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 need to soak the hazelnuts overnight beforehand?
Nope!
No, just roast them.
really appreciate this thankyou delicious 🙂
Hi Katie!
Was going to try this but wondering how to do you store it?
Refrigerate for a week or so.
Thanks so much! I’m still in the honeymoon period with my Vitamix. Never thought I’d have Nutella again. Love the rich hazelnut flavor.
How long the homemade nutella can keep/last?
Mine always lasts about a week in the fridge and I’m sure would last longer but it’s always all gone by then so I never had the chance to find out! 😉
Help, Katie
my nutella grew mold! and it was refrigerated. what can i do?
I made this over the weekend, my husband thought it was the basting sauce for his brisket in the smoker, I caught him after 2 bastings! The brisket turned out great! This morning I used the “Healthy Nutella” on a piece of whole grain toast with sliced bananas, delicious! I had everyone in my office try it, everyone loved it, and some said it was actually BETTER than Nutella. I used vanilla unsweetened almond milk, bee free honee in place of maple syrup, and 1T. white sugar, and no oil. Really, just excellent.
But one question…is it shelf stable? Or do I need to refrigerate it?
That is so funny! Because of the almond milk, you should refrigerate it.
How long will this keep for in the fridge?
Probably a week.
I am slightly horrified by how delicious this is. Horrified because of how close I just came to trying to lick the blades on my food processor before I managed to stop myself.
I like it slightly gritty, I think it’s a better texture than the insane smoothness of store-bought nutella! Thanks, Katie. Thanks for my future obesity :-p
This nutella is exactly what I was looking for! It tastes absolutely delicious!
I have one question – do you store it in the refrigerator, or on the pantry shelf??
Thank you in advance 🙂
Fridge because of the milk.
Shelf life? and should it be stored in fridge or cupboard?
Made it for my brother as a Christmas present because nutella is his favorite spread but he is also looking to loose weight.
It is absolutely delicious!!!
Yes fridge about a week.
How should this Nutella be stored and how long does it last?
How long does this keep and do you store in fridge?
Yes because it’s perishable due to the milk. I’d say at least a week.
Ahhhh! This is SO good! I only had 1.25 cups of hazelnuts, so I used the little cashews and almonds I had left to fill the second cup. And this is soooo good. i did 3 tbsp honey + 1/4 cup stevia. it’s perfectly sweet. Not too much like actual nutella. Thank you so much! I’ve wanted to try this recipe for so long but I didn’t have a food processor until now.
I’m not sure if it’s because of the type of cocoa powder I used, but I found this turned out a much darker chocolate flavour than normal Nutella (definitely not a bad thing though ?) and also a more hazelnutty flavour. Overall it was more intense, and less sweet, so maybe more of an ‘adult’ flavour. I personally prefer this to normal Nutella but just a tip for anyone thinking of making it for kids?
How long does this last and should it be stored in the fridge?
Yes about a week
Katie – I see the the recipe calls for raw hazelnuts. I always find that some roasting really brings out the flavor of all nuts. Is there a reason to keep them raw?
It calls for roasting them 😉