DIY: Homemade Nutella
Last year, I made the confession of all confessions. I was on the fence about Nutella, and while I was enamored with some Nutella cookies that I made, I still wasn’t completely sold. I haven’t been able to put my finger on it, but it just wasn’t living up to the high expectations that the foodie world had set for it. When I first started flipping through my new favorite DIY cookbook last year and marking recipes to try, the homemade chocolate-hazelnut spread didn’t set the world on fire for me. It wasn’t until a few weeks ago when I revisited the book that I took a second glance at the recipe. The rest, as they say, is history.
In the recipe headnote, it mentioned that commercial chocolate-hazelnut spreads often lack real nut flavor and can taste plasticky. Yes, that! Since it seemed like they were speaking my language, I decided that if anything might change my mind, it would be this homemade version. Turns out, I was right. I haven’t been able to put the spoon down since this finished churning in my food processor!
In addition to being one of the easiest recipes you’re likely to find, it has officially changed my mind when it comes to the chocolate-hazelnut spread phenomenon. Maybe it has to do with actually making it myself, but the flavor truly cannot be beat. The nut flavor comes bursting through and the chocolate gives it such depth. I guess this in line with the notion that if kids help make a meal they are more likely to eat it ;-)
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Eat it, I did! I ate quite a few spoonfuls before I decided I should probably try it on something else. As it turns out, graham crackers and apples are both perfect companions for your homemade Nutella. As are about a million other things, I’m sure! I can’t wait to break out the tub of pretzel rods with this jar.
Since I gave up peanut butter for Lent, I may have just found myself a very worthy substitute for the next 38 days. My grandma used to pull the one-two punch – layering peanut butter then Nutella on her morning toast. Such a trendsetter, she was! I only wish she were here to taste this homemade version. I have no doubt she would love it and gobble it up as quickly as I could make it.
I have learned a very valuable lesson here. If I don’t care much for a packaged product, give it a homemade whirl before totally dismissing it. As it turns out, the concept is phenomenal, and this recipe’s execution makes it absolutely perfect. I’m so thrilled to finally jump on the chocolate-hazelnut train!
One year ago: Salted Caramel Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars and Creamy Tomato-Basil Soup
Two years ago: White Chocolate Coconut Brownies
Three years ago: Espresso Ice Cream
Four years ago: Italian Walnut Pillow Cookies
Six years ago: Maple-Hazelnut Oatmeal
Homemade Nutella Spread
Ingredients
- 2 cups (240 g) shelled hazelnuts, (8 ounces)
- 1 cup (120 g) powdered sugar
- ⅓ cup (28.67 g) Dutch-processed cocoa powder
- 2 tablespoons hazelnut oil
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ⅛ teaspoon (0.13 teaspoon) salt
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Spread the hazelnuts out on a single layer on a rimmed baking sheet and roast until dark brown and fragrant, 12 to 15 minutes, rotating the baking sheet halfway through baking. Keep a close eye on them, as they can go from perfect roasted to burnt in a short amount of time. Transfer the hazelnuts to a medium-sized bowl.
- Once the hazelnuts are cool enough to handle, place a second bowl upside-down on top of the bowl with the hazelnuts. Shake vigorously for about 30 seconds to remove the skins of the hazelnuts. It may take a few times to get all of the skins off; each time, remove the hazelnuts that have lost their skin to the bowl of a food processor, then continue shaking.
- Process the hazelnuts in a food processor until their oil is released and they form a smooth, loose paste, 2 to 5 minutes, scraping down the bowl often.
- Add the powdered sugar, cocoa powder, hazelnut oil, vanilla extract and salt and process until fully incorporated, scraping the bowl as needed, about 2 minutes. The mixture will loosen and become glossy. Transfer the spread to a jar with a tight-fitting lid or an airtight container. You can store it in the refrigerator or at room temperature for up to 1 month.
Notes
- If you want to do away with having to remove the hazelnut skins, you could purchase blanched hazelnuts, which I might try next time.
- I was not able to find hazelnut oil at any local grocery stores (including Whole Foods), so I ended up ordering it from Nuts.com. You could substitute walnut oil or vegetable oil, but the hazelnut oil really helps give the spread a silky smooth texture.
- You can substitute regular unsweetened cocoa powder for the Dutch-processed cocoa powder.
Did you make this recipe?
Leave a review below, then snap a picture and tag @thebrowneyedbaker on Instagram so I can see it!
Want to to try this recipe out but was just confused on the amount of hazelnuts you used. In the recipe is says 2 cups (8oz) but 2 cups is 16oz? Don’t want to have the proportions off can you please just clarify what the amount should be to follow the rest of the recipe. Thanks sooo much
Hi Tina, Unfortunately, the universal 8 ounces = 1 cup is a misunderstanding. This is true for liquid measurements like water and milk, but solid ingredients all have different volumes, and therefore 1 cup of flour certainly does not weight the same as 1 cup of peanut butter, for example. In this instance 2 cups of hazelnuts should weight about 16 ounces.
Erm… hi!
