Three ingredients and a food processor. That’s all it takes to make your homemade vegan Nutella, free from all the added sugar, palm oil, and milk powder that’s added to the store-bought ones. And it tastes way better too!
In this post, you’ll learn:
- If store-bough Nutella is vegan
- Ingredients you will need
- The kind of dates you can use
- How to make vegan Nutella
- Tips to successfully make homemade Nutella
- How to store this hazelnut chocolate spread
- FAQs
- More breakfast & snacks recipes
Is Nutella Vegan?
No, Nutella is not vegan as it contains milk powder. And unfortunately, the store-bought ones also do not contain the most nutritious ingredients. If you look at the ingredient label, the first two are sugar and palm oil. Hazelnut only comes in third at 13%. Sugar and oil don’t sound like a healthy combination I bet.
But if you make your own Nutella at home, you’re 100% in control of what goes in there. This recipe only uses whole food, plant-based ingredients and you can control how much sweetness goes in there.
This way, you can really enjoy the rich, decadent chocolate hazelnut spread and also get the health benefits of eating something made from whole food! Win-win situation. 😉
Ingredients
- Hazelnuts: The star ingredient that makes your nut butter tastes like Nutella.
- Dates: For some natural sweetness coming from whole food.
- Cocoa powder: For that chocolatey goodness.
- Salt: To enhance the flavor.
- Water: To help blend your Nutella and get that creamy texture.
I know, I know. I said three ingredients but why do we have five now? I think I can safely assume everyone has salt and water at home right?
P.S. Speaking of brown hazelnuts, dates, and cocoa powder, why not check out my Ultimate List of 35 Brown Vegetables Names + Pictures? I’ve included fun facts, photos, and how to use them in cooking! 🤎
What kind of dates should I use?
I used deglet nour dates to test this recipe which are more on the drier side. You can use other varieties (such as medjool or mazafati dates) but just make sure you adjust the water added.
For instance if you are using fresh dates, you would not need as much water. Start with half of the water from the soaked dates, then add in 2 more tablespoons every 10 seconds until you get a nut butter that is creamy, light, and easily spreadable.
How to Make Vegan Nutella
Soak – Roast – Peel – Blend. Four simple steps to make this dairy-free, vegan Nutella at home.
Prefer to watch instead? Jump to video here.
Soak: Soak the dates in hot water, with a lid on top of the bowl to trap in the steam and heat.
Roast: Roast the hazelnuts until the skin starts to crack. This will release some natural oil so it’s easier to blend the hazelnuts into that creamy hazelnut butter. Moreover, roasting also enhances the flavor so you get that rich hazelnut flavor.
Peel: Peel off the hazelnut skin as the skin is bitter and rancid. You will also get a smoother texture of your hazelnut butter by doing this.
Blend: Blend the peeled hazelnuts in a food processor until it reaches the consistency of nut butter. The hazelnut butter should be runny such that it drips down from a spoon when you scoop it. Then add the remaining ingredients and blend again. And that’s it!
Tips to Successfully Make Nutella at Home
Use a high-speed food processor. This is the secret to making any nut butter. Mine has the power of 1200 Watt. If you have a lower-speed one, it would take longer to blend but be patient — you’ll get there. A jar of this velvety homemade Nutella is waiting for you at the other end!
When soaking the dates with hot water, make sure you cover with a lid on top to trap in the heat. This is crucial to soften the dates so it can mix well with the hazelnut butter.
To achieve that rich, creamy texture, make sure you add enough water. I found that 130 ml worked well but it still depends on how much water your dates absorb when being soaked. You might need more, you might need less. It depends on the dates that you use.
Storage Instruction
Store this chocolate hazelnut butter goodness in an air-tight container in the fridge for up to 3 weeks. Though I have to say, you deserve an award if you manage to not finish this spread within a couple of days. It’s that delish!
FAQs
The closest substitute would be almonds. And one nice thing is that you don’t have to peel off the almond skin so you would save a bit of time there. The flavor will be different and it will not taste like the authentic Nutella but it will for sure still be delicious!
