Healthy Nutella
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Learn how to make healthy Nutella with only 3 ingredients, and you’ll never buy it at the store again. It’s smooth, chocolatey, and SO easy to make!
I’m sure most of us can relate to eating Nutella straight from the jar. As kids, we could finish a jar in a couple of days, but we had NO idea how much sugar and dairy we were consuming.
Since I started healthy-fying my childhood treats (looking at you, protein rice krispies!), making healthy Nutella has been a top priority. Well, friends, I think I nailed it!
The trick isn’t a unique ingredient but rather patience. The hazelnuts need to be blended until smooth and creamy. Because it’s somewhat time-consuming, many people assume it doesn’t work. I’ve had at least ten people test this before I shared it, and it works.
Table of Contents
Why make my healthy Nutella recipe
- 3 ingredients. All you need are roasted hazelnuts, a sweetener, and cocoa powder.
- Customizable. You can use any sweetener of your choosing to keep it low-carb or all-natural.
- Healthier than store-bought Nutella. There is no palm oil, dairy, or artificial flavors. It’s also gluten-free and safe for vegans!
- It’s so quick and easy. Blending the hazelnuts is the most time-consuming part, but I promise it’s SO worth it.
★★★★★ REVIEW
“I’d give this 6 stars if I could. I’ve tried a couple of other Nutella recipes using pecans, hazelnuts, and almonds. This is by far the best I’ve ever tasted, including and especially purchased from specialty boutique stores and mass products like the branded Nutella.” – Eric
Key Ingredients
Here’s what goes into homemade Nutella, along with my kitchen notes. The full list with measurements is in the recipe card below.
- Hazelnuts. Use unsalted and raw hazelnuts. Carefully check the packaging; even ‘natural’ products can contain additives.
- Granulated sweetener. I used coconut sugar, but white sugar, brown sugar, or a sugar-free sweetener like allulose are all great options.
- Cocoa powder. I used sifted Dutch-processed cocoa powder, which has a mild, more well-rounded flavor. I would avoid using raw cacao powder as it can be quite bitter.
How to make healthy Nutella
Step 1- Roast. Preheat the oven to 180C/350F, line a pan with the hazelnuts in a single layer, and toast until fragrant.
Step 2- Remove outer skins. Allow the hazelnuts to cool completely. Transfer them to a clean kitchen towel and wrap up the corners. Using one hand, press and shake the hazelnuts together to remove the skins. Place the hazelnuts in a blender or food processor.
Step 3- Blend. Blend until a flour-like consistency remains. Stir through using a rubber spatula and blend until creamy. Add cocoa powder and sweetener.
Step 4- Finish. Continue blending until smooth. Transfer to a container.
Arman’s recipe tips
- Save time. Buy roasted hazelnuts with the skins already removed. It is a little pricier, but it saves you from having to roast them. If you have a Costco membership, that’s the lowest price I’ve found per pound.
- Be patient. The hazelnuts take a while to blend, so take your time, pause often to scrape down the sides of the blender, and blend at low speed to prevent overheating.
- Adjust the sweetness. While I like the sweetness of this recipe, you can add more or less sweetener until it’s perfect. Give it a taste test and add more if you like.
- Make it creamier. If you prefer a thinner consistency, add a splash of milk or use liquid sweeteners, like agave or maple syrup. Just note that if you use milk, you’ll need to refrigerate the spread.
- Enhance the flavor. Add a pinch of salt or a splash of vanilla extract for an extra flavor boost.
Storage instructions
Up to one month: Store chocolate hazelnut butter in an airtight container at room temperature.
One month or more: Store in an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 2 months. Let it sit at room temperature for several minutes before spreading it.
Up to 6 months: Place the Nutella in a shallow jar and freeze it for up to 6 months.
Frequently asked questions
For those who don’t enjoy the taste of hazelnuts or want an alternative to them, you can make it with either peanuts or almonds. I experimented with walnuts and macadamia nuts, and they were far too oily.
You can, but it is slightly different. I tested several sweeteners, and only allulose provided the ideal texture. Monk fruit was way too grainy, and stevia just didn’t work at all.
✅ Nutrition reviewed
“This healthy Nutella is a much more nutritious option compared to store-bought Nutella. It’s lower in sugar, doesn’t need any dairy, and has a fraction of the ingredients.” – Felicia Newell, MScAHN, RD, CPT.
