A quick and easy recipe for rich, dark and intense vegan chocolate sauce in 5 minutes with 2 ingredients in 1 pan. This will become your go to chocolate sauce for topping ice cream, drizzling over pancakes, using in shakes & hot chocolate as well as spooning directly from the jar! Vegan and gluten free!
Vegan Chocolate Sauce
Everyone needs a jar of this rich, dark and intense vegan chocolate sauce in their fridge. It is one of my staples – a sticky rich thick chocolate syrup that happens to be vegan and is also naturally gluten free. It also only uses two ingredients, is fat free and can be made in about 5 minutes in one pan. Win win win!
This is so easy to make that you will never need to buy a commercial chocolate syrup that can be full of additives and preservatives, as well as simply not tasting as good.
This recipe comes from my childhood and is adapted from Katie Stewart’s Complete Cookbook – Katie was the cookery writer for the London Times in the 1960’s and 70’s; her classic recipes making the best of the very different culinary landscape back then. Katie’s books were a staple in my mother’s kitchen, and have many much loved, and oft cooked recipes in them.
This super simple rich and intense chocolate sauce was a favourite: cocoa powder is whisked into a sugar syrup, simmered for a few minutes, left to get cold and thicken and then reheated. After a hearty casserole a spoonful of this over a bowl of vanilla ice cream provided a satisfying and low fuss end to a meal, with that wonderful contrast between hot chocolate sauce and freezing cold ice cream.
I’ve adapted the original recipe to make it cup measure friendly for anyone who does not have kitchen scales, and have tweaked the method so it is a true one step recipe. The original instructions calls for you to make a sugar syrup into which you then whisk the cocoa powder, but I find it far easier to mix and sieve the sugar and cocoa, getting rid of all the lumps, and then add the water. It’s a far easier and quicker route to a lump-free sauce.
Tips for making vegan chocolate sauce
Sift the cocoa and sugar together before adding the water, this way you should not have any lumps to remove.
To make a thicker sauce cook it for longer, but beware: it will thicken dramatically as it cools so don’t overdo it.
When simmering the sauce you need to stir constantly. Use a silicon spatula to scrape the sides and bottom of the pan.
How do I use vegan chocolate sauce?
There are so many ways to serve the vegan chocolate sauce – we use it
- In hot chocolate, where it dissolves easily and mixes evenly
- In milk shakes
- As a sauce for profiteroles
- Heated and poured over ice cream
- As a drizzle for cheesecake
- Dip these Vegan Oat Cookies or these Snickerdoodles in it
How do I store vegan chocolate sauce?
Store in a jar in the fridge – I’ve never kept it for more than 10 days before it all gets used. It will freeze, but again I’ve never had the need to.
How do I make healthy vegan chocolate sauce?
There is no denying that this vegan chocolate sauce contains sugar and should be consumed in moderation. You could try a version using agave syrup – which has a lower GI than using table sugar – but just because it is not table sugar, it does not necessarily mean it is healthy! Many agaves are highly processed and have high levels of fructose, similar to HFCS, which can increase insulin resistance. Coupled with the air miles and plastic packaging I’d prefer to use sugar made from locally grown sugar beet, which comes packaged in paper, and consume this in moderation.
2 Ingredient Vegan Chocolate Sauce
Ingredients
- 150 g (0.75 cups) sugar
- 55 g (0.66 cups) cocoa
- 120 ml (0.5 cups) water
Instructions
- Place the sugar into a medium pan, sift or stir the cocoa making sure you get rid of any lumps.
- Add the water and stir well.
- Gently heat over a medium heat to a gentle boil, stirring all the time until well mixed and starting to thicken, this will take about 5 minutes.
- Allow to cool then transfer to a jar and once cold seal and keep in the fridge.
Notes
- Sift the cocoa and sugar together before adding the water, this way you should not have any lumps to remove.
- To make a thicker sauce cook it for longer, it will thicken dramatically as it cools so don't over cook it.
- When simmering the sauce you need to stir constantly, using a silicon spatula to scrape the sides and bottom of the pan.Â
- Adapted from Katie Stewart's The Complete Cookbook
- This recipe is 2 Weight Watchers Smart Points per portion.
Cindy @ The Sweet Nerd
You can’t beat 2 ingredients – and I love putting it in an old jam jar to always have on hand.
Helen
So handy to have as a go to sauce.
Veena Azmanov @veenaazmanov
Oh this looks so scrumptious!! I love pouring chocolate sauce over everything. I usually make mine with almond milk but love the color of this with water.. Yum!
Helen
Chocolate sauce can go with so many things can’t it.
Lily
My mum has recently gone vegan and she loves playing with different recipes to make the foods she loved eating pre her vegan days. I’ll be sure to pass the link to this post to her so she can try it out!
Helen
Everyone needs chocolate sauce at some point, so this being vegan is ideal.
