4-Ingredient Nutella (Vegan + GF)

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Bowl of our DIY vegan gluten-free Nutella made with simple ingredients

Confession: This one time, in college, I ate a half jar of Nutella…in one evening…after dinner…on Ritz crackers.

Oh, don’t act like I’m the only one with no self-control.

Roasting hazelnuts on a baking sheet for making homemade healthy nutella

This recipe is a reader request! I’m smitten with nut butters and shocked I haven’t attempted one with hazelnuts yet. Things had to change.

Origins of Nutella

It’s believed that nutella was invented in the 1920s by an Italian pastry chef named Pietro Ferrero. He thought of the idea when seeing factory workers going to work with tomato and cheese sandwiches. He knew a sweet, chocolatey hazelnut spread would be an inexpensive, popular alternative for spreading on sandwiches. And he was right!

The spread was originally called “Supercrema” but was changed to “Nutella” in the 1960s. Soon after that, it became wildly popular in Italy and later, throughout the world!

Rolling roasted hazelnuts in a towel to remove skins

How to Make Nutella

This recipe is simple requiring just 4 ingredients and 30 minutes start to finish.

It’s also delicious, vegan, gluten-free, and ridiculously close to the real thing. Win-win!

It all starts with the hazelnuts, roasted to warm up the natural oils and loosen the skins. Then blendy blend!

Blender showing steps for How to Make DIY Nutella

It all happens so fast.

The nuts turn into butter and then you add the melted chocolate and give it a whirl and WHOA – you have homemade Nutella on your hands!

The only thing left to do is figure out what to put it on…

Waffles
Pancakes
Toast
Cakes
Cupcakes
Banana Bread
A spoon

The options…oh, the glorious options.

Bowl of our delicious homemade vegan Nutella


I think you guys are going to love this spread! It’s

Creamy
Chocolaty
Rich
Perfectly sweet
Spreadable
Simple
& Versatile

I tested this recipe two ways, knowing not everyone would want the melted-chocolate version. Although the melted chocolate yields a much creamier, superior Nutella, you can also substitute cacao or cocoa powder and sweeten it with maple syrup (see notes).

See the texture/color difference below. Either way, still delicious!

Two bowls of homemade nutella with different options for sweetening

If you try this recipe, let us know how it goes! Leave a comment and rate it.

And don’t forget to take a picture and tag it @minimalistbaker on Instagram! We’d love to see what you come up with. Cheers, friends!

Jar of our delicious homemade gluten-free vegan Nutella recipe

4-Ingredient Nutella (Vegan + GF)

Simple, 4-ingredient Nutella that’s vegan and gluten-free! Perfect for baked goods, pancakes, waffles, fruit, and more! Plus, options for both cacao and chocolate.
Author Minimalist Baker
Print
Wooden stick in a jar of homemade Vegan Nutella
4.62 from 201 votes
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Total Time 30 minutes
Servings 20 (2-Tbsp servings)
Course Dessert, Snack
Cuisine Gluten-Free, Italian-Inspired, Vegan
Freezer Friendly No
Does it keep? 2-3 weeks

Ingredients

  • 3 cups raw or roasted unsalted hazelnuts
  • 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
  • 1/2 tsp sea salt
  • 2/3 cup dairy-free dark chocolate (chopped // we used Trader Joe's 72% Dark Chocolate // see notes for cacao version)

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (176 C) and add hazelnuts to a baking sheet in a single layer. If raw, roast for a total of 12-15 minutes. If already roasted, roast for 8-10 minutes just to warm the natural oils and loosen the skins. This will make it easier to blend into butter.
  • Remove from oven and let cool slightly. Then transfer to a large kitchen towel and use your hands to roll the nuts around and remove most of the skins (see photo). You want to get as much as possible off because it yields a creamier Nutella. But it doesn’t have to be perfect!
  • Leaving excess skin behind, add hazelnuts to a food processor or high-speed blender (a high-speed blender yields best results). Blend on low until a butter is formed – about 8-10 minutes total – scraping down sides as needed.
  • In the meantime, heat the chocolate over a double boiler or in the microwave in 30 second increments. Set aside.
  • Once the hazelnut butter is creamy and smooth, add the vanilla and salt and blend well. Then add melted chocolate a little at a time and blend again until well incorporated. Taste and adjust seasonings as needed, adding more salt or vanilla if desired.
  • If your Nutella isn’t sweet enough, add stevia to taste, or 1-2 Tbsp coconut sugar, maple syrup, or agave (amount as original recipe is written). NOTE: Just know the more liquid sweetener you add the firmer/stiffer the Nutella will get, so add sparingly.
  • Transfer to a clean jar and store at room temperature for everyday use for 2-3 weeks or more.

Video

Notes

*If you don’t want to use melted chocolate, sub cocoa powder with a varied result (we prefer the melted chocolate version!). Once the nut butter has formed, add 3 Tbsp cacao or unsweetened cocoa powder, vanilla, and sea salt and purée. Once incorporated, add 1-2 Tbsp coconut sugar (our preferred), maple syrup, agave, or honey if not vegan. PLEASE NOTE: The more liquid sweetener you add, the firmer/stiffer the Nutella seems to get. Blend until creamy and smooth.
*Recipe as written yields roughly 2 1/2 cups nutella spread.
*Nutrition information is a rough estimate.