I know I’m drudging up an old post, but I just wanted to say… I posted a blog post about your recipe and included nutrition facts! I first made it a week ago and enjoyed it very much, but it also disappeared at the party quite quickly. Hopefully, once I get my hands on my own processor (I used a friend’s before), I’ll be making quite a bit more… :D
Hi! Could I replace the food processor needed in this recipe to a magic bullet? Or, does this recipe only work with a food processor? Thanks!
Hi Victoria, I am not familiar with a Magic Bullet. If it functions the same way as a food processor, then yes. However, if it’s more like a blender, then it would not work.
Oh, darn. It’s a personal blender. =( It does have three different blades that I could use with it. But, you highly suggest I use a food processor?
I definitely would.
Okay, thank you so much!
Oh my gosh, this is a recipe to kill for!!!
I made it with almonds since I did not have hazelnuts at home and it still turned out very good. Had to add a bit more oil and water to make it into a spread because my magic bullet did not have enough power to shred the almonds into a paste. But it worked out!!! Used organic fair trade raw cane sugar (made into icing sugar) and fair trade cocoa. Absolutely delicious!!!
OMG!! Yumm!! :D Just made this and it tastes amazing! Almost killed my bamix (I don’t have a food processor) and the consistency is a bit rougher than it looks in the photo but it tastes wonderful and I love the slight crunch it has! I added just under half the sugar and used coconut oil as I couldn’t get hazelnut oil.
What a wonderful recipe :) Will definitely make this again… just might need to get myself a food processor first!
I made this yesterday. My daughter loves Nutella, but prefers it by the spoon so I simply couldn’t let her have the “real” stuff anymore. In my opinion, this is WAY better than the original. And if you buy skinned hazelnuts (i forgot about that – what a NIGHTMARE to get the skin off….), it’s really easy to make. My nuts were quite oily so I didn’t need to add extra oil. A great recipe, it’s really delicious! Thanks Michelle!
You gave up PB for lent and substituted it with Nutella? I am not sure even a christian could understand that let alone an atheist like me.
I used walnut oil instead of hazel nut oil, because that was the only thing my grandma had and you also recommend it if we didn’t have any. Then, I made the Nutella (which was a quick and easy process) right when I ate it, immediately my throat started throbbing – it was really good though – and I started getting itchy in my face, but I kept eating because it was SO good. And that’s when I realized that I was going to die! Reluctantly, my grandma came in the kitchen and noticed my plumped up face, and ran for the benadryl. Well, yeah its wearing off right now #FirstTimeEatingNutella.Thank you for the recipe!
I am curious if Coconut Oil would be okay to substitute for hazelnut oil? It would add a light coconutty flavor that I think would be awesome, not to mention coconut oil is a great fat to cook with. I’m going to try it and let you know.
I used unrefined, extra virgin coconut oilwhen I make this and it’s fabulous! I still taste the hazelnuts…this recipe is far superior than the store bought. Anyway, go ashraf and use the coconut oil. You won’t regret it!
I saw a comment where someone asked what you could substitute for the hazelnuts if you’re allergic or just don’t like them. I didn’t see an answer, so I’ll ask again. Is there another kind of nut you could substitute for hazelnuts to make this recipe? Thanks!
Hi there, You could substitute any other nut you’d like, you’d just have a chocolate-whatever nut you choose- spread, instead of a Nutella copycat.
For those of you having trouble getting the skins off of your hazelnuts, read this blog and watch the video (from an old Julia Child’s TV show) demonstrating the process: http://www.mybakingaddiction.com/how-to-peel-skin-hazelnuts/ . For those of you living within the USA, it may be helpful for you to know that 99% of all hazelnuts (aka filberts) grown in this country are done so within the state of Oregon. I started picking them as a young child, so learned early on how great they are, though didn’t realize how central they are to many European dishes until I got much older. Here in Oregon, I am able to purchase hazelnuts fairly inexpensively within the bin section of my local Fred Meyer (Kroger) store. All types of nuts are cheaper there than within the prepackaged sections of the store, FYI.
While European nations have several chocolate/hazelnut spreads to choose from, North America is limited to only the brand “Nutella”. The concoction created for this continent is packaged in Canada and is quite different from the other forms made in Europe. The “Nutella” brand is created differently between countries, even within Europe. The European versions can be purchased at some European import stores around the USA but the prices are generally much higher than the American version that’s sold in local grocery stores. Hope that info helps! :)
Tried this recipe tonight and it was amazing. Trying to get the skins to come off was a pain. I had to keep roasting my hazelnuts because they just wouldn’t come off. After a while, I just gave up and put them in the food processor anyway and I couldn’t tell a difference in taste compared to the store bought ones. Also, I omitted the hazelnut oil and didn’t substitute it with anything because I figured the oils from the hazelnut is probably enough. I thought the texture came out exactly like the real thing and tastes even better!
Thanks for the recipe!
Just curious; how many calories is this? I mean, I wouldn’t eat this if I was on a diet, but I’m just curious as to how many calories this is about.
I have no idea, I don’t calculate the calories of recipes.
