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)
Yum! made it this afternoon!! 🙂
Katie, thank you for this recipe! I used Stevia, coconut oil, and silk coconut milk, and it turned out delicious. I am so happy that I found this recipe because store bought nutella is way too sweet. This homemade recipe is perfect.
Hi, do the hazelnuts have to be raw? It is really hard to find those where I live. Thanks.,
My comment is on your photography. I think you really do an excellent job. Really makes me want to try every recipe. The pictures are beautiful
Do you know the shelf life on this? Should it be kept in the fridge?
Made this last night and I will never buy jarred nutella or any of the nutella substitutes for sale again. The homemade nutella is even better than I remember the original!
Would this recipe work using honey as a sweetener instead of sugar, etc?
Hi. I wonder for how long can I keep this in the fridge. By the way, my seven-year-old daughter made this recipe today in our Vitamix and it turned out fantastic! I cannot tell the difference between this and the store bought Nutella. Thank you for sharing!
It will last at least a week 🙂
Which cocoa powder do you use ? Is it RAW cocoa powder ?
You can use plain old regular unsweetened cocoa powder from a regular grocery store. Cacao powder (such as Pacari) works as well.
Hi there! Does this need to be refrigerated?
Has anyone tried making this with almond milk or coconut milk? How did it come out?
Both work well!
I used Silk Unsweetened Cashew Milk and it turned out really good.
Where can I buy healthy Nutella?
Hi Katie! I just made your Healthy Nutella tonight. I honestly did not think it would turn out well and was prepared to just toss everything in the garbage… before I even started! To my surprise, it came out so good, I couldn’t stop licking the spatula and my fingers ;0! I have a few questions though. In your nutrition facts a serving size is 15g, is that equal to a tablespoon or teaspoon? How many servings are in 2 cups? Second, does it need to be refrigerated and how long will it last? Do you happen to know what the WW points might be, I know you usually add them to the nutrition facts but I could not find them for this particular recipe. Thanks so much! I really love your recipes and tell all my WW friends to check out your site!
Hi! Looks like this is an older recipe, which is maybe why the nutrition facts don’t have ww points. Do you have Katie’s cookbook? If so, this recipe in the book has full nutrition facts and ww points listed. You could also just go check out just that page at the bookstore if you don’t have the book. Hope that helps!
Yum! Thanks for posting this recipe. I LOVED nutella when I was nine, but I’m vegan now and, nutella is just too sweet. I made this at first with my tiny 15 dollar blender and it didn’t work out. I borrowed my freinds vitamin and I’m glad I did! 🙂 I’m sooo making this again. <3
Hi, How long will this nutella last if I keep it in the fridge?
Quick question – does the homemade nutella need to be refrigerated ?