Nutrition (1 of 20 servings)

Serving: 1 (two-Tbsp) serving Calories: 152 Carbohydrates: 5.6 g Protein: 3.5 g Fat: 14.4 g Saturated Fat: 2 g Trans Fat: 0 g Cholesterol: 0 mg Sodium: 58 mg Fiber: 2.6 g Sugar: 2.3 g

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  1. Amy says

    I made this last night—sooo yummy!! But today, it is really hard and when I try to spread it, it is really clumpy and powdery. It doesn’t spread smoothly. I had to use the cacao version. What did I do wrong? And is there anything I can do to salvage this batch?

    • Avatar for Dana @ Minimalist BakerSupport @ Minimalist Baker says

      Hi Amy! It may have been how much sweetener you used? Unfortunately, there’s not much you can do to take it back to creaminess once it’s hardened, which is why I highly recommend using melted dark chocolate instead of cacao powder and to go light handed on the sweetener

  2. Holly says

    Just made this recipe and toasting some bread to spread it on but straight out of the jar is another option ;) looks, smells and tastes divine! Thanks for sharing.

  3. Jenny B says

    I’ve read through the questions and I think my problem may be my Vitamix. I used cacao powder instead of melted chocolate. So it was very thick so I added a bit of cocoa butter since the chocolate would have had that in it. It is still very thick and crumbly (dry) like a dough. Did I not mix it long enough? Is there a way to salvage it?

  4. Göksu says

    Hello Dana,

    Is it works if I’m gonna use dates for sweetness instead of vanilla extract?

    Thank you for your interest.

    • Avatar for Dana @ Minimalist BakerSupport @ Minimalist Baker says

      Hi! We have tried using dates, It definitely makes it like a dough so I wouldn’t recommend it!

  5. Isabelle says

    Hi,

    THANK YOU for creating this wonderful blog! Just looking at the pictures makes me want to learn how to cook! What model is your food processor? I’m buying one for the first time and would love your input :) Happy eating!

  6. Adam says

    Hi there,

    Do I roast the hazelnuts while they’re in their shell or do I crack them open first?

    P.S. This looks delicious!

  7. Ashley says

    I have made many of your recipes, and I have loved all of them! but sadly, this recipe did not work for me, and it broke my Vitamix. I have no idea why it went so sideways as I followed the instructions and recipe. Now I have a grainy, chocolate, and hazelnut dough sitting in oil. Is there anything I can do with this dough? Any ideas so I don’t waste the ingredients. I’m happy I bought my Vitamix at Costco :)

    Thank you so much for all your recipes!

    • Avatar for Dana @ Minimalist BakerDana @ Minimalist Baker says

      Ashley, sounds like it may be a vitamix issue! I actually owned a vitamix and I no longer use it. I switched to a food processor for nut butters (especially this recipe), and a Blendtec for smoothies and soups, etc. Nut butters are tricky in a vitamix, in my experience!

  8. Stephani says

    I’m wanting to make this for Christmas gifts and need to figure out the yield of your recipe. Did the recipe fit in the jar that is photographed here? And if so, how big is the jar?

  9. Natalie says

    Hello!
    I’m hoping to make your Nutella for Christmas presents this year. I wondered if you could tell me how well / how long it keeps for when jarred and how is best to store?

    Also I know this is a vegan recipe, but does it work the same with dairy chocolate?

    Thanks in advice! Look forward to hearing from you :)

    Natalie x

    • Avatar for Dana @ Minimalist BakerSupport @ Minimalist Baker says

      Hi Natalie! Transfer to a clean jar and store at room temperature for everyday use for 2-3 weeks or more. We haven’t tried it with dairy chocolate, but it should work!

  10. Penny says

    This tastes amazing! Thanks Dana :) Mine did end up fairly thick as I added maples syrup but I knew the kids (and me!) would only like it if it was sweet enough. Do you think it would help to add a little melted coconut oil or something similar to thin it a bit?

    • Avatar for Dana @ Minimalist BakerDana @ Minimalist Baker says

      You can try thinning with coconut oil but it doesn’t always work because if stored in a cool environment it can harden. If trying to thin I’d recommend just going with the melted dark chocolate! It gives the best results.

  11. patton says

    Hi Richa!
    Thanks for the recipe. I love it how easy it is. I tried it and I’m really happy with the result. It’s got a rich, smooth taste thanks to the chocolate but at the same time it’s not too sweet.

    Maybe a tip for others: I wasn’t sure I could make it in my mixer. The blades in it are quite high and I thought the nuts would fall through and stick to the bottom of the container. And they did :) So I added the melted chocolate before the nuts turned into butter and it worked great. I was able to make the mixture really smooth (way smoother than I expected). So even for those of you with sh*tty mixers like me, there’s hope :)

  12. Emma says

    Hi! I loosely followed your recipe opting for a sugar-free version, so just with cocoa. I think I over-roasted the nuts a little so will roast them in a pan next time instead of the oven (my oven is rubbish!), which I think will improve the taste. But even with the skins on and slightly over-roasted nuts it was delish! I published my efforts and modified recipe on my blog.

