03

Add the salt and the oil to the blender container and blend. You can remove the oil and this recipe will simply be thicker and equally delicious. So the oil is optional and only for a creamier consistency.

04

If using the cocoa powder continue with step 4. If using dark chocolate chips or organic cocoa nibs, melt them in the microwave or heat on the stove until you can stir them. Pour the melted cocoa/chocolate into the blender with the nutbutter and continue with the remaining ingredients.

06

Add the vanilla extract at the end and blend briefly to just combine vanilla at the very end.

08

Pour the homemade nutella into a jar or sealed container and store in the refrigerator.

01

To save time, purchase pre-roasted unsalted hazelnuts. You still take these roasted nuts and place them on the kitchen towel and rub the nuts together to remove some of the skins and skip the need to roast the nuts.

02

You can purchase raw hazelnuts online like I do through Amazon, or you can find these at Costco.

03

How to Roast Raw Hazelnuts: Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Spread 2 cups of unroasted hazelnuts on a sheet tray and roast in the preheated oven for about 12 minutes or until lightly golden. Remove from oven and allow nuts to cool. If needed, rub off the nut skins using a clean kitchen cloth or paper towel.

04

Do you have to use hazelnuts?
You can use any type of nut for this delicious spread, but if you are going for a nutella-style spread the hazelnuts will get you closest to that flavor.

05

Sweetener options for this recipe: You can use date sugar like I did in this test recipe. This is a whole fruit sweetener made from one ingredient - 100% dates. The dates are dried and ground and have the appearance of coarse brown sugar. I love using just dates as a sweetener and when I started using these date sugars that are organic and made from just 1 ingredient - the dates a whole fruit with 1 gram of fiber for every tablespoon - I was sold. Recipes like this homemade Nutella do not work as well with a liquid sugar and really need a dry sugar and this date sugar was the perfect sweetener choice to create a creamy consistency and use whole fruit as a sweetener. I tested this recipe using one of my favorite liquid sweeteners - pure organic maple syrup - and when I added the maple syrup to the hazelnut butter during the blending, the liquid and the fat from the nuts caused the blender (Vitamix blender) to seize up the nut butter (because water and oil don’t mix so well). This created a nut butter consistency that was grainy and not a desirable consistency - yet the flavor is still great. I have successfully used maple syrup when adding it to the melted chocolate chips and mixing well before adding these sweetened melted chocolate chips to the hazelnut butter and blending. After testing this recipe with the dried granulated date sugar, I was sold on this being the easiest way to sweeten this recipe and created a super delicious spread. Here is a link to the the date sugar I used in this recipe: https://amzn.to/456MoYC. Any granulated dry sugar replacement like munkfruit sugar, coconut sugar, stevia would all work for this recipe. I just prefer the granulated date sugar since it is a whole plant food and retains the fiber with this sweetener.

06

For a thinner creamy nutella style hazelnut butter, using a granulated sugar and the oil works the best. This will thicken when refrigerated and you can warm up in the microwave before serving if you want the thinner consistency for serving. If you like the thick creamy nutella, refrigerate the nutella and it will thicken and retain its creamy consistency.

07

I used a vitamix blender for the smoothest consistency, but you can use any blender and even a food processor for this recipe. It takes at least 4 to 5 minutes to get the hazelnuts blended to a smooth consistency. It helps to rub off some of the hazelnut skins to help make the spread a more smooth consistency.

08

Why is my nutella not super creamy? Make sure your nuts are blended to a really smooth consistency before adding the rest of the ingredients. If the butter doesn’t blend smooth you can add more oil. The vitamix does a great job creating a very creamy texture. Remember if you use a liquid sweetener, the nice smooth consistency can turn grainy very quick. The dry sweeteners work the best for a thinner creamy consistency.

09

Will the homemade nutella firm up in the fridge? Yes, it will. When you are ready to serve the homemade Nutella, remove the spread from the fridge and let it sit at room temperature to soften up in 5 to 10 minutes. It will also soften when spread on warm toast to become smooth and spreadable. If you want it to be extra creamy, just microware for 15 to 20 seconds to soften it back up.

10

The Homemade Nutella will last up to 2 to 3 weeks in the fridge. The store bought Nutella brand is stored in the pantry because it is loaded with sugar and vegetable shortening that has a very long shelf life, but the Homemade Nutella needs to be stored in the fridge in a sealed container.

11

The oil in this recipe is optional and is only used to create a creamier Nutella to more closely match traditional Nutella. If you like the consistency of Nutella, using coconut oil will give you the closest consistency to regular nutella. However, you can totally remove the oil from this recipe and enjoy a thicker creamy more nut butter consistency that is totally delicious. But the Nutella lovers that are already loving that flavor like this recipe best with coconut oil to be closer to the nutella flavor and consistency. Find your favorite creamy consistency and enjoy and easy to make fresh homemade Nutella that can become a staple in your refrigerator and be part of adding healthy fat and healthy plant protein to your meals.