Vegan Chocolate Sauce (4 Ingredients, Healthy, Easy)

Name: Vegan Chocolate Sauce (4 Ingredients, Healthy, Easy)
Cook time: 5 min
Total time: 5 min
Ingredients: ½ cup raw cacao powder (cocoa powder works too); ⅓ cup maple syrup (or more to taste); 5-7 tbsp oat milk or any plant-based milk or water (or enough for desired consistency); 1 tsp vanilla extract (optional)

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My favorite homemade vegan chocolate sauce is finally out! This easy 4-ingredient recipe is ultra-fast, versatile, crazy silky rich in texture and pretty healthy + high in antioxidants, too. Use it in endless ways: over pancakes, to dip in fruits, drizzled over ice cream or oatmeal, used to flavor coffee or lattes and so on. Then, chill the leftover sauce in the fridge to use as a rich and delicious chocolate spread the next day. Amazing! 100% vegan, dairy-free and naturally gluten-free.

Close up on a vegan chocolate sauce with berries around.

This vegan chocolate sauce is hands down one of my favorite chocolate recipes. I should have shared it before!

It is unbelievably delicious yet crazy easy to make.

I am not joking when I say it comes together within 5 minutes and you will only need 4 simple ingredients to make it. No cream, no white sugar, no oil (no coconut oil or vegan butter) and made without chocolate chips. Just some antioxidant-packed raw cacao powder, maple syrup, a touch of oat milk (or any milk) for a boost in creaminess and some vanilla extract, if you have some.

All you have to do is whisk the ingredients together, then warm up to help dissolve the cacao powder and heat up the sauce. And then, generously drizzle over ice cream like a vegan hot fudge or use it to flavor and decorate cakes, pancakes, crepes, etc. I even use it as a chocolate syrup for coffee, smoothies and lattes.

You can also make it last minute if you run into a dessert emergency situation and serve it as a simple and better-for-you vegan chocolate dip for fruits. Or make a big batch, keep in the fridge and reheat it as needed to bring overnight oats and oatmeal to the next level in the morning. Because yes, it is healthy enough to enjoy for breakfast!

This is one of the most versatile, simple and scrumptious homemade chocolate sauces you can make right now, with pantry ingredients, without much effort. It has such a silky and heavenly-rich texture, you might just want to eat it all with a spoon.

Let me know if you gave it a try ❤️

Overhead view on a jar of vegan chocolate sauce with a spoon taking some to show texture.

Why you should try this recipe

Ultra fast to make!
Easy recipe that uses only a handful of ingredients
Amazingly delicious rich dark chocolate sauce
Super silky texture with adjustable consistency
Endless ways to serve it
Stores well and great for meal-prep
This easy vegan chocolate sauce can also be used as a hot chocolate fudge sauce, spreadable chocolate ganache or chocolate dipping sauce.
Makes for a healthy vegan chocolate sauce! No high fructose corn syrup, no preservatives and made without any added fats.
Vegan, dairy-free and naturally gluten-free

Ingredients you will need

Raw cacao powder: you can use cocoa powder, although cacao powder is less processed and higher in antioxidants, making the sauce even healthier. Cacao also has a stronger and more rich chocolatey flavor. That being said, if you only have cocoa powder, then it's fine, simply use this!
Pure maple syrup: sweetener of choice for this vegan chocolate syrup. It brings an almost caramel-like flavor and has the perfect texture to make the sauce smooth and creamy. I haven't tried it yet, but you might be able to swap for agave nectar. In any case, do not swap for granulated sugar as it would not create the same texture.
Oat milk: or any plant-based milk you have or like. Oat milk is great to create a thicker and rich consistency, but soy milk, almond milk or cashew milk would also be great. If you don't have any milk, then simply use water!
Vanilla extract: absolutely optional, but vanilla enhances the richness of the chocolate and boosts the sweetness naturally too.

Showing are the ingredients needed to make this recipe.

How to make a vegan chocolate sauce recipe

So quick and easy, this sauce should be ready within 5 minutes!

Combine

In a small saucepan, add the oat milk, maple syrup, vanilla extract and cacao powder. Then, using a whisk, stir the mixture until completely combined and smooth, which can take 30-60 seconds.

Warm-up

Then, turn on the heat to low and keep whisking while the sauce is slowly warming up. The sauce tends to loosen up while heating, so be sure to warm it up nicely before deciding if you need to adjust the consistency with more milk.

IMPORTANT: watch carefully so the mixture doesn't actually cook! Once the sauce is steamy hot and all smooth, that's it, remove it from the heat.

Adjust and serve

You can taste to adjust flavor if needed: add 1-3 teaspoons extra of maple syrup for a sweeter sauce and 1 tablespoon at a time extra of oat milk if looking for a thinner sauce.

Serve right away or store for later.

In process picture: add all ingredients to a saucepan.

Helpful tips

As mentioned above, you don't want to go too far away from the saucepan while the sauce is warming up. It goes fast and you don't want to cook the mixture or it can become a crumbly thick mess. You are looking for warming it up to help dissolve the cacao and create that silky-rich texture. Stay beside the saucepan and almost constantly whisk while it is warming up. Then, remove it right away when done and looks good to you.
Cacao powder can be stubborn when trying to dissolve it in a liquid. I find that all clumps eventually dissolve if I vigorously whisk for a little while, but sifting the cacao into the saucepan might help speed up this process.

