one time. Dangerous stuff! LOL
Bummer! I’ve made my own chocolate sauce before, but was excited to try this one which would be even healthier (if sweetness and chocolate can be healthy 🙂 ). Alas, it turned out to be very bitter. I used Dutch full-fat cocoa powder from my local spice store and the 3/4 cup of honey. I tried adding in plain old refined sugar after my initial taste test, but that didn’t change it much either.
I think this will be a good sauce for grown-ups on ice cream or brownies, but I can’t imagine it will mix well to make kid-friendly chocolate milk.
On that note – how do you store this so you don’t have to heat the whole bottle every time?
I’m glad this recipe got me to your blog though… There are a lot of good looking recipes!!
Maggie J – It’s interesting. I’ve had most people say it turned out great, but a few do mention the bitterness. I wonder if it’s perhaps the type of cocoa powder used? Mine wasn’t bitter at all and was perfect for chocolate milk.
I kept mine in a glass jar and reheated the jar when I wanted some. But it remains scoopable when cold, so you could just scoop out a spoonful and warm that either on the stovetop or in a microwave.
We LOVE this recipe. It’s an absolute staple in our house. Tonight, we wanted to make chocolate milk shakes and had run out of this syrup and I said: Well, I can just run to the store and pick up a bottle of HFCS syrup and everyone, hands down, said they’d rather wait for me to make this clean eating recipe instead and use that in our shakes. I ONLY use Sucanat in mine, never honey (I think honey influences the flavor too much) and I wouldn’t say it’s bitter – I would say it’s very true to a real, dark chocolate flavor. I use it in chocolate milk for my toddler all the time. Our whole family thinks this is the best chocolate syrup there is, ever. THANKS!
Alicia – Wow! That’s high praise! Thank you! 😀
I’m new to clean eating as well and made this tonight. Mine was bitter too. I used Hershey’s unsweetened cocoa powder and coconut sugar as well as the vanilla and water. Perhaps it’s because I’m not a dark chocolate fan??? I prefer milk chocolate. Is there anything I could do to salvage it?
Kelley – How strange! I wonder what the issue is. You could certainly add more coconut sugar. Unless the box says “dark chocolate”, it most likely is not. So I’m not sure if that is the issue or not. Most of what Hershey’s sells is what you would use to get milk chocolate. At least that’s what I’ve seen in the stores. It could be that the chocolate flavor is simply too strong for you. I would definitely start with adding more sugar and see what you think. Let me know!