Thursday, July 7, 2011

Chocolate Hazelnut Spread (homemade Nutella)
dairy-free


Slowly but surely I replace my old favorite store-bought items with new homemade healthier ones. I haven't had Nutella in years. I first had it on a crepe in Rome. Sigh. When I returned to Pennsylvania, where I lived at the time, I began buying it in the store. I look at Nutella ingredients now and I know I have to make it myself.

Making my own chocolate hazelnut spread was so simple and fast, I can't believe I haven't done it sooner :-)

Chocolate Hazelnut Spread:

Toast 1.5 cups of hazelnuts at 350 degrees for about 15 minutes.

While they're toasting, heat in a small pan:
1 & 1/2 cups coconut milk (I use canned)
1/2 cup coconut sugar, which is low glycemic index and unrefined (another sugar would also work)
1/8 tsp sea salt

When the sugar is melted remove it from the heat.

Meanwhile, melt over double boiler:
3 bars (3.2 oz each) of dark chocolate (I use Chocolove 70%)

Remove the toasted hazelnuts from the oven.
Transfer them to a clean dry kitchen towel.
Rub the hazelnuts in the towel to remove as much of the skin as possible.
Add them to your food processor:


Puree till the hazelnuts are very fine:


Add the melted chocolate bars.
Puree till creamy and smooth (about two minutes).
Then, while still pureeing add the milk mixture.
Puree till smooth:


Store in the refrigerator. Also freezes well.
Makes 3 small mason jars of chocolate hazelnut spread.

♥, Kelly

Have questions? See my FAQ page here.

72 comments:

C Yocheved said...

This looks awesome. Please keep us updated as to how it freezes and how long it lasts! I can't wait to make this one..

Brandon said...

I've never had Nutella before in my life, but I'm sure I won't be missing out on anything w/ this recipe. Thank you Kelly!

Anonymous said...

how much chocolate does that work out to be? I am not familiar with those bars...so how many ounces approximately? Thanks

ChefJulia said...

I am not sure how long this will last because it will all be eaten-fast! :) YUM!

Emily said...

This. Looks. Amazing.

You have no idea how much I miss nutella!!

Lauren @ Healthy Food For Living said...

Fantastic! I fell in love with Nutella on a trip to Paris back in high school, but I can't bring myself to ingest some of those ingredients nowadays. Your homemade version looks great, and I will definitely have to make it!

Sarah said...

So excited to try this! Thank you for sharing this :)

Kelly said...

Thanks guys!

They are 3.2 oz bars.

Naomi said...

This looks so good!! I've never eaten Nutella, but I have had the Justin's all natural chocolate hazelnut spread, and it is super good, but yours looks better!! Can't wait to try it!

gfe--gluten free easily said...

I love the taste of Nutella, but it is SO far from healthy. Your spread looks fabulous, Kelly. And so easy to make, too! :-)

Thanks so much, dear! xo,
Shirley

BlessedWife&Mommy said...

Wow, this looks so good. Thank you for sharing!

Becca said...

You are a genius! I have not had much Nutella in my life, because I honestly was not a big fan of it, but this recipe looks delicious! What would you use the spread for?! Would love to hear ideas.

kelly said...

You are really a genius Kelly! I eat Justin's chocolate hazelnut butter like it's my job;) I've been telling my husband that I wanted to try to replicate it some time and now I don't have to! I won't have to worry about freezing it in our house;)Thanks so much.

Lori @ Laurel of Leaves said...

Holy. Cow. I was introduced to Nutella in college when my roommate brought back a Costco sized jar from Christmas vacation. I can't wait to make my own healthy version!!

Sunshine Mama said...

Thank you, thank you! My son can't do processed sugar, and him and I both need to avoid dairy, so my kids have never had nutella in their whole lives (though they are just 4 and 5). I can't wait to make this, they are going to love me! lol

Kelly said...

Becca, It's great with just sliced apples, but you can put it on crepes, cupcakes or toast too :-)

Toucan Scraps said...

welldone, looks good

Laurie said...

Becca- you can put it on a spoon! :-) I'm currently in a 30 day Paleo challenge but I can promise you once those 30 days are over, I will be making this. Yum!

