4-Ingredient Chocolate Hazelnut Butter (Vegan “Nutella”)
Date-sweetened chocolate hazelnut butter, aka “Nutella,” made with just 4 simple whole food ingredients! A healthier vegan alternative that’s sugar-free, oil-free, and full of indulgent rich chocolate and nutty hazelnut notes. So delicious you’ll want to drizzle it on everything from crepes to breakfast staples like toast and oatmeal!
I didn’t approach going vegan by focusing on the things I couldn’t eat or would have to “give up,” with one notable exception: Nutella. Perhaps I thought it was irreplaceable (spoiler alert: it’s not), or maybe it was because Nutella had held a very comforting role in my life since childhood, but Nutella was the only thing that ever made me feel like going vegan meant I’d have to “give something up.” So for a moment, I was sad about it.
Until I realized there are vegan versions of Nutella! 🤯I mean, duh - there’s no reason a nut butter has to contain dairy. While I’ve really only tried a few store bought options, I wasn’t exactly blown away by them. Some are too sweet, most of them have added oil (a complete no-no for me when it comes to nut butters!), and others have a list full of such egregious ingredients that make me unwilling to even try them. 😬
So I created my own take on Nutella based on the same criteria I looked for in commercial products: no refined sugars, no oil, and no weird additives. And it’s so good! So good that I keep catching myself going for another taste of it as I write this. (And then just one or maybe two more - oops?)
Why You’ll Love this Chocolate Hazelnut Butter
This chocolate hazelnut butter is luscious, delicious, and tastes super indulgent! With its perfect balance of roasted hazelnuts, dark chocolate notes, and just the right amount of sweetness, it’s an absolute dream. 🤤
And it’s not bad for you (in moderation 😅)! It’s a far healthier alternative than most (all?) commercially available Nutella-style spreads. There are no weird additives/preservatives, no added sugars, and no oils.
It’s made with just 4 clean ingredients - hazelnuts, cacao powder, Medjool dates, and a hint of sea salt.
It’s easy to make - a food processor does most of the work! But it does require a high-powered food processor. Pro tip: don’t try making nut butters in a small food processor because you’ll burn out the motor - guaranteed (which I learned from experience when I first started making nut butters, ha).
It’s super versatile - use it on toasts or oats, in crepes or baking, and anything else you’d love Nutella on. And be warned - you’ll definitely want to put it on everything!
Ingredient Overview
Since there are only four ingredients, I recommend you use the highest quality ingredients available to you so you can make the best tasting chocolate hazelnut butter possible.
Raw Hazelnuts - Hazelnuts (or filberts, as they’re known in some countries), are the central ingredient and like all other nuts, they contain their own mix of nutrients and vitamins. We start with raw hazelnuts and roast them to bring out the full depth of their deliciously nutty flavors!
Raw Cacao Powder - Raw cacao powder incorporates the chocolate element in this butter. Raw cacao powder is more bitter, has deeper flavor notes, and retains more nutrients than its processed counterpart, cocoa powder. (You can learn more about the differences between the two here.) It also contains protein and fiber (2 grams of each in a single tablespoon!), tons of antioxidants, calcium, and magnesium, among other nutrients.
Medjool Dates - Why use any sugar at all when you can use dates?! 😍They’re incredibly delicious and naturally very sweet - a single Medjool contains 16 g of sugar! But unlike traditional and unrefined sugars, they also contain fiber, calcium, potassium, and various other vitamins and nutrients. Plus their rich, caramel-y notes pair amazingly with chocolate and hazelnuts to create a luscious spread, making them the perfect sweetener!
Sea Salt - A small amount of fine salt goes a long way to enhance the flavors in the butter!
4-Ingredient Chocolate Hazelnut Butter
(Vegan “Nutella”)
Vegan, Naturally-Sweetened, Oil-Free, Gluten-Free
Makes about 1¼ cups (or make 1.5x the written recipe to fill a standard 16-ounce jar)
Ingredients
2 cups raw hazelnuts
3 tablespoons (18 grams) raw cacao powder*
3 soft Medjool dates, pitted (64 grams, measured after pitting)
¼ teaspoon sea salt
Directions
Roast the hazelnuts: Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a baking sheet with a silicone mat or parchment paper and arrange the hazelnuts onto it in a single layer. When the oven is ready, roast the hazelnuts for 11-14 minutes, until fragrant and lightly browned. Remove from oven and transfer to a bowl lined with a clean kitchen towel. Let them inside the towel for 2 minutes to “steam” - this will help the filberts/skins slide off easier.
Remove the hazelnut skins: Use your hands to massage the hazelnuts inside the kitchen towel (working with yours hands on the exterior of the towel) - this helps some of the filberts/skins slide right off! Use your hands/fingers to peel the remaining hazelnuts. Place the peeled hazelnuts into the bowl of a large, high-powered food processor. Most of the skins will come off pretty easily, but a few will seem “glued” to the hazelnuts - it’s fine to leave those on.
Make hazelnut butter: Process the hazelnuts in the food processor until they form a smooth and runny butter, pausing the food processor to scrape the sides as needed.
Make the “Nutella”: Add in the cacao powder, pitted dates, and salt and process again. At first, this is going to thicken the butter significantly. To get a runny texture again, you’ll need to run the food processor for what may seem like a super long time. If you’re tempted to add in some oil - don’t! Just keep processing until you get a runny texture again (about 10-12 minutes), pausing every 2-3 minutes to scrape down the sides as needed.
Transfer the chocolate hazelnut butter to a sealable jar and store at room temperature. Separation is natural, so always stir before eating!
*If you can’t find raw cacao powder, sub cocoa powder.
**Recipe originally published 7/29/2020; last updated 3/3/2023.
I hope you become as obsessed with this vegan “Nutella” as I am! Drop a comment below/tag me on Instagram (@teostinykitchen) so I can see all the ways in which you’re eating it up!