This simple Fudge Recipe is made with just three ingredients and only takes a few minutes to make too. Super easy and there’s no candy thermometer required!
When it comes to fudge, most people tend to think of it only around Christmas time. But fudge is actually perfect to make during the summer too because it’s a simple no-bake treat!
Since it’s been extremely hot lately and the last thing most of us want to do right now is turn our ovens on, I wanted to share my easy homemade fudge recipe with you. And when I say easy, I really mean it! This fudge only requires three simple ingredients, takes just a few minutes to throw together, and you don’t even need a candy thermometer.
I love to make this fudge with semi-sweet chocolate chips, but white chocolate chips work great with this recipe too. I’ve also included a few different recipe variations that you can try with this fudge to show you just how versatile it can be!
Ingredients For This Fudge Recipe
As I mentioned, you only need three ingredients to make this fudge: chocolate chips, sweetened condensed milk, and butter. Let’s break down each one of them!
- Chocolate Chips: You’ll be using three cups of chocolate chips for this fudge. I used semi-sweet chocolate chips, but feel free to swap them for white chocolate chips or even dark chocolate.
- Sweetened Condensed Milk: You’ll need one 14-ounce can of sweetened condensed milk. I suggest sticking with the regular version and skipping the fat-free kind.
- Butter: You can technically make this fudge with just the first two ingredients, but I’ve found that adding just a couple tablespoons of butter helps create a smoother consistency. Trust me here!
- Chopped Walnuts: This ingredient is completely optional! If you don’t love nuts, feel free to leave them out. You can even swap the chopped walnuts with chopped pecans too.
How To Make This Chocolate Fudge Recipe
To make this fudge, you’ll start out by combining everything in a large saucepan. Then, place the saucepan over medium heat and stir the mixture continuously until it’s nice and smooth. I suggest using a rubber spatula to scrape the bottom and sides of the saucepan so that none of the chocolate burns.
Once the mixture is completely smooth, remove it from the heat and scoop it into an 8-inch square baking dish. I like to line my dish with parchment paper or foil and leave some overhang before adding the fudge. This will make it much easier to lift it out of the pan and slice the fudge!
You’ll spread the fudge into one even layer, then cover it, and place it in the refrigerator. It will take about 3 hours to fully firm up, so you can even prep this the night before too.
Recipe Variations
There are several different ways that you can make this fudge too, here are a few of my favorites!
- Cookies & Cream: Swap the semi-sweet chocolate chips for white chocolate chips and add 1 cup of chopped Oreos.
- Cranberry Pistachio: Use either semi-sweet or white chocolate chips and add 1/2 cup of sweetened dried cranberries and 1/2 cup of chopped pistachios.
- Mint Chocolate: Use either semi-sweet or white chocolate chips and add 1/2 teaspoon of peppermint extract. Taste and add more extract as needed.
Baking Tips For This Fudge Recipe
- Before getting started, line a dish with parchment paper or foil and leave some overhang. This will make it much easier to lift the fudge out and easier to clean up too!
- While the fudge is cooking, make sure to scrape the bottom and sides of the pan and stir continuously.
- This fudge will soften some at room temperature, so it’s best to keep it refrigerated until you’re ready to enjoy it. You can also freeze this fudge for up to 3 months, just thaw overnight in the refrigerator.
More No-Bake Treats To Try!
Easy Fudge Recipe
Ingredients
- 3 cups (525 grams) semi-sweet chocolate chips
- 1 (14-ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
- 2 tablespoons (30 grams) butter
- 1 cup (125 grams) chopped walnuts or pecans optional
Instructions
- Line an 8-inch baking dish with parchment paper or aluminum foil, leaving some overhang for easy removal. Set aside.
- Add the chocolate chips, sweetened condensed milk, and butter to a large saucepan and place over medium heat. Stir continuously until the chocolate chips are fully melted and the mixture is smooth.
- Remove from the heat and scoop the mixture into the prepared baking dish. Spread around into one even layer.
- Refrigerate for at least 3 hours or until fully chilled and the fudge is firm. Remove from the pan using the overhang from the parchment paper or foil, slice the fudge into pieces, and enjoy.
My kids love making this recipe! So easy and it turns out perfectly every time! Thank you so much for sharing it. Yum!!!
If mailing to someone, what do you put between layers of fudge? Foil or wax paper?
This fudge will soften at room temperature, so it won’t hold up well unless it’s kept cold. You could probably ship it with some dry ice/ice packs, I would place layer of wax paper between each layer of fudge.
Made this today and oops! The chips siezed. I cannot imagine what went wrong. I’m not a novice at candy making and I know I’ve made it before. I’ve read through the recipe very carefully for temps, ingredients etc. etc. Bummed out here in Little Prairie Wisconsin!
Maybe your stove top runs a little too hot? You can try cooking it over low-medium heat or use a double boiler.
Love this recipe, it’s so easy to make. Used dark chocolate morsels. Yum.
I don’t understand, followed the directions to the T, but it came out like a paste….to think for frosting and way to soft for fudge. I put it in the freezer hoping I could freeze it to save it…..that didn’t work at all. My squares defrosted in to balls….sticky, gooey blobs. Not good.
Did you make sure to use semi-sweet chocolate chips? Or did you use something else? Or did you happen to use evaporated milk instead of sweetened condensed milk?
EASY AND YUMMY!! After two ruined batches of a friend’s recipe that involved marshmallow fluff I gave up and found this easy recipe online. It came out smooth and decadent. I did cook mine on low heat because I have some pans that conduct heat really well but they cook too fast on a higher temperature. This recipe saved my treat boxes for the family! I gave it 5 stars!
I made the simple fudge and it was simple but just tasted like melted chocolate chips.
My little 3 (almost 4) year old daughter loves to help Mommy in the kitchen… Especially with sweets. This was the easiest and quickest fudge recipe. We had so much fun making it and adding our own little extras into it. This turned out wonderfully delicious! Thank you for helping create memories.
Is the fudge supposed to boil? I got my consistency smooth enough (I think), but when searching the internet for some reassurance, I saw a TON of people saying it needed to be boiled. I’m now questioning my fudge more than ever. :,(
No, you don’t have to boil this one. You only need to heat it until the chocolate chips are melted and the mixture is smooth.
Thanks for the quick response! My fudge is currently setting in the fridge – I hope it turned out! 💗
This recipe was super easy, and the kids loved it. My only reason for not giving it a higher rating is that it’s missing something. The result is more like a soft chocolate bar, than actual fudge. It’s just not as creamy as it needs to be.
This was so easy and so good! I brought some to my mom and to my work. It was a big hit!
Thank you!