Chocolate Hazelnut Spread aka Nutella
Unfortunate fact: I was well into my 20’s before I ever tried Nutella for the first time. Thankfully, I’ve long-since made up for time and enjoy the chocolate hazelnut spread stuffed in everything from brownies to crepes, and even the occasional (or not so occasional) scoop eaten straight off a spoon – don’t even try to tell me you’ve never done that!
This Nutella recipe is my preferred way to enjoy the chocolate hazelnut spread these days. I love that it satisfies my craving for the sweet spread, but allows me to better control the ingredients to fit my own dietary and sweetness preferences, avoiding the sugar-bomb that you’ll find in the classic store-bought jar.
Nutella’s Origins
The early iterations of Nutella date back to the Napoleonic era of the late 1700s. Known then as Guanduja, it was created as a solution to the shortage of chocolate entering French-controlled European harbors. A chocolatier in Italy named Michele Prochet extended his chocolate supply with 30% hazelnuts, effectively creating a chocolate hazelnut spread that would eventually evolve into the Nutella we know today.
My Nutella recipe is closer to 70% hazelnuts, with the other 30% comprised of Valhrona cocoa powder, coconut oil, vanilla, sea salt, cinnamon, and just a bit of sweetener. This gives the Nutella a thicker, more spreadable consistency when stored in the refrigerator and a thinner drizzle-worthy consistency when brought to room temperature.
I’m lucky to live in Oregon, where 99% of the U.S.’s hazelnuts are grown, so sourcing good-quality hazelnuts is as easy as a trip to my local farmers market. If hazelnuts are not as plentiful at your market, my favorite ones can be ordered online too.
Let’s talk about sweeteners
So long as you keep the base of this Nutella recipe as directed, you can adjust the sweetener to your own dietary preferences and sweet tooth.
For those following a low-carb or Keto diet, liquid Stevia drops work really well in this because they give you a lot of incremental control over the level of sweetness. For this recipe, I used about 30 drops to get the mixture to my own preferred level of sweetness.
If you prefer a granulated option, Stevia in the Raw or Lakanto Monkfruit Sweetener are also great zero carb options, but you’ll want to start small and build incrementally as they pack a sweet punch. I prefer to stay away from Xylitol completely because it is highly toxic to pets. When using a zero carb sweetener, I estimate that the net carb count for this recipe is 2g per 2 tbsp serving.
If you are not adverse to a few carbs, but want to keep things refined sugar-free and Paleo-friendly, this Nutella is particularly delicious sweetened with a bit of raw honey or pure maple syrup. I estimate that using 2 tbsp of raw honey brings the net carb count to 5g per 2 tbsp serving. Alternatively, I estimate that using 2 tbsp of pure maple syrup brings the net carb count to 4g per 2 tbsp serving.
Do you need any special equipment to make this recipe?
This recipe is best executed using a food processor because it blends the ingredients into a smooth and even spread with little fuss. Though I have not tried this myself, I would imagine that a traditional blender “might” work in a pinch, though I cannot advocate for the efficacy of this method or the ease of clearing the spread out of the blender once mixed.
You’ll also need a baking sheet and a towel. I prefer using a flour sack towel because they are a bit thinner and less fluffy so I feel like they do a better job at providing friction when removing the skin of the hazelnuts, but any kitchen towel should work.
My favorite way to store this Nutella recipe is in these glass Weck jars or these glass Snapware storage containers.
Looking for an upgrade to your kitchen tools? Check out my shop page here for my must have kitchen tools and other Whip & Wander favorites.
5 gluten-free ideas for using this Nutella
- Swirl it into a batch of GF brownies (recipe coming soon!)
- Spread it on top of Paleo pancakes or Keto pancakes
- Dollop it on top of a hot bowl of oatmeal
- Layer it in a yogurt parfait – add this Grain-Free Granola for a little crunch!
- Drizzle it on top of fresh fruit – strawberries are a favorite!
Bonus idea: If all else fails (or your dietary preferences don’t allow for the ideas above) eat this stuff straight off a spoon. No judgement here!
A note for special diets
This Nutella is grain-free, gluten-free, dairy-free, refined sugar-free, and can easily accommodate low-carb, Keto, Paleo, and Vegan diets depending on the sweetener you opt to use. See the “Let’s talk about sweeteners” section for further info.
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Avoid the sugar-bomb of store-bought Nutella and make this delicious refined sugar-free version thats adaptable for Paleo and Keto diets.
