Homemade Vegan Nutella Spread Recipe (Chocolate Hazelnut)

Homemade Vegan Nutella Spread Recipe (Chocolate Hazelnut)

Today we are making a Homemade Vegan Nutella (aka, Chocolate Hazelnut) Spread Recipe! Nutella was one of the best condiments growing up. Don’t get me started on peanut butter and Nutella toast, even margarine and Nutella toast, or just all things Nutella. The rich chocolate hazelnut flavor just can’t be compared to any other sandwich topping, be it sweet or savory. And for good reason! These foods are made to be downright addictive, and these food scientists have got their recipes point. on.

Once I began eating a jar of this creamy spread, it was hard for me to stop, much less just decide to not even bring it into the house to begin with. But when I went vegan, the fact that store-bought Nutella had skim milk powder in it (and palm oil, a high amount of sugar and other ingredients that weren’t so healthy) was not something I wanted to eat anymore.

Recreating Nutella At Home

So I went on the hunt to make my own healthier alternative of a vegan chocolate hazelnut spread! At the time I went vegan, it was around 2014. There were barely any vegan versions out on the market. On top of that, one had decided to make their own Nutella and sell it locally either. Or if there were any substitutes, they didn’t taste so good back then either! (Cue the not-so-delicious vegan ice creams and cheeses in the early 2010s…)

There are so many yummy Nutella copycat spreads you can buy nowadays, either online or maybe coming across something at your local grocery store. But it just doesn’t hit the same as making it fresh at home! So I present to you this homemade Nutella recipe, a spread that you can scoop on your ice cream, put on a sandwich, or eat it straight out of the jar!

Why You’ll Love This Easy Vegan Nutella

Healthier & Less Sugar: There are so many options for popular sandwich spreads made vegan now, such as cream cheese or a Nutella. However, they are more of those “gourmet” vegan items, which are more processed. They can be based on natural ingredients, but some can still be more processed than homemade recipes. They also have more packaging and are more expensive for a smaller quantity. Making a healthy Nutella recipe at home is perfect, because you can control exactly what goes into it. You also don’t need preservatives to keep it shelf-stable for shipping and storage. You can make it more chocolate-y, thicker or thinner in consistency, more sugary – however you like it!

Minimal Effort: The key to making traditional Nutella vegan without a ton of effort is hazelnut butter! You can find this creamy nut butter online and use that to make this recipe. Alternatively, you can buy raw hazelnuts and make your own hazelnut butter. However, they are more expensive, and take more time to roast in the oven before using.

For best results, many recipes start with the raw nuts, roast them, remove the hazelnut skins, then blend the roasted and skinned hazelnuts in a high speed blender until the roasted hazelnuts release their natural oils. Personally, this does take a lot of effort (and cost) to start with raw hazelnuts, so I always preferred to start with the pure nut butter!

Substitutions

Hazelnut Butter: This recipe uses hazelnut butter, which should only contain one ingredient on the label – hazelnuts! It contains roasted, blended hazelnuts which release their oils, making them into hazelnut butter (just like peanut butter is made)! This is the best way to make homemade Nutella, because you don’t have to roast the hazelnuts, remove the skins, and blend for ten minutes to get the output that you already have with a jar of hazelnut butter. Plus, raw hazelnuts can get expensive, and you get more out of your dollars with a jar of the pure stuff!

Cacao Powder: This is the raw version of cocoa powder, which is the bitter chocolate powder you’ll commonly find in brownies or other chocolate desserts. You can swap in unsweetened cocoa powder instead of cacao.

Maple Syrup: Substitute pure maple syrup with other liquid sweeteners, such as agave nectar. If using the maple syrup, make sure it only has one ingredient on the label – maple syrup! It shouldn’t be pancake syrup, full of corn syrup and other flavorings.

Vanilla Extract: Choose a non-alcoholic vanilla flavor (which doesn’t contain alcohol so can’t have that extract label) or a vanilla extract without any added caramel color or dyes.

Coconut Oil: Do not substitute the coconut oil with any other oil. Make sure to use refined oil, not virgin or extra-virgin. Your oil shouldn’t smell like coconuts!

Homemade Vegan Nutella Spread Recipe Notes

• Enjoy this homemade version in a peanut butter Nutella sandwich, over ice cream, straight out of the jar, on chia pudding, on your breakfast oats or however you enjoy your Nutella!
• Make this even more chocolate-y by adding in some vegan melted chocolate, or dark chocolate chips for an additional crunch!

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Peanut Butter & Nutella Cups

If you make this Homemade Vegan Nutella Spread Recipe, then leave a comment and star rating! Don’t forget to tag your photos @peanut_palate on Instagram. Enjoy!