Chocolate Hazelnut Spread (Homemade Nutella)
Making your own Chocolate Hazelnut Spread is way easier than you think, and it tastes great! Nutty and chocolaty with a little sweetness.
Nutella is a staple in my household. My kids love it on toast or toasted crumpets. I love to dip bananas or strawberries in it for dessert.
But let’s face it, Nutella isn’t exactly healthy. There is more sugar in it than hazelnuts, and more sunflower oil than cocoa.
But that chocolate hazelnut combo is delicious and hard to resist. Luckily, it’s easy to make your own healthier version of Chocolate Hazelnut Spread (aka Homemade Nutella) at home.
Chocolate Hazelnut Spread Ingredients
The ingredient list to make chocolate hazelnut spread is short, and just what you’d expect to see in this nutty, chocolately spread, with none of the added fillers
- Roasted hazelnuts – you can buy your hazelnuts already roasted, or roast them yourself.
- Powdered sugar
- Cocoa powder – any type will work, but avoid black cocoa powder for appearance
- Neutral-flavored cooking oil (eg. canola oil) or hazelnut oil
- Vanilla
- Salt
If you can find them in the store, starting with roasted, blanched hazelnuts will save you the extra steps of roasting the hazelnuts and removing their skin.
Not to worry, though, if all you can find are raw hazelnuts, it will only take about 15 extra minutes to roast them, and a little elbow grease to remove the majority of the skin.
You will definitely need a food processor, which does a great job of turning the hazelnuts into nut butter, then mixing in the rest of the ingredients to get the sweet, nutty spread that you’ll want to put on everything.
Now, let me add that I was very skeptical of homemade chocolate hazelnut spread before I actually tried it. First off, I am not usually the biggest fan of natural nut butters, and that was what I was expecting from this recipe.
Second of all, how could anything actually be better than Nutella?? Well, this stuff is. Obviously, the texture is not the same – it’s got a slightly grittier, more natural texture, which is less pronounced if you start with blanched hazelnuts. It’s not as smooth as frosting like Nutella is.
And the flavor is so much better! Definitely nuttier, as Nutella has more sugar than it actually does hazelnuts. I definitely regret telling Mr. Dreamboat to taste the homemade version, because now it’s going to be gone before I know it! He actually said that he was thinking about it while he was at work; it was that good!
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Chocolate Hazelnut Spread Nutrition Notes
Making chocolate hazelnut spread at home saves you a lot of sugar, but the fat is slightly higher than the store-bought version. Not to worry, though, as it’s mostly heart-healthy unsaturated fat.
This homemade treat is also higher in fiber and protein because it’s made with real hazelnuts.
As an added bonus, chocolate hazelnut spread is dairy-free and vegan, neither of which is true for the store-bought version.
Chocolate Hazelnut Spread
Equipment
Ingredients
Instructions
- If using raw hazelnuts: Move oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 375°F. Spread 2 cups raw hazelnuts on a rimmed baking sheet and roast 10-12 minutes until golden brown. Allow to cool until cool enough to handle.2 cups raw hazelnuts
- Transfer the roasted hazelnuts to a large container with a tight-fitting lid, or a medium bowl with a second bowl placed on top. Shake hazelnuts vigorously to remove skin. Remove hazelnuts that have minimal skin left. Repeat until most of the hazelnuts are peeled.
- Transfer the peeled hazelnuts to a food processor. Process until the hazelnuts form a smooth, buttery paste. Add ¾ cup powdered sugar, ⅓ cup cocoa powder, 2 Tablespoons canola or hazelnut oil, 1 teaspoon vanilla, and ⅛ teaspoon kosher salt to the food processor. Process until the paste is smooth and glossy.¾ cup powdered sugar, ⅓ cup cocoa powder, 2 Tablespoons canola or hazelnut oil, 1 teaspoon vanilla, ⅛ teaspoon kosher salt
- Store the chocolate hazelnut spread in an airtight container at room temperature for a more liquid consistency or in the fridge for a more solid spread. It will keep for one month.
Nutrition
Video
Notes
Tried this recipe?
Please Consider Leaving a Review!*Note: Recipe from America’s Test Kitchen DIY Cookbook
I made this as a Father’s Day gift and it was definitely a great surprise and so yummy!
Great! I’m glad you enjoyed it – it’s a huge hit around here. We’ve already been through a couple of batches!