Ingredients
- 2 1/2 cups dry roasted hazelnuts
- 7 tbsp cocoa powder
- 1 tbsp coconut oil
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 3/4 tsp sea salt
- 1/8 tsp cinnamon
- sweetener of preference – remember to start small and add incrementally.
Keto sweeteners:
- liquid Stevia drops (start with 20 drops and build from there)
- granulated Stevia (start with 2 tsp and build from there)
- granulated Monkfruit (start with 2 tsp and build from there)
Paleo sweeteners:
- raw honey (start with 2 tbsp and build from there)
- pure maple syrup (start with 2 tbsp and build from there)
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 300 degrees F (150 C). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking liner.
- Although the hazelnuts are pre-roasted, I like to roast them a 2nd time to deepen the flavor and help them break down better when processed into nut butter. Roast for 10-15 minutes or until they are beginning to turn golden and fragrant.
- Remove the hazelnuts from oven and transfer to a thin towel while they’re still warm. Rub the towel-wrapped hazelnuts firmly by hand to remove any excess skin the hazelnuts may have. Don’t worry about getting every last bit, a few pieces here and there won’t matter.
- Transfer the skinned hazelnuts to your food processor. Pulse until the nuts begin to break down into a nut butter.
- Add cocoa powder, coconut oil, vanilla extract, sea salt, and cinnamon. Pulse until well-combined.
- Sweeten to taste using your preferred sweetener. I’ve included several Keto-friendly and Paleo-friendly options above as well as suggested amounts to start with. I suggest you start small and incrementally add more, pulsing as each increment is added until it’s reached your desired sweetness level.
- Continue pulsing until smooth.
- I prefer to store mine in a glass Weck jar or glass Snapware container in the refrigerator so that the mixture stays thick and spreadable. I’ve had good success keeping this Nutella recipe for up to one month if stored this way. The spread will thin and become drizzle-worthy at room temperature, but I do not suggest you store it at room temperature as it will significantly shorten the shelf life.
Notes
Nutritional information on Whip & Wander is provided as a courtesy and is approximate only. We cannot guarantee the accuracy of the nutritional information given for any recipe on this site.
For the nutrition count below, I used 30 drops of liquid Stevia as my sweetener of choice.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 2 tbsp (sweetened with liquid stevia)
- Calories: 151
- Sugar: 1 g
- Sodium: 117 mg
- Fat: 13 g
- Saturated Fat: 2 g
- Carbohydrates: 5 g
- Fiber: 3 g
- Protein: 4 g
If homemade nutella is paleo and keto friendly, it’s basically healthy – like a salad, amirite??! More nutella for everyone!
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Totally agree! It’s basically a salad.
I have fond childhood memories of Nutella, but now I cringe at the thought of how sweet it is. Can’t wait to try your recipe! Looks like a great easy-to-make grown up version. Yum!
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Yes I can finally enjoy Nutella but make it less sweet!
I always prefer making my own chocolate hazelnut spread as well — I find Nutella to have a weird processed flavor. Great photos!
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I love Nutella! And I love that I can now make it at home too 🙂 My personal preference is spreading it over some toast..that’s all I need!
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I can just imagine how good this would taste. We love Nutella. Homemade would take the flavour over the top delicious. So many ways to use this tasty spread.
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I can’t believe Nutella dates back to the 1700’s. Wow! Homemade is always the best tasting option in my opinion and I bet your Nutella is simply scrumptious, Jenni!
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I can have this on anything and everything and any time. Looks truly delicious.
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We go through SO MUCH nutella at our house. I never thought to make it myself! Great recipe!!!
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Thank you! I avoid nutella because of it’s ingredient list…but that doesn’t mean I don’t want some….OFTEN. The ingredient list here I can get behind. Love all your creative suggestions on what to do with this delicious spread.
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Oh my goodness, you have just blown my mind. I had no idea nutella could be made so easily, never mind low carb! I can’t wait to try this soon, it will be amazing over top of the next batch of brownies I make!
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So much better than the store-bought version! I make it too, from a recipe from an Italian pastry chef and use hazelnut butter. If you don’t have a powerful mixer (ad we don’t), it’s hard to obtain a smooth texture. Both ways are amazing, though. We love it.
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Your pics for this recipe actually made me drool, so that means that I definitely need to make this. I’ve been looking for a low-sugar nutella option for ages, so I really appreciated all the tips you gave for using alternative sweeteners. I can’t stand the taste of stevia or monkfruit, but I’m lucky enough to live in a place that produces tons of amazing local honey, so I will probably use honey instead. Great recipe!
