Maybe this story will sound familiar to you. I started looking for a homemade nutella recipe for two reasons: 1) I flipping love chocolate hazelnut spread, but 2) I do not love the “original” ingredient list.
Apparently, I am not alone in my search. While looking for a homemade nutella recipe, I found that most of the recipes…
- Were way more complicated than I was willing to get (I’m a simple-minded cook… veeeeery simple.)
- Still included ingredients that I wasn’t into using (what’s the point of making it homemade if you’re adding that?!)
I was on a mission: develop a homemade nutella recipe that is easy to make, requires as few ingredients as possible, and has no scary ingredients whatsoever.
Is that too much to ask?
Not anymore. I figured out a pretty groovy recipe and today I’m going to share it with you!
Tips for Making my Homemade “Nutella” Recipe
I’m not gonna lie: if you want your homemade chocolate hazelnut spread to taste exactly like Nutella, you might want to go ahead and buy Nutella (if you’re prepared to face the ingredient list).
The homemade version is a little more textured and tastes more down-to-earth.
But don’t get me wrong.
It’s still flat-out delicious. Like eat-it-straight-from-the-jar delicious.
I did learn a thing or two about making tasty homemade hazelnut spread without ruining your first batch (*cough* like I did *cough*).
So here are my tips:
Grind your hazelnuts with the coconut milk first.
Seriously. Don’t mix all your ingredients first and then try to blend them. It just. won’t. work. (I wish it did, but reality doesn’t bend to my wishes, unfortunately.)
Hazelnuts are stubborn creatures. They need a little coaxing and coconut milk does just that. By adding your coconut milk with the hazelnuts, you get a much smoother hazelnut butter.
So add your hazelnuts to your blender or food processor, then pour in your coconut milk:
Your hazelnuts should be swimming in it a little, like this:
Tip #2: Don’t skimp on your machinery.
Did I mention hazelnuts are stubborn? They don’t want to be creamy, so if you don’t have a good (aka mighty powerful) food processor or blender, you’ll get a more chunky mixture. It’ll still taste good, but it won’t be as smooth.
I personally love, love, love using my BlendTec’s Twister Jar for this. It’s made for thick spreads like nut butters and hummus. And the Blendtec itself has an impressive 3.8 peak horsepower motor — so there’s plenty of power to demolish my stubborn hazelnuts.
You can shop and compare Blendtec blenders here.
See? Pretty creamy right?
Okay, so those are my main tips for success. I also give detailed instructions below with the recipe:
Homemade "Nutella" Recipe {Chocolate Hazelnut Spread}
Ingredients
- 1 cup roasted hazelnuts
- 2/3 cup coconut milk
- 1/3 cup pure maple syrup
- 1/4 cup cocoa powder
- 1 teaspoon vanilla optional
- 1/8 teaspoon sea salt optional
Instructions
- Pour hazelnuts and coconut milk into your blender or food processor.
- Put on the lid and pulse the mixture until it starts to cream together.
- Then blend at medium to medium-high speed (speed 7 on your Blendtec) for 30-40 seconds.
- Now add the maple syrup, cocoa powder, vanilla and sea salt.
- Blend again at medium-high speed for about 30 seconds, a little longer if you like it extra creamy. Add additional coconut milk if needed.
- Refrigerate in a glass jar (use a mason jar or one of these glass storage jars).
- Spread on crackers or toast, use as a fruit dip, or eat it straight from the jar (as I'm prone to do).
FAQ
Can I substitute regular milk for the coconut milk?
I don’t recommend it, as it would affect how long it will keep and how well it will blend.
Almond or rice milk might work, but I would be concerned about the liquid content. Coconut milk is more fatty than liquid, which is why it works well in this recipe.
Typically, homemade chocolate hazelnut spread uses sweetened condensed milk – but I wanted to choose something more health friendly.
More healthy recipes like this:
- My Secret Coffee Smoothie Recipe
- How to Make a Giant Chocolate Chip Cookie (in a Cast Iron Pan)
- Homemade Mac and Cheese {Creamy Stovetop Recipe}
- How to Make Homemade Taco Seasoning Mix (Gluten-Free + w/ Turmeric!)
- The BEST Coffee Smoothie: Boost Your Metabolism w/ My Secret Recipe
Whoa! I needed this! And I actually have all the ingredients right now! AND a Blentec!!
We have had to change up our diet (again…) because my daughter just got the results back from the Naturpath doc and she needs to stay away from wheat, gluten, oats, almonds, eggs…. All the foods she loves and will eat 🙁
And we LOOOOOVE Nutella, but hate the ingredient list…. Will try this now!
Thank you!!????
I’m so glad to help! I’m sure she’ll love this recipe. It definitely hits the spot when you’re craving something sweet and filling.
Hi I have a a allergy to coconut. Yes wierd I know 🙂 would normal milk or long life be ok do you think?
Definitely not regular milk, as it would not stay fresh as long. Almond or rice milk can also work, but I would be concerned about the liquid content. Coconut milk is more fatty than liquid, which is why it works well in this recipe.
This looks incredible! Can you use almond milk instead of coconut milk? I always have almond milk in my fridge. Have everything except the hazelnuts. Where do you get those? Thank you for such wonderful recipes!!
Yes, that should work. Hazelnuts can be hard to find, usually in a health food type store or gourmet store. I get mine online. I’ve heard almonds also work in this recipe, but I haven’t tried it.
Hi,
What can I replace hazelnuts with? My sister is allergic to all nuts, peanuts, and sesame.
Hmm, that’s a tough one. I can’t think of anything off the top of my head. Definitely let us know if you find a replacement!
Hey J Goff, I would just do a chocolate coconut spread then. Maybe add shredded coconut instead of the hazelnuts? Or maybe even add a fruit that might taste good with coconut and chocolate? Like strawberry, banana, or even orange?
What a great recipe! I love when I get to replace the unhealthy things that I love with something that is just a little more wholesome and, of course doesn’t have all those toxic ingredients in the original processed version! Thank you for sharing this! I will definitely be sharing it with my readers!
So glad you like it, Ashley!!
I wonder if you require the coconut milk because you are mixing your sweetener in with all of the other ingredients. I’ve been making this for several years and have never required any liquid. I roast the nuts and remove the skins. Toss them in a food processor with cocao powder and a little salt. Takes about 5 minutes to get a smooth, creamy consistency. Adding the sweetener tends to want to rebind all of the ingredients. So I do one of two things. After getting the consistency I want, either add honey very, very slowly stopping whenever it looks like it’s rebinding or, if I have the time, I let it rest in the processor for several hours then add the honey. Letting it rest allows it to cool (it gets pretty hot in the processor) and is by far the easiest of the two options. I can add the honey all at once and no problem.
Wow, that is such a good insight! I love this tip and I’ll have to try it next time I make this recipe. Thank you!! 🙂
Jamie, how long/temp do you roast the nuts?
Thanks
KLC