This thick, glossy peppermint hot fudge sauce recipe is the perfect ice cream topping for the holidays! Rich and fudgy, with the perfect kiss of peppermint flavor, it makes for AMAZING sundaes!

Pouring thick, glossy peppermint hot fudge sauce into a glass jar

I love a good chocolate peppermint treat during the holiday season (I’m looking at you Peppermint Crunch Brownies, Peppermint Flourless Chocolate Cake, and fudgy Chocolate Peppermint Cookies!), but there’s nothing like this yummy hot fudge sauce. Why? Glad you asked…

This Velvety Peppermint Hot Fudge Sauce Was Made For Sundaes

Our easy peppermint hot fudge sauce recipe is a delicious change of pace from holiday cookies & candy. There’s so much to love about it!

🥣 EASE: Simple ingredients (mostly pantry staples!) and simple stirring and melting are all you need for this easy recipe. You’ve got this!

🍫 FLAVORS: This rich hot fudge sauce is–you guessed it–fudgy! You’ll get rich chocolate flavor and cool peppermint with a subtle kiss of vanilla. Absolutely delicious.

🍨 TOP TIPS: This is THE PERFECT topping for an ice cream sundae! Don’t miss our favorite way to make one below!

Merry Christmas & Happy baking! xo, Emily

Gather Your Ingredients

Ingredients for peppermint hot fudge sauce

Dark Chocolate Chips. I recommend dark chocolate (around 70-72%) when possible to keep this from getting too sweet. You can use bittersweet chocolate or semi-sweet chocolate chips instead, but the sauce will be less chocolatey and more sweet. Milk chocolate will be too sweet and too weak for this recipe.
Sweetened Condensed Milk. Just like in our Classic Hot Fudge Sauce recipe, you won’t need light corn syrup or golden syrup here. Instead, we use sweetened condensed milk (literally just milk + sugar!) which gives this peppermint hot fudge sauce its rich, almost chewy texture. (That perfect soft chew when it hits the ice cream!!!)
Heavy Cream. For richness and creaminess. Don’t substitute low-fat options here, or your hot fudge won’t be nearly as thick.
Butter. For flavor and richness. It’s a must!
A Little Salt. To balance and enhance the flavors.
Vanilla Extract & Peppermint Extract. I like a mix of both vanilla and pure peppermint extract for flavor here. The combination adds depth and keeps this indulgent sauce from tasting too flat or one-note.

How To Make Peppermint Hot Fudge, Step By Step

As always, you can find the full recipe, with ingredient amounts, detailed instructions, and tips in the recipe card below.

Making peppermint hot fudge sauce, step by step

Melt. In a medium saucepan, combine chocolate chips, sweetened condensed milk, heavy cream, butter, and salt. Heat the mixture over medium-low heat stirring regularly until the chocolate is fully melted. (Don’t let it boil!)
Add Flavor! Remove the pan from the heat and stir in vanilla extract and peppermint extract. I recommend starting with 1/2 teaspoon peppermint extract at first, then adding more, to taste. I usually end up with 3/4-1 teaspoon peppermint extract since we like ours strong!
Serve & Store. Pour the hot fudge sauce into a jar, small pitcher, or an airtight container. Serve warm over ice cream or your favorite desserts. Store leftover peppermint hot fudge in an airtight container in the fridge 1-2 weeks.
Reheat Leftovers. Hot fudge sauce will thicken significantly as it cools. To reheat leftovers, you can warm it in a saucepan on the stove, or reheat what you need in the microwave in 15-20 second intervals, stirring in between each interval, until the hot fudge is warm and pourable again.

Peppermint hot fudge sauce on a peppermint brownie sundae

Make A Peppermint Hot Fudge Sundae!!!

