Make the creamiest, dreamiest, butterscotch fudge in the microwave using just 3 ingredients. This melt-in-your-mouth candy is so easy to make and no candy thermometer is needed.
butterscotch fudge
When we asked our fans on Facebook which fudge recipes they wanted to see here on HowToMakeEasyFudge.com there was an overwhelming request for an easy butterscotch fudge that wasn’t too soft, wasn’t too dry and didn’t require the use of a candy thermometer.
It took me a bit of experimenting to get just the right consistency but the final fudge was surprisingly good. I have to admit that I thought making a fudge using butterscotch chips and sweetened condensed milk was going to be way too sweet. I added a pinch of salt to the recipe to balance the sweetness and was incredibly impressed with the overall flavor of this easy fudge recipe.
It’s definitely a recipe I will make over and over again. It’s as good as our chocolate fudge and vanilla fudge recipes. You can get creative and add mix-ins like nuts, toffee bits. or even pieces of Biscoff Cookies to really enhance the flavor of this fudge.
To make this butterscotch fudge I did find a few things to be the keys to success.
Tips for making easy butterscotch fudge:
- Use Hershey’s Butterscotch Chips.
- They have a really smooth mouthfeel, are not cloyingly sweet, and have a really lovely butterscotch flavor. Other brands I’ve tried are a bit chalky and some are just too sweet.
- The brand of sweetened condensed milk you use does matter.
- While experimenting with this recipe I tried several different brands of sweetened condensed milk and realized that they are not all created equal.
- Most store brands are quite thin and will produce a very soft fudge unless you add a little bit more of the butterscotch chips while major brands like Eagle Brand and Carnation are quite a bit thicker.
- The recipe below calls for 3 cups of butterscotch chips. If you use a thin sweetened condensed milk, add an extra 1/4 cup chips to ensure your fudge firms up nicely.
You can find the items needed to make this easy condensed milk butterscotch fudge from amazon (commission earned for sales).
How to make microwave butterscotch fudge:
- Stir together 3 (or 3 1/4 cups) butterscotch chips, 1 can of sweetened condensed milk, and 1 pinch of salt in a large microwave safe bowl.
- Heat at 70% power for 90 seconds in the microwave. (Time is based on a 1000 watt microwave.)
- Let the bowl rest in the microwave for 5 minutes. This will allow the heat to disperse and the chips to melt.
- Remove from the microwave and stir slowly until the chips melt and the fudge thickens.
- If the fudge looks a bit greasy let it rest in the bowl for 15 minutes then stir slowly again. Repeat if needed. See tips below.
- Pour into a prepared pan, cover, and chill for about 3 hours until the fudge firms up enough to cut into squares.
- You can also just let the fudge firm up at room temperature. This might take up to 5 or 6 hours.
Why do I let the bowl rest?
I made 4 batches of this butterscotch fudge and found that in order to melt the chips completely I needed to heat them at 70% power in the microwave for 90 seconds, which is our standard for making easy fudge. However butterscotch chips are not the same as other chips. They have a bit more oil in them than other chips and this excess oil can seep out when the chips are heated and the fudge stirred.
Two of my batches were ready to pour into the pan right away while the other two looked a bit greasy.
Here are my tips if your fudge looks greasy:
- You need to incorporate the oil back into the fudge otherwise it will harden on top of your fudge.
- By letting the fudge cool a bit and blending the oil back into the fudge you wont’ end up with hardened fat on top of your fudge.
- If you stir the fudge after it cools for 15 minutes and it still looks greasy let it rest another 15 minutes and repeat.
- If your bowl feels hot you can pour the fudge into another bowl so it will cool more quickly.
Can I avoid this?
- Yes! To avoid this issue all together you can chop your butterscotch chips into fine pieces using a food processor. Then the chips will melt much more quickly. You can reduce the time in the microwave to 70 seconds.
My fudge is still greasy! What do I do?
- Pour the fudge out onto a marble or granite slab or a metal cookie sheet.
- Spread out the fudge to about 1/2 inch thickness and let it rest for 30 seconds – 1 minute.
- Then scrape up the fudge and continue to flatten it, let it rest for 10-15 seconds, and scrape it up again until all the oil is incorporated into the fudge and the fudge is thick and smooth.
- Then press it into your pan. The fudge is going to be very thick at this point. The good new is that this fudge will firm up very quickly and be ready to cut in about an hour, maybe even less.
Why not just blot off the excess oil?
- You need to incorporate all the oil back into the fudge so that the candy will have a nice smooth mouthfeel.
- If you simply blot off the oil your fudge might become a bit dry.
Don’t let me scare you away from making this fudge. It really is seriously an easy fudge recipe. I just want you to be prepared in case you have any issues.
If you want answers to any other fudge making questions be sure to check out our Easy Fudge FAQ page.
How to make butterscotch fudge on the stove:
- Stir together 3 cups butterscotch chips, 1 can of sweetened condensed milk, and 1 pinch of salt in a medium saucepan.
- Set the pan over low heat on the stove.
- Stir occasionally until about 75% of the chips have melted.
- Remove from the heat and let rest for 3-5 minutes.
- Stir slowly until melted and smooth.
- Pour into a prepared pan, cover, and chill for about 3 hours until firm.
How to prepare the pan:
- I suggest lining an 8 inch square pan with non-stick tin foil for easy removal of the fudge and easy clean up.
- You can also line the pan with parchment paper.
- Or you can butter the pan, but you’ll have to cut the fudge directly in the pan and you may have to wait a few extra hours for the fudge to really firm up before cutting into it.
Butterscotch Fudge Video Tutorial
Butterscotch Fudge Recipe
This creamy butterscotch fudge is so easy to make in the microwave using just 3 ingredients.
- 3 cups butterscotch chips*
- 14 ounces (1 can) sweetened condensed milk
- 1 pinch salt
- * Add an additional 1/4 cup butterscotch chips if using a thin store brand of sweetened condensed milk.
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Line an 8 inch square pan with non-stick tin foil or parchment paper.
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Stir together the butterscotch chips, sweetened condensed milk, and salt in a large microwave safe mixing bowl.
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Heat at 70% power for 90 seconds.
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Let the bowl rest in the microwave for 5 minutes.
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Remove and stir slowly until melted and smooth.
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Pour into the prepared pan and spread into an even layer.
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Cover with plastic wrap or tin foil and refrigerate for about 3 hours until firm.
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Remove from pan, peel off tin foil or parchment paper and cut fudge into 36 small squares.
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Serve and enjoy!
See more creamy fudge recipes…
I am not a huge fan of butterscotch chips but when made into fudge it’s pretty darn good. My kids thought I was the best mom ever for making this for them.
Did this exactly how it was written but it didn’t set up. I’ve been cooking for years. What happened?
Hi Karen, I’m so sorry to hear your fudge did not set up properly. If you used 3 cups (which is 18 ounces of butterscotch chips) and a thick sweetened condensed milk then it should have set up really well. I do mention to add an additional 1/4 cup of the chips if using a thinner store-brand sweetened condensed milk, but it’s possible it might have needed a bit more, depending on the viscosity of the condensed milk. I used Hershey’s Butterscotch chips. I suppose other brands have a different texture too. I will have to try this recipe using Nestle Butterscotch Chips and store-brand condensed milk to see if I can figure out what happened.