The Ultimate Healthy Homemade Nutella

 
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 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 histories. 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 Jane, my sweet friend, 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 ones all the way up to 11 pounds. Some of the medium-sized options 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 she was trying to eat healthier and remove as many sweet temptations from her pantry as possible, so I placed the jar I momentarily held in my hand back on the shelf with its friends.
 

 
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, and it’s easy to make. You only need 4 ingredients!

The only downside? It’s just as tempting and addictive as the classic original… So I’ve learned to make a double batch. It disappears much too quickly otherwise!
 

WHAT IS NUTELLA?

If you’ve read everything in my blog post so far, then you probably have a pretty good idea of what Nutella is… It’s a sweet, creamy, cocoa-kissed nut butter spread made from hazelnuts. Yum! The original Nutella starts with sugar and palm oil, and it also includes skim (nonfat) milk, vanilla, and soy lecithin to help keep all of the ingredients well mixed…

Yet I actually found that this 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 the difference between my 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 felt like a massive achievement — and the best day ever!
 

INGREDIENTS TO MAKE THE ULTIMATE HEALTHY HOMEMADE NUTELLA

This recipe is very simple 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 batch turns out perfectly. So let’s talk about the 4 ingredients that you’ll need to make your own jar of this ultimate healthy homemade Nutella!

Hazelnuts. 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 browsing, I noticed that the raw (aka “natural”) ones cost about half as much as the roasted ones. Since it’s really easy to roast nuts (we’ll talk about that soon!), I opted for these raw hazelnuts.
 

 
Cocoa powder. Besides its hazelnuts, Nutella is also known for its sweet flavor and chocolate undertones, which means you’ll need cocoa powder! I recommend using regular unsweetened cocoa powder. It adds a much richer flavor than Dutched or “special dark” cocoa powder! You only need a small amount. If you add too much, it’ll overpower the hazelnut flavor… So use this method or a kitchen scale (← even better!) when measuring to ensure your healthy homemade Nutella tastes just like the original.

Sweetener. There are a few different options for the sweetener. I like using granulated sucralose or concentrated stevia to make this healthy homemade Nutella sugar-free. (The version made with granulated sucralose tasted exactly the same as the original Nutella!)

Other sugar-free, clean eating, and no-calorie sweeteners include allulose, confectioners’ style erythritol, and monk fruit. Some people detect an aftertaste or minty undertones with some of these, so keep that in mind when deciding which one to add to your batch!

Tip: If you’re worried about any aftertaste or undertones, then take a little taste of the pure sweetener before using it.
 

 
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.

But other granular sweeteners do work, if you’re not a fan of the ones I mentioned! I haven’t tried every single one, but coconut sugar, regular cane sugar, and even confectioners’ sugar should work. Just pick the one that tastes the best to you!

Salt. 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!
 

HOW TO MAKE THE ULTIMATE HEALTHY HOMEMADE NUTELLA

Now that you’ve gathered those ingredients, let’s go over how to make this ultimate healthy homemade Nutella!

Toast the hazelnuts. This is only necessary if you bought raw hazelnuts, like I did! If you purchased toasted or roasted ones, then skip this and head straight to the next bit.

After toasting your hazelnuts in the oven, you must let them fully cool before making your ultimate healthy homemade Nutella for the best consistency and flavor! There’s something else you have to do as well…

Peel. 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 substantially grittier texture. If you take the time to rub the skins off of your hazelnuts, you’ll end up with the smoothest and creamiest homemade Nutella imaginable. I promise it’s worth it!

So pinky swear promise me you’ll peel off those hazelnut skins, okay??
 

 
Blend. For the equipment, you’ll need a blender with a strong motor and extremely sharp blades. I use this Ninja blender! 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 consistency, not nearly as smooth or creamy. 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 smoother and creamier consistency.

You’ll add the hazelnuts first and blend them until they’ve yielded a very smooth and creamy nut butter. Scrape down the sides as needed; the blades often fling small hazelnut chunks and bits onto them! Once it looks like peanut butter or almond butter, sprinkle in the remaining ingredients, pop the lid back on, and keep blending until they’re fully incorporated.