To skin the hazelnuts, try rolling them in a clean dish towel after toasting. It works pretty well! But, buying them without skins already would certainly be easier. :)
I got hooked on Nutella and caramels. I gained 10 pounds :) Worth every ounce. I can now make my own. I also commented on where you can look for oils if you live in ME countries. Try specialty shops for wedding henna supplies and the small bottles on the shelves called Hermani Oils have a few nut oils. Living here I have learned to look in the most uncommon locations to find things that were so easy to locate back in the states. I love nutella but here its so expensive. Powdered sugar is just finely ground sugar so im sure that sugar free products will be the same just blend it in a food processor to make it fine and add a bit at time to adjust the sweetness. Im trying to adjust to living where things dont taste the same as they did in the states and sugars are one thing. Here lots are made with honey as well. Thanks for the recipe
I think I know why you didn’t really dig Nutella: the stuff that is shipped to America has oil and preservatives that changes the taste. I grew up with this stuff in Hawaii. My dad is from Luxembourg and I would eat Nutella in Europe sans oil and preservatives. It’s different there. Thank you for posting a home made recipe!! I have not had Nutella in America for many, many years. This rocks!!
I just made this and my sometimes picky 11 year old has proclaimed it “better than the store nutella!” Thanks so much!
I don’t have a food processor can i use something else like a blender?
Hi Katrina, You can try using a blender, I think it should work okay.
I attempted this a few days ago and gave up because I couldn’t spend all day trying to remove the skins. ;-). So today I decided to attempt it again. Convinced their must be a better way to remove the skins I found this: http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/504535
It worked wonderfully! So I had to share :-)
Mine turned out batter-like so I added some milk, it wil obviously have to be refrigerated but tastes good.
I just made this, but I am a little confused about the recipe. It turned out much more powdery than I expected. I bought a 16 ounce bag of hazelnuts, and they had the shells on. The recipe didn’t say anything about shelling them, so I roasted them in the shells. Then I tried to shake them between two bowls, with basically no result. So I cracked them all and then put them in the food processor. At this point, it seemed like there was going to be way too much powdered sugar and cocoa, but I went ahead with the recipe as written. So can you clarify, did you mean 8 oz/2 cups of shelled hazelnuts?
Hi Kelly, You should definitely be using shelled hazelnuts. My apologies if that somehow wasn’t clear.
Just made this…sold! I was long ago hooked on Nutella but had recently heard how much better the authentic Italian version was(less sugary, more nutty). Unfortunately, the only way to get my hands on it was to order online and pay outrageous shipping. I got to thinking, hell, I make everything else homemade so why not Nutella! I found a few recipes but I went with yours/ATK’s since either of you have yet to let me down. So easy and so good! Never going back to storebought! Thanks!
Woooo serious?! This is awesomeness!!
I just calculated the nutritional value using the my fitness pal app and it looks like it is the following for a 2 Tbsp serving:
Calories: 181.4
Fat: 13.9g
Sodium: 24.6g
Total Carbs: 13.3g
Dietary Fiber: 1.9g
Sugar: 10.6g
Protein 2.9g
I personally really like Nutella and eat it on a bagel every morning and I knew this wouldn’t be exactly the same. I just made this and it is pretty good. I wish I would have used a little less oil and if it was sweeter then it would be perfect.
Hi Michelle, thank you for this wonderful recipe…. I made this with cashewnuts and virgin coconut oil since both are aplenty where I live….and its altogether a different flavour….i should say a more nutty flavor….I posted my version on my blog and did give a link back you…thanks for sharing…
OMG! I am so excited about this! Nutella is one of my favorite things on the planet and I love making my own everything. I can’t wait to give this a whirl. You are a genius!
I just made this recipe tonight and it came out great! I used canola oil instead of hazelnut oil, and I only used about 1 tablespoon. If you let the mixture go in the food processor for long enough, you probably don’t need both tablespoons of oil since the hazelnuts give off a good amount of their own oil already. I only used one tablespoon of oil and it’s a great consistency. Thanks for the recipe!
I too never understood the whole Nutella craze, and I don’t care for hazelnut creamer either, but since I love homemade peanut butter I figured why not try…Then I went to the “healthy” grocery store and the only Hazelnuts they had were organic (which was fine) but $11.99lb…..And then when I shook those babies after roasting them I had several that didn’t loose the skin and it took a whole lotta shaking and time! I thought I would do as you suggest and buy the blanched. So where do I find these? I just went to my local grocery store (which has a pretty good selection) and there were no filberts at all. Does the evil Walmart carry them? I am on the fence, I do a lot of organic but between the organic nuts, organic sugar that is a mighty expensive jar of nut butter…OH and I eat it with a spoon. Maybe I just need to learn moderation!
Hi Valerie, I bought the blanched hazelnuts from Nuts.com – http://www.nuts.com/nuts/hazelnuts/blanched.html
Love this! A fellow blogger cookazido sent me here after seeing my blog post for Nutella filled hamantaschen. This is great! I just ran out of Nutella so i will make this!