A few years ago, I flew to Chicago for a blogging conference. By some miracle, the November weather cooperated and stayed fairly nice with temperatures in the 50’s and absolutely no snow in sight (I’m definitely a warm weather California girl!), which meant I really looked forward to exploring the city.
I arrived with over a full day before the conference began, so after grabbing breakfast from a local smoothie and breakfast bar, I wandered around Millenium Park to see the infamous Chicago jelly bean (aka Cloud Gate!) and Buckingham Fountain in Grant Park. That afternoon, I bought a ticket for a riverboat tour, and our witty and vivacious guide talked nonstop as the boat chugged along up and down the Chicago River, pointing out iconic scenes and buildings while entertaining us with stories of their history. It was worth every penny to sail with this company!
Later, on the second day of the conference, I decided to explore more of the city’s food scene with my friend Jane and her cousin. After lunch at the grand opening of Latinicity, we walked over to Eataly, a combination of restaurants and a marketplace, all boasting authentic flavors imported directly from Italy.
As food bloggers typically do in places like that, we slowly walked through every inch of the massive two-story building, snapping photo after photo and accepting every free sample offered our way by the kind and generous employees. Somehow, we mostly restrained ourselves, ending up with only one or two items to purchase in our hands until…
We spotted the little dessert shop downstairs, directly adjacent to a gelato stand and Nutella shop. I picked out two dainty yet impressive pastries from the first stall, a teensy sliver of cake and a little domed chocolate hazelnut cake, then made my last stop before exiting Eataly at the Nutella shop.
Jars of that sweet chocolate hazelnut spread filled rows upon rows of shelves, all in various sizes, ranging from small 13-ounce jars all the way up to 11 pounds. Some of the medium-sized ones even displayed cute sayings on their labels, like “me & you” or “miss you” or “good luck.” I thought about buying a jar for my mom, seeing as it’s one of her favorite treats… Yet I remembered at the last second that Mom was trying to eat healthier and remove as many sweet temptations from her pantry as possible.
But now, far too many months later, I finally perfected this recipe for the Ultimate Healthy Homemade Nutella! It tastes exactly like that famous hazelnut spread, perfectly creamy and deliciously sweet with rich chocolate tones, yet this healthy version contains just 4 ingredients and no artificial ingredients, dairy, oil, or sugar!
The only downside? It’s just as dangerously addictive as the classic original… So I’ve learned to make a double batch because it disappears much too quickly otherwise!
So let’s go over how to make this ultimate healthy homemade Nutella!
The recipe itself is very simply and straightforward, but the ingredients and equipment make a big difference in the flavor and texture. Therefore, I wanted to cover all of that with you to ensure your ultimate healthy homemade Nutella turns out perfectly!
For the equipment, you’ll need a blender with a strong motor and extremely sharp blades. I use this Ninja one! It’s really affordable compared to the pricier options from BlendTec and Vitamix, but it still yields a really smooth and creamy (and perfect!) consistency in this ultimate healthy homemade Nutella recipe!
I’ve tried making this homemade chocolate hazelnut spread with my food processor, but its blades aren’t quite as sharp… Which resulted in a grittier, not as smooth or creamy consistency. The flavor was still great, but the blade sharpness makes a huge difference in the texture!
Tip: If your blender blades aren’t quite as sharp, you can typically add a little bit of neutral-tasting oil to get a creamier consistency.
As for the ingredients, you’ll start with hazelnuts. Seeing as this is a chocolate hazelnut spread, it’d be impossible to make without them! The smaller local grocery stores in my neighborhood don’t actually sell hazelnuts, so I bought mine online.
While shopping online for hazelnuts, I noticed that the raw (aka “natural”) ones cost almost half as much as the roasted ones. Since it’s really easy to roast nuts, I opted for these raw ones. That was the best price I’ve found for hazelnuts!
After toasting your hazelnuts in the oven, you must let them fully cool before making your ultimate healthy homemade Nutella for the best flavor! Then there’s something else you have to do as well…
Peel the skins off of your roasted hazelnuts! Yes, this takes a bit of time, but it makes a huge difference in the texture of your healthy chocolate hazelnut spread! Just pop on a podcast or movie to play in the background while you work. It makes the time pass by much faster while you’re peeling those skins off!
