Rich, creamy, and a near identical Nutella alternative, you’d never guess this hazelnut chocolate spread recipe was vegan. Next time you’re in the market for homemade Ferrero Rocher candies (or perhaps a cake inspired by them), this quick and easy recipe is the perfect starting point.
This chocolate hazelnut spread is divine slathered on top of crusty sourdough bread (my favorite way), on top of dessert pizza, or as a ganache topping for vegan desserts. You can dollop it on dairy-free ice cream, or quite frankly eat it straight from the jar!
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📖 Recipe Overview
- New & Improved - I’ve updated my original vegan Nutella recipe to make it even more delectable than before! Honestly, it’s so good, with flavors of sweet chocolate, roasted hazelnut, vanilla, and a pinch of saltiness. I happily gobble this dairy-free chocolate spread by the spoonful.
- Sublimely Simple - Making Nutella vegan is a much simpler task than you might think. The whole recipe takes just 15 minutes of active time and 6 easy-to-find ingredients.
- Super Versatile & Easily Customizable - Serve it warm as a drizzling sauce for your favorite cakes and ice cream sundaes, or chill it to create the perfect vegan chocolate spread for your morning toast, pancakes, or waffles. It is naturally gluten-free and I even have instructions for making it refined sugar-free! Read on below for lots of ideas.
Are chocolate hazelnut desserts your love language? I’ve got you covered with my plant-based recipes for nutella tiramisu, chocolate hazelnut tart, hazelnut chocolate cookies, and these easy no-bake Nutella bars.
🧾 Ingredients Needed
As promised, you only need a handful of ingredients to make this dairy-free nutella recipe. Here’s what to grab:
Ingredient Notes
While most of the ingredients for this dairy-free hazelnut spread are pretty self-explanatory, there are a few notes worth keeping in mind as you shop:
- Vegan Dark Chocolate - Using real chocolate instead of just cocoa powder gives my vegan homemade nutella a superlatively chocolatey flavor. You can also swap in vegan milk chocolate for a sweeter, milkier flavor if you prefer!
- Hazelnut Butter - You’re welcome to make this vegan chocolate hazelnut spread entirely from scratch by using homemade hazelnut butter. (Pro Tip: Make the hazelnut butter the same day you plan on making the homemade vegan nutella so you don’t have to clean your food processor twice!) Otherwise, feel free to use your favorite store-bought hazelnut butter instead.
- Coconut Cream - Please make sure you don’t mistake this ingredient for sweetened cream of coconut! If you can’t find pure coconut cream, grab a can of full-fat coconut milk, chill it, and only use the thick part that floats to the top of the can. A lot of recipes will call for coconut oil, however, I find that coconut milk/cream adds richness and creaminess as well as a slight milky taste.
- Powdered Sugar - Using confectioner’s sugar gives this homemade Nutella substitute the same consistency as the original. You’re also welcome to use pure maple syrup (or even agave) instead for a refined sugar-free version, though the consistency will be a bit looser.
Recipe tip: Don't skip the vanilla or salt. These add depth of flavor to chocolate and also enhance the sweetness. Vanilla extract is fine if you can't get your hands on vanilla bean paste.
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🥣 How To Make Vegan Nutella
Find the complete list of ingredients, quantities, and instructions in the recipe card at the end of this post.
Making this homemade chocolate spread without palm oil is super simple. Here’s how it’s done:
Step 1: Add all of the ingredients to a food processor or high-speed blender - either works well.
Step 2: Blitz for a couple of minutes until all of the ingredients have combined to form a thick and creamy spread.
Step 3: Transfer the vegan spread to a sealed jar or an airtight container. Refrigerate for a thick spread or serve at room temp for a looser, drizzle-able consistency,
🥞 Ways To Use Hazelnut Spread
There are literally endless ways to enjoy your nutella vegan alternative chocolate spread, but here's some inspiration to get you started:
- Smeared on Bread - Slathered on crusty bread, a bagel, or crackers.
- Chocolate Dip - Dunk your favorite fruit and berries (strawberries are exceptionally good with chocolate and hazelnut!).
