Homemade Hazelnut Spread: A Gluten-Free & Vegan Nutella Alternative
Hazelnutty, chocolatey, and sweet. This recipe is gluten-free and vegan friendly. It uses sustainable ingredients that you likely already have in your pantry. If you don’t have or can’t eat hazelnuts, you can substitute with any nut or seed. After eating this, you may decide the store-bought version is history.
Ingredients
- 170 g (1¼ cup) whole, raw, unsalted hazelnuts
- 120 g (1 cup) powdered sugar
- 45 g (½ cup) cocoa or cacao powder
- 40 g (3 tbsp) oil (hazelnut or neutral like canola or avocado) may need another ½-1 tbsp
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 1 g (¼ tsp) salt
Instructions
- Preheat the oven (or toaster oven) to 350°F (177°C). Spread nuts in a single layer on a dry baking sheet or roasting pan. Roast them for 6-10 minutes. Check at 6 minutes to ensure they aren’t burning. Remove them when they turn brown and smell roasted.
- Add the warm nuts to a food processor or blender and blend until the nuts are smooth and creamy. You’ll see them go through several stages: crumbly, powdery, a thick paste (clumpy ball) and finally smooth. Continue to blend through all the stages until you reach a smooth, very creamy (peanut butter) consistency. This will take several minutes (8-10 total). Stop the machine periodically and scrape down the sides of the bowl.
- To the creamy hazelnut mixture, add all remaining ingredients to include powdered sugar, cocoa powder, 3 tbsp oil, vanilla, and salt.
- Blend again until the mixture is smooth and creamy like peanut butter. The mixture will return to the dry crumbly stage. Continue to blend through the stages until the mixture returns to the creamy stage. If not, after a couple of minutes, add another ½ to 1 tbsp of oil. The machine will be warm, thus heating the mixture making it scoopable, almost pourable. Once the mixture cools, it will thicken.
- Scoop the mixture into a jar or container and cover with a lid. Store in the refrigerator for up to a week or so.
Video
Notes
-If you can’t find hazelnuts (I purchase mine from Amazon), you can sub with any nut or mix of nuts. I’ve made this recipe with almonds, and they work great, too. Just remember that whatever nut you use, that will be the nut you taste, so it will no longer be a hazelnut spread.
-If you find the spread too sweet, cut back by half on the sugar and use a ½ cup only.
-Powdered sugar is best. If you use granulated sugar, the mixture will be gritty.
-You could use a liquid sweetener like honey, but the taste might be altered.
-Any cocoa powder will work. I prefer to use cacao powder since it has more health benefits (it contains the whole cocoa bean and is stronger in flavor).