At this point, after transferring your healthy homemade Nutella to a jar, 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

© Amy's Healthy Baking

This smooth and creamy hazelnut spread tastes just like the iconic original Nutella! It’s perfectly sweet with warm nutty flavors and rich chocolate tones. It’ll keep for at least 3 months if stored in an airtight jar in the refrigerator — if it lasts that long!

4.84 from 6 votes

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Ingredients 

• 1 cup + 6 tbsp (165g) roasted, peeled, and unsalted hazelnuts (see Notes!)
• ½ cup granulated sweetener (see Notes!)
• 2 tbsp + 1 tsp (11g) unsweetened cocoa powder (measured like this)
• ½ tsp salt

Instructions

• Add the hazelnuts to a high-powered blender (see Notes!), 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 sweetener, cocoa powder, and salt. Blend until everything is fully incorporated and smooth. Transfer to a glass jar or airtight container, and refrigerate.

Notes

IMPORTANT BLENDER NOTES – READ BEFORE BEGINNING: You’ll want to use a blender (or food processor!) with very sharp blades and a strong motor. This ensures that your 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 penny. (And if you check out this blog post, you’ll see lots more recipes of mine you can make with it!) Although my "blender bundle" is no longer offered, this is the same blender as mine, just with a lower price tag and smaller bundle. 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.

 

IMPORTANT SWEETENER OPTIONS + NOTES – READ BEFORE BEGINNING: Many granular sweeteners should work, so I’d recommend using whatever granular sweetener tastes best to you.

 

I haven’t tried it with every single one, but my favorite is granulated sucralose. Other options like confectioners' style monk fruit, confectioners’ style erythritol, granulated stevia, coconut sugar, and even granulated or powdered sugar should be fine. You’ll need your sweetener’s equivalent of ½ cup of granulated sugar.

 

Some of these granulated sweeteners can sometimes impart a background flavor or aftertaste. If you choose a sweetener you haven’t worked with very much, taste a bit of it plain — before you add it to your blender! — to avoid ruining your batch.

 

If you prefer, 1 teaspoon of this liquid stevia may be used instead. However, do not substitute “regular” 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 (almost like soup!).

 

IMPORTANT CONSISTENCY NOTE – READ BEFORE BEGINNING: For the thickest texture (stiff and scoop-able), wait at least 12 hours after refrigerating before using.

 

HAZELNUTS NOTES: I bought my hazelnuts online here. ← Those raw ones cost about half as much as the roasted hazelnuts, so I just roasted them myself! To do so, place your raw hazelnuts on a rimmed baking sheet lined with foil. Bake at 350°F for 15 minutes, stirring every 5 minutes. Let them cool completely before peeling them and adding them to your blender. (If you buy toasted or roasted hazelnuts, then skip this roasting step.)

 

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 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!)

 

Measure and weigh your hazelnuts after roasting and peeling off the skins!

 

COCOA POWDER NOTES: I use this regular unsweetened cocoa powder. I love how it tastes much richer than Dutched or special dark cocoa powder! These latter two have a blander and more muted flavor, as well as a different acidity level, so I don't recommend substituting them.

 

HOW TO STORE: Store it in an airtight container. (I really like using glass jars, like these or these.) You can easily leave it at room temperature for a week or two, maybe more, or store it in the refrigerator to make it last longer (more like months!).

 

{gluten-free, vegan, clean eating, low carb, dairy-free, sugar-free, paleo option}

DID YOU MAKE THIS RECIPE?I'd love to hear what you think of it in a comment below! If you take a picture, tag @amys.healthy.baking on Instagram or use the hashtag #amyshealthybaking.

View Nutrition Information + Weight Watchers Points
 
 
You may also like Amy’s other recipes…
♡  Healthy Nut-Free Nutella
♡  Healthy Nutella Chocolate Chip Cookies
♡  Healthier Strawberry and Nutella Crêpes
♡  Healthy Homemade Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter
♡  Healthy Homemade Dark Chocolate Almond Butter
♡  Healthy Homemade Vanilla Bean Almond Butter
♡  …and the rest of Amy’s healthy homemade nut butters!