Ricki said...

Fabulous! I really love the coconut milk in there (instead of oil). And even if it does freeze well, I'm sure it wouldn't last that long around here! ;)

Leanne @ Healthful Pursuit said...

Wow, looks delicious, Kelly! I tried my hand at a banana version of nutella and was pretty happy with the outcome. I used a base of raw almonds, chocolate, and mashed banana. It was delicious!

SunnyB said...

Oh my. I am making this. As soon as I find hazelnuts. Where do you get yours?

Sarah C said...

Oh my gosh I love your blog! Thank you so much. I have been a vegetarian for 7 years, but about 5 years ago I had took a medicine that caused gal bladder disease and ever since I have become increasingly more allergic to soy, gluten and basically anything prepackaged or "normal"(I was already allergic to dairy products). I have been trying to eat gluten free and it has really helped. Thank you so much for all your yummy recipes and tips, what a blessing.

Anonymous said...

You are such a lifesaver!! My oldest has been begging for Nutella, which he can't have due to being GFCF. This is perfect. God bless you!

Anonymous said...

you can do this paleo if you cut out the sweeteners and use Stevia instead.

Anonymous said...

I can't wait to try this! I wonder if the jars could be processed in the canner and the spread preserved?

peterbronski said...

Gorgeous! Looks (and sounds) yummy! Definitely one we're going to have to try in the Bronski house! =)

Cheers, Pete

ReikoNemo said...

I make homemade Nutella by blending roasted hazelnuts with 70% dark chocolate chips (the 365 brand). No recipe, just blend 1 cup of hazelnuts in the food processor and then add as much dark chocolate as you see fit. Keep going til it's creamy :)

Nicolette @ Momnivore's Dilemma said...

Thank you from the bottom of my heart. As an Italian...what I miss most is Nutella! Once in NYC, I had a crepe at a little restaurant called The Crooked Tree, smothered with Nutella and Bananas...and now I can make that decadent treat for my sons...

Drew Parisi said...

Thank you! My cyclist friends love Nutella for a sugar-filled energy boost. Glad to find something I can recommend as a substitute!

Drew Parisi said...

Thank you! My cyclist friends love Nutella for a sugar-filled energy boost. Glad to have something to recommend as a substitute!

Anonymous said...

I have a question... what about the sugar content in the chocolate bars? They have added sugar to the tune of 8g per 1/3 bar, so that's a lot of added refined sugar! That makes it 72 grams for the whole batch.

Kelly said...

Anonymous, Three of those bars contain about 7 tablespoons of sugar (a little more than 2 tablespoons in each bar), and the recipe makes almost 3 cups of spread. We had to freeze one cup because it made so much. You could use cocoa powder in place of the bars to cut back on the sugar, but I'm not sure how much cocoa powder you would need. Maybe I'll try it with cocoa powder next time, or let me know if you try it first. You could also substitute stevia and more coconut milk for the honey/coconut sugar. Hope that helps.

Melissa French said...

I did the math on the cost per serving for homemade versus commercial. Despite using ingredients I don't have on hand like coconut sugar, and the "good stuff" artisan chocolate, homemade is cheaper per ounce.

1 1/2 lb hazelnuts = $7.49/lb bulk = $11.24
1 1/2 cups coconut milk = 13.5 oz can $1.49
1/4 cup honey = 48 oz $8.32 = $0.34
1/4 cup coconut palm sugar = 17.6 oz $4.69 = $0.54
1/8 tsp sea salt = 14.5 oz $1.99 = $0.01
3 bars (3.2 oz each) of dark chocolate = 9.6 oz = 9.7 oz artisan chocolate $7.99

homemade nutella total $21.61
3 quart mason jars = 96 oz = $0.23/oz
canned nutella = 13 oz $3.69 = $0.29/oz

Shannon said...

Didn't she say this made 3 pints? Not quarts!

Anonymous said...

First spread Nutella on toast, cookie or a cracker and then spread Peanutbutter on top. Do the Nutella first so the rest of it won't taste like PB

The Greening Of Westford said...

