Homemade Chocolate Syrup (Without Refined Sugars)
- Sarah
- Apr 24
- 2 min read
This easy Homemade Chocolate Syrup recipe uses just a few pantry staples and comes together in minutes. Whether you're drizzling it over pancakes, stirring it into milk for a dreamy chocolate drink, or topping off a scoop of vanilla ice cream, this syrup will quickly become a family favorite.

Why You'll Love This Homemade Chocolate Syrup (Without Refined Sugars)
Naturally sweetened with maple syrup or honey
No refined sugar
Super chocolatey and smooth
Keeps for up to 3 months in the fridge
Makes a perfect gift!
Homemade Chocolate Syrup
(Without Refined Sugars)
Ingredients:
Yield: 2 cups
Ingredients
1 cup water
½ cup maple syrup or honey
1 cup cocoa powder, unsweetened is best
½ tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla extract
How to Make It
Dissolve the Sweetener: In a medium saucepan, combine the water and your choice of maple syrup or honey. Gently heat over medium, stirring occasionally, until fully dissolved.
Whisk in Cocoa and Salt: Add the cocoa powder and salt, and whisk thoroughly. Keep cooking over medium heat, stirring often, until the mixture thickens slightly (about 5–7 minutes). Don’t let it boil—gentle heat is key!
Finish with Vanilla: Remove the pan from heat and stir in the vanilla extract. It will smell amazing at this point, resist the urge to dive in with a spoon (okay, maybe just one taste).
Cool and Store: Let it cool to room temperature; it will thicken more as it cools. Pour into a clean jar or bottle and refrigerate. It’ll keep for 2–3 months, if it lasts that long!
Serving Ideas
Stir into hot or cold milk for homemade chocolate milk
Drizzle over pancakes, waffles, or crepes
Pour it over ice cream or brownies
Add a spoonful to coffee for a quick mocha
Use as a dip for fruit like strawberries or bananas
For a deeper flavor, try using dark cocoa powder.
Want it thicker (more like fudge sauce)? Let it simmer a bit longer or reduce the water slightly.
Vegan? Just use maple syrup instead of honey!

The Recipe:
Did you try making this Homemade Chocolate Syrup? We’d love to see your creations! Tag us on Instagram at Thesproutinghomestead or leave a comment below to let us know how they turned out. Happy snacking!
We used pure maple syrup, Ghiradelli cocoa, and Redmond’s salt. Stayed a little in the thinner side with the syrup, but husband says it’s excellent. So happy to have a cleaner option for him!
Just made this today. I had no idea what it’s supposed to look like once the syrup “dissolves” it just stayed the same colour. It was reducing too much so I decided to put everything else in anyway. I found that medium heat and gentle heat aren’t the same thing. Mine definitely got to a boil and even after I turned it down and added everything it immediately thickened waaaay too much and I had to dilute it with water. Didn’t turn out the best
I made this today and added it to my overnight oats. It was easy to make and I followed the recipe exactly. At first, the honey flavor was strong, but after it cooled, I felt like it mellowed out. For reference, if you are new to this no-refined sugars thing like I am, it tastes similar to how semi-sweet chocolate chips taste when melted.