It's so easy and healthy to make a homemade nutella recipe at home! This chocolate hazelnut spread whips together in minutes with a food processor and oven for roasting!
Anyone else just love a good vegan spread without refined sugars both sweet or savory like cashew ricotta or anything chocolate? Well guess what?
This thick and creamy homemade nutella recipe is healthy, vegan, gluten-free, and no unrefined sugars! Whip this chocolate hazelnut spread together in minutes to spread on toast, drizzle on ice cream, use it in Nutella muffins, or eat straight from the jar!
It is also great to add in chocolate peanut butter sandwiches, as a dip for fruit, and in chocolate caramel bars, frozen hot chocolate smoothie and this vegan hot chocolate recipe. This chocolate hazelnut spread adds such great flavor!
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Watch this short video How To Make Homemade Nutella:
Why you'll love this Nutella recipe
Nutella is one of those foods you just want to lick straight from the jar! It is just the best and so darn good!
Chocolate spread goes well on anything like as a dip for fresh fruit, in a sandwich with peanut butter, spread on banana slices, or mixed in peanut butter oatmeal. Not to mention the desserts category being best drizzled on sweets like our dairy-free chocolate ice cream or baked into chocolate zucchini cake, cookies, and gluten-free chocolate cupcakes to make the batter extra rich.
Hazelnuts are really good for your heart - especially in men. A hazelnut enriched diet is associated with reducing the risk of culinary heart disease (CHD). Fifteen men in an 8-week study were given a controlled diet for 2 weeks. The next phase of two weeks they supplemented hazelnuts into the diet. The result is that the high-fat diet won over the low-fat diet and after a 4 week period total/HDL cholesterol and LDL/HDL cholesterol ratios decreased.
I mean really, what's not to love about nutella now? And now you can make it easily at home with healthy and vegan ingredients! So forget the guilt of chocolate indulgence and grab and nice glass of carrot ginger juice and let's get started!
Key Ingredients
- 8 ounces raw hazelnuts - which is about 1 cup (see how many ounces in a cup for references) preferably raw skinless hazelnuts but if you can find them we roast them first to remove the skins. A little work, but it works like a charm! Use extra leftover hazelnuts and make ground hazelnut cookies!
- Dutch processed unsweetened cocoa powder - regular cocoa powder is fine to use too, but the Dutch processed makes this homemade nutella recipe a rich dark color and (in my opinion) slightly richer in taste.
- maple syrup - this adds natural sweetness and a boost of vitamins and minerals. Nutella is made of cane sugar or confectioners sugar, which is processed and spikes blood sugar levels. Maple syrup is lower on the glycemic index than table sugar, meaning it doesn't spike blood sugar as quickly. You can also use agave which has an even lower glycemic index. Maple syrup is considered safe for diabetics. No maple syrup on hand? Try our maple syrup substitute.
- dairy-free milk - this helps to make the vegan nutella more spreadable and thins it out.
- avocado oil - or another tasteless oil. You can use melted coconut oil, although the nutella will solidify more. Avocado oil works best.
- vanilla extract - adds lovely vanilla vibes with chocolate and hazelnut flavors.
- pink Himalayan salt - I prefer this kind as it loaded with trace minerals. You can also use regular table salt.
Step-by-step instructions
- First roast raw hazelnuts in a preheated oven for about 10 minutes to remove the skin. Remove from the oven and using a towel, scrape or rub away the skin. If using raw skinless hazelnuts to start - roast for 8 minutes with the oven set at 350.
2. Blend the hazelnuts in a food processor or high powered blender for about 5 minutes until it becomes a soft buttery and creamy texture. It will be crumbles at first but be patient and keep blending until it turns to a butter/spread.
3. Next add the remaining ingredients to the food processor and blend until smooth. Start with 6 tablespoons of milk and if needed to be thinner, add up to 8 tablespoons, one tablespoon at a time.