  13. Elaine says

    We usually buy Nocciolata as a healthier alternative to regular Nutella, but my grocery store recently stopped carrying it. I don’t know why I never thought to make it at home in my Vitamix! Duh. Your version sounds amazing, but my daughter isn’t a dark chocolate fan. Is the dark chocolate taste in this mellowed out by the hazelnuts or would using milk chocolate work? I’ll definitely try the dark chocolate version for myself. Can’t wait! :)

  14. Cheetiri S Smith says

    Just made this, but used hazelnut flour I’ve had in the freezer and wasn’t sure what to do with! I used bakers chocolate (56%) and ended up adding maybe a tablespoon of coconut oil to get it closer to butter. Granted, I’ve never had nutella, and I’m guessing this consistency is a little less smooth, but it’s good! It’s like dry smooth peanut butter maybe. Would make again!

  15. Federica says

    Hi! I’ve tried this recepy but unfortunately it turned out to be too thick in consistency (I think I used too much cacao powder). Can you think of a way to use the wrong Nutella to do something else (cookies, energy balls…)???
    I don’t want to throw it away…
    Thank you :)

  16. Janine says

    Not being able to eat nutella was one of the things that kept me hesitating from going vegan. But this….. oh my!!! It tastes as great as it looks and smells and i just don’t need anything else. Recipe is perfect and was so easy!
    Thanks for this one!

  17. Jen says

    This is awesome! So yummy and I can’t stop eating it straight from the jar. I had a little bit of trouble getting through the hazelnuts through the meal stage and onto paste so I drizzled a little raps oil in and that got it going. My kids thought it was too bitter so next time I’ll use half dark and half milk chocolate. I didn’t want the jar sitting around as I definitely would have eaten it all so I used it in my latest favourite ice cream recipe to make Nutella Swirl Ice Cream which even the kids like.

  18. Nicoletta says

    A totally healthy version of Nutella? How can it possibly match up to the real thing??..
    Well, I thought I’d take a plunge and just try this out………………simply AH-MAZING!!!!!! My hubby tasted it and his face lit up in blissful ecstasy :)) simple, no fuss and oh-so-perfect! <3

  19. Iulia says

    I think that to make the cacao version extremely delicious and chocolaty you could add a bit of melted cacao butter ?

  20. Lita Waston says

    Putting the illustration picture above the instructions may not a good idea. Readers won’t understand the steps in the picture if they don’t read all the post. I hope this advice will help you to improve your page.

  21. Åshild says

    Late to the party and someone might already have commented this: When working with nut butters and honey 8and I imagine it might be the same with maple syrup) the WORST THING you can do is trying to incorporate the sweetener with the food proscessor!!! That is what makes it seize up, not the mixing og sweetener and nut butter per se. What I have come to do is make the nut butter, add salt and spices if using, remove it to a jar and mix in sweetener by hand while the nut butter is still warm. This way it stays perfectly smooth and yummy (My go to is almond butter with cinnamon and cardamom and a little honey – yum!)

  22. Max says

    Tell me, in the end how much nutella we have? That weight of 420-500gr? or less becouse its processed.

  23. lynn says

    File under great minds think alike!

    This is the same basic recipe I’ve been making for many years. I use a pound of nuts (sometimes I mix almonds and hazelnuts) and 100 grams of 70% chocolate (for a sweeter version, use 56-60%). For a deeper chocolate flavor, I also add 1 tablespoon of cocoa powder and 1 teaspoon espresso powder.

    • Avatar for Dana @ Minimalist BakerSupport @ Minimalist Baker says

      Hi Diane! We haven’t tested this one with Swerve but if you give it a try, report back on how it goes!

  24. Stephanie says

    Tried this today. The hazelnuts wouldn’t blend past a crumb/meal texture so I carried on with the melted chocolate and remaining ingredients. Still wouldn’t blend together, stayed meal-y and crumbly. Maybe my hazelnuts were dry? I ended up adding another 1.5oz melted chocolate but that didn’t really help. In the end I added a couple Tbsp veg oil to get it to blend smooth. It’s still not a butter, more like a cookie dough. Any idea what went wrong? At $3.00/100g for hazelnuts it’s rather an expensive failure.

  25. Carly says

    Hi Dana,

    How would I give this a more liquid consistency (without warming it up)? I am wanting to use it as a chocolate drizzle as opposed to a spread.

    Thanks!

  26. Susan says

    I did make it! And it is amazing, better than any premium vegan version on the market. (And I have tried many, and they are good) And yes, I am having trouble not eating the whole thing with a spoon! My granddaughter is going to love this, if there is any left!

  27. carissa says

    hi! just finding you and all the goodness you offer! curious – what kind of dark chocolate do you recommend. so many brands in the store!

  28. nancy says

    I will definitely try it with the melted chocolate as the cocoa powder version didn’t come out too well.
    :-( Next time

  29. Jen says

    Hi Dana, I made this and though it’s delicious it’s almost a bit dry. Could I add some oil of some sort or heat it? At first the hazelnuts were a lovely oily butter and still moist with the cocoa but then THE maple syrup dried it up and the consistency is like the tahini of the bottom of the jar that hasn’t been mixed with the oil. Help.

