No Fail Fudge Recipe (2024)

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ByTrisha HaasPublished: Updated:

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This EASY FUDGE RECIPE is so easy because it’s just a three-ingredient chocolate fudge! Heat, stir, and set, wow! A totally no-fail fudge recipe!

In under 10 minutes, you can be well on your way to a thick, rich, and chocolaty dark fudge that will tempt your taste buds all day. No double boiler, marshmallow, or candy thermometer makes this homemade fudge recipe a perfect treat for holiday parties.

These simply delicious traditional fudge squares are also amazing gift chocolate and wrap up beautifully.

No Fail Fudge Recipe (1)

Why you will love this 3 Ingredient Fudge Recipe

No fail Fudge is one of those desserts people love to buy, with entire shops set up and hoards of incredible flavors. But it’s also SO incredibly easy to make that buying it seems like a shame!

From easy peanut butter fudge, to classic chocolate to even mint fudge, this three-ingredient recipe makes even the most novice chef look like a pro.

Call this fudge old-fashioned or classic, but no matter what you call it, you will call it DELICIOUS!

In this recipe, I used semi-sweet chocolate chips, so I think technically, this could count as a dark chocolate fudge recipe.

This perfect treat is so rich and comes together quickly (in only 10 minutes!), and then time to chill and set. I always chill overnight for the best results.

As with all simple fudge recipes, you can probably get away with an hour or two in the freezer if you need it quickly.

Easy Fudge Ingredients

Simply done, you only need chocolate chips, condensed milk, and butter for a smooth chocolaty finish. Amazing fudge should not be gritty, grainy, or chewy – just a melt-in-your-mouth sweet treat fudgy mixture!

  • semi-sweet chocolate chips
  • sweetened condensed milk
  • unsalted butter

How to make No Fail Fudge

  1. Line an 8×8 square baking pan with aluminum foil and spray lightly with nonstick cooking spray. Set aside.
  2. Add chocolate chips, sweetened condensed milk, and butter to a heavy saucepan. (note: in the video, you probably see a variety of sizes of chips – that is because when I made the video, I had several opened bags and used the rest of some of the smaller ones up.)
No Fail Fudge Recipe (2)
  1. Heat your chocolate mixture over medium-low heat, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, until butter and chocolate are melted, and the mixture is smooth and creamy. It is VERY important to continue to stir and not walk away from your fudge! This process takes me about 7 minutes on my gas stove. Your chocolate should be smooth and slightly thick (not soupy) or hard. To me, the consistency is a bit like frosting, but officially the terminology is called a “soft ball” stage.
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  1. Pour your melted chocolate into the prepared baking dish and spread evenly with the back of a spoon. Refrigerate fudge overnight or until firm.
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  1. Once firm, remove homemade fudge from the refrigerator and peel fudge edges away from the foil.
  2. Use a large, sharp knife to cut fudge into squares. Makes 42 creamy fudge squares.
No Fail Fudge Recipe (5)

Will Fudge Firm in Freezer?

If you need your fudge quickly, I have never had a problem popping it into the freezer for a few hours instead of the fridge to set.

Also, note when cutting, the knife can get really fudgy, and as you go along, your cuts may not be as clean. Simply wipe off the knife after a few slices to get an even cut on the squares.

No Fail Fudge Recipe (6)

Can I use Fat-Free Sweetened Condensed Milk?

We have all been there- you get home and realize that you grabbed the fat-free, sweetened condensed milk and do not want to run back to the store. DO NOT USE IT IN FUDGE.

I am so sorry to say that, but I have done it to test, and it’s just NOT the same.

The texture and taste are both really off, and it doesn’t set as well. If that happens to you, maybe try my peanut butter fudge recipe because it does NOT have condensed milk.

