Mexican Chocolate Sauce

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This decadent Mexican chocolate sauce is spiced with cinnamon and has a touch of heat from cayenne pepper. It’s wonderful for dipping fruit in, drizzling over ice cream or cakes, serving with traditional churros (or even air fried ones), and more!

Dipping a churro into Mexican Chocolate Sauce

Perhaps the best part of this sauce is that it only takes six minutes to make! Let’s get started!

Ingredients

Top down shot of the ingredients for Mexican chocolate sauce

Of course, the key ingredient in Mexican chocolate sauce is chocolate! The better the chocolate that you use, the better the end result will be. I use dark chocolate baking discs from TCHO [paid link]. You can also use your favorite dark chocolate chips.

Many people associate this type of sauce with Abuelita [paid link], a type of Mexican chocolate that is often found in grocery stores here in the US. I don’t recommend using Abuelita for this recipe as it is already heavily sweetened and spiced.

I use cayenne pepper, but chipotle pepper is another great option if you prefer its taste. The amount given in this recipe will produce a sauce that has a little kick but doesn’t burn. It’s pretty kid-friendly. If you like more spice, go ahead and up the amount!

How It’s Made

Mexican chocolate sauce is made using the same technique as a chocolate ganache.

First, heat the heavy cream until it just starts to bubble. You can do this in a pot on the stove or, to make it super simple, you can microwave the cream in 30 second bursts.

Next, pour the hot cream over the chocolate and cubed butter. If you are using chocolate that comes in a thick block, make sure that you chop it into small pieces before pouring the hot liquid over it.

Pouring cream over chocolate and butter in a glass bowl

Give it a quick stir and then let it sit for two minutes. That will give the chocolate time to soften.

Then, stir well until all of the chocolate is melted and the milk/butter is incorporated into the chocolate.

Stirring a bowl of chocolate mixed with cream

Lastly, stir in vanilla, cinnamon, and cayenne pepper.

Adding cayane pepper to chocolate sauce

Serve warm.

Mexican chocolate sauce dripping off a spoon into a glass bowl

Expert Tips and FAQs

Can I make this with milk chocolate?

Sure! If you prefer milk chocolate, go ahead and make it that way.

Can I add sugar?

Some people prefer their Mexican chocolate sauce to be sweet. If that is your preference, you can either choose a sweetened chocolate to begin with or add sugar to the heavy cream while you heat it – that way the sugar will dissolve and the sauce won’t be gritty.

How do I store the sauce?

You can store it in the refrigerator for a couple of weeks. It will harden in the fridge, so pop it in the microwave for thirty seconds or so before serving.

Other Dessert Sauces to Try

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Dipping a churro into Mexican Chocolate Sauce
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5 from 1 vote

Mexican Chocolate Sauce

This decadent Mexican chocolate sauce is spiced with cinnamon and has a touch of heat from cayenne pepper. It's wonderful for dipping fruit in, drizzling over ice cream or cakes, serving with churros, and more!
Course Condiments, Dessert
Cuisine Mexican
Prep Time 2 minutes
Cook Time 2 minutes
Wait time 2 minutes
Total Time 6 minutes
Servings 12
Calories 111kcal
Author Stefani

Ingredients

  • 2/3 cup heavy whipping cream
  • 4 ounces dark chocolate chopped, about 2/3 cup if you are using chocolate chips
  • 1 tablespoon unsalted butter chopped into small pieces
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper

Instructions

  • Heat heavy whipping cream until it just starts to bubble. You can do this on the stove on medium heat or in the microwave in 30 seconds bursts.
  • Pour the warm liquid over a bowl with the chocolate and butter and give a short stir.
  • Let the ingredients rest for 2 minutes.
  • Stir the chocolate sauce until it is smooth.
  • Stir in cinnamon and cayenne pepper.
  • Serve warm.

Video

Notes

This recipe makes about 1 cup of Mexican chocolate sauce.
You can adjust the amount of cayenne pepper to your taste and switch out the dark chocolate for milk chocolate if that is your preference.
You can store this sauce in the refrigerator for a couple of weeks. It will harden in the fridge, so pop it in the microwave for thirty seconds or so before serving.

Nutrition

Calories: 111kcal | Carbohydrates: 5g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 10g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 21mg | Sodium: 7mg | Potassium: 79mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 245IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 18mg | Iron: 1mg
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