Homemade Nutella Recipes
- Try this homemade chocolate spread over these easy gluten-free pancakes
- Mix into peanut butter banana oatmeal
- Flourless nutella cake
- Homemade nutella ice cream
- Nutella stuffed muffins
Roasting the hazelnuts
If you can't find peeled hazelnuts just buy them with the skin on. Roasting hazelnuts removes the skin. The skin adds a slight bitter taste and alters the flavor in homemade chocolate hazelnut spread. You want to remove as much skin as possible, and it is ok if there are a few that don't come off.
Roast the hazelnuts at 375 degrees F for about 10 minutes. Check to make sure they do not start to burn as oven temperatures vary. If they burn or get overcooked, they give a burnt and "over-roasted" taste to the nutella.
Tips
- Use a food processor or high powered blender and blend the nuts first into a paste. It takes a while, about 5 minutes of blending. The hazelnuts first turn into a crumb then a butter-like spread.
- Don't over-roast the hazelnuts. If they start to burn or are cooked too long they ruin the flavor of the nutella - giving it a highly "roasted" taste, which I think isn't as good.
- If you are using skinless nuts to start with then roast them at 350 degrees for 8 minutes.
- Add 1 tablespoon at a time more milk if you want a thinner consistency. If it gets too thin, add 1 teaspoon at a time of arrowroot flour.
How to store homemade nutella
Store homemade nutella in an airtight jar or container in the refrigerator for up to 1 month. You may need to set it out for a few minutes to soften before using, or melt your vegan hazelnut spread right onto warm baked goods! This makes about 16 tablespoons.
See here conversions for tbsp to cup for using in baking.
Recipe FAQs
Is nutella healthy and what ingredients make up nutella? This homemade nutella recipe is healthy! Traditional store-bought chocolate hazelnut spread is made of sugar, palm oil, hazelnuts, cocoa, milk powder, lecithin and synthetic vanillin. Our healthy nutella recipe is made of vegan ingredients that include maple syrup, avocado or coconut oil, hazelnuts, cocoa, vanilla, and pink salt.
Without the use of milk, homemade nutella keeps in the refrigerator for up 6 months. To be safe, we use plant based milk in our recipe and suggest consuming within 1 month - if it even lasts that long!
The milk and oils solidify when nutella is kept in the fridge. At room temperature the spread is flows better and is spreadable. This homemade nutella recipe remains still spreadable even kept in the fridge. To make it softer, leave it out for a few minutes before using.
Related and healthy recipes
I hope you enjoy this healthy homemade nutella recipe! Follow along with me on Instagram, Pinterest, Facebook, YouTube and Twitter for a feature and for more recipe inspiration! And don't forget to give the recipe a star rating in the recipe area and leave a comment below.
📖 Recipe
Homemade Nutella Recipe
Equipment
- high powered blender
Ingredients
- 8 ounces raw skinless hazelnuts see recipe for removing skin if needed
- ⅓ cup Dutch process unsweetened cocoa powder
- ½ cup maple syrup
- 2 tablespoons avocado oil or melted coconut oil, hazelnut oil or a tasteless oil
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon pink salt
- 6 tablespoons almond milk or a plant-based milk - might need up to 8 tablespoons
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375 F. Roast raw hazelnuts on a baking pan for about 10 minutes to remove the skin. Remove from the oven and using a towel, scrape or rub away the skin. If using raw skinless hazelnuts to start - roast for 8 minutes with the oven set at 350.
- Blend the hazelnuts in a food processor or high powered blender for about 5 minutes until it becomes a soft buttery and creamy texture. It will be crumbles at first but be patient and keep blending until it turns to a butter/spread.
- Next add the remaining ingredients to the food processor and blend until smooth. Start with 6 tablespoons of milk and if needed to be thinner, add up to 8 tablespoons, one tablespoon at a time.
Notes
- Use a high powered blender or food processor and blend the nuts first into a paste. It takes a while, about 5 minutes of blending. The hazelnuts first turn into a crumb then a butter-like spread.
- Don't over roast the hazelnuts. If they start to burn or are cooked too long they ruin the flavor of the nutella - giving it a highly "roasted" taste.
- If you are using skinless nuts to start with then roast them at 350 degrees for 8 minutes.
- Add 1 tablespoon at a time more milk if you want a thinner consistency.
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