Chocolate Hazelnut Spread

A creamy chocolate hazelnut spread that’s both vegan and gluten-free.

Creamy chocolate hazelnut spread is one of my favorite foods of all time. When I was in college, I discovered the delicousness that is Nutella. I literally ate it everyday by spreading it on toasted bread, pancakes, and just eating by the spoonful. I used to love Nutella a lot but I haven’t had it in a long time. It crossed my mind recently, and I thought that instead of buying a jar of Nutella I should just make my own vegan homemade Nutella! I did just that, and it takes just 4 ingredients!

This homemade Nutella recipe is both vegan and gluten-free, which makes a lot of sense once you see the ingredients. Nutella is essentially a delicious and creamy spread that’s made with roasted hazelnuts, cocoa powder, and sweetener. I also added a bit of non-dairy to help make this homemade Nutella even creamier. The non-dairy milk is optional, but I found it helped with the consistency. If you have a super powerful blender, you may not even need it!

Vegan Nutella couldn’t be easier to make, but here are a few tips to make sure that yours turns out perfect.

What are the ingredients for homemade Nutella?

This Nutella recipe only requires four ingredients:

• Hazelnuts

• Cocoa Powder

• Maple Syrup

• Non-dairy milk (optional)

I added a splash of non-dairy milk to this recipe to make the spread creamier. You may not need it if you have a powerful blender, but it’s good to have on hand just in case.

How do you store this Nutella?

I recommend storing your homemade Nutella in an airtight container (like a mason jar) at room temperature. If you add the non-dairy milk, though, store it in the fridge instead. Allow it to come to room temperature for a few minutes so that it’s nice and spreadable again.

This spread will keep on the counter for about a week, or in the fridge for about three weeks.

Any other tips?

This Nutella recipe really needs to be blended for a good five or so minutes to make it thin and spreadable. Hazelnuts are naturally oily so as they break down it become more liquid-y as its blended. Depending on your blender though, it may take a few minutes to get to this point.

Also, be sure to remove some of the skins from the hazelnuts after they’ve roasted. You don’t have to remove all of the skins, just as much as you can. This will help the homemade Nutella become creamy and not too grainy.

RECIPE

Prep Time: 10 mins

Active Time: 10 mins

Cook Time: 15 mins

INGREDIENTS

• 1 lb raw hazelnuts

• 2 tbsp cocoa powder

• 2 tbsp maple syrup

• Splash of non-dairy milk (optional)

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Pour the hazelnuts onto the baking sheet and roast for about 15 minutes.

3. Remove hazelnuts from the oven and allow to cool slightly. Peel the skins off of as many hazelnuts as you can. It’s ok if you don’t remove the skins from all of them.

4. Place the skinned hazelnuts in a blender or food processor. Add the cocoa powder and maple syrup. Blend for about five minutes, until the hazelnuts break down and the mixture becomes spreadable. Add a splash of non-dairy milk if the mixture doesn’t come together after five minutes. Blend again if needed.

5. Store the chocolate hazelnut spread in an airtight container. It will keep on the counter for about a week, or in the refrigerator for three weeks.