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Related Chocolate Recipes

  • This easy holiday Christmas bark recipe has pretty little swirls of red and green but is so easy to change up for every holiday.
  • Did you know that brownies can be made with black beans?
  • The original hot chocolate cocoa bombs recipe.
  • I also really love these delicious No Cook S’mores – I am all about not cooking over the holiday season!
  • Creamy and rich, making a chocolate chip cheese ball has never been easier.
  • The perfect crockpot holiday chocolate candy to gift.
  • Layers of thick chocolate and caramel, these gooey chocolate and caramel bars are a reader favorite.

No Fail Fudge Recipe (8)

4.99 from 897 votes

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Easy Fudge Recipe (NO FAIL!)

Author Trisha Haas – Salty Side Dish


Prep Time 20 minutes mins

Cook Time 10 minutes mins

Total Time 8 hours hrs 30 minutes mins

No Fail Easy Fudge Recipe with only 3 simple ingredients to perfectly silky rich and decadent chocolate fudge in just 10 minutes!

Ingredients

Instructions

  • Line an 8×8 square baking pan with foil (bring foil up over the sides of the pan for easy removal) and spray lightly with nonstick cooking spray. Set aside.

  • Add chocolate chips, sweetened condensed milk and unsalted butter in a saucepan.

  • Heat the fudge mixture over medium-low heat, stirring constantly with a spatula until butter and chocolate are melted, and the mixture is smooth. This typically takes about 7-8 minutes on a gas stove, and the fudge should be smooth, even, and much like frosting.

  • If you underheat, the chocolate could be soupy, and if you overheat, it could seize up and harden in the pan. This is a slow and steady process while stirring.

  • After the fudge is smooth and melted, pour fudge into the prepared pan and spread evenly with the back of a spoon.

  • Refrigerate the fudge pan overnight or until completely firm.

  • Once firm, carefully lift the foil from the pan and set it on a cooking board. Peel foil from the sides of the fudge.

  • Use a large, sharp knife to cut into squares, wiping chocolate from the knife blade (carefully) between cuts for a smooth cut.

  • Makes 42 squares

Video

Notes

  • NOTES: See full recipe article for tips on cutting and setting fudge!
  • I sometimes set my fudge quicker in the freezer.
  • Keep fudge in the fridge in an airtight container to store leftovers.

Nutrition

Serving: 42squares | Calories: 110kcal | Carbohydrates: 15g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 6g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Cholesterol: 7mg | Sodium: 26mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 14g

Nutritional Disclaimer: The nutritional data provided here is auto-calculated and intended for your convenience only. As it’s generated via automation, its accuracy may be compromised. For precise nutritional insight, please compute the values utilizing the actual ingredients in your recipe through your chosen nutrition calculator or application.

Sharing of this recipe is encouraged and appreciated. Copying of full recipe to any social media is prohibited.

Did You Make This Recipe?

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4.99 from 897 votes

No Fail Fudge Recipe (9)
No Fail Fudge Recipe (2024)

FAQs

What is the secret to perfect fudge? ›

Valuable tips for successful fudge
  • Don't stir during cooking. Fudge can be cooked on the stove or in the microwave. ...
  • Avoid crystallization. During cooking, sugar crystals can stick to the sides of the pan. ...
  • Let cool before beating. After being cooked, the sugar must crystallize again to create fudge. ...
  • Beat the mixture.

Why is my 3 ingredient fudge not setting? ›

Why won't my 3 ingredient fudge set? This often happens when the condensed milk and chocolate chip mixture isn't hot enough to start. Everything must be completely melted before it is transferred to the pan to cool.

What is the secret to non-grainy fudge? ›

Once a seed crystal forms, it grows bigger and bigger as the fudge cools. A lot of big crystals in fudge makes it grainy. By letting the fudge cool without stirring, you avoid creating seed crystals. Stirring would help sucrose molecules "find" one another and start forming crystals.

