,

Nutella Recipe: How to Make Homemade Chocolate Hazelnut Spread

Katie Wells Avatar

Reading Time: 3 minutes

This post contains affiliate links.

Read my affiliate policy.

how-to-make-chocolate-hazelnut-spread
Wellness Mama » Blog » Recipes » Nutella Recipe: How to Make Homemade Chocolate Hazelnut Spread

Perhaps you’ve noticed Nutella’s rapid rise in popularity in the last few years. Some variation of chocolate hazelnut spread has been popular in other parts of the world for hundreds of years. Thanks to recent increased marketing, it is gaining popularity in the US too.

According to Mental Floss, a jar of Nutella is sold every 2.5 seconds somewhere in the world! That’s a lot of chocolaty goodness, and what’s not to love, right?

A lot, actually! This delicious hazelnut spread contains a LOT of sugar and some of the ingredients are questionable at best. While it is marketed as a healthy snack, I’d lump it in with donuts and candy bars due to its high sugar content.

A Healthy, Homemade Nutella Recipe

When I introduced this nostalgic treat to my children several years ago (before I was as health conscience as I am today and before researching the ingredients) they loved it almost as much as my Italian husband; so I was sad that it’s not a treat they could enjoy often (six kids + that much sugar = not fun), especially because it does have some beneficial ingredients (hazelnuts and chocolate) hidden under all of that sugar!

So of course I set out to try and recreate a healthy, homemade version!

This homemade “no-tella” option is great if you are really trying to limit carbs/sugar, since you can substitute stevia or another natural option for the sugar. You can also use maple syrup or honey in place of the sugar for a refined sugar-free version.

The downside to this homemade version? It isn’t as creamy as the “real” thing and is more the consistency of almond butter. If you want a natural option that is better than the original, I’d recommend this one.

Homemade “No-tella” Chocolate Hazelnut Spread

This is my personal take on Nutella. It’s homemade, is made with real food ingredients, and is dairy-free and vegan, for those whom that matters (not us). I’ve used this spread to make brownies, buttercream for cupcakes, cake fillings, breads, cookies, and more. It’s as versatile as it is delicious.

how-to-make-chocolate-hazelnut-spread

Better Than Nutella: Chocolate Hazelnut Spread Recipe

A delicious chocolate hazelnut spread recipe with simple ingredients, much less sugar, and higher in protein than the leading brand.
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Total Time 20 minutes
Calories 132kcal
Author Katie Wells

Servings

2 cups

Ingredients

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 375° F. Spread the hazelnuts on a baking sheet and roast for 12 to 15 minutes, until fragrant.
  • Carefully put the hot hazelnuts in a mason jar with the lid on and shake. The papery skins will fall right off. Remove the nuts that are now skinless and put them in a food processor or a high-powered blender, then re-shake the jar until the rest of the skins come off as well.
  • Grind the hazelnuts for about 5 minutes until they turn into a creamy hazelnut butter.
  • Add the sugar or other sweetener, cocoa powder, coconut oil, vanilla, and salt. Blend for another minute until all the ingredients are combined smooth.
  • Transfer to a pint mason jar. Store in the refrigerator for several weeks.

Nutrition

Nutrition Facts
Better Than Nutella: Chocolate Hazelnut Spread Recipe
Amount Per Serving (2 TBSP)
Calories 132 Calories from Fat 101
% Daily Value*
Fat 11.2g17%
Saturated Fat 1.5g9%
Sodium 19mg1%
Carbohydrates 7.8g3%
Fiber 2.1g9%
Sugar 4.9g5%
Protein 2.8g6%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Notes

Feel free to use any sweetener you’d like in this recipe, just sweeten to taste. 

Like this recipe? Check out my new cookbook, or get all my recipes (over 500!) in a personalized weekly meal planner here!

A Healthier Hazelnut Spread Option

Confession: I don’t make this recipe much since discovering an even better pre-made version.