  30. download lagu mp3 says

    there’s only one thing I worked out. To peal the haselnuts: just put a handfull roasted nuts in a min. 500ml well dryed glas. Close it with the lid belonging to it and shake it until the sink falls off. then take the next handfull of nuts. Its soooooo easy. (what brought me to try it with haselnuts is cause It works with garlic cloves as well, so I thought: why not trying it with other things what needs to be pealed, as I wasn’t very good at peeling haselnuts with the damp towel).My daughter is vegan and I am always looking for ideas to have in for when she visits. I also love Nutella but not the ingredients in it. I have made this twice now. The first time it was a little dry but this time it was soft and shiny. Tastes good either way. She is lucky that she got any as it was so y.

    Made this as a part of the banana bread – it was delicious! After reading comments, I was nervous how my blender would do but I actually over blended it – it turned out a bit too soupy, not creamy and spreadable. Still delicious and wonderful – totally my mistake, but wanted to add the comment in case anyone else is worried about their not-so-great blender. Mine did great ( a little too great, ha!).

  31. Jenny Greenblatt says

    The consistency was clumpy and horrible. I think you need to get rid of the liquid sugar and switch to powdered sugar.

    I have made at least 20 of your recipe and this one was the first one I didn’t love. ?

  32. Emily says

    Made this as a part of the banana bread – it was delicious! After reading comments, I was nervous how my blender would do but I actually over blended it – it turned out a bit too soupy, not creamy and spreadable. Still delicious and wonderful – totally my mistake, but wanted to add the comment in case anyone else is worried about their not-so-great blender. Mine did great ( a little too great, ha!).

  33. mp3kpop says

    Hi there, its just faboulus. I love this vegan homemade nutella and have been making for about 2 years ;) even took the mixer with my on my camping trip ;D.
    there’s only one thing I worked out. To peal the haselnuts: just put a handfull roasted nuts in a min. 500ml well dryed glas. Close it with the lid belonging to it and shake it until the sink falls off. then take the next handfull of nuts. Its soooooo easy. (what brought me to try it with haselnuts is cause It works with garlic cloves as well, so I thought: why not trying it with other things what needs to be pealed, as I wasn’t very good at peeling haselnuts with the damp towel).My daughter is vegan and I am always looking for ideas to have in for when she visits. I also love Nutella but not the ingredients in it. I have made this twice now. The first time it was a little dry but this time it was soft and shiny. Tastes good either way. She is lucky that she got any as it was so y.

  34. Liz says

    I made this today and it was WONDERFUL. Perfect – didn’t have to adjust anything. I dry-roasted the nuts on the stovetop (stainless steel pan, stirring frequently, no oil). If I was doing it again I wouldn’t melt the chocolate as the residual heat in the nuts will do that, and there’d be no mess/wastage that way.
    YUMMELICIOUS!

  35. Yasmin says

    I really really want to try this! Could I use your recipe for vegan chocolate to make it as well?Instead of buying dark chocolate and melt it??

  36. Julia says

    I was excited to make this but when I priced it out one batch was going to cost me over $15! The hazelnuts were $3.89 per 100g. Otherwise i would have tried it out as looks yummy.

  37. Alice says

    I have been vegan for almost a year, but I have been craving Nutella for about 2..It was way too dangerous to keep around me so I decided not to have it in my home. I tried the larabar version from Costco, and it was similar, but didn’t cut it for me, so I finally decided to make this recipe and it is AMAZING!! I didn’t have quite 3 cups of hazlenuts, so I used about 1.75, and I also added some almond milk to thin it out just a little. Absolutely perfect in my opinion! I also recently bought the Minimalist Baker Cookbook, and I absolutely love it too! Keep up the awesome work!!

  38. Myra says

    My daughter is vegan and I am always looking for ideas to have in for when she visits. I also love Nutella but not the ingredients in it. I have made this twice now. The first time it was a little dry but this time it was soft and shiny. Tastes good either way. She is lucky that she got any as it was so y.

    As someone else said it is really easy to burn the hazelnuts so they require careful watching.

    Thank you for sharing.

  39. esther says

    Hi there, its just faboulus. I love this vegan homemade nutella and have been making for about 2 years ;) even took the mixer with my on my camping trip ;D.
    there’s only one thing I worked out. To peal the haselnuts: just put a handfull roasted nuts in a min. 500ml well dryed glas. Close it with the lid belonging to it and shake it until the sink falls off. then take the next handfull of nuts. Its soooooo easy. (what brought me to try it with haselnuts is cause It works with garlic cloves as well, so I thought: why not trying it with other things what needs to be pealed, as I wasn’t very good at peeling haselnuts with the damp towel).

    all the best and thanks for this amazing recipe.

  40. Ashley says

    I was introduced to Nutella, peanut butter and ritz crackers in grade school by a Swedish Family. In High School I spent a year abroad in Austria and ate Nutella on challah bread as a daily snack (because I could, duh!) Upon returning to the US I had to have oral surgery on a major cavity that I believe partially happened due to this daily indulgence. I avoided buying a jar ever since. However, I unburdened my mother of a jar of artisanal chocolate hazelnut spread recently. My roommate and I keep hiding it from one another, and there is only one Tspoon left. This left me with no other choice but to find a recipe… while I am forever grateful to Nutella, I knew there were cleaner recipes out there. Thanks for doing the necessary experimentation! <3 Have vitamix, will blend! Woot!

