Homemade Healthy Vegan Nutella (Paleo, Keto)

An easy recipe for homemade healthy Nutella made with just 3 ingredients and only needs a blender! Smooth and drippy, this creamy chocolate hazelnut butter is completely sugar free, low carb and dairy free. It is also vegan, paleo, keto, gluten-free and grain-free!

Homemade Nutella Recipe

Made with toasted hazelnuts, cocoa powder, and a sugar substitute, this fool-proof homemade Nutella is a game changer! Top your oatmeal with it, spread it over muffins or use it a frosting for cookies– The possibilities are endless!

Calling myself obsessed with this homemade Nutella is an understatement. 

As someone who used to go through jars of Nutella as a kid, creating a healthy version has been a game changer for me. 

Traditional Nutella, while delicious, is not exactly what you’d deem to be healthy. It’s not only loaded with sugar and preservatives, but it also contains dairy, thus not suitable for a paleo or vegan diet.

It also contains MORE sugar than actual hazelnuts. Yes, that is correct, traditional Nutella only has 13% hazelnuts.

Not cool. 

However, I have finally perfected a fool-proof copycat Nutella recipe, that is secretly healthy and is predominantly hazelnut based!

Healthy Homemade Vegan Nutella

Traditional Nutella is not really dietary friendly, as it contains dairy, soy additives, and a plethora of sugar and added oil.

My version is dairy free, which makes it suitable for a paleo and vegan diet. It’s also completely sugar-free too, which is perfect for a ketogenic and low carb diet too. Oh, and it contains NO dates or dried fruit. 

But how does it taste compared to traditional Nutella?

Well, it is smooth, silky, and a ‘drippy’ texture. If you’ve made any of my recipes before, you know I LOVE drippy nut and seed butter, as they yield a far more superior recipe. 

Taste-wise, it has a delicious chocolate flavor, thanks to the cocoa powder and monk fruit sweetener, which is a sugar free and calorie-free sugar alternative.

How to make healthy Nutella

Making homemade Nutella (or any nut or seed butter) is ridiculously simple, but DOES require patience. All you need is a good quality high-speed blender or food processor, and you are good to go.

The Ingredients

• Roasted hazelnuts– Use unsalted and raw hazelnuts. Carefully check the packets, as sometimes, even ‘natural’ ones have additives to it. 
• Granulated sweetener– Coconut sugar and uncut sugar are great to keep it vegan and refined sugar free. See my tips below for keto sweeteners. 
• Cocoa powder– For the chocolate hit! Sift your cocoa powder if there are clumps. 

The Instructions

• Step 1: Toast your hazelnuts– Preheat the oven to 180C/350F. In a single layer, place your hazelnuts on a single layer on a lined baking tray. Bake for 12-15 minutes, or until some of the skin begins to peel naturally.
• Step 2: Remove the loose skins– Once the hazelnuts have cooled down, place them on a dish towel, and fold up each of the corners to avoid any of them falling out. Using one of your hands, press and toggle the hazelnuts together, causing them to break from their skins. Do this for 2-3 minutes. Open up the dish towel and most of the hazelnuts should now be removed from their skins. If there are several with skins still attached to them, remove those individually.
• Step 3: Blend the hazelnuts– Place your hazelnuts in a high-speed blender or food processor. Blend your hazelnuts for 2-3 minutes, until a flour-like consistency remains. Using a rubber spatula, give the ground-up hazelnuts a good stir. Continue blending in one-minute bursts, scraping down the sides regularly. Blend well until smooth and creamy.
• Step 4: Add the cocoa powder and sugar substitute. Once the blended hazelnuts have become smooth and drippy, add your cocoa powder and sugar substitute.
• Step 5: BLEND BLEND BLEND– Blend again until the chocolate hazelnut spread is smooth, silky and drippy. It should drip beautifully off a spoon.
• Step 6: Transfer your homemade chocolate spread into a jar– Pour your smooth chocolate hazelnut butter into a jar or shallow container, ensuring it is covered. 

