Sonic Hot Fudge Sundae
Our copycat recipe for Sonic hot fudge sundae is easy and tastes wonderful. This recipe features, your favorite ice cream, paired with an amazing recipe for homemade hot fudge, and whipped cream from scratch. Our tasty dessert recipe has all the goodness in one place.

Sonic Drive In – Hot Fudge Sundae
Sometimes we all just need a classic hot fudge sundae. You might enjoy Sonic’s hot fudge sundae that is a lovely basic hot fudge sundae. However, today we are going to show you how it is very easy to make these at home, have them taste even better, plus you can make them for a fraction of the price! This is one very easy recipe, that you won’t want to miss out on!
Hot Fudge Sundae
When I think of a hot fudge sundae, my mind typically pictures a tiny bit of soft served ice cream with a dab of whipped cream, some hot fudge, and maybe if I’m lucky a cherry on top. When you buy a hot fudge sundae from any fast-food restaurant, this is typically what you receive. This is not the case when you follow our recipe to make your own copycat Sonic Hot Fudge Sundae!
What’s On It
Your basic Sonic hot fudge sundae contains the following ingredients.
Vanilla ice cream
Hot fudge
Whipped cream
Cherry
When you create your own homemade version of Sonic’s hot fudge sundae, the sky is the limit as far as what is included in the toppings.
Add Real Fruit
Real fruit can also be added to your copycat hot fudge sundae if you want! Some great fruit ideas to add are bananas, strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, pineapple, peaches, and even blackberries. If you enjoy fruit, try adding one of these to your sundae the next time you make it!
Add Mix-Ins
There are other things that you can also try mixing into your vanilla ice cream if you want! Try crushing up some Oreo’s, Reese’s peanut butter cups, brownie chunks, nuts, cookie chunks, Butterfinger, Heath bar, Andes mints, York peppermints, or even Rollo’s. Get creative and add your favorites to the ice cream. You could also try mixing up the ice cream flavors, with your favorite flavor too if you wanted!
Add Toppings
Many topping options are available when you make your own copycat Sonic hot fudge sundae. Some of my favorite toppings to add are caramel sauce, nuts, homemade whipped cream, crushed candy bars, other sauces such as strawberry or raspberry, or even marshmallow fluff. Think about your favorites and don’t be afraid to experiment.
There are so many ways you can get creative when making your own homemade sonic hot fudge sundaes. One of my favorite things to do when serving these to a group of friends is to choose a few of my favorite toppings and prepare them all ahead of time. Then set them all out and let everyone load their hot fudge sundaes with all their favorite toppings. Now that you have ideas on how to customize your own sundaes, let’s look at how to make the exact copycat for Sonic’s hot fudge sundae, then you can jazz it up to your liking!
Hot Fudge
For the best hot fudge sundae, this recipe from the Pioneer Woman is our favorite. With this recipe, you can make the hot fudge well in advance or before you begin to assemble your hot fudge sundaes. It is, however, important to make your hot fudge so that it has some time to cool off. You may make this way ahead of time, and refrigerate, or you may make it shortly before you wish to serve it. This hot fudge recipe will thicken up as it cools off.
Whipped Cream
The whipped cream for these hot fudge sundaes may be from a can if you wish, or we have also included our favorite whipped cream recipe from scratch. To make your own whipped cream from scratch is quite simple, and only requires three ingredients. Please see our walkthrough below for details on how to make it.

