Make your own vegan Nutella! This vegan chocolate hazelnut butter is super easy to whip up. Watch out, because it’s seriously addictive!
I might be bursting a few bubbles with this announcement: Nutella is not vegan. Womp womp womp.
Unfortunately, Nutella is made with milk. But that doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy some homemade vegan chocolate hazelnut butter. It’s actually pretty easy to make.
What You’ll Need
- Hazelnuts. Be sure to use hazelnuts that are roasted and peeled.
- Cocoa powder. Make sure it’s unsweetened.
- Maple syrup. Agave works too.
- Vanilla extract.
- Salt.
- Non-dairy milk. Anything unsweetened and unflavored will work. I used Almond Breeze.
Using roasted and peeled hazelnuts is key! Roasted hazelnuts have the best flavor, and peeled hazelnuts lack skins that could get in the way of your silky smooth hazelnut butter.
I was able to find roasted and peeled hazelnuts pretty easily online. If you can’t, use this tutorial to roast and peel them yourself. (But be warned: it’s a bit of work!)
How to Make Vegan Nutella
Grab a food processor and fit it with the s-blade. Now add your hazelnuts. We’re going to blend them first.
Let the machine run for a few minutes, stopping to scrape down the sides every so often. You don’t need to get the mixture perfectly smooth at this point — in fact, you probably wont be able to do so until you’ve added the rest of your ingredients.
The blending time will vary depending on how powerful your machine is. Most food processors will take a few minutes, at least.
Tip: Let your machine rest a bit every couple of minutes, especially if it’s not super powerful. You don’t want to burn up the motor!
Once your nuts are blended to a paste, add cocoa, maple syrup, vanilla and salt. Start the machine again.
Let it go for a bit, and start drizzling in non-dairy milk. Continue blending until the mixture is pretty smooth, drizzling in as much milk as you need (I used 1/3 cup).
Depending on your blending device, the mixture may not get perfectly smooth.
I’m using a mid-grade Cuisinart, and as you can see, it’s got a little bit of texture, which I actually enjoy! The only way to get your vegan Nutella completely smooth is to use a high-powered device.
Once you’re happy with the consistency of your hazelnut butter, taste it. You can add some more maple syrup if you’d like it a bit sweeter.
Eat your vegan Nutella on fresh fruit, spread it on pancakes, or dig in with a spoon!
Vegan Nutella Tips & FAQ
- Do the hazelnuts absolutely need to be roasted and peeled? Yup! This is key to getting the flavor and texture right. If you can’t find them, just roast and peel them yourself.
- Is this recipe gluten-free? It sure is!
- Storage & shelf life: Homemade vegan hazelnut butter will keep in a sealed container at room temperature for about 2 days, in the fridge for about 2 weeks, or in the freezer for about 3 months.
- This recipe makes a big batch! You’ll get about 2 cups. I don’t recommend scaling down the batch size unless you have a very small blending device.
- Serving ideas! I love snacking on this stuff on strawberries and pretzels. It’s also excellent for breakfast on toast, pancakes, waffles, or French toast. And yes, sometimes I just eat it by the spoonful.
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Vegan Nutella
Make your own vegan Nutella! This vegan chocolate hazelnut spread is super easy to whip up. Watch out, because it's seriously addictive!
Ingredients
- 2 cups roasted and peeled hazelnuts*
- 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1/3 cup maple syrup (or to taste)
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/3 cup unflavored non-dairy milk (or as needed)
Instructions
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Place the hazelnuts into the bowl of a food processor fitted with an s-blade. Blend them to a thick paste, stopping to scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed.
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Add the cocoa powder, maple syrup, vanilla and salt.
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Begin blending the ingredients again. Slowly drizzle in non-dairy milk as needed.
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Blend the mixture until smooth, which can take a few minutes, adding add as much milk as you need to reach your desired consistency. Turn the machine off and let it rest a bit every few minutes as needed to avoid overheating.
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Taste-test the mixture and add extra maple syrup or salt if desired.
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Serve.
Recipe Notes
*If you can’t find hazelnuts that are roasted and peeled, you can roast and peel them yourself using this method.
It has the consistency of fudge
What’s the yield for this recipe?
It makes about 1 cup.
It’s perfect! I used half cocoa powder and half dark cocoa powder because I like dark chocolate.
How should I store this? Will it harden too much in the fridge?
I recommend storing it in the fridge, though it will harden. It should be good for a couple of weeks if you do refrigerate it. I usually soften mine up by placing the jar in a warm water bath.
Mmmh, your pictures make me swoon – and want to grab a spoon! I’ve made chocolate hazelnut butter before but using coconut sugar instead of maple syrup because my sister tried that and it unfortunately turned into a thick and crumbly paste. Using sugar instead also makes it shelf-stable for a looong time, just having to stir in the oil again from time to time.