  41. Kpopost says

    I made this tonight and it’s not creamy in the slightest. I kept mixing and mixing in the food proc and its not right. I also couldn’t rub off the skins of the nuts. I did use cacao and I did add 2 tbs of agave which helped a tad but not enough..
    help I so wanted this to work… thanks

    • Alice says

      I couldn’t rub off all the skins either, but to be honest, it didn’t really bother me bc it still turned into a really nice nut butter for me. Once I added the cacao and the maple syrup, it did turn into more of a paste, so I added almond milk to thin it out and get it to a creamy consistency. Hope this helps!!

  42. jennifer says

    trying to make a low fodmap version meaning without nuts, and it isn’t going well and need a thickener, any suggestions ?

    • Avatar for Dana @ Minimalist BakerDana @ Minimalist Baker says

      There’s a chance you could do something like sunflower seeds, which would use the same quantity of ingredients and method, but may yield different results. Let me know how it goes if you give it a try!

  43. Mireille says

    Just made this recipe today and it turned out great! Super easy to make and super tasty. It took a while before the hazelnuts became a butter but with the chocolate, vanilla extract and a little salt it really turned into Nutella. Used Tony Chocoloney (almost 100% slavery free) pure chocolate with 70% cacao this is not sugar free chocolate but if you can get try it.

    Thanks for sharing these great recipes.

    • Nicole Knezevich says

      Hi there,

      Made this with cocoa powder and consistency was fine but it is very salty. How much coconut sugar do you use when you make it? I added 2 tbsp but it is not sweet enough to balance out the salt. I used pink himalayan sea salt
      Thanks!
      Nicole

      • Avatar for Dana @ Minimalist BakerSupport @ Minimalist Baker says

        Hi Nicole, We typically don’t add any, but feel free to adjust by adding more and/or reducing salt next time.

  44. Kelly Nielson says

    This recipe was horrible. Not only did it not taste a thing like Nutella it was bitter, not creamy at all and tasted like dirt. I tried adding in more maple syrup like you said and it did nothing but make it more clumpy. I also did the cocoa powder so that may have something to do with it. I followed the recipe to a T but when that didn’t work I ended up adding honey, almond milk, and even peanut butter and when that didn’t work I added granulated sugar to see if anything would help it out. It didn’t. Needless to say I will not be making this again.

    • Avatar for Dana @ Minimalist BakerDana @ Minimalist Baker says

      Hey Kelly! I said add maple syrup but only a little as it can make it clump up. Sounds like the problem lies with your blender or food processor. You really need to wait and be patient and let it mix fully. Also, melted dark chocolate achieves the best results, as I said in the recipe. Hope that helps!

  45. renacaceres says

    Hi there! Before anything I need to say I’m a fan of the Minimalist Baker, and I have made a few of your recipes already (my favorite so far is the vegan nachos cheese). So today I decided to give it a try to the vegan Nutella! And this is what happened:
    For some reason I couldn’t get the hazelnut to become so buttery like your picture. It didn’t had enough oil to become more liquid, and I processed for a long time. I don’t know if it’s because I should have left the hazelnuts longer in the oven (I left for about 13min, but I didn’t had baking sheet, I used a tray I have) or if my food processor isn’t potent enough (have a Ninja Pro). I wonder if it would be ok to add some oil to it (witch I didn’t, but I kind of regret), like refined coconut oil for instance.
    So kept going and added all the other ingredients, but in the end it is very gooey (that’s how a friend described) and grained. I’m considering if it would help to put it back in the food processor and process longer.
    I used a package of hazelnuts that had like 50kg more than the recipes calls for, and maybe I should have put a little bit more of chocolate than I did, that could have helped.
    Do you think I can still add chocolate and process more?
    Anyway, I love your website, and I will keep trying. Maybe the 2nd time will be better =)
    Thank you for your amazing recipes!

    • Avatar for Dana @ Minimalist BakerDana @ Minimalist Baker says

      Hmm, I’m wondering if it wasn’t the Ninja. I’ve used them before and they just don’t blend like a Blendtec or Vitamix.

    • Cindy says

      Hello,
      I have a cheap Oyster blender and was able to successfully make this recipe. I roasted the hazelnuts for 15 minutes and then put half of it into the blender.

      I found it turned into a butter extremely quickly, around 5 minutes. I did have to shake and stop the blender a few times when it was in the nut flour stage, as the flour went up the sides. After that, it was smooth sailing.

  46. Hen says

    I saw this a while back and was desperate to make it but couldn’t find hazelnuts anywhere?!?
    Finally found them yesterday and made it this morning. I posted about it on my FB page @thebakinghen I needed a little extra chocolate than your recipe called for (so I just melted a couple squares more and added) I went with 2tsp vanilla. Just went by taste :)
    It was so easy to make and my kitchen smelt amazing! I made this for my son but not sure if I want to share now ;)

  47. Xochitl says

    How long does it last?
    Do I have to keep it in the fridge once is done?
    I am planning to make several for the winter… do you know if I can conserve it in jars?
    Thank you

    • Avatar for Dana @ Minimalist BakerSupport @ Minimalist Baker says

      At the end of the instructions we mention to store it at room temperature and it should keep for 2-3 weeks! We haven’t tried to keep it longer than this but if you do, let us know how it goes!

