Homemade Vegan Nutella

This homemade vegan chocolate hazelnut spread is toasty, rich, and best of all–easy to make! It looks like silky melted chocolate, with a sweet taste that is perfectly balanced by the flavor of savory hazelnut. 

I’m a nut butter fanatic. Salty almond butter, creamy peanut butter, sunflower seed butter, and don’t forget my homemade maple peanut butter and cashew butter–my idea of a well-stocked pantry contains at least a few of these creamy, dreamy spreads. 

Nutella, or chocolate hazelnut butter, is on my must have list too. Seeing as the big brand, store bought Nutella contains milk powder, it’s off the shopping list and into the vegan recipe book! 

It’s velvety, versatile, and made with just 6 whole food ingredients. Plus, by making it at home, you can control the proportions and adjust the sweetness to your liking. Homemade vegan nutella here we come! 

Vegan Nutella Ingredients

• Raw hazelnuts – Also known as filberts, hazelnuts are the key ingredient in any homemade nutella. Choose raw, unsalted hazelnuts as we will be roasting them ourselves, as well as adding salt to the finished product. 
• Dark cane sugar – Using a dark brown sugar will add a deeper, more complex flavor to your nutella. Make sure to choose a vegan sugar brand, as not all sugar products are. Organic sugars are typically vegan as well.
• Unsweetened cocoa powder – Gives your homemade vegan Nutella its deep, dark chocolate flavor! Make sure to choose a pure cocoa powder that is free from dairy ingredients or additives and sift it to remove any lumps before adding it to your hazelnut butter. 
• Coconut oil – Helps to give your vegan chocolate spread a silky smooth texture and characteristically shiny appearance. 
• Vanilla extract – A standard addition to most chocolate flavored dishes and desserts. Rather than making the dish taste like vanilla, the contrast actually makes the cocoa taste all that much more chocolatey.
• Salt – Accentuates the nutty flavor of the hazelnuts as well as enhances the natural richness of the cocoa. 

How to Make Vegan Nutella

1. Preheat and prep. Preheat your oven to 350°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Arrange whole, raw hazelnuts in a single layer. 
2. Roast. Roast the hazelnuts in the preheated oven for about 10 minutes. You can see in my photo the way the dark outer skins start to crack and flake–that’s what we’re looking for! 
3. Remove skins. Wet a dish towel and wring it out as best you can, then place it flat on your work surface. Dump all the roasted hazelnuts into the damp dish towel, then fold the dish towel over the hazelnuts and rub firmly and quickly, back and forth. The friction of the damp towel and the motion will work together to peel most of the thin shells away from the nuts. 
4. Pick through. Hand-pick through the hazelnuts, removing any stubborn ones that may still be holding tight to their shells. If some of the nuts still have small bits of shell attached to them, don’t worry, they’re just fine to use! Transfer the peeled (and mostly peeled) hazelnuts to the food processor.

5. Blend. Process the hazelnuts for about 5 minutes, allowing the machine to rest (so as to cool the motor) about every 30 seconds or so. You will see the hazelnuts start to clump together around the blades and then turn into a smooth paste.  
6. Add remaining ingredients. Add all of the remaining ingredients: dark cane sugar, cocoa powder, coconut oil, vanilla extract, and salt. 
7. Blend again. Continue blending until the mixture becomes cohesive, silky, and smooth. Stop the machine and scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed to make sure all of the ingredients are integrating evenly. 
8. Serve! Enjoy your homemade vegan nutella however you like it–as a dip, spread on a slice of toast, as an ingredient in your favorite dessert, or as a vegan crepe filling!

Watch Us Make Vegan Nutella

How to Store 

At Room Temperature. It’s best to store homemade vegan Nutella in an airtight container at room temperature. Avoid exposing it to direct sunlight or extreme temperatures.

Freezing. I would not suggest freezing vegan Nutella because it may affect its texture and cause separation.