If you like Nutella you're going to love this healthy homemade Vegan Nutella Recipe. Naturally sweetened with dates and made with toasted hazelnuts and cocoa, this is a vegan chocolate spread you can feel good about.
Better than Nutella
Hellooooooo! Can I tell you something? This Healthy Vegan Nutella Recipe isn't for kids.
I mean, kids *can* eat it. Don't get me wrong. But the odds that I'll share my precious jar of homemade healthy Nutella with my little brats are nil. If I am pitting dates and making hazelnut butter *from scratch* and blending it with cocoa and coconut oil and vanilla (did I mention that I make my own vanilla extract from scratch?!) then I am keeping this precious jar of deliciousness all to myself.
This is quality stuff. It's made from real, honest, good-for-you ingredients. Things you can actually pronounce and recognize. And, since it's naturally sweetened with dates, this is a healthy Nutella alternative I actually feel good about giving my kids (ok, fine, I will share it) or eating by the spoonful myself.
And truly, it's very simple to make. If you have ever made homemade nut butter (have you tried our vanilla almond butter? It is sublime! Or our homemade pumpkin seed butter?!) then you can make this healthy Nutella recipe.
I'll talk you through it, step by step. Let's do this!
Let's make Vegan Nutella together!
Step 1: roast and peel your hazelnuts
If you're starting with raw hazelnuts, you'll need to begin by roasting them and then removing the skins. For detailed instructions on how to roast nuts please refer to my Oven Roasted Almonds recipe.
You'll want to roast the hazelnuts for about 15 minutes. Once they are cooled, place them in a clean kitchen towel and rub them together until the skins are mostly off.
Or, do yourself a favor and buy peeled and roasted hazelnuts. This is what I usually do.
Step 2: prepare your dates
Remove the pits from the dates and place them in a small pot. Add the oat milk to the dates, and set the pot on medium-high heat.
Once the oat milk starts bubbling, turn the heat off and put a lid on the pot. We just want the dates to soften a bit while we're dealing with the hazelnuts.
Step 3: make hazelnut butter
Put the hazelnuts in your food processor and pulse a few times, then let the motor run until you've got a smooth, slightly liquidy hazelnut butter.
Depending on your hazelnuts and your food processor, you may need to stop and scrape the sides and bottom once or twice. Note that roasted hazelnuts will break down much faster than raw.
Step 4: make the vegan Nutella
Add the softened dates along with all of the oat milk, the coconut oil, cocoa powder, vanilla, and salt.
Let the food processor run until you've got a smooth, deep, dark, chocolatey hazelnut spread.
Transfer to a glass jar (or a few glass jars if you're giving vegan Nutella away as gifts) and you are done!
How to store vegan nutella
Because there are a lot of fresh ingredients and not a lot in the way of preservatives, I keep mine in the fridge. I believe a jar will stay fresh for a couple of months, but I've never had one last that long so can't say for sure.
If stored at room temperature I wouldn't keep this around for much more than a week or two.
Healthy Vegan Nutella Recipe
Ingredients
- 14 oz hazelnuts raw or roasted and skinned
- 20 large medjool dates pitted
- ½ cup coconut oil I use a scant half cup. Closer to ⅓.
- 4 tablespoon cocoa powder or cacao
- ½ cup oat milk or another plant-based milk
- ½ to 1 teaspoon flaky sea salt
- ½ teaspoon vanilla powder or half vanilla bean, scraped, or a splash of vanilla extract.
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 150°C / 300°F.
- Spread the hazelnuts in a single layer on a baking sheet. Place them int the pre-heated oven, and toast for 20-30 minutes, until fragrant and the skin is starting to crack. Watch them carefully to avoid from burning.14 oz hazelnuts
- Remove the nuts from the oven and let cool slightly.
- Place the nuts in an old kitchen towel, and rub to remove the skin. You may need to do this in batches, or stop and pick out those that are skinned and then do a second round with those that aren't. I never get all of the skins off, and I never stress about it.
- Pit the dates and place in a small pot together with the oat milk.20 large medjool dates, ½ cup oat milk
- Place the pot on medium high heat. Once the oat milk starts to bubble, turn the heat off and place a lid on the pot to soften the dates.
- Place the hazelnuts in a food processor, pulse a few times, and then process until a completely smooth hazelnut butter forms - you may need to scrape down the sides a couple of times. How long this takes will depend on how powerful your food processor is, and how old your nuts are. In my food processor I have hazelnut butter in about five minutes.
- Add the coconut oil, cocoa powder, dates along with all of the oat milk, salt, and vanilla. Process until smooth.14 oz hazelnuts, 20 large medjool dates, ½ cup coconut oil, 4 tablespoon cocoa powder, ½ to 1 teaspoon flaky sea salt, ½ teaspoon vanilla powder, ½ cup oat milk
- Transfer the chocolate hazelnut spread into clean airtight glass jars.
Notes
- Nutrition values are an estimate only and are based on two jars with 24 servings each.