3-Ingredient Healthy Nutella
Video
Ingredients
- 2 cups raw hazelnuts
- 3 tablespoons coconut sugar or any granulated sweetener of choice
- 2 tablespoons cocoa powder
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 180C/350F. Line a pan with the hazelnuts in a single layer, and toast for 7-8 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.
- 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 2-3 minutes, until a flour-like consistency remains. Stir with a rubber spatula and blend until smooth and creamy.
- Add your cocoa powder and granulated sweetener, and continue blending until fully combined and silky-smooth.
- Transfer your chocolate hazelnut spread into a jar or container.
Notes
- Serving size: 1 serving is one heaping tablespoon (20 grams).
- Tips: See my recipe tips above for making the best Nutella.
- Leftovers: Keep at room temperature for one month or in the freezer for 6 months.
Nutrition
Recipes to use homemade Nutella
- 2 ingredient Nutella fudge– How could I NOT mention this fudge when Nutella makes up half of it? If you use my recipe, it omits refined sugar, too.
- Nutella brownies– 3 ingredient fudgy brownies that practically melt in your mouth.
- Nutella stuffed cookies– I call these my sinner cookies because it’s a triple dose of chocolate.
- Fudge cookies– The filling uses a mix of Nutella, so I make it a little lighter with my Nutella.
Originally published June 2022
I’ll definitely be making this tomorrow xx
Please do, Kylie- it’s so easy and so good!!!!
This created a dark chocolate hazelnut spread. I used powdered sugar, which I guess is less dense than others, and Hubby and I found it needed another 1/4c to be to our liking. This is more for adult taste — to get a milk chocolate taste you would have to add other ingredients. If you don’t want the texture to be slightly gritty, use a blender instead of a food processor and let it go for 5-10 minutes, occasionally scraping and stirring. If it’s too thick for you, you can add a tablespoon of oil. (I bet hazelnut oil would work really well.) This version is reminiscent of Nutella, but with a darker chocolate and more nutty taste.
Thanks for sharing your updates, Yidi- I’m very much like you, I prefer the darker flavors 🙂
I haven’t made this recipe yet because I have some questions but I have made many of your others which are delicious.
1… In your nutrition facts you don’t say how much a serving is. Is it a tablespoon, a quarter cup, a cup?
2… In the video you use maple syrup as a sweetener which is my sweetener of choice! In the recipe you use coconut sugar. How much people syrup should I use instead of coconut sugar?
Thank you for all your wonderful recipes!
This was amazing,I didn’t expect it to turn out how it did but we all enjoyed it. It was quite hard to get the texture how it was supposed to be in the thermomix but I figured it out in the end.
Thank you for all your amazing recipies I have tried lots of them and they were all amazing.
Is there anything you recommend for nextime we make it.
Mackenzie
You are so welcome, Mackenzie!
The hazelnuts would not blend into a creamy texture for me. I used my very old and trusty blender and the most it would do was a flour. I eventually added some light olive oil in small increments to create the smooth creamy consistency.
I added some instant expresso powder which adds an extra boost of flavour. Coffee and chocolate pair so well together. I only added 1 1/2 tablespoons of coconut sugar as I prefer much less sweetness and more dark cocoa flavor coming through. A bit time consuming to make but the results were amazing. Much better than Nutella. I could eat the whole jar with bananas!
This week I am going to make this. Healthy nutella wow. With protein pancakes amazing!
This sounds wonderful I will give it a go.❤️
Hello can you use monk fruit in place of allulose ? Or is there another sweetener not as expensive ?
Cheers for making all these recipes ! The bagels were a smashing success at my home!
…mum of 7
Heidi
Sounds perfect…just replacing the sweetener ,as we don’t find like this around
Will definitely make. Thanks for the recipe.
Can you use maple syrup for the sweetener?
Yes!!
arman arman arman please please please make your videos easy to find, and to hold onto. i need to see a lot of this stuff… its a big help to SEE what that batter looks like before baking… or, in the case of this Nutella– what those hazelnuts should look like once they’ve been ground sufficiently. I don’t get anything near a goopey, drippy something with these 3 ingredients. Your recipes are sooo tempting and i try a lotof them. buti neverget it right the first time and have tokeep adjusting. Probably because i live in a different country — sea level, temperature, etc… all very different. So a good video is such a big help! Many thanks.