You won’t believe how easy it is to make your own dairy-free chocolate syrup. It uses just a handful of inexpensive ingredients that are probably stocked in your pantry right now. And it can be ready to use in less than 10 minutes. It’s perfect for ice cream sundaes, as a dessert garnish, drizzled over pancakes or waffles, in vegan milkshakes, or for simply making a chocolatey beverage.
Dairy-Free Chocolate Syrup that’s Homemade to Taste
The beauty of this recipe isn’t just how simple and delicious it is. It’s also how versatile it is and how easy it is to customize. I’ve included all types of options, modifications, and adjustments in the recipe notes and in the FAQ’s below.
How Thick is this Homemade Chocolate Syrup?
It’s similar to Hershey’s. It’s thicker than a drink syrup, but thinner than hot fudge sauce. Some chocolate syrup recipes are quite runny. This one is closer to a dairy-free chocolate sauce, and has a little thickness to it. I do include the option to add more water if you want it to drizzle more readily. Please note that this chocolate syrup doesn’t work as chocolate ganache. It’s a syrup type sauce that’s boiled down, while ganache is melted chocolate that sets up as it cools.
Can I Use Less Sugar?
You can use less sugar. Just keep in mind that sugar is a primary thickener in this recipe. Using less will result in a thinner dairy-free chocolate syrup. I wouldn’t reduce it by more than half (3/4 cup).
Can I Use a Different Type of Sweetener?
Plain old white sugar or cane sugar will produce the most seamless result and pure chocolate flavor. However, you can substitute another sweetener, like coconut sugar, agave nectar, honey (use less), or maple syrup. These will affect the taste and thickness of the chocolate syrup, so you might need to test different ratios.
Can I Use a Sugar-Free Sweetener?
Sugar-free sweeteners are tricky, since they don’t typically thicken sauces like sugar sweeteners do. So they really require their own recipe. I found this sugar-free recipe that might help you.
Doesn’t Cocoa Powder Contain Dairy?
You might be thinking of, or looking at, a hot chocolate mix. Many hot chocolate mixes and other chocolate powders do contain milk. However, plain cocoa powder is dairy-free. It’s just one ingredient – the cocoa solids from cacao beans.
What Type of Cocoa Powder Should I Use?
There are two types of cocoa powder: Natural (sometimes labelled as Unsweetened) and Dutch-Processed (sometimes labelled as Alkalized). If you don’t see one of these words on the front, look at the ingredients. A Dutch-processed version will have “cocoa processed with alkali” as the ingredient. Either one can be used in this dairy-free chocolate syrup. I typically use natural cocoa powder in this recipe. A natural cocoa powder will contrast the sweetness more, while a Dutch-processed cocoa powder will enhance the sweetness and impart a deeper cocoa flavor. Please note that cocoa powder and cacao powder are the same thing, but the term cacao powder is typically used on natural cocoa powder only.
Can I Use this Chocolate Syrup To Make Hot Chocolate or Chocolate Milk?
You sure can! Just drizzle it into your favorite milk alternative, or add one or two spoonfuls to taste. It goes well with most plant based milks, including soy milk, almond milk, oat milk, coconut milk, and others.
Does it Mix Well into Hot and Cold Liquids?
Yes you can stir this homemade chocolate sauce right into either hot or cold liquids without a problem. It doesn’t need to melt, and we’ll readily dissolve.
Isn’t Hershey’s Syrup Dairy Free?
Hershey’s Syrup is actually dairy-free. Not all chocolate sauces and chocolate syrups are dairy-free, but Hershey’s base line is.
How is Homemade Better than Hershey’s?
We prefer homemade dairy-free chocolate syrup for a few reasons. One is the taste. Nothing beats a prepared from scratch chocolate sauce. Two is the ingredients. Hershey’s Syrup is made with high fructose corn syrup, artificial flavor, xanthan gum, preservatives, and other additives. They do make a “Simply 5” Hershey’s chocolate syrup with cleaner ingredients, but it costs more and is still processed. That leads me to two more reasons. Making your own is cheaper. I’ve calculated a 30% to 50% savings with homemade over store-bought, and that’s just compared to Hershey’s. Many other brands cost more. And finally, it’s made in your own kitchen so cross-contamination with dairy and other allergens is less of a concern.
Troubleshooting Tips
Homemade chocolate syrup is easy to adjust to taste, and easy to fix if you aren’t completely content with the end result.
- Too Sweet: Whisk in a little more cocoa powder and water to taste. Simmer it for a couple minutes more to meld the flavors and smooth out the consistency. Next time, you can reduce the sugar. If you lower it by 1/4 cup, the thickness changes will be negligible. If you reduce it by 1/2 to 3/4 cup, it will be thinner. Another thing to consider is which cocoa powder you use. Natural cocoa powder will make the chocolate syrup less sweet in taste than Dutch-processed cocoa powder.
- Too Bitter: Whisk in another 1/4 cup sugar. Next time, use Dutch-processed cocoa powder instead of natural cocoa powder.
- Too Plain: You can increase the vanilla to 2 teaspoons, and add another pinch of table salt or sea salt for more flavor depth. Next time, use Dutch-processed cocoa powder for a deeper taste.
- Too Thick: Whisk in more water or milk alternative to reach your desired consistency.
- Too Thin: You can cook it a little longer to thicken it more, or just refrigerate it if you only want to thicken it a little. This dairy-free chocolate syrup will thicken a little bit as it cools.
Special Diet Notes: Homemade Chocolate Syrup
By ingredients, this recipe is dairy-free / non-dairy, egg-free, gluten-free, grain-free, nut-free, peanut-free, soy-free, coconut-free, sesame-free, vegan, plant-based, and vegetarian.
Dairy-Free Chocolate Syrup
Ingredients
Method
- In a large saucepan, whisk together the sugar, cocoa powder, and salt until no cocoa clumps remain. Gradually whisk in the water until smooth.
- Place the pan over medium heat. Whisk continuously as the mixture comes to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low and let it bubble for 3 minutes, whisking often. If it thickens too much for your taste, whisk in more water.
- Remove the pan from the heat, and stir in the vanilla. Let cool to room temperature.
- If desired, strain the syrup through a fine-mesh sieve for a very smooth consistency.
- Store the homemade chocolate syrup in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 weeks. It will thicken more as it refrigerates.
Nutrition
Notes
Tried this recipe?
Let us know how it was!Also try my Dairy-Free Butterscotch Sauce Recipe!