View on a spoon taking some vegan chocolate sauce from a jar.

Serving suggestions

There are so many ways you can serve this delicious homemade chocolate sauce recipe, it is hard to squeeze all the ideas into one paragraph! But here are a few of my favorite ways to enjoy this recipe:

Vegan chocolate dipping sauce

Probably my favorite way to serve it!

You can serve it warm in a small bowl alongside fresh fruit, such as bananas, strawberries, apples, raspberries or pineapple. It makes for an easy recipe for a chocolate fondue that's healthier. Also check out this strawberry fruit dip recipe!

This recipe can be a great way to help you eat more fruit and kids love it!

But more than fruits, you can use it as a sweet dipping sauce for vegan churros, energy balls (perfect with these vegan edible cookie dough bites) or cookies (amazing with these 3-ingredient peanut butter cookies ).

Vegan chocolate hot fudge

Another classic would be to drizzle the warm dairy-free hot fudge sauce over your favorite ice cream (or banana vegan "nice" cream). We love this Oatly vanilla ice cream paired with this delicious chocolate sauce. Just add some berries to have a delicious and healthier dessert done in 10 minutes.

Pro-tip: You can try to keep the sauce a little thicker if making a fudge by adding a little less milk to the mixture.

Here are more chocolate topping serving ideas:

make layered vegan ice cream sundaes (which would be great combined with bananas, whipped cream, tahini caramel, vegan chocolate chips and crushed nuts)
garnish freshly baked vegan brownies (perfect with these banana brownies!)
top this peanut butter fudge recipe
drizzle over pancakes or waffles (perfect over these high-protein pancakes)
garnish vegan individualized baked oats when serving
drizzle over cake and muffins

Vegan chocolate syrup

To use this recipe as dairy-free chocolate syrup, then you might need to slightly adjust the consistency and add 1-2 extra tablespoons of oat milk.

You can add homemade chocolate syrup to so many drinks to make them sweeter and boost their chocolate flavor. Here are a few pairing ideas:

Vegan spreadable chocolate ganache

And now is the BIG SECRET: once done, you can transfer the leftover chocolate sauce into the fridge and it will turn into the BEST spreadable chocolate ganache you will ever have.

Chilling the mixture sets the sauce into a rich and thick consistency without any extra effort, which you can use to garnish many dishes. I make double batches to make sure I have extra for a spreadable or dollopable treat the next day. Here are ways you can use the chilled ganache:

granola bars
cake (try it over this vegan cookie cake!)
overnight oats
peanut butter toasts
vegan black forest cake
vegan sandwich cookies

Customize the recipe

You can flavor this amazing chocolate sauce with more ingredients, such as:

Spices: you can make a Mexican chocolate version by adding some spices to it, especially cinnamon, but also nutmeg, cayenne pepper or cardamom.
Sweet and salty: add a pinch of sea salt to the sauce for a salted chocolate flavor.
Protein boost: you can even add a spoonful of peanut butter or almond butter to the saucepan and whisk well until dissolved to add more plant-based protein, but also more rich texture and a delicious nutty flavor.
Coconut-y: I love coconut + chocolate flavors together. If you are like me, then swap the oat milk for coconut milk (in a box or from a can) for a boost of flavor. You might have to add more of it if needed to make the sauce thinner and use full-fat coconut milk for a treat!

Storage tips

This chocolate sauce stores very well, so don't hesitate to make more to use it throughout your week. Keep it in an airtight glass container (a mason jar is great for that) for up to one week.

As mentioned above, once chilled, the sauce gets thicker and will not be pourable anymore. Instead, you can scoop it or spread it in dessert or breakfast recipes.

If you want to bring back that pourable consistency after storing, then simply leave it on the counter at room temperature until thinner, or speed up the process by warming it up just for a few seconds in the microwave or on the stove.

You can also freeze this sauce! Keep it in an airtight container for up to 3 months. Let it thaw in the fridge overnight and warm it up as needed before serving.

There is a strawberry dipping in a vegan chocolate sauce.

FAQ's

Can I use the microwave?

Yes, you can! Simply whisk well the ingredients in a microwave-safe bowl until completely smooth. Then, heat it up for 15-20 seconds at a time whisking well in between. Do not warm it up too much or the sauce will cook and change in texture.

I added too much milk and now my sauce is too thin. What can I do?

This recipe is pretty much fail-proof and easy to customize by tweaking the ingredients as you go. So simply add a little more cacao powder, whisk well and repeat until you reach desired consistency.

Will this chocolate sauce harden when poured on ice cream?

No, this is an oil-free and no added fat sauce, meaning that the sauce might get thicker once in contact with cold ice cream, but it will not harden like store-bought ice cream bars covered with crunchy chocolate.

There is a spoon dripping some vegan chocolate sauce back into its storing container.

More favorite vegan chocolate recipes

I hope you like this vegan chocolate sauce recipe as much as we do! If you try it, please leave a comment below and rate the recipe to let me know how it was. Your feedback is so helpful!

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