This looks great. I have made my own before and my children love mine better than the store bought. The other recipes I have seen use oil, which I am not crazy about. I like that yours has coconut milk. I also made it once substituting almonds instead of hazelnuts. The taste is different, but still delicious. Plus hazelnuts are not that easy for me to find, but almonds are everywhere!

Lesley said...

Would like to make this and would like to print the recipe. But it runs to 6 pages - too much paper.

betty said...

this look amazing! thanks for sharing the recipe :)

Katy said...

I've never actually had Nutella, but I've been dying to try the Justin's spread. I've steered away because it only comes in expensive little packets near me. I cannot wait to try making it myself! Thanks.

Amanda said...

We liked this so much over at Copycat Crafts that we have decided to feature it today! You can view it here
http://www.copycatcrafts.com/homemade-nutella-spread/

We'd love it if you'd like to display a featured button! You can grab your button on the right hand side of your post. Thanks!

Anonymous said...

Can we use brown sugar or processed sugar instead of coconut sugar?

Anonymous said...

can we use brown sugar instead of coconut sugar?

Heidi Ho said...

I made this--it is DELICIOUS!! However, must I refrigerate it to get it thicker? I only had two 4 oz. bars chocolate and a leftover bar with about 1.8 oz. Maybe together they were too liquidy when melted? Also, a small fraction of the coconut milk was "lite"--maybe that was the issue? If it ends up not getting thicker, I will just use it to dip fruit and possibly some blanched nuts.

I have already forwarded this recipes--and will recommend to all! I love your books, too. Thanks for paving the way for us so we don't have to re-invent the wheel, but instead get to reap the rewards of your hard work! :)

kah said...

Kelly, have you ever substituted honey with coconut nectar in this or any of your recipes? I'm in the process of making this right now! I was going to try it with the nectar but didn't find it until I had already used honey - oh, well. :)

Coconut nectar does have a different taste... and it seems like it could be a great lower-GI alternative!

Gillard family blog said...

what is coconut sugar, never heard of it in New Zealand.

Gillard family blog said...

What is coconut sugar, never heard of it in New Zealand

littlecindy said...

It's not hazelnuts and not quite like nutella, but a decent store bought healthy alternative is dark chocolate peanut butter dreams peanut butter.

jzylker said...

I don't own a food processor. Do you think I could get away with using a blender instead?

Jeanie said...

Oh my Kelly, I want some of this! That looks so delish and what a lovely gift for someone!
From the looks of all those comments, you could have people fighting over it! lol

karlamcurry said...

This looks so good! I love Nutella, but not the ingredients, and other homemade versions still didn't fit the bill. This looks like the one! I'm curious to try the coconut palm sugar; I currently use Rapadura and wonder how they compare.

Anonymous said...

This is a wonderful recipe -- except I think Raw Cacao would be the better choice than chocolate bars or chocolate chips. It's just raw cocoa powder and so wonderful for nutrients, like polyphenols. A bit more sweetener might be needed.

Anonymous said...

A friend of mine bought a totally raw version of Nutella - cost $14.50 for about 4 oz.!! It was so hard it was almost impossible to get out of the jar. Following Kelly's recipe, we put it in a VitaMix and added coconut milk (the ingreidents were only the nuts, raw cocao and honey). With the coconut milk, it was perfect! Spread easily. And those asking about different sweeteners, Kelly's recipe says other sweeteners can be used!

Nancy said...

Kel, do U soak and toast the nuts before hand?

mrsluckypants said...

I made this today and it didn't turn out. I am reading the comments trying to figure out what I did wrong, but not seeing anything similar. I followed the recipe to the letter except I couldn't find chocolove chocolate so I used Endangered Species Extreme Dark Chocolate 88%. Is the recipe correct in that it calls for 3 - 3.2 oz bars or a total of 9.6 oz of chocolate? That is what I used and it was very bitter. I added another 1/2 cup of coconut sugar to it and unfortunately it did not improve the flavor. I assume it's just the chocolate that I used and it seems like too much dark chocolate to me. I does make quite a bit and I was hoping to use it for gifts, but I will have to experiment a little and try it for Valentines Day gifts instead. Thanks for the inspiration and please let me know if you have any thoughts or suggestions.

Kelly said...

Nancy, No - don't soak them.

