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
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Hey
Great recipe !
Just wondering how long it usually lasts for?
Thanks
Hey! Do you know the cal count of this?
Yes, full nutrition facts for all of Katie’s recipes are linked under the ingredients 🙂
This stuff is a GODSEND. Nutella is one of my #1 favorite sweets, and it’s just so high in calories that I can’t even make it work on my calorie deficit diet. But this is perfect for me. I have it calculated at 56 cal for a tablespoon, so it’s great as a little extra topping on oatmeal, spread onto some low calorie toast, or with some bananas. It’s the perfect low cal dessert addition.
I used some already roasted and skinned hazelnuts, and I missed the step to blend the hazelnuts first so it’s a bit grainy (though not too bad) but still tasty. Maybe a LITTLE more chocolate forward than the classic stuff, but still perfect. I think in the future I’ll probably try cutting the recipe in half because the 2 cups worth it makes is a lot for what I need, but it’s still awesome. I really wanna try using this in place of regular nutella in a brownie, maybe with zucchini brownies! So excited.
Thank you so much for making it 🙂
Nutella however tempting and irresistible it may be, has its negatives – major ones being the excess palm oil and sugar content. It restricts us from having a sweet meal but enforces unnecessary sugar rush in our bodies.
Delicious! Big hit 🙂
I sweetened with monk fruit instead of stevia.
Blending tip: the ninja small drink cup blender was a lot better than the cuisinart
I toasted the hazelnuts until the skins were slightly burnt and the nuts were golden-ish. I used a Cuisinart food processor and blended until quite creamy, almost 5 minutes. I added a tablespoon extra cocoa powder. This was not so sweet like nutella but it was so creamy! It grew on me after a while, and now I’m addicted, eating by the spoonful 🤭
Thank you so much for making it!
Love this recipe! Can I freeze half the batch?
I was looking for a homemade Nutella recipe and although I wanted a healthy one I couldn’t find any… and then I found this one! I tried it and it turned out a million times better than store-bought chocolate spreads. I’m so happy I stumbled upon this recipe. thank you Katie!
Hi! I’m so excited to try the healthier Nutellla. My grocery store doesn’t have Hazlenuts by the pound. I bought a jar of hazelnut butter with the purpose of making this healthy Nutella online. Could you please tell me how much of jar to use. I have an 8 ounce jar. Thank you! Janet
Hi, unfortunately we have never measured so honestly don’t know how much it would be.
Hi Katie,
instead of maple syrup could I use coconut sugar as a sweetener?
Hi, yes you can.
Hi, just wondering how long the Nutella can be stored for and how best to store it? Thanks 😊
This tasted just like Nutella!!!
This is the third nutella recipe I’ve tried and it’s the best hands down. Next I want to try the same idea with almonds!
Our family loves your nutella recipe. Thank you for all that you do.
This is great! I use powdered swerve, almond milk and leave out the salt. I eat it alone or on bananas. Love it Katie!! 😋
I use 1 1/2 cups toasted hazelnuts and 1/2 cup raw cashews for a creamier texture. I make mine in a Breville food processor using finely ground coconut sugar as a sweetener to minimize gritiness and turns out great every time! I dint add milk or oil in mine.
Your version sounds wonderful!
I’ve made this homemade Nutella recipe three times now and it’s turned out great each time. I might experiment with peanuts or almonds next time to change up the flavor.