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OMG! I need that right now! I am such a fan of Nutella but rarely buy it because of the added sugar and other artificial ingredients…. Want to try to make your recipe, sure it tastes very similar!
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I’ve never made my own Nutella but this homemade version looks marvelous!! I’d love a spoonful right now…I could eat that whole jar in no time!
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You are calling my NAME with this post! MY partner LOVES nutella and I love any and all reasons to make homemade nut butter. I need a spoonful of that straight from the jar pronto!
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I was a late bloomer to the Nutella rage too, and never bought it often because it’s too sweet for me. Now I can easily control the sweetness by adding my own! So excited to make this at home.
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Love making my own nut butters at home, they are so much nicer and tastier than the ones from the shop, not to mention they’re healthier too! Love that you have added some cinnamon to yours too!
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I’m so glad you posted tis recipe because my daughter loves nutella and I absolutely HATE the store bought stuff. So much crap in it. This looks like a much healthier version! Can’t wait to tell we can now make our own!
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Did you say homemade Nutella!!! My ears are literally standing like a bunny right now! Looks so yum. I want to dip my spoon into that jar!
I am obsessed with Nutella. But now that I know that I can make it at home? This is getting dangerous!!
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So I wasn’t in my 20s when I first tried nutella, but I definitely didn’t get my hands on it often when I was a kid. There was a girl in my elementary school who would bring nutella sandwiches for lunch, and I remember telling my mom (somewhat jealously). She was adamant that nutella was a dessert masquerading as an all-purpose thing – and as such it never made any appearances in my household. The funny thing is, we all LOVE chocolate and hazelnut together, but my mom’s admonishments left me with an aversion to the store-bought stuff. I’m overjoyed to see this wonderful DIY recipe, and I love that you’ve included so many variations for different diets. I’m still not going to make a sandwich though; my mom would kill me.
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I didn’t realize making homemade Nutella was this easy. I’m totally addicted to the chocolatey hazelnut spread. In fact, I have to hide it from myself so I’m not tempted to take a spoon and just dig in. I LOVE the idea of making it paleo and keto friendly. What a fantastic idea. I didn’t think it was possible. This recipe is certainly a keeper.
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I have to admit I don’t love Nutella, but knowing it can be made at home may change my mind. Your tutorial is amazing.
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YES! We love Nutella, but don’t buy it because of the palm oil. So I’m so excited to try out this homemade version. Love the dash of cinnamon in there!
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I would’ve never thought that making Nutella from scratch would be so easy. I love how simple the ingredients are, too. This probably tastes SO much better than the actual jarred stuff. I can’t wait to give this a go and slather it all over my toast!
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What a great alternative to everyone’s favorite spread. I like that I can make this at home and save some money too.
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I’m not a big fan of Nutella but I do like artisan Italian hazelnut chocolate spread. Nutella is made by Ferrero and they are based in the beautiful Langhe region in Piedmont. I’ve been there and it’s full of hazelnut trees. A lot of the hazelnut farmers make their own ‘nutella’ and that stuff is delicious! I love your recipe so I’m going to give it a whirl. Your homemade nutella sounds divine!
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I love hazelnuts and this is definitely for me. My kids will be over the moon with this delish spread. Wow, I cannot wait to make it.
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I have a serious love for Nutella but have never tried making my own. That’s clearly a mistake because this looks amazing. Thanks so much for sharing!
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I love Nutella but have never made it myself! I’ll have to try this, can’t wait!
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Ah, Nutella, the love of my life lol There are so many wonderful recipes with it, and I am on a mission to try them all. But making your own Nutella is just another level – can’t wait!
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How lovely to make our own Nutella. I don’t prefer store bought ones considering the preservatives they add. This is a keeper.
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Your photos are inspiring!! I love that little bit of nub that speaks about this being real food and not being as smooth and not-real as the original processed product. Gorgeous! Can’t wait to make and treat our family. I’m thinking on top of waffles this weekend!
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That looks soooo delicious. And so much healthier than the store-bought stuff!
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This is a veggie, right? I mean, it’s made from nuts…so it HAS to qualify somehow. Maybe a fruit? Oh, who cares…it looks soo good!
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Nutella is one of my all-time faves so this is like a life-changing recipe for me!
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Yum! Can’t wait to spread it on all the things! Finally, a Nutella that’s healthy and not overly sweet!
Yum! I love the addition of cinnamon. This would be great to dip apple slices in (or just eat with a spoon or spread over crepes).
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SO MUCH cleaner than the store bought version, and tastes even better!
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