Mrs. Lucky Pants, That is a much darker chocolate bar than the 70% I recommend.

Anonymous said...

I'm confused. It says dairy free but isn't there dairy in the cho plate bars?

Anonymous said...

I'm confused- don't the chocolate bars have dairy?

Ronnda said...

I received a Vitamix for Christmas. Can I use it to make this? =)
Thanks!
Ronnda

marciap said...

We made this today and it is wonderful, not nearly as sticky sweet as Nutella. My question is why does it need refrigeration, perhaps the coconut milk?

Erica said...

Oh, man, I can't wait to make this! I'm trying to decide if I want to try using coconut oil or even cacao butter in place of coconut milk...I do know that I'll be using cacao powder or this chocolate recipe instead of the bars: http://gapsdietjourney.com/2011/09/recipe-make-your-own-chocolate-gaps-friendly/

Thanks for the great recipe!

Mary@FitandFed said...

Hi Kelly,

Thanks for the inspiration! I adapted your recipe and blogged about it with a couple of links back to Spunky Coconut. I used DuChilly hazelnuts, which don't need the skins off, along with TJ's Pound Plus Dark Chocolate, a little less sugar (Sucanat) and the coconut milk. The result was heavenly spread on French toast with sliced bananas on top!

Mary@FitandFed said...

P.S. I can confirm that the homemade nutella freezes beautifully!

Anonymous said...

Becca asked what to do with it, sometimes I just add some nuts to it in the jar and spoon them out. Yum. It is my chocolate fix. Can't wait to make this, I quit eating it because of the ingredients in the original.
Thank you so much.
Jan

MaggieS said...

Love your site! I also love chocolate but am allergic to it. Do you ever use carob? I am substituting it for my hot cocoa. It's not chocolate but it's not bad...may try your nutella this way. Very dark chocolate is also the same as drinking expresso for me...get jittery.

MaggieS said...

Love your site! I also love chocolate but am allergic to it. Do you ever use carob? I am substituting it for my hot cocoa. It's not chocolate but it's not bad...may try your nutella this way. Very dark chocolate is also the same as drinking expresso for me...get jittery.

Cara Phillipo said...

super excited to make this!
sounds like a nice gift idea too.

AMP said...

Have you ever checked out Jem Raw Chocolates Chocolate Hazelnut Butter for this recipe...its to die for!:)

http://jemrawchocolate.com/organico/chocolates-and-nut-butters/chocolate-hazelnut-spread-2/

Jessica W. said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Christina said...

Thanks, Kelly! This turned out great! I used a bar of Trader Joe's 85% chocolate (3.5oz) and weighed out the rest in 60% chocolate chips. Then I made it a bit easier by heating the coconut milk, sugar (I used sucanat) and chocolate all together on low. It worked great! I might add some almonds too next time to make it a bit more like the Justin nut butter we're used to eating.

Anonymous said...

I can't wait to make this! I am planning to put in mason jars, but am wondering if I have to go through the whole canning process (boiling in water bath)? I am also planning to ship to family, does it have to be refrigerated or chilled during that time? Thanks!

Jen said...

Hi Kelly,

I really enjoy your website and recipes! Really wonderful all around. I don't comment much, but I wanted to ask you about Chocolove. I also have liked this brand; I like the 70 and also 77%. But I was recently reading an article about chocolate and that often the cocoa butter is replaced with soy lecithin (usually GMO). I guess I wasn't really looking closely, thinking this was a great dark chocolate, but yes, Chocolove contains soy lecithin. I'm wondering if this is any concern for you? I will be looking for other brands because I don't want the soy for a number of reasons and I also want the healthier cocoa butter. I guess you can never be too careful...I just bought some Frontier lemon and maple extract which were on sale, but I got home and noticed the lemon has canola oil as it's first ingredient, and the maple extract contains gluten and soy (yes in small amounts, but still surprising). Well, just wanted to inquire about this. Thanks for all your wonderful recipes and information!

Verda said...

This sounds wonderful. Can't wait to try this recipe. I do have a question. Do you have an internet source for bulk raw nuts. My local Sprouts has almonds, and cashews but they do not carry raw walnuts. Trader Joes has them but way more expensive then in bulk.

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