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.

Better Than Nutella: Chocolate Hazelnut Spread Recipe
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Nutrition
Notes
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.
Are you a fan of chocolate hazelnut spread? Ever tried to make your own “No-Tella”? Share below!
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.)
Yummy, love salt & bit of honey combination.
Have you tried it with any other nuts? Where I live hazelnuts are very expensive.
Thank you
No I haven’t, as I was trying to imitate Nutella, which is made with hazelnuts…
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 ?
I heated the oven to 350F, the hazelnuts got burned in less than 10 minutes. 375F is way too high to roast nuts.
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.
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.
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??
can you use brown sugar instead?
thanks
Can you preserve this for a year or two as food storage?
I haven’t tried…
Hi, thanks for sharing! How long can this homemade version be kept in fridge?
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?
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!
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?