  48. Lisa Lopez says

    I just wanted to let you know that I made this recipe tonight. It worked out FABULOUSLY! I made it with Trader Joes Unsweetened Cocoa and 1/2 the salt that the recipe called for. The texture was smooth. It had a deep chocolatey flavor, with just the right amount of sweetness! Thanks so much for sharing this recipe!

  49. Marubi says

    Amazing! I LOVE Nutella but unfortunately the original is so unhealthy and bad for environment so I haven’t bought it in several years. I never really thought about trying to recreate it in a healthier way, but after I saw this recipe I decided to try. It worked really well and the end product is so tasty!

    My hazelnuts became a lovely creamy butter already after about 4 minutes of blending (am I lucky with my blender or what?) and I decided to make the cocoa version, simply because that was what I had on hand

    I was not ready for it to chage so drastically to a much harder/granier consistency after adding the sweetener (I used golden syrup), but luckily I had some chocolate-aromatised olive oil on hand (about two tbsp) and that returned it into the beautifully creamy spread.

    Will probably be making this again, though not too often as it is still a very calorie rich treat! :) Thank you for the recipe!

  50. DonnainInwood says

    I made with one Tablespoon maple syrup and one big Medjool date, and got the right sweetness and consistency. Very good!

  51. Ashley says

    I love this recipe and it was the perfect consistency until I added the maple syrup! Now it’s tough and brittle and not very spreadable. What gives? Is there a solution to this for the batch I already made?

    • Avatar for Dana @ Minimalist BakerDana @ Minimalist Baker says

      Adding too much maple syrup is the culprit (as I noted in the recipe)! I recommend sweetening with a little bit of stevia next time instead. You can try salvaging it by whipping up another batch and incorporating the old one into the new one.

      • Ashley says

        Thank you! Hazelnuts are expensive so I’ll probably eat this batch as is but I’ll remember that for next time. I had a feeling that was the problem and was going to try the stevia thing if I didn’t hear back from you.

  52. Trish says

    I love you, Dana Sultz! Thank you for this awesome recipe! You were right about the thickness. I added 2 tbsp maple syrup and it’s slightly thicker than I imagined it to be, but nevermind, still ahh-mazing.

  53. Natasha says

    Really cool recipe – can see it as a nice homemade Christmas present!
    I used regular chocolate as I’m not vegan and it turned out perfect. It’s a bit of a process getting the nuts to turn into butter and I kept having to scrape the sides of my blender every few seconds but it’s worth it. The regular Nutella you get at supermarkets makes my stomach turn whenever I think of just how ridiculously overly sweet it is. I used semi-sweet chocolate and the slight bitterness it gives is just perfect.

  54. Cat says

    I made it in my food processor and it turned out great. It was very liquid so I had to add maple syrup to make sure it would be firmer, but I have a sweet tooth so I don’t mind at all.. Great recipe!

  55. Sandra says

    Hi Dana,

    Thanks for recipe :)
    I want to know if i must to do soak the hazelnuts before roasted them?

  56. Lottie says

    I’ve made several of your recipes before and have loved all of them. They’re so easy and hassle free! I’ve wanted to try making a healthier version of nutella/chocolate spread for a while, and so decided to do so tonight (I was having a bit of a stress relieving baking spree). I used brazil nuts instead of hazelnuts because we didn’t have any hazelnuts, I didn’t see any reason why it wouldn’t work with other nuts) and it tastes beautiful! I think the brazil nuts made it a bit richer than hazelnuts would have and I will try it with hazelnuts when I run out of this batch.

  57. Jenny says

    I just made a very lazy version of this recipe, and it tastes sublime. I didn’t roast the hazelnuts, and just popped them in my cheapie blender, along with vanilla and cocoa powder. The mixture was very dry so I added a couple of tablespoons of water and then puréed away. I then blended in a tablespoon of white sugar, because I didn’t have any agave or maple syrup to hand. My ‘nutella’ was a bit rough, thanks to my blender, but it tastes just divine. I am thrilled with this recipe, and so excited to be enjoying Nutella again now that I’ve given up dairy!

  58. Lynn Chuy says

    Hey Dana,

    in the notes it says to add cocoa powder, vanilla extract, salt and “puree”. What’s “puree” exactly??

    • Katherine says

      Hi Lynn

      I believe Dana’s use of the word “puree” is meant here as a verb. So, not an ingredient, but the setting on your blender.

      Hope I helped.

      Katherine

  59. Anisah says

    My toddler kept asking for more, more, more! I used 70 percent Lindt cooking chocolate and the result was toooooooo good. Fyi why have I never seen plain hazelnut butter before. I tasted it before adding the chocolate and it’s absolutely delicious. I may even like it more than peanut butter and almond butter. Thanks for the great recipe. M taste buds are delighted even if my hips aren’t hahaha

  60. Khalid says

    Good recipe! I went the cocoa powder route to avoid the soy I saw in most dairy free chocolates. Between the powder and the skins not coming off the hazelnuts, I was working with something pretty dry. I saved it with about 1/2 cup of olive oil.

