Healthy Nut-Free Nutella
This nut-free chocolate spread is luxuriously smooth and creamy, just like classic Nutella®, with a nutty flavor and notes of sweet chocolate. Simple to whip up, requiring only a few minutes and four common ingredients, this chocolate spread is perfect for slathering on toast, drizzling on crêpes, mixing into cookie dough… Or simply eating straight from the jar with a spoon! It should keep for a week or two, maybe more, if stored in an airtight jar at room temperature (or a few months, if refrigerated!).
Ingredients
- 2 ¾ cups (330g) shelled, roasted, and unsalted sunflower seeds
- 1 cup granulated sweetener (see Notes!)
- ¼ cup + 2 tsp (23g) unsweetened cocoa powder (measured like this)
- 1 tsp salt
Instructions
- Add the sunflower seeds to a high-powered blender, and blend the sunflower seeds until smooth and creamy, with a texture similar to 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.
Notes
IMPORTANT BLENDER NOTES + ALTERNATIVE – 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 nut-free chocolate spread 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 “good blender” header in the “How to Make The Best Healthy Homemade Nut-Free Nutella” section of my blog post above for more information about the best blenders to use.
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 homemade chocolate spread 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 1 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, 2 teaspoons of this liquid stevia may be used instead. However, do not substitute “regular” liquid sweeteners (like maple syrup, honey, or agave) because they’ll add too much liquid volume and make your homemade chocolate spread too thin and watery (almost like soup!).
SUNFLOWER SEED ALTERNATIVES: Shelled, roasted, and salted sunflower seeds may be substituted for the unsalted. If using salted seeds, slightly reduce the amount of salt to compensate.
For a “true” homemade Nutella (not nut-free!), use hazelnuts in place of the sunflower seeds. See my ultimate healthy homemade Nutella recipe for more information about how to prepare and use hazelnuts instead!
COCOA POWDER NOTES: For the best flavor, use regular unsweetened cocoa powder. I don’t recommend substituting Dutched or special dark cocoa powder. They have a different flavor because of their different acidity level, and they taste more muted and bland in this recipe.
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!).
For the thickest texture (stiff and scoop-able), wait at least 12 hours after refrigerating before using.
{gluten free, dairy free, egg free, vegan, nut free, clean eating, low carb, sugar free}
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.