- Frosting & Filling Cakes - Smear it on Vegan Cupcakes, Brownies, or swirl it on top of Cakes.
- Breakfast - Smother your Vegan Pancakes, crepes, or waffles with chocolatey goodness. It's also a wonderful addition to smoothies, overnight oats, and oatmeal.
📝 Recipe Tips
Be gentle and methodical about melting your chocolate. Using a bain marie is the best way to ensure that the delicate chocolate doesn’t scorch or seize. Place a heat-proof bowl or pot on top of another pot filled with simmering water. Make sure the bottom of the stacked bowl or pot doesn’t touch the boiling water. Also, make sure to chop your chocolate into fine pieces to help the melting process move more quickly. Note that chocolate chips are more likely to hold their shape, so you’ll need to stir more vigorously to get them nice and smooth.
Scrape down the sides of the food processor for perfect emulsion. You want everything to be uniformly combined and totally smooth.
Understand how temperature affects consistency and texture. If you want to be able to drizzle your homemade hazelnut chocolate spread, it’s best at room temperature. If, however, you prefer to spread it thick like regular nut butter, keep it refrigerated.
Use good quality nut butter or even better - make your own hazelnut butter! Nothing quite beats that deep toasted hazelnut flavor from roasting them in the oven.
💬 FAQs
It doesn’t need to be refrigerated, per se, but I do recommend it for a longer shelf life. If you keep this vegan nutella alternative at room temp, it will have a softer, more viscous consistency. That said, it’ll only last for about 3 days.
I recommend keeping it in the fridge, where it will last upwards of a week. Not to worry if you prefer that softer consistency, though — simply let it sit out at room temp for about an hour to shake off the chill of the refrigerator!
Brand-name Nutella is made with dairy, making it unacceptable for vegans.
While calling this a healthy nutella alternative might be a bit of a stretch, I’d certainly consider it to be a *healthier* chocolate hazelnut spread insofar as there are no hydrogenated oils, no preservatives, and no artificial flavors to be seen. Instead, this 6-ingredient lactose-free Nutella is made with only real, easy-to-pronounce ingredients.
You can actually make a version of this vegan nutella without hazelnuts by swapping in peanut butter, almond butter, cashew butter, pistachio butter, or another nut butter of your fancy.
You can even opt for nut-free nutella spread by swapping in sunflower seed butter.
🌰 More Chocolate Hazelnut Recipes
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📖 Recipe
Vegan Nutella (Hazelnut Spread)
Ingredients
- 100 g (3.5 oz) vegan dark chocolate
- 150 g (⅓ cup) hazelnut butter
- 150 g (⅓ cup) coconut cream or full-fat canned coconut milk, *see notes 1+2
- 60 g (½ cup) confectioners sugar (powdered sugar/icing sugar) or maple syrup *see note 3
- 2 teaspoons vanilla bean paste or vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
Instructions
- Finely chop the chocolate and add it to a heat-resistant bowl. Place the bowl on top of a saucepan that is about ¼ ways filled with simmering water (bain-marie). Stir the chocolate with a rubber spatula every so often to melt it evenly.
- Add all of the ingredients to a high-speed blender or food processor and blend for a couple of minutes until smooth and creamy.
- Transfer the chocolate spread to airtight jars or a container and refrigerate for a couple of hours before serving for a thick spread consistency. Alternatively, you can serve it immediately at room temperature for a drizzleable more viscous consistency.
- Storage: Store it in an airtight jar or container in the refrigerator. It will keep well in the fridge for a week or so, and at room temperature for 3 days. For the best consistency and to lengthen the shelf life of your vegan chocolate spread, I recommend storing it in the fridge and taking it out to sit at room temperature for about an hour before serving.
Video
Notes
- Coconut Cream : Pure coconut cream (not sweetened cream of coconut).
- Coconut Milk: Grab a can of full-fat coconut milk, chill it, and only use the thick part that floats to the top of the can.
- Sugar: You’re also welcome to use pure maple syrup (or even agave) instead for a refined sugar-free version, though the consistency will be a bit looser.
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