I know it feels tedious and a little pointless but… Skipping this step leads to a more gritty texture. If you take the time to rub the skins off of your hazelnuts, you’ll end up with the smoothest and creamiest ultimate healthy homemade Nutella imaginable. I promise it’s worth it!
So pinky swear promise me you’ll peel off those hazelnut skins, okay??
Besides its hazelnuts, Nutella is also know for its sweet flavor and chocolate undertones, which means you’ll need sweetener and cocoa powder! I recommend using the regular unsweetened variety of cocoa powder, like this. It adds a much richer flavor than Dutched or “special dark” cocoa powder! But you only need a small amount. If you add too much, it’ll overpower the hazelnut flavor… So use a light hand when measuring so your ultimate healthy homemade Nutella tastes just like the original!
For the sweetener, you’ll skip the refined granulated sugar in the classic Nutella jars and use confectioners’ style erythritol instead. Erythritol is a plant-based, no-calorie sweetener that contains nothing refined or artificial (aka it’s clean eating friendly!). I buy mine online here because that’s the best price I’ve found!
It’s important to use a granular sweetener, rather than a liquid like pure maple syrup or honey, to make your ultimate healthy homemade Nutella. Liquid sweeteners add too much liquid volume to the hazelnut spread, so it would turn out more like watery soup rather than smooth and creamy nut butter.
But other granular sweeteners do work, if you’re not a fan of erythritol! I haven’t tried every single one, but options like monkfruit, coconut sugar, and even granulated stevia should work. Just pick the one that tastes the best to you!
Then to balance the sweetness and bring out the nuttiness of the hazelnuts, you’ll add in a pinch of salt. I prefer a bright pop of salt, so I usually sprinkle in a teensy bit extra!
Although the original Nutella also includes palm oil, skim (nonfat) milk, and artificial vanilla (along with soy lecithin to help keep all of the ingredients well mixed)…
I actually found that this ultimate healthy homemade Nutella tasted exactly the same without any oil, dairy, or vanilla. And it was incredibly smooth and creamy—no lecithin necessary either!
I even bought a jar of Nutella and did a side-by-side taste test. Nobody could tell a difference between my ultimate healthy homemade Nutella and the original!
I literally jumped up and down in my kitchen with excitement. Finally perfecting this recipe for the ultimate healthy homemade Nutella made for the best day ever!
Now the only question is…
What’s your favorite way to eat this? With fruit, on toast, or straight from the jar with a spoon? ? And when you make your own, remember to snap a picture and share it on Instagram using #amyshealthybaking and tagging @amyshealthybaking IN the photo itself! (That guarantees I’ll see your picture! ?) I’d love to see your ultimate healthy homemade Nutella!
| The Ultimate Healthy Homemade Nutella | Print |
- 1 cup + 6 tbsp (165g) roasted, peeled, and unsalted hazelnuts (see Notes!)
- ½ cup (72g) confectioners’ style erythritol (see Notes!)
- 2 tbsp + 1 tsp (11g) unsweetened cocoa powder (measured like this)
- ½ tsp salt
- Add the hazelnuts to a high-powered blender, and blend the hazelnuts until smooth and creamy, with a texture similar to thin honey, stopping to scrape down the sides as needed. Add the erythritol, cocoa powder, and salt. Blend until everything is fully incorporated and smooth. Transfer to a glass jar or airtight container, and refrigerate.
Peeling the skins off of the hazelnuts does take some time, but it makes a huge difference in the consistency of your healthy homemade Nutella! If you skipped peeling off the skins, your healthy homemade Nutella would have a grittier texture. Just rub your cooled roasted hazelnuts gently, and the skins should pop off! (Sometimes, small pieces of the skin don’t want to rub off. As long as those small bits are no larger than a few millimeters, it’s okay to use them!)
Measure and weigh your hazelnuts after roasting and peeling off the skins!