  61. Najla says

    So late last night, after ogling your recipe for about a week, I whipped up a batch of this nutty, chocolatey deliciousness. At first the hazelnuts were just grinding into powder and I was so convinced that my blender wasn’t gonna work for this. But it did! Mix in the melted chocolate, and I’m pretty sure that I just created heaven in my kitchen, thanks to you. The only thing is that it’s so much thinner than store-bought Nutella. Normally I’d be all, “Pffft! Whatever. Hand me a spoon,” but I was planning to use this on some grilled sandwiches (with jam!) for a party, and I’m concerned about the yummy spread being too spill-y. I know that you said adding sweetener tends to thicken it up, and I added a bit of powdered sugar, which helped, but not quite enough. And I don’t want to make it overly sweet. Any thoughts/ideas/suggestions on how to make it thicker/more spreadable without turning the stuff into a sugar bomb?

  62. Tanya says

    Hi, thanks for the amazing recipe. I went to get hazelnuts and realized that it will be cheaper to buy already done hazelnut butter. I was lucky to get all natural ,no extra ingr. butter. I just melted dark chocolate chips with little bit of coconut oil, 1tsp of maple syrup and got amazing results. It is thicker than I prefer, so will omit maple syrup next time. I wonder if I stir some dairy free milk in it, is shelf life is going to be changed. Still no need to refrigerate?

    • Meredyth Young says

      you can stir all the dairy free milk you want to, but know, there is no such thing as dairy free milk.

      • Tanya says

        Got it, but my question was is it going to change a shelf life. So do I need to refridgirate, if I add plant based milk?

  63. Juanima says

    I just made this and had to tweak it as I went along because the bag of hazelnuts I had were slightly over three cups. I added slightly more 86% chocolate. My problem seems to be the opposite of what others are experiencing. My batch is SUPER grainy, and SUPER runny! Huh?? Grainy, I can understand. If I process it ore – say several minutes – should it get creamier? And what about the runniness? (Is that a word? Lol) I added some additional cacao powder, and even some liquid stevia to try and thicken it up, but it didn’t work. Any ideas? I did use powdered Swerve, and it tastes AMAZING! But I’d like to fix the graininess if I can and thicken it up. I also wonder if it will thicken if I put it in the fridge. Hmmm….

    • Najla says

      Putting it in the fridge is a good idea. I hadn’t thought of that and I’m having the same liquid-ish issue, so thanks for that! My (non-professional) thought on the graininess is that maybe you didn’t purée/grind the hazelnuts enough? I had to blend it for a LONG time before I got a really smooth “butter” from it, and I think that a fairly fastidious removal of those little skins helped quite a bit. (Geeze, I must’ve spent an hour doing that.) I dunno about fixing the graininess for this batch that you’ve got (because I imagine that the nuts won’t blend the same way once the chocolate has been added), but it just means that you’ll have to make more delicious vegan “Nutella”! Also, depending on where you live and access to places like Whole Foods, but I also realized in the midst of my hazelnut skin-removing semi-angst, that I could’ve purchased freshly ground hazelnut butter and just added the chocolate myself.

  64. Kosolush says

    I made this yesterday, and today i’m making up all and any kind of possible excuse to put Nutella on something or into something i’m eating.
    I put it into my nicecream (blended frozen bananas), and it came out divine! Nutella nicecream is amazing, have you tried it?
    I am looking forward to making the Nutella Banana Sandwiches!!

  65. Catherine says

    After looking for a healthier homemade Nutella recipe, I tried this one. I halved the recipe and used 72% dark chocolate. My cuisunart food processor made short work of the hazelnuts and made a very creamy butter. I’m trying to eat more natural, low GI foods and this is a perfect snack with apple slices. Thanks much for the recipe!

  66. Kathleen says

    could i use hazelnut meal instead of whole hazelnuts? i can never get my processor to get the right texture and it always ruins the recipe

  67. Sophie says

    I absolutely adore your website. I can spend up to two hours simply browsing through your recipes, going ‘ooh’, ‘aahh’ and ‘I need to make this!’. I bet I’m not the only one!

    In the past few weeks I’ve had some bad experiences with making nut butters, but your recipe worked like a charm. Maybe the secret is in the roasting of the nuts. Either way I can’t wait to try this on my breakfast pancakes!

  68. Genesis Uelese says

    Hi Dana!
    Thanks for the awesome recipe! Will try it out asap. God has blessed you with an amazing talent for food ministry! Keep ’em recipes comin’!

  69. Sylvie says

    I made this with already skinned hazelnuts and roasted them in the oven for about ten minutes. It came together so well and is incredibly moorish on pikelets! This stuff is what dreams are made of. Five stars from me!!!

  70. Nadia says

    Hi there. Thank you for the awesome recipes. I tried two versions (both vegan) one with dark chocolate and the other with cocoa powder and even though they both taste amazing, they were very dry. I even added extra oil but it stayed crumby. How do you get it so smooth and liquid?

