This post was created as in partnership with Imperial Sugar. All thoughts and opinions are 100% my own.
There’s nothing like a tall, icy-cold Chocolate Milkshake when it comes to frozen treats. Elevate this timeless soda shop favorite with our quick and effortless 1-minute microwave chocolate sauce. Our secret ingredient? Dutch process cocoa powder, which transforms your shake into an extraordinary chocolatey delight!
Table of Contents
Almost every chocolate milkshake recipe I’ve seen calls for just three ingredients – Hershey’s chocolate syrup, vanilla ice cream, and milk. Mine has a few more ingredients, but we’re not reinventing the wheel here. Instead we are elevating our chocolate milkshakes with a simple 1-minute homemade chocolate sauce that really boosts the chocolate flavor.
Our secret to creating the best chocolate milkshake of your life is using dutch processed cocoa powder. It packs a much more chocolatey punch and the flavor of the chocolate sauce is much deeper and richer than using plain Hershey’s syrup.
What You’ll Need
Scroll down to the recipe card below this post for ingredient quantities and full instructions.
- Dutch Processed Cocoa Powder – This type of cocoa powder gives a darker, smoother, less bitter taste than natural unsweetened cocoa powder, which makes it perfect for chocolate milkshakes.
- Granulated Sugar – For just the right amount of sweetness to balance the cocoa powder so the chocolate sauce isn’t bitter.
- Water – Provides the liquid for the base of the homemade chocolate sauce.
- Ice Cream – Use your favorite vanilla ice cream. For an even MORE chocolatey shake you can use chocolate ice cream.
- Milk – Whole milk gives the best results for milkshakes, but you can even get away with nonfat if that’s what you have in the fridge at home.
How to Make This Recipe
- Make the chocolate sauce. Combine the sugar, cocoa powder, and water in a microwave-safe bowl by whisking well. Microwave for 30 seconds, give it a good stir, then microwave for another 30 seconds until bubbling. It will be thin but will thicken a bit as it cools.
- Blend. Once your chocolate sauce has cooled, combine ice cream, chocolate sauce, and milk in a large blender. I recommend starting with less milk and only adding more as needed until you get the shake consistency that you like best. Blend on medium speed, stopping to scrape the sides of the blender pitcher so everything gets evenly mixed. If you want a thinner milkshake, adding a little more milk or blend longer. If you want a thicker milkshake, you can add another scoop or two of ice cream.
Let the homemade chocolate sauce cool before using it in your chocolate shakes or they will likely turn out runnier than you want them to be because the hot sauce will start to melt the ice cream.
- Pour and serve. Divide the milkshake between two tall milkshake glasses and top with a generous swirl of whipped cream. We like to drizzle ours with a little of the reserved chocolate sauce, but you could also use chocolate sprinkles, mini chocolate chips, or a maraschino cherry on top!
Recipe FAQ’s
This recipe makes about 2/3 cup chocolate sauce, which makes for an intensely chocolatey shake. I like to set aside 1-2 tablespoons for drizzling over the milkshakes, and the milkshake is still plenty chocolatey.
More Frozen Treat Recipes
- Strawberry Cheesecake Ice Cream
- Virgin Piña Coladas (Non-Alcoholic)
- Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream
- Best Homemade Strawberry Ice Cream Recipe
Did you make this recipe?
Let me know what you thought with a comment and rating below. You can also take a picture and tag me on Instagram @houseofnasheats or share it on the Pinterest pin so I can see.
Chocolate Milkshakes
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1/4 cup Dutch processed cocoa powder
- 1/4 cup water
- 2 1/2 cups vanilla ice cream
- ¼ to 1/2 cups milk
- Sweetened whipped cream for topping
Instructions
- Whisk sugar, cocoa powder, and water in a microwave-safe bowl until combined. Microwave for 1 minute, stirring halfway through. Let cool.½ cup granulated sugar, ¼ cup Dutch processed cocoa powder, ¼ cup water
- Combine ice cream, chocolate sauce, and milk in a blender. Blend until well-mixed, stopping to scrape down sides, if needed. Add more milk, if desired, for a thinner shake, or less milk for a thicker shake.2 ½ cups vanilla ice cream, ¼ to ½ cups milk
- Pour into tall glasses. Top with sweetened whipped cream and drizzle with extra chocolate sauce, chocolate sprinkles, or top with a maraschino cherry.Sweetened whipped cream
Notes
- This recipe makes about 2/3 cup chocolate sauce. You can set aside 1-2 tablespoons for drizzling over the milkshakes, if desired, and the milkshake will still be very chocolatey.