Yes, although you might need more time to blend everything together since a blender is made to process liquid instead of solid food. If you have a bigger blender, make sure to double up the recipe portion to ensure that the hazelnuts will blend smoothly.
I have not tested this recipe with other sweeteners so I wouldn’t recommend doing so.
Looking for more breakfast and snack recipes?
Check out this coconut almond butter recipe or this vegan scrambled egg toast recipe. And if you like to spread some quark on top of your bread like a German, check out my 1-ingredient Vegan Quark recipe!
And if you’re looking for ways to use up this jar of Nutella, try my Nutella Mochi Daifuku Balls recipe for a quick 25 minutes recipe to make your own mochi at home, which tastes so much better than store-bought mochi!
Or feeling like meal-prepping for the busy days ahead? Try making these frozen berries overnight oats, or the chia pudding cousin of Flax Seed Pudding (3 Delicious Variations)! Or maybe the more decadent versions such as this Oreo overnight oats or Biscoff overnight oats 😋
Want something more ‘cakey’? Try these one of the 5 Variations of Baked Oats without Banana, or this Chocolate Chip Baked Oats recipe!
Vegan Nutella
Equipment
- 1 food processor
Ingredients
- 60 grams dates about 8 pieces; I used deglet nour dates, but you can use any kind (see FAQ above)
- 130 ml hot water (1/2 cup + 1 Tablespoon)
- 250 grams hazelnuts (1 3/4 cup) unpeeled
- 2 table spoons cocoa powder
- ¼ tea spoon salt
Instructions
- Soak: Soak the dates in hot water with a lid on top to trap in the heat and steam. Putting the lid on top will soften the dates so they will mix well in the nut butter.
- Roast: Preheat your oven to 170C (340F). Roast the hazelnuts on a baking sheet for 10-12 minutes until the skins darken and crack. Start with 10 minutes. If the skin has not cracked, roast back in the oven in an increment of 1 minute but be careful not to burn them.
- Peel: Let the hazelnuts cool down for about 3 minutes. Then transfer on a kitchen towel. Wrap the kitchen towel around and rub the nuts to loosen and peel off the skin. Remove at least 60% of the skin since the skin tastes bitter and rancid. Some of the tougher skins could be removed by peeling by hand afterwards.
- Blend: Transfer the peeled hazelnuts to the food processor. Process until smooth and until it reaches a nut butter consistency. It should take 7-12 minutes depending on the power of the food processor. You may need to scrape down the sides of the food processor.
- Add cocoa and blend: Add the cocoa powder, salt, soaked dates, and the water from the dates. Continue to process for 3 more minutes until your homemade Nutella becomes creamy and spreads easily.If you are using other types of dates other than deglet nour that I use, see note below.
Video
Notes
- If you are using fresh dates that are less dry than the deglet nour dates that I use, start with half of the water from the soaked dates. Process for 2 minutes at first. If the texture is still lumpy and not runny yet, add 2 tablespoons of water every 10 seconds until you reach the desired consistency. The homemade Nutella should be creamy and spreads easily.
- Use a high-speed food processor. This is the secret to making any nut butter. Mine has the power of 1200 Watt. If you have a lower-speed one, it would take longer to blend but be patient — you’ll get there!
- When soaking the dates with hot water, make sure you cover with a lid on top to trap in the heat. This is crucial to soften the dates so it can mix well with the hazelnut butter.
- To achieve that rich, creamy texture, make sure you add enough water. I found that 130 ml worked well but it still depends on how much water your dates absorb when being soaked. You might need more, you might need less.
August 28, 2022 at 9:34 pmWhat a great recipe, the taste was superb! And not hard to make at all. Also love the almond coconut butter by the way. I was really looking forward to eating my sandwiches with these spreads!
August 29, 2022 at 8:58 pmThanks Dino, glad that you like it! I get that feeling too, at night when you can’t wait to sleep because you know tomorrow’s breakfast will be good :p
April 23, 2023 at 8:35 pmDid not know that making Nutella is this easy. And I like the fact that you can now control how much sugar you put in those jars. Thank you!
May 1, 2023 at 9:07 pmThis recipe is much easier than I thought. And it’s healthy too!