- Vegan Nutella will last approximately one week at room temperature or two months in the fridge.
healthkat says
Hi so I am planning to surprise my mom (who used to LOVE Nutella but as we became more health conscious we stopped buying it) with this and my question is that how similar is this in taste to the original? Could you differentiate the two if you had to? sorry if this is a stupid question I am just curious:)
Katie Trant says
Hey Kat - good question. This definitely does not taste identical to the original Nutella since the ingredients are different. In my opinion it tastes better, but of course that's a matter of opinion! You get chocolate, hazelnuts, and dates in every bite. It's delicious!
Gina says
HNL I commented earlier in the month to let you know I would try this recipe with another oil type. I made the recipe and used less then 1/3 cup organic canola oil and it turned out great. I also made a short bread dough, pressed it into tiny muffin tins and baked the dough. Once cooled I filled the tiny yummies with your Healthy Nutella. Fabulous way to deliver another Christmas cookie! All best.
Katie Trant says
Thanks for the update, Gina!
Cassie Williams says
I am not vegan but I have a friend that is. I made some almond roca and chillied almonds (which includes egg whites) for all of my friends but realized that wouldn't work for my vegan friend. This was the perfect treat and it was absolutely delicious!!! Thank you!
Katie Trant says
I'm so happy this worked out as a thoughtful gift for your friend, Cassie!
Elaine says
Hi Katie, I can only eat pecan or cashew nuts- do you think I could substitute cashews & get a good result?
Katie Trant says
I think so! The flavour will of course be a bit different but I think the result should still be delicious.
Christa says
Hi Katie,
I make a similar recipe with chickpeas, basically making it chocolate houmous 😋 I love this version with hazelnuts. Could I also make it with blanched hazelnuts? Or is the roasted part vital ?
Katie Trant says
Hey Christa, I've never made this with blanched hazelnuts so I can't be 100% certain, but I expect it would be fine. I think the hazelnut butter would take a bit longer to form and the flavour wouldn't have that intense nuttiness that roasting brings, but otherwise should be ok.
Gina says
HNL love your blog. I was also very excited to see this recipe featured in your email this week. I am definitely going to be making it but will try with another type of oil. Will let you know how it turns out.
My father was of Italian origin and I remember eating this spread in Italy as a little kid. At the time you couldn't find it in Canada. Loved it; its very addictive. However I haven't eaten it in years because when Ferrero (Piedmont Italy) moved this over to mass manufacturing they started putting palm oil in the ingredients. That's something I stay far away from. So.......all to say I will be making this and wanted to suggest you change the cuisine type to Italian from American.
Katie Trant says
Hey Gina, thanks for the comment. I love this story, and I hope you'll enjoy this version as much as you did the Nutella of your childhood. I will update the cuisine immediately!
Lisa says
I made this yesterday and I have to say that it is a big hit! My formerly date-hating 20-something kids are totally converted. I love it because it's dairy-free!
Katie Trant says
Glad you and your kids like it! I love the caramelly flavour of the dates in this spread.
alison says
as someone who really loves Nutella off the shelf, I was skeptical when I received Better Than Nutella as a hostess gift. A couple of spoonfuls in, I was hooked. Love the texture and the not overly sweet "nutella" taste. I'll be making this for myself as soon as I finish my jar! (Which, as it looks, will be tonight.)
Katie Trant says
Ha! Glad I've converted a true Nutella lover! Although I think that jar was technically a birthday gift for your husband, not a hostess gift!
Alissa says
Woah! I have a vegan hazelnut spread I usually make, and I've actually been planning on making a batch soon for some holiday baking, but I just decided I'm going to try this instead. Sweetening it with medjool dates is brilliant and I happen to have some on hand!
Katie Trant says
The dates add a totally different flavour and texture to the spread, but it's one I think you'll like. Let me know if you try it out!
Emma says
This looks SOOO GOOD Katie! Also, love your approach to gift giving. My husband and I always give marinated Christmas feta at the holidays, and I think our friends love the homemade touch!
Katie Trant says
Oooh, marinated feta sounds like a great gift too. Do you have a recipe on your blog?
Sam @ PancakeWarriors says
Yum sounds amazing!! Love the dates. I tried to make Nutella with almond milk and it seized the nut butter. I'll have to try again. Thanks!
Katie Trant says
I think that because the dates make such a thick paste it prevents any seizing from happening in this recipe, but I can totally see that happening without the dates thickening and stabilizing the whole thing.
Gabrielle says
This looks like a delicious and easy alternative to Nutella which I find a too sweet and oily. Love the combination of dates, chocolate and hazelnuts and I love the idea of wrapping little jars of this in red ribbon for presents!
Katie Trant says
I had real Nutella recently on a waffle in Amsterdam - I had forgotten how obnoxiously sweet and stick it is! This homemade version is much more my style!
Linda @ Veganosity says
" It’s become more about presence than about presents," I absolutely love this Katie! This is something I'm going to suggest to my husband because that's the true sentiment of the season.
I've always given food gifts during the holidays. This is a fabulous recipe, and one that lasts longer than quick bread (my usual go to gift). I'm going to try making this soon.
Katie Trant says
It really feels nice to approach the holidays that way. Last year my mom had a major reconstructive surgery on her spine just a few days before christmas so my family spent the holidays in the hospital. It was a really intense time, but my family rallied together in such a special way. No gifts were exchanged, but we were definitely present for each other, which was incredible. Let me know if you try this out!