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)
I LOVE NUTELLA on just about anything….my son-in-law and I like to try to come up with new ways to use it. I have to go out and get some hazelnuts now to try this recipe.
Btw…I just had to replace my 1st Cuisinart only because of the plastic bowl cracked where it interlocked together. The motor still works!…..Lol……it lasted for 28 years!
This new one’s design is better!
Can’t wait to make this and try it out!!! Your pics are awesome!!!…(they make me drool) …lol
Thanks Katie 🙂
Katie, you are my new favourite person. I can’t tell you how much I missed Nutella since becoming a vegan. I can’t wait to whip some of this up!
Keep it coming Kate! We (yes I speak for the others that frequent your site) love your recipes! I’m allergic to milk and chose to eat mostly vegan, thank you! Thank you for giving us options to have a similar diet to those that can eat the alternatives.
Looks like I need to go out and buy some hazelnuts today!
I love your recipe! It seems so much healthier than nutella- it is such a delicios treat though. I am wanting yours like crazy now! Mmmmmmm!
I hate to admit it but I am “that girl” who doesn’t particularly care for nutella 🙂
Oohh, well done Katie!! I might have to give this a go soon ;), thanks!!
Also, I emailed you the other day and was just wondering why I hadn’t had a reply – did I get the email address right?? Thanks again for the recipe, it’s awesome!! Will let you know the results when I’ve made it – possibly tonight!! (( oohh, then it could go in my oatmeal tomorrow morning :D!!))
Jade C.
Hi Jade,
Yes I did get your email :). I get a scary amount of emails every day (not to mention questions left as comments or on facebook or twitter), and there’s just one of me, so it takes me a while to answer all of them and I never actually am caught up. But I will answer you when I get to yours!
Thanks Katie :).
Oh my gosh, this looks fabulous!! I love PB&Co Dark Chocolate dreams but recently had nutella and remembered just how amazing that stuff is! I went to a restaurant that had it out as an option to put on toast and you better believe i went and got myself a spoonful! I love that this is lower sugar though! I need to make this asap!
Oh em gee I am soo making this and probably not sharing with any member of my family!
This is heavenly, Katie!! I was looking for something to replace using peanut butter as a spread because I’ve become peanut intolerant, and this is just the thing! It’s delicious, and much more healthy than the stuff you find at the store. I nearly crammed the whole thing down five minutes after making it! Just wondering, how long do you think this will hold in the fridge?
I made mine on Friday, and it’s still good… but I can’t really say how long it’ll last since it hasn’t gone bad yet ;).
Better than Nutella?! That’s a bold statement! You’ve never steered me wrong before though! 🙂
I tried Nutella for the first time about a month ago and I don’t know what took me so long to try it! It’s delcious!
I tried nutella once a LOOOOooooong time ago, and did not like it. I can’t remember why I didn’t like it, but it was probably because it is way too sweet for me. I like mixing cocoa powder with almond butter to make a sort of bitter nutella spread. Will have to make “the real thing” with hazelnuts, though.
I eat Nutella by the spoonful, YUM! Can’t wait to make this when I get home!
Looks great and Evan made Nutella, too, today. Must be something in the water supply. Or chocolate supply 🙂 I’ve been making chocolate nut butter with cashews and coconut for a few years and it’s great and Nutella has always been a first love. From the time I was about 7 years old and had my first spoonful!
Chocolate cashew butter sounds amazing! Obviously I’ve came across choc peanut and almond butter but choc cashew butter? That sounds amazing, cashew butter is one of my faves! I’ll be trying that for sure!
I absolutely *love* Nutella – but I’m curious how this would come out if I used all Stevia. I’ve been trying to cut back on sugar. Can anyone offer some insight/have you tried it?