One of my favorite treats growing up was Nutella. I mean, who doesn't love chocolate and hazelnut, especially in a thick and creamy spread. But regular Nutella contains animal products in the form of milk powder so it's a no-go for vegans.
Enter this homemade vegan nutella recipe. It tastes as good as the real deal, using natural ingredients and without dairy or palm oil.
This chocolate spread is amazing slathered on top of crusty sourdough bread (my favorite way), as ganache topping for vegan desserts, dolloped on dairy-free ice cream, or quite frankly eaten straight from the jar!
Here’s what to expect from this recipe
- Easy to make
- Uses just 7 simple ingredients
- Eggless and dairy-free
- Can be adapted as refined sugar-free
Ingredients needed:
- Dark chocolate: You'll want a good quality dark chocolate or dark chocolate chips for this homemade nutella recipe. I'd recommend using one with at least 70% cocoa content. If you're planning to keep this vegan nutella refined sugar-free, go for sugar-free chocolate, or one sweetened with coconut sugar.
- Hazelnut butter: You can either make this at home using blanched hazelnuts, or you can use store-bought hazelnut butter. Either way, you'll want one that is 100% hazelnuts without any added sugars or oils.
- Coconut milk: Thick canned coconut milk gets super creamy and set when chilled. This makes it perfect for recreating that classic original nutella consistency.
- Cocoa powder: For an intense chocolate flavor use Dutch-processed cocoa powder, or for a more butter natural chocolate flavor you can use raw cacao powder.
- Pure maple syrup: This not only sweetens the vegan nutella, it also helps with the consistency. So don't be tempted to swap it out with granulated sugar. You can use agave syrup in place of maple syrup if preferred.
- Vanilla extract: This adds another layer of flavor to the vegan chocolate spread, as well as enhances the sweetness of the recipe.
- Sea salt: Salt enhances the flavors of desserts and pairs particularly well with chocolate recipes. A good pinch of salt goes a long way in bringing any chocolate recipe to the next level.
How to make the best vegan nutella
(Full ingredient quantities and instructions can be found in the recipe card at the end of this post)
Step 1: Blend the ingredients
The easiest way to make vegan hazelnut spread is to use store-bought hazelnut butter. If you're planning on making your own skip down to the FAQ section at the bottom of this post where I explain how to make hazelnut butter from scratch.
Simply add all of the ingredients apart from the dark chocolate to a high-speed blender or food processor. In this case, that's the hazelnut butter, coconut milk, maple syrup, cocoa powder, vanilla extract, and sea salt. Blend for a few minutes until the ingredients are completely smooth and creamy.
Step 2: Melt the chocolate
I always add melted chocolate separately when blending ingredients as it has a tendency to make the mixture super thick which can put a bit of strain on your blender.
Melt the chocolate over a bain-marie (double boiler) and add it to the blender with the other ingredients.
Step 3: Combine and blend all of the ingredients
Now blend again until the melted chocolate has completely mixed through with the other ingredients in the blender. To get an ultra-smooth vegan chocolate spread, this can take a few minutes, so be patient :).
Step 4: Chill
This is an optional step, as you can enjoy the vegan nutella straight from the blender at room temperature (with a big spoon!). I usually chill the chocolate spread in a jar for a few hours as it will set and become thick and super creamy.
How to make hazelnut butter
If you've never made nut butter from scratch before you'll be surprised at how simply it comes together, and you probably won't want to stop at just this hazelnut butter. So you can find plenty more homemade nut butter recipe inspiration on Bakerita.com.
You can easily make a homemade version of hazelnut butter in just a few steps:
- Roast 1 cup of regular raw hazelnuts at 175ºC for 10 minutes. If you bought skinless hazelnuts you can skip forward to step 3.
- Place the hazelnuts on a clean kitchen towel and rub them vigorously until the skins fall off.
- Add the skinless roasted hazelnuts to a food processor or high-speed blender until they form a smooth butter consistency. This will take anywhere between 10-15 minutes depending on your equipment. Frequently scrape down the edges of the jug using a spatula in between blends.
Storage instructions
Store your homemade nutella 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.
You can enjoy it straight from the fridge for a thick buttery consistency or at room temperature if you prefer a creamier softer spread. 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.
Ways to use dairy-free nutella
- Slathered on crusty bread, a bagel, or crackers
- As a chocolate dip for fruit and berries
- Frosting for vegan cupcakes
- Over vegan pancakes, crepes, or waffles
- To flavor smoothies and oatmeal
- Straight from the jar with a spoon!
Variations
- You can actually make a version of this vegan nutella without hazelnuts by swapping in peanut butter, almond butter, or another nut butter of your fancy.
- To make a nut-free chocolate spread, use sunflower butter or tahini. You can make your own version of seed butter using sunflower seeds or sesame seeds.
Related recipes
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Description
Ingredients
- 100 g (3.53 oz) vegan dark chocolate
- 240 g (1 cup) hazelnut butter, *see recipe notes for homemade version
- 280 g (9.88 oz) full-fat canned coconut milk, or coconut cream, *see recipe notes
- 120 ml (0.5 cups) pure maple syrup
- 30 g (⅓ cup) unsweetened Dutch-processed cocoa powder, or raw cacao powder
- 2 teaspoons (2 teaspoons) vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon (1 teaspoon) sea salt
Instructions
- If making your own hazelnut butter, see the recipe notes at the end of the recipe card.
- 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 the hazelnut butter, coconut milk, maple syrup, cocoa powder, vanilla extract, and salt to a high-speed blender or food processor and blend for a couple of minutes until smooth and creamy.
- Add the melted chocolate to the blender and blend again for a few minutes until you have a thick and creamy spread.
- 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 creamy spread.
Storage instructions
- Store your homemade nutella 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
- Chilled coconut milk: Refrigerate the cans of coconut milk overnight, then use only the thick cream from the top of the can. This recipe will use between 1-2 x 400ml cans of coconut milk, depending on which brand you use as they all yield varying amounts of cream.
- How to make hazelnut butter Roast 1 cup of hazelnuts at 175ºC for 10 minutes. Place the hazelnuts on a clean towel and rub them vigorously until the skins fall off. Add the skinless hazelnuts to a food processor or high-speed blender until they form a smooth butter consistency. This will take anywhere between 10-15 minutes depending on your equipment. Frequently scrape down the edges of the jug using a spatula in between blends.
Nutrition
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