After spending way too many hours trying to make healthy homemade Nutella, I need to give you some feedback. If you really want Nutella that resembles the real thing, you will need to add a lot of processed ingredients like sugar, condensed milk, milk chocolate, etc. Sure, it will be made with love (and without palm oil) and the result will come somewhere close to the manufactured kind, but that’s not what you are getting here because I want to make Nutella I can eat many times a week without worrying about sugar, cholesterol, etc.
Now, if you are ok with eating Nutella that tastes like a rich dark chocolate nut butter that you can spread on toast, crepes or waffles – or eat by the spoonful – then this is the recipe. It’s very healthy because it is actually made from 90% hazelnuts and dark cacao, which both have a ton of health benefits. Worry not, it is also delicious and decadent tasting. You can dial the sweetness up or down depending on your taste.
Note: Blending nut butter is always a bit tricky – so here is a video where I talk about making crepes as I blend my Nutella sporadically in the background – you will see what I mean, just fast-forward to the 4-minute mark.
Ingredients
- 3 cup hazelnuts
- 1/2 tsp sea salt
- 1/4 to 1/3 cup dark unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1/4 cup coconut sugar (there is a maple syrup option too – explained in notes)
Instructions
- Heat oven to 175C and toast the hazelnuts for 15 minutes. Let cool slightly and take the peels off as much as you can by rubbing them with your hands. If some stay on, it’s ok.
- Blend the warm hazelnuts and salt in a food processor until you get a smooth paste. A silky smooth paste. TIn order to do this, I use my Vitamix and blend on low (2 or 3) for 30-45 seconds, stop and shake the mixture around. Then repeat 5-8 times until it is smooth. At first, you may think it is going nowhere but keep at it. Don’t overheat your blender, make sure to turn it off after 30-45 seconds of mixing. You can use the plunger or a spoon to toss the hazelnut powder around – I just bang it against the counter and shake it, it is up to you. Once it turns into a smooth paste, you won’t need to bang, shake or use the plunger or spoon.
- Once it is smooth, add the cocoa powder and blitz once more
- Add coconut sugar and blitz again for 30 seconds or so (see note below)
- Pour into an airtight container and store in the fridge or cupboard
Note: If you want to have a more even sweetness, you can replace the coconut sugar with maple syrup. BUT only add at the very end and mix it for 10 seconds otherwise the texture of the spread may change slightly.