Now for my favorite part: EATING it! I don’t want to tell you what to do, but I WILL just say that this peppermint hot fudge recipe is PERFECT for making peppermint hot fudge sundaes. Here’s what you’ll need:

A Fresh Batch of Peppermint Hot Fudge Sauce. Obviously.
A Scoop of Ice Cream. They’re delicious with vanilla ice cream, yes, but now is THE BEST POSSIBLE TIME to break out some Peppermint Ice Cream. Our homemade recipe is unreal, but there are lots of great brands at the store this time of year! (You can also try it on your favorite ice cream–Cookies & Cream Ice Cream or chocolate ice cream are both delicious!)
A Warm Brownie. Usually, I’d tell you to wait for these fudgy brownies to cool completely before slicing, but peppermint brownie sundae time is not one of those times. Cold ice cream + warm brownie + hot fudge = PERFECTION.
More Peppermint Bits. Finish the sundae off with a sprinkle of crushed candy canes or peppermint candies. The little crispy crunch is heaven paired with the gooey hot fudge sauce and ice cream.

Spoon dipping into a jar of rich peppermint hot fudge sauce

FAQ + Tricks For The Best Peppermint Hot Fudge Sauce

Can I Use Peppermint Oil Instead of Peppermint Extract? Maybe. Not all peppermint oil is food grade (some is meant for aromatherapy only!), but food grade pure peppermint oil can be used in VERY small amounts. Peppermint oil is WAY stronger than peppermint extract so a single drop is likely all you’d need! Otherwise, you’ll end up with a very overpowering minty aftertaste.

Try Giving It As a Homemade Gift! This homemade peppermint hot fudge sauce makes a GREAT Christmas gift for friends & neighbors. Package it in small heatproof jars & top with a bow or gift tag.

Can I Use Something Besides Sweetened Condensed Milk? Sweetened condensed milk is literally just milk & sugar that’s been cooked down to evaporate some of the water so it’s nice and thick and sticky. You can make your own with this recipe! You’ll just need granulated sugar and whole milk.

More Yummy Holiday Treats To Try

Fudgy Gluten-Free Brown Butter Brownies

A red and pink striped spoon dipping into a bowl of pink peppermint ice cream with candy cane bits

Homemade Peppermint Ice Cream

Peppermint Flourless Chocolate Cake

20+ Gluten-Free Holiday Cookie Recipes To Try

🌟 Did You Make This Recipe?

Tell me all about it! Leave a star rating below when you try our Peppermint Hot Fudge Sauce recipe. I can’t wait to hear how it goes!

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Peppermint Hot Fudge Sauce

5 from 1 vote

Author: Emily Dixon, Sweets & Thank You

This deliciously thick peppermint hot fudge sauce is perfect for a holiday sundae! Try it with peppermint ice cream and a warm brownie–you won't regret it!

Prep Time: 5

Cook Time: 8

Total Time: 13

Print Pin Rate

Servings: cups Hot Fudge Sauce

Ingredients

1 cup Dark Chocolate Chips (or semi-sweet chocolate chips)
1 (14-ounce) can Sweetened Condensed Milk
½ cup Heavy Cream
4 Tablespoons Tablespoons butter (57 grams)
¼ teaspoon Kosher Salt
1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
1/2-1 teaspoon Peppermint Extract (depending how strong you want it!)

Instructions

Melt. In a medium saucepan, combine chocolate chips, sweetened condensed milk, heavy cream, butter, and salt. Heat the mixture over medium-low heat stirring regularly until the chocolate is fully melted. (Don't let it boil!)
Add Flavor! Remove the pan from the heat and stir in vanilla extract and peppermint extract. I recommend starting with 1/2 teaspoon peppermint extract at first, then adding more, to taste. I usually end up with 3/4-1 teaspoon peppermint extract since we like ours strong!
Serve & Store. Pour the hot fudge sauce into a jar, small pitcher, or an airtight container. Serve warm over ice cream or your favorite desserts. Store leftover peppermint hot fudge in an airtight container in the fridge 1-2 weeks.
Reheat Leftovers. Hot fudge sauce will thicken significantly as it cools. To reheat leftovers, you can warm it in a saucepan on the stove, or reheat what you need in the microwave in 15-20 second intervals, stirring in between each interval, until the hot fudge is warm and pourable again.

Notes

Chocolate. I recommend dark chocolate (around 70-72%) when possible to keep this from getting too sweet. You can use bittersweet chocolate or semi-sweet chocolate chips instead, but the sauce will be less chocolatey and more sweet. Milk chocolate will be too sweet and too weak for this recipe.