    • Avatar for Dana @ Minimalist BakerDana @ Minimalist Baker says

      Hmm, what kind of chocolate did you use? Make sure it’s a good quality vegan chocolate. And make sure your nuts are fresh! Also removing as much of the hazelnut skin as possible will help smooth it out.

  71. reluctantalexis says

    Tried this and came up the right look, but a very bitter taste. Roasted and removed most of the skin from the hazelnuts. Used Food processor to grind them into a nut butter-pretty smooth with the oil showing. Added 3.5 ounces Trader Joe’s Organic Dark Chocolate 73% cacao super dark bar (after breaking up and melting). Added sea salt and vanilla. It all blended beautifully. I tested and it was very bitter. Added more vanilla (~1/8 tsp), 1 tbsp maples syrup and blended. Still really, really bitter. Added 2 tbsp coconut sugar and still really bitter. Any thought on where I went wrong?

    As I was working, it “looked” right, but doesn’t taste like Nutella. Any thoughts? Thanks!

      • Alexis says

        Thanks for the suggestion. I wondered that too, so I tried again thinking I didn’t toast the hazelnuts long enough. The first taste is perfect but then wham! with a really odd bitter aftertaste. I researched online and read that some hazelnut varieties are more bitter, so maybe that’s it.

          • Alexis says

            Thanks for the suggestion! I will try toasting for less time on my next attempt! That may be it- almonds have a distinct flavor if over toasted!

      • Harga Android says

        Thanks for the suggestion! I will try toasting for less time on my next attempt! That may be it- almonds have a distinct flavor if over toasted…mantap

  72. Abhishek Kumar says

    Hi,
    Great recipe Dana. Didn’t knew that nutella can be used in this way too. Will ask my wife to make it for my children this weekend.

  73. Peter says

    Just did my first batch ever and it was amazing!
    I added a little coconut oil, about 1.5 tablespoon to get a smoother creamier texture.
    I also did a rough calorie count and it came up to about 3000 for the one tub, so have to go easy on it.
    Thank you for sharing this wonderful recipe.

  74. Linda says

    Oh my gosh I just made this and both my sweetie and I LOVE it!!! I thought I had 3 cups of hazelnuts but The Finance Guy in this household has been snacking on my stash and I ended up only having 2-1/2 cups. I used the Enjoy Life brand of chips for my 2/3 cup of chocolate because I can’t have soy or dairy and most chocolates have soy lecithin in them. Even if I wasn’t sensitive to it I don’t want that stuff in my body. After adding the salt and vanilla and processing in my Vitamix until it was smooth, I decided it needed a deeper chocolate flavor and I added 2 Tbls of dutched dark cocoa powder and 3 dates with the pits removed. The dates added a nice depth and the cocoa powder helped compensate for the moister mixture because of the lack of that 1/2 cup of hazelnuts. If it’s too think tomorrow I may add some coconut oil because it helps things firm up a bit. Dana, keep up you culinary wizardry! I love your creations!

  75. Linda says

    Hi Dana–I’ve posted a couple times with you and have to say it again: I LOVE your recipes, your website and your outlook on healthy eating and life! So, “new year|new me” time of year again. Great news; I got a Vitamix for Christmas! I have been so healthy since then blending up smoothies (with lotts of veggies and just enough fruit to sort of mask the green taste of the greens) and soups and sauces. I haven’t tried nut butters yet. I am going to try your recipe for vegan Nutella this weekend. I have the hazelnuts on hand and just need a couple hours to make this! I thought it was interesting that you said if you add maple syrup or agave that it would get very thick. So I went out to look on the Vitamix site to see if they had a recipe. They do, but me no likey — it uses a ton of sugar and oil! I will try using the Enjoy Life brand of dairy|gluten|soy–free choco chips and see how it goes. Here is the link to the Vitamix recipe in case it’s helpful at all to you or others trying to figure out how to add a little more sweet without too much thick occuring: https://www.vitamix.com/Recipes/Chocolate-Hazelnut-Spread/C-Series/Variable-Speed/Classic-64-Ounce.

    HAPPY NEW YEAR and count me in as another loyal fan of Minamalist Baker for 2016! ~ Linda

  76. Lucia says

    Hi dear, I used to love nutella, but now that I’ve started eating in a better way I’m looking for something healthier. Do you think I could substitue the hazelnuts with almonds? Thank you very much
    Lucia

  77. Mary says

    Love — and I mean LOVE — this recipe! Am I the only person on earth who has never had the commercial Nutella??? After having tasted the scrumptious, healthy results of this recipe, I don’t care! I made it with cacao powder and for sweetener I used 8 drops of liquid stevia — the texture and slight sweetness are perfect for me, although someone with a sweeter tooth might want to add a couple more drops. As an experiment, I split the spread into 2 jars — and put one in the fridge and the other on the counter. After 4 hours, both are still the same texture. I’m betting that liquid stevia won’t have the same binding challenges as other sweeteners. Of course I’ve had to test both jars multiple times to validate the results, and both jars are now each half empty. Can never be too careful with scientific experiments. ;-) Dana — thank you so much for sharing your easy, healthy vegan creations! YUM!