I’m all for taking the DIY route whenever possible, but in this case, pre-made is actually a better choice in several ways:

  • Less sugar: It contains 40% less sugar than other options. In fact, the name brand contains 21 grams of sugar per 2 tablespoons, while Nutiva has only 12 grams.
  • Ethically sourced: Most hazelnut spreads contain palm oil, which can be problematic if not ethically sourced. All of the ingredients in the Nutiva brand, including the palm oil, are ethically sourced (rainforest and animal friendly).
  • More nutritious: Unlike other brands, this one contains 450 milligrams of omega-3s per serving from chia and flax! (That’s more than sardines and tuna contain per serving and my kids certainly prefer the chocolate option!)
  • Organic, non-GMO verified and certified gluten free: Other brands are not organic, or contain ingredients that may be genetically modified.

how-to-make-nutella-infographic

Are you a fan of chocolate hazelnut spread? Ever tried to make your own “No-Tella”? Share below!

Katie Wells Avatar

About Katie Wells

Katie Wells, CTNC, MCHC, Founder of Wellness Mama and Co-founder of Wellnesse, has a background in research, journalism, and nutrition. As a mom of six, she turned to research and took health into her own hands to find answers to her health problems. WellnessMama.com is the culmination of her thousands of hours of research and all posts are medically reviewed and verified by the Wellness Mama research team. Katie is also the author of the bestselling books The Wellness Mama Cookbook and The Wellness Mama 5-Step Lifestyle Detox.

Comments

51 responses to “Nutella Recipe: How to Make Homemade Chocolate Hazelnut Spread”

  1. Cindy Avatar

    Re the graininess, here are suggestions:
    –grind the nuts for 8 to 10 minutes, stopping to scrape down the sides of the food processor/blender.
    –Use a smaller appliance for grinding or double the ingredients. Size matters.
    –instead of cocoa, substitute dark chocolate (melted before adding.)

  2. Janis Avatar

    Have you tried it with any other nuts? Where I live hazelnuts are very expensive.
    Thank you

  3. Rooni Avatar

    4 stars
    Hi, So I used this recipe and I just have 2 questions about it.
    1. Should we use bee honey for this recipe or any other type of honey like sugarcane.
    2. My mixture looked very dry after adding all the ingredients and it’s not creamy and smooth. How can I fix that.

    Thanks in advance. It tastes great ?

  4. Angela Avatar

    I heated the oven to 350F, the hazelnuts got burned in less than 10 minutes. 375F is way too high to roast nuts.

  5. Shawna Avatar

    1 star
    I have made this 3 times now. Every time it turns into a rock. It doesn’t even melt on hot toast. What am I doing wrong? I really want this to work.

  6. Tina Avatar

    I just made this recipe and the flavor is delicious but the texture is very grainy. I used 1/4 cup granulated sugar and it tasted to me like the sugar did not dissolve so I processed until it was smoother which took several minutes and my cuisinart got very warm but still it’s grainy. Disappointed.

  7. Joanna Avatar

    It was going perfectly through the hazelnuts being ground to butter. Then I added the other ingredients and the liquid separated from the solid, never to be combined again. What happened??

  8. Arial Avatar

    Hi, thanks for sharing! How long can this homemade version be kept in fridge?

  9. Christina Benson Avatar
    Christina Benson

    I just made this and it came out super bitter! I had Special Dark cocoa powder so I wonder if that’s the problem. I also had to add way more coconut oil because it was very pastey. Any ideas?

  10. Kristina Avatar
    Kristina

    Hi! I am making this recipe right now, and I used raw honey instead of sugar. The hazelnuts themselves were extremely smooth when blended, but after I added the rest of the ingredients, the final product became grainy and clumpy rather than smooth. Was it the honey that did it? I also used carob, as I have a sensitivity to cocoa currently. Thanks!

    1. Mary Avatar

      I had the same issue, but I used maple syrup. Tastes good but grainy, clumpy and the oil is separating. Any ideas how to fix?

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating