This delicious smooth and creamy healthy homemade Nutella recipe is one of the most popular recipes I’ve ever posted, and for good reason!
The Best Nutella Recipe
Currently with more than ten thousand positive online reviews, this surprisingly easy Nutella recipe is definitely a huge reader favorite.
Super rich and creamy, it effortlessly holds its own against that famous Ferrero chocolate spread in the iconic red and white plastic jars at the grocery store.
And yet the homemade version also has fewer than half the calories per serving.
It’s much healthier than store-bought, without sacrificing any of the kid friendly classic chocolate taste that we all know and love.
Also be sure to try these Black Bean Brownies
Homemade Nutella
Just one spoonful of the thick chocolate vegan Nutella recipe, and you’ll absolutely never want to put the spoon down again.
Yes, it’s that good.
Unless, of course, you don’t like Nutella… is such a thing even possible?
Is there really a single person in this world who can resist that luxuriously rich and velvety hazelnut chocolate spread?
If true, please send me your spoon so I can happily eat your portion.
I’m nice like that.
Healthy Chocolate Hazelnut Spread
I didn’t specifically set out to make a low calorie Nutella.
It just turned out that way.
Unlike store-bought Nutella, which lists palm oil and sugar as the first two ingredients, this option is suitable for vegans or those with dairy allergies and is lower in sugar or can be a sugar free recipe.
It’s also high in Vitamin E, B vitamins, and healthy fats.
My first introduction to Nutella was in preschool, and it was love at first bite.
Back then, the spread wasn’t popular like it is now. All of the other children in my class thought I was so weird for bringing Nutella sandwiches to school, neatly packed into a lunchbox with the crusts cut off.
Day after day, they ate their boring peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, while I blissfully devoured a chocolate sandwich.
Needless to say, in just a few months I’d hooked all of my friends on this miracle hazelnut cocoa spread, and soon everyone was bringing Nutella for lunch, as sandwiches or a dip for fresh apple slices, strawberries, or bananas.
Vegan Nutella Ingredients
I gave up eating Nutella upon going vegan years ago. Vegan Nutella or gianduja brands, including Justin’s or Nutiva, do now exist, but buying them can get expensive.
Making your own hazelnut spread at home saves money, and you get to control exactly what ingredients to use.
For the milk: If you choose a nondairy milk such as almondmilk or coconut milk, the recipe can be naturally dairy free, gluten free, egg free, and soy free.
The sweetener: Use your favorite all purpose sweetener, such as date sugar, regular granulated sugar, or coconut sugar. Liquid sweeteners like pure maple syrup, agave, honey, or date syrup also work but will yield a much less creamy and spreadable result.
For a low carb or keto Nutella recipe: Simply use a sugar free sweetener such as xylitol or erythritol instead of the sugar. The low carb version will have just 0.1 net carbs per serving.
I haven’t tried sweetening the Nutella with stevia or allulose, so feel free to experiment and be sure to report back with results if you do.
The hazelnuts: Look for raw hazelnuts in the bulk aisle of health food stores or online. I’ve also seen them sold in bags at Costco. Feel free to sub unsalted roasted hazelnuts and skip the roasting step in the recipe instructions below.
If you can’t find hazelnuts at all, the spread can be made with almonds instead. The flavor will be different but it’s still tasty.
How To Make Nutella At Home
Gather all of the ingredients, and preheat your oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Roast the two cups of raw hazelnuts on the oven’s center rack for about 6 to 8 minutes.
Rub the roasted nuts together in a cloth or paper towel to remove the skins. Don’t worry if some of the skins refuse to come off.
In a high speed blender (like a Vitamix) or food processor (like a Cuisinart), blend the hazelnuts until they turn into a smooth butter.
Add all remaining ingredients, and blend on high for a few minutes until the texture resembles real Nutella.
Homemade Nutella Storage Instructions
Is using the oil instead of milk, the homemade Nutella is shelf stable and does not need to be refrigerated. It can be stored in a tightly covered container in your kitchen cabinet for up to two weeks. Or refrigerate for up to two months.
If using the milk, it’s best to store the recipe in the refrigerator, where it should stay good for two to three weeks.
After this time, to prevent the nuts from going rancid, you can freeze leftover Nutella. The texture will not be as smooth, but it still tastes great!
Is Nutella Healthy?
The main ingredient in store-bought Nutella is surprisingly not cocoa powder or hazelnuts. Palm oil and sugar make up more than 50% of the spread, which also includes skim milk, whey, soy lecithin, and vanillin (artificial flavor).
Two tablespoons of the packaged hazelnut spread with cocoa contain 200 calories, 11 grams of fat, 4 grams of saturated fat, and 21 grams of sugar.
Even if you use all regular sugar in the recipe below, it will still only have 70 calories, less than a gram of saturated fat, and under 5 grams of both fat and sugar per two tablespoon serving, making the homemade Nutella a much healthier option.
Recipes With Nutella
Other good uses for homemade Nutella include spreading it over toast or Vegan Pancakes, frosting cupcakes or adding a spoonful to hot chocolate, or eating it straight out of the jar with a spoon!