Why won't my 2 ingredient fudge set? ›

The most common culprit behind unset fudge is inaccurate temperature control. If the sugar mixture hasn't reached the correct temperature, your fudge won't set. Ensure you use a reliable candy thermometer and follow temperature guidelines meticulously to achieve the desired consistency.

Should you stir fudge while it's cooking? ›

Don't stir!

Once the fudge reaches soft-ball stage on the candy thermometer, remove from the heat and let the temperature drop to 110°F. Keep that spoon or spatula out of the pot until this happens. If you stir too early in the process, you'll make the sugar crystals too big and end up with grainy fudge.

What ingredient makes fudge hard? ›

Too cooked

At this temperature, the sugar is too concentrated and there is not enough water left to form syrup around sugar crystals. The result is hard and brittle fudge. To save the fudge, put it in a saucepan with 45 to 60 ml (3 or 4 tbsp.)

How do you fix failed fudge? ›

Fixing Fudge
  1. Scrape the fudge back into a large saucepan and add 1 1/2 cups of water.
  2. Stir the fudge over low heat until it dissolves. ...
  3. Increase the heat to medium and bring it to a boil, washing down the sides of the pan frequently with a wet pastry brush to prevent sugar crystals from forming.
Jan 5, 2020

How to make fudge more solid? ›

How do you fix fudge that is too soft? Bring the fudge back to a boil with 1–2 US tbsp (15–30 ml) of cream. If your fudge is soft or runny, it probably didn't come up to a high enough temperature while it was cooking. Put it back into the saucepan and add 1–2 US tbsp (15–30 ml) of 35% fat whipping cream.

Can you reboil fudge that hasn't set? ›

If it doesn't set, or if it sets very hard, you can add more milk and boil it again. However, even if it doesn't set, it'll usually be a nice frosting-like consistency, so I sometimes just make a cake to put under it.

How long do you boil fudge to get to soft ball stage? ›

How long does it take to make fudge:
  1. about 18 min to reach boiling.
  2. about 40 minutes to reach soft ball stage.
  3. 60 minutes to cool.
  4. 28 minutes to beat in a KitchenAid (your time for this may vary)
  5. 4 hours to set.

What consistency should fudge be before it sets? ›

You know it's ready when a small amount of the mixture dropped into a glass of cold water sets into a soft ball that you can lift out with a teaspoon and pinch between your fingers. Turn off the heat and keep stirring for 5 minutes or until the mix starts to thicken a little.

How to tell if fudge is ready without a thermometer? ›

Using a clean spoon, carefully take a little of the syrup and drop it into the bowl of cold water. Leave to cool for a moment then pick up the ball of syrup. If it's pliable, sticky and can be moulded in your fingers easily, it has reached the soft ball stage and the syrup can be used to make fudge and marzipan.

Can you over mix fudge? ›

Beating the cooled batter is one of the crucial steps of fudge-making, but overbeating can turn fudge hard as a rock. Pay close attention to the change in appearance and only beat the fudge until it loses its glossy sheen.

Why is fudge so hard to make? ›

Making fudge can be a challenging endeavor, requiring precision and attention to detail to achieve the perfect texture and consistency. The process of making fudge involves a delicate balance of cooking, cooling, and beating, and the smallest mistake can result in fudge that is too soft or too hard.

Why is some fudge hard and some soft? ›

If you don't heat your fudge to a high enough temperature, you'll end up with a soft product. And if you heat the mixture too much, your fudge may be harder than you'd like.

Why hasn't my fudge set properly? ›

The main reason is that your Fudge has not reached the optimum temperature. If your mixture only reaches 110 or 112 degrees Celsius it will always be soft. That's why we recommend investing in a sugar thermometer. Another reason your Fudge is not setting is that the ratio of liquid to sugar is too high.

What does cream of tartar do in fudge? ›

Cream of tartar is used in caramel sauces and fudge to help prevent the sugar from crystallizing while cooking. It also prevents cooling sugars from forming brittle crystals, this is why it's the secret ingredient in snickerdoodles!

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