Alyssa | Flaxseeds & Fairytales
This vegan chocolate sauce looks divine! I follow a gluten-free diet that is mostly dairy-free so this is perfect for me! :) I love the idea of the agave variation too. Can’t wait to try this!
Helen
So versatile Alyssa, and so easy to make,
Tania | Fit Foodie Nutter
Such an easy, quick yet delicious recipe. I’m sure it would be a hit with all the family, especially when they get to spread it all over their pancakes. Thank you for sharing Helen x
Helen
It is indeed the perfect sauce for pancakes.
Pam Greer
I was just wishing I had some chocolate sauce the other day! I made a bread pudding and this would have been perfect on it! I think I need to have a jar of this in the fridge at all times!
Helen
Drizzled on bread pudding would be delicious, Pam.
Sarah Bailey
Now that looks like a chocolate sauce to try! I can’t believe it is made using only 2 ingredients and it is gluten free! Fantastic.
Helen
Super easy to make, and so delicious.
Joanna
I can’t believe how easy it is to make this chocolate sauce and how many yummy desserts you can use it for. My favorite would be the hot chocolate!
Helen
So versatile, great with so many different things.
Hannah
Oh I totally agree too! Everyone needs chocolate in their life – vegans too! A great recipe and sounds delicious :)
Helen
Being vegan shouldn’t mean being without chocolate, absolutely not.
Shoshana Sue
I am certainly going to make this sauce and I can tell you, I doubt it will stay more than 2 days in my fridge by the yummy looks of it.
Helen
It is so good, you may just get to two days.
Samantha Donnelly
My daughter loves chocolate sauce, and it is one thing I usually do not have in, this looks so easy to make and much nicer than the brought sauces, I will have to give this a go x
Helen
So easy to make and great that it has no added ingredients.
Jemma
I can’t believe how incredibly easy this is to cook. Ao handy to keep in the fridge to top desserts with.
Helen
A great go to sauce to have in the fridge.
Rhian Westbury
Sounds really simple, I’ll need to give this a go next time I have some ice cream or a milkshake x
Helen
So good on icecream, Rhian.
Melanie williams
Love this!! Only 2 ingredients – this works for me so simple and looks really yummy x
Helen
So easy to make and so good.
Stephen
Well you make this sound incredibly easy to make and I now want some over ice cream!
Helen
It is very easy to make Stephen, and so very good on icecream.
Elizabeth
Oh, heavens that chocolate sauce looks good! That would have been really nice on my crepes yesterday.
Helen
It would be perfect with crepes, delicious.
Laura H
Good to know it will thicken when cooling otherwise I would’ve kept making it thicker haha!
Helen
You could end up with very thick sauce if continue to heat.
bryanna skye
this is my go to for baking! thanks for sharing how easy it is and how yum it tastes!
Helen
It absolutely is a favourite!
Gloria @ Homemade & Yummy
Looks like a quick and easy sauce to whip up. So many uses for this versatile recipe.
Helen
So easy and so many different ways to enjoy.
Sarah Ann
Wow, this looks heavenly! I love the idea of using it in milkshakes which I know is something my sister would enjoy too.
Helen
It makes a perfect milkshake, and so easy.
Jolina
This looks so silky and creamy! When I make chocolate sauce I always end up making it too thick that I end up making pudding lol.Thanks for the tips.
Helen
All too easy to do Jolina, it is all about the stirring and timing.
Denise
Wow that looks pretty easy to make and gosh it looks so good! My son and I could put chocolate sauce on just about everything. Can’t wait to give this a try.
Helen
Chocolate sauce is so versatile, so many ways to enjoy.
Marisa Franca @ All Our Way
I can’t believe how easy it is to make. Sometimes the old recipes are the best. Classics like old movies and vintage clothing. Now I do have a weakness and ice cream is it. This would certainly be perfect on some delicious vanilla ice cream. This recipe certainly deserves 5 star.
Helen
A perfect accompliment to ice cream, Marisa.
Ashleigh Dougherty
Wish I read this before pancake day. Vegan chocc sauce would have been ideal!
Helen
A good excuse to make pancakes again, just for the enjoyment.
Michelle
I can’t tell you how much I love homemade sauces. This sounds so perfect. I want it on all the things!
Helen
Homemade sauces are so good, simple ingredients and always taste better.
hotdish
Delicious and perfect! Thank you!!
Helen
I’m so pleased you like it. I love this sauce.
Lisa
Thanks for this. It was simple and easy, and the sauce is yummy. We had it over caramel swirl ice cream, and I’m looking forward to making hot chocolate with it. I’ll make this again and again. So nice that it’s vegan, too!
Helen Best-Shaw
Perfect paired with caramel ice cream!
Sam Rees
This looks amazing. Does it need to be kept in the fridge or would it be fine in an airtight container at room temperature?
Helen Best-Shaw
it would be fine for a few days – I tend to keep it in the fridge though.