Above, watch the step by step homemade Nutella recipe video
Homemade Nutella Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 cups hazelnuts (240g)
- 1/4 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 1/4 cup cocoa powder
- 1/3 cup sweetener of choice (see above for options that work here)
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/2 cup milk of choice or 2 tbsp oil, optional
Instructions
- Homemade Nutella Recipe: If hazelnuts are not already roasted, preheat the oven to 400 F and bake for 6-8 minutes or just until they begin to brown. Rub them together in a paper towel to get the skins off. It’s okay if a few stubborn skins won’t come off. In a Vitamix or food processor, blend the nuts until they’ve turned to butter. (This could take up to twenty minutes in a food processor.) Then add all other ingredients except milk or oil and blend a long time until it’s smooth like Nutella! If desired, add in the milk or oil. Storage tips are listed above.View Nutrition Facts
Video
Notes
Easy Chocolate Recipes
Homemade Chocolate Bars (3 Ingredients)
Do you store it in the fridge? how long can it last? Thank you!
I’m sorry I just noticed you already answered that question many times 🙂
HMMMMM.. That’s on my very soon to do list! Will it work if I use my regular blender for this? I’m afraid the nuts won’t turn into butter..
This is great, it is so good. One question I have thought before when I have made your ketchup, or now this or even your cookie dough dip is how long does it keep and how to store? For the cookie dough I did a week (consume or toss if not eaten in 7 days, because thats what my store bought hummus says) however, for the other items I’m lost, help!
This will keep for up to two weeks, fridged.
can this be frozen? We must be totally crazy, but there’s no way we’ll go through all of it in a week! 🙂
I haven’t tried it, but some of the commenters say it can be done.
Hey Katie,
am just about to make this recipe, so excited!! would you suggest I use dutch processed cocoa powder, or the natural kind? would it make much difference?
Thanks, absolutely LOVE your recipes btw, you’re a true genius!
<33
I usually use plain unsweetened (non-dutch) but either should work.
Hi Katie! I love your blog and am so excited I found this recipe- I’ve been looking for a way to make homemade nutella without all that added crap that’s in the store brand. Do you think I could make it using a standard blender since I don’t have a food processor? Thanks! 🙂
I just made this and it turned out amazing!! I used hazelnut milk for an ultimate hazelnut overload 😀 I think cacao was a bit too much but i like it anyway. My mum is totally crazy about nutella and she LOVED it!!! Thank you very much for the recipe!
I just finished making this in the VitaMix and it is hella good! Amazing, actually, I’m not sure anyone else will get to taste it… 😉 I’m not even certain it will make it into a container if the rate at which my spoon is dipping into the VitaMix continues.
Hi katie, im a bit confused its says 1/4 Cup plus 2 tbsp of xylitol.have you missed a word out or is that all of just xylitol?
Hi Katie.
I NEED A SIMPLE RECEIPT TO MAKE CHOCOLATE PASTE AND PACK IN PLASTIC TUBE TO RE SELL TO SCHOOL KIDS
CAN YOU PLEASE ASSIST ME
REGARDS
HASSIM
Katie,
I just took my new Kitchen Aid food processor on it’s maiden voyage to make your nutella…. I’m in love !!!! I can’t believe how good this is and also psyched with my new Kitchen Aid toy- it made butter out of those hazelnuts quickly !
It made enough to fill an 8oz jelly jar and the little half size jar. Might have made 2 of the 8oz size but I was eating quite a bit along the way.
Question- how do you store this? Must it be refrigerated, & do you know how long it will keep? I’m thinking about Christmas presents to go along with homemade bread ; )
Thank you Katie !!
sorry Katie- I just read above where you said 2 weeks in the fridge. Also I added one tsp of coconut oil and just a couple drops of chocolate extract- really, really good. thanks again ; )
This information .. “Store in the fridge for a week” should be clearly stated as part of the recipe. A good place would be just under the title, and at the end. It would save a lot of people a lot of “grief” and it would save you, Kate, from answering the question so often.
Very nice, but …doesn’t the milk in there mean it all has to be consumed in a couple of days? I made a full batch .. cost me lots of $$$ for the nuts, and it was covered in white mould within a couple of days. I scooped that off and ate a bit, but a day or so later, it tastes rather “off” . What a waste. Waste of ingredients and waste of my hard earned cash. I’ve made nutella before but without the milk. I think I’ll go back to my old recipe next time. I’m disappointed.
The recipe needs to be refrigerated, and it will last at least a week.
Hi katie,
I wonder if we add milk powder instead of milk and hot water it might stay longer. Ofcourse this will not be completely vegan though. We can give it a try though.
This was quicker and easier than I expected. I have a KitchenAid blender which worked surprisingly well. I had never made nuts into nut butter before. The consistency of this Nutella is good. It isn’t as smooth as store bought Nutella which I expected from other comments and because I am using a blender not whatever heavy duty factory equipment Ferrero Co. uses. I used Chatfields Cocoa Powder and the sugar option on the recipe as I only have liquid stevia, not packets. My only problem is that I must have burned the hazelnuts when I roasted them. It was 8 minutes at 400F but they were pretty brown when they came out. So everything about the Nutella is great except a burnt taste 🙁
I added more cocoa and sugar and some agave. So, this recipe is good, I will make it again, but will watch the roasting more closely.
Holy c@#p that tastes like Nutella! I cheated and used a 250g jar of hazelnut butter and it worked out perfectly.
this recipe is fab and it’s great to have a less sugary spread! Where would you recommend storing it though?
Awesome recipe! The kids loved it and now it can ditch store- bought Nutella for good. I replaced the milk in the recipe for coconut cream and it added a nice coconutty flavour to it. Love the blog, keep it going!!