Frequently Asked Questions

How many calories in healthy Nutella

Healthy Nutella is much more nutritious than traditional Nutella. It has fewer calories, fewer carbs, and NO sugar. 

Store Bought Nutella- Per serving, Nutella contains 200 calories, 11 grams of fat, 23 grams of carbs, and a whopping 20 grams of sugar! 

Homemade Nutella- Per serving, my homemade chocolate spread contains 97 calories, 9 grams of healthy fats, 3 grams of fat (1.5 grams ner carbs) and ZERO sugar. 

What sugar substitutes can be used? 

To make keto nutella, I used monk fruit sweetener. It has the same consistency as white sugar and has a sweet taste.

If you don’t follow a ketogenic diet, you can substitute it for coconut palm sugar.

I haven’t tried it with other sugar substitutes or liquid sweeteners, so cannot vouch for other options. 

Can I use another nut instead of hazelnuts?

For those who don’t enjoy the taste of hazelnuts or want an alternative to it, you can make it with either peanuts or almonds. 

If you use one of those two, you don’t need to pre-toast them. Simply use unsalted peanuts or unsalted and skinned almonds (often referred to as Marcona almonds) and follow the same process as the original hazelnut spread. 

Storing and Freezing Tips

How long does homemade Nutella last? 

Homemade Nutella will keep fresh for at least 6 months. If you find that the oil in the chocolate spread starts to separate, give it a stir with a spoon until combined. 

Does homemade Nutella need to be refrigerated?

Homemade chocolate spread does NOT need to be refrigerated. It contains no eggs, no dairy, and no milk products, so it won’t spoil.

Store homemade Nutella in a sealed container or jar at room temperature. It will remain smooth and creamy this way!

Can I freeze homemade Nutella? 

Homemade Nutella is NOT freezer friendly and should not be frozen. When thawed from frozen, you’ll find the chocolate spread will no longer be smooth and be crumbly and thick. 

Recipes using healthy Nutella

• No Bake Brownies
• Brownie No Bake Bites
• Nutella Cookie Dough Bites
• Flourless Chocolate Keto Cookies

Healthy Homemade Nutella Recipe (Vegan, Paleo, Keto)

An easy recipe for homemade healthy vegan Nutella made with just 3 ingredients and only needs a blender! Smooth and drippy, this creamy chocolate hazelnut butter is completely sugar free, low carb and dairy free. It is also paleo, keto, gluten-free and grain-free!

5 from 34 votes

Print Rate

Course: Appetizer

Cuisine: American

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 10 minutes

Total Time: 25 minutes

Servings: 16 servings

Calories: 98kcal

Author: Arman

Ingredients

• 2 cups raw hazelnuts
• 3 tbsp granulated sweetener of choice
• 2 tbsp cocoa powder

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 180C/350F. Line a pan with the hazelnuts in a single layer, and toast for 12-15 minutes. 
• Allow hazelnuts to cool completely. Transfer to a large dish towel, and wrap up the corners. Using one hand, press and shake the hazelnuts together roughly, to remove the skins. Do this for 3-4 minutes. 
• Open up the dish towel and the skins should easily fall off the hazelnuts. 
• Place the skinned hazelnuts into a high-speed blender or food processor. Blend for 4-5 minutes, until a flour-like consistency remains. Stir through using a rubber spatula, and blend until smooth and creamy.
• Add your cocoa powder and granulated sweetener and continue to blend until fully combined and silky smooth. 
• Transfer your chocolate hazelnut spread into a jar or container. 

Notes

Blending time differs blender to blender. Don't fret if you blend longer than expected- Some blenders will need at least 10-15 minutes to achieve a smooth and silky texture. 

Store homemade healthy Nutella in a sealed container. 

Nutrition

Serving: 1serving | Calories: 98kcal | Carbohydrates: 3g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 9g | Sodium: 1mg | Potassium: 112mg | Fiber: 2g | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 18mg | Iron: 1mg | NET CARBS: 1g

Tried this recipe?Give us a shout at @thebigmansworld or tag #thebigmansworld!