I use this regular unsweetened cocoa powder. I love how it tastes much richer than Dutched or special dark cocoa powder!
Just about any granular sweetener should work! Use whatever granular sweetener tastes best to you. I haven’t tried it with every single one, but options like monkfruit, granulated stevia, coconut sugar, and even granulated sucralose should be fine. You’ll need your sweetener’s equivalent of ½ cup of granulated sugar.
Do not substitute liquid sweeteners (like pure maple syrup, honey, or agave) because they’ll add too much liquid volume and make your homemade Nutella too thin and watery.
You’ll want to use a blender (or food processor!) with very sharp blades and a strong motor. This ensures that your healthy homemade Nutella turns out with the smoothest and creamiest consistency possible (without overworking your machine!). This is the blender that I own, and I absolutely love it! It’s worth every single penny, and I use it every day. (And if you check out this blog post, you’ll see lots more recipes of mine you can make with it!) See the text of this blog post above for more information about the best blenders!
If your blender or food processor doesn’t have very sharp blades, then you’ll probably need to add a bit of neutral-tasting oil to make sure your healthy homemade Nutella turns out really smooth and creamy (instead of gritty). Any oil should work except for coconut oil.
For the thickest texture, wait at least 12 hours after refrigerating before using.
{gluten-free, vegan, clean eating, low carb, dairy free, sugar free, paleo}
View Nutrition Information + Weight Watchers Points
You may also like Amy’s other recipes…
♡ Healthier White Chocolate Nutella Cookies
♡ Healthier Strawberry and Nutella Crêpes
♡ Healthy Blender Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter
♡ Healthy Blender Dark Chocolate Almond Butter
♡ Healthy Blender Almond Joy Almond Butter
Hi can I use granulated sugar instead of sweetener? And how much can i use in this recipe? Thanks
I really appreciate your interest in my recipe Nay! I’ve actually covered this in the Notes section of the recipe, located directly underneath the Instructions. I know it can be easy to miss! 🙂 I’d love to hear what you think if you try making this homemade nutella!
Hi..if we are not using oil, what makes the nutella so liquid?
I really appreciate your interest in my recipe Lina! I’ve actually covered this in the text of my blog post above the recipe. I know it can be easy to miss! 🙂 I’d love to hear what you think of this homemade Nutella if you try making it!
Hi, Amy! I’m curious (couldn’t find reference to it in the post) – would cacao powder fundamentally behave differently than cocoa? I know it’s more “bitter” because it’s not processed, but have you tried it as part of this recipe? Searches I’ve done online say it’s a more acrid taste, but I’m not so sure.
I ask because I have all the ingredients, only Cacao instead of cocoa, and I’m loathe to go and buy a more manufactured product over a natural (well, sort of) one I already have in my cupboard. Plus, you know, it’s a waste of perfectly lovely hazelnuts if I try it and do something wrong! 😄 Thank you!
I really appreciate your interest in my recipe Max! I haven’t tried using cacao powder in homemade nut butters before, so I’m honestly not sure how it would taste and don’t want to lead you astray. If you’re truly against buying unsweetened cocoa powder, then perhaps it’d be worth doing a small test batch with your cacao powder, just in case, so you don’t waste hazelnuts? 🙂 I’d love to hear what you think of this homemade nutella if you decide to try it — whether with cacao or cocoa powder!
Hi Amy,
Let say I want to add some fresh milk into the chocolate spread, is there anyway to get the spread stay longer @ room temperature?
I really appreciate your interest in my recipe Nisha! I actually don’t recommend adding fresh milk to this homemade Nutella, even if you refrigerate it. The texture is already smooth and creamy without it — I promise! 🙂 I’d love to hear what you think if you try making it!
Hiya I followed exactly but why does it have an icy feel to it ? Is this normal ?
I really appreciate your interest in my recipe Rosa! I just want to make sure I understand what you mean by icy. Do you mean a coarse and grainy texture, the way ice cream can sometimes be icy and coarse? Or something else? Also, which sweetener option did you use, and what blender or food processor (make and model)? All of that information will really help me identify the culprit and how to fix the issue you’re experiencing! 🙂