Copycat Sonic Hot Fudge Sundae Recipe
Ingredients
½ gallon vanilla ice cream
Jar maraschino cherries
Hot Fudge (From The Pioneer Woman)
2 cups cocoa powder
2 cups sugar
2 cups heavy cream
1 cup butter
2 Tbsp vanilla extract
Whipped Cream
1 pint heavy cream
¼ cup powdered sugar (more if desire to be sweeter)
1 tsp vanilla extract
Directions
Step 1: Hot Fudge
To start off, make your hot fudge. To make it, in a medium to large-sized saucepan, combine cocoa powder and sugar. Mix well. Add in heavy cream and stir until combined, and no lumps remain. Place your pan over medium heat and stir as it begins to warm up. Once your mixture is warm to the touch, add butter and stir as it melts. Once butter is melted remove from the heat, add vanilla, and stir to combine. Allow your hot fudge to rest for 5-10 minutes until it cools off. Store in the fridge in an airtight container until you are ready to use.
Step 2: Whipped Cream
To make delicious homemade whipped cream pour your heavy cream into a mixing bowl. Whisk on high until stiff peaks form. Add powdered sugar and vanilla. Stir to combine. Set aside to use for topping.
Step 3: Making Your Sundae
To make your copycat Sonic hot fudge sundae, take your glass and line the entire bottom with a layer of hot fudge. Scoop your ice cream and add it on top. Then top with whipped cream, a cherry, and a drizzle of hot fudge. Add more toppings if desired. Serve immediately and enjoy!
Sonic Hot Fudge Sundae Nutrition Facts
Because every kind of ice cream contains different amounts of calories, it is difficult to estimate the nutrition facts for this copycat recipe. However, Sonic does say that their hot fudge sundaes contain 520 calories each. They also say that each contains 66.4g of total carbs.
Activity Needed to Burn 520 Calories
To burn off a hot fudge sundae from Sonic, you would need to do the following activities.
1.3 Hours of Cycling | 53 Minutes of Running | 3.1Hours of Cleaning |
Frozen Favorites
Not only can you make a delicious copycat Sonic hot fudge Sunday at home and instructed above, there are also several variations that you can make, using these same ingredients. Let’s take a look at the different variations on this recipe that you can make.
SONIC Hot Fudge Sundae With Nuts
Many people love nuts. Perhaps you are one, who enjoys eating nuts, on your ice cream. If you are, you should try adding some nuts to your hot fudge sundae. Simply prepare the sundae as instructed above, then top with nuts such as pecans, walnuts, almonds, or peanuts. If you really enjoy nuts, you could even try making your sundae using a flavor of ice cream such as butter pecan that includes nuts in the ice cream. Give it a try and let us know what you think about it.
Sundaes & Cones
Sometimes, it is nice to take your ice cream to go. If you want, you could try putting your hot fudge sundae in a cone! Be aware that doing this might make quite a delicious mess, but it sure is good.
Sonic – Hot Fudge Shake
You can easily make a hot fudge shake from the above recipe as well. To make this, simply prepare this recipe by adding your ice cream and hot fudge into a blender instead of a serving glass as you normally would. Add ¼ to ½ cup of milk to your blender and mix it up. Then pour your shake into a cup, top with whipped cream and a cherry. Then enjoy your tasty homemade shake!

Recipe: Molten Chocolate Cake Sundae
Sonic’s molten chocolate cake sundae is also very easy to copy at home. To make this copycat dessert, you will prepare this similar to your hot fudge sundae. Only you will also prepare a cake or brownie for your ice cream and hot fudge to sit on top of. While any basic chocolate cake will work, I prefer making brownies. Simply prepare your brownies and allow them to cool. Then assemble your dessert by placing a piece of brownie or cake on a serving dish, scoop ice cream and place it on top of your brownie. Add your whipped cream and a cherry then finish off with a large drizzle of hot fudge over everything. If you love the hot fudge, you could even add a layer on top of your brownie, before adding your ice cream. Be sure to serve this dessert immediately and enjoy!
Classic Hot Fudge Sundae
Classic hot fudge sundaes are very delicious, even in their simplicity. The classic hot fudge sundae is surprisingly easy to make your own at home, and have it taste even better than when you buy one from a restaurant because you get to prepare it, just the way you want! Not only do ice cream treats tend to taste better when made at home, they also are a fraction of the price, which can be a double win!
“Extra Hot Fudge Sundae Calling OUR NAMES!”
For all your chocolate lovers out there, this hot fudge sundae recipe is perfect because you can add as much or as little hot fudge as you want when you make it at home. Personally, the hot fudge is my favorite part, I always enjoy loading mine up with the delicious chocolate goodness. This is all the more reason for you to try this recipe and enjoy the amazing chocolate on top of your ice cream creations!
Sonic Hot Fudge Real Ice Cream Sundae
Our copycat recipe for a delicious, homemade version of Sonic’s hot fudge sundae is very simple to make and tastes wonderful. You can customize this treat to your heart’s desire. This treat is perfect for any occasion, and everyone will love it!

Follow Us Online!
For more recipes like this one, follow us on Pinterest, Facebook, Instagram and YouTube.
Share on Pinterest!
