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Home » Toddler Recipes » Healthy Homemade Hazelnut Chocolate Spread

Healthy Homemade Hazelnut Chocolate Spread

Published: Jul 2, 2024 by Ana · This post may contain affiliate links ·

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A mouthwatering healthy hazelnut chocolate spread that hits the spot. Contains no refined sugar, sweetened only with dates and made with raw cacao powder. Its the healthy version of Nutella.

Wooden spoon dipped in hazelnut chocolate spread.

I love Nutella. It's got to be the best chocolate spread ever for pure indulgent deliciousness. Unfortunately, when you breakdown the ingredients it is more than 50% pure sugar! So we made our own version of a delicious recipe for chocolate spread that you will keep making for years to come.

Jump to:
  • Why we love this recipe:
  • Ingredients
  • How To Make Chocolate Spread With Cocoa Powder?
  • Tips
  • Variations
  • FAQ
  • More recipes
  • Healthy Homemade Hazelnut Chocolate Spread
  • Comments

Why we love this recipe:

  • Dairy-free and vegan Nutella (homemade chocolate spread)
  • Sweetened only with dates
  • A healthy breakfast chocolate hazelnut spread
  • No palm oil and no refined sugar

Ingredients

Labelled ingredients on a white background.
  • Roasted hazelnuts - packed with good fats and also a source of copper, manganese, and the antioxidant vitamin E. To get the best flavor out of them, the trick is to roast them, remove the skins and then blend until they form a thick hazelnut butter
  • Raw cocoa powder - contains powerful antioxidants (catechins) and is also a great source of magnesium and copper
  • Dates - one of the best natural sweeteners you can use not only for their sweetness but also for some fiber
  • Oat milk - helps make the nutella creamier and smoother

How To Make Chocolate Spread With Cocoa Powder?

Roasting hazelnuts

1. Place hazelnuts on a baking tray and bake for 15 mins at 180°C / 360°F

2. Once roasted, allow to cool and peel off the skin by rubbing hazelnuts between your palms. It is ok if some skin is left on but it can taste bitter, so remove as much as you can.

Make Chocolate Spread Recipe

Collage of images showing how to make the chocolate spread.

1. Soften the dates by placing them in a bowl of hot water for 5-15 min (the softer they are the better they blend).

2. Blend the hazelnuts in a Vitamix blender or food processor at highest speed for 5-10 mins until they form a thick hazelnut butter.

3. Add the rest of the ingredients in the blender and blend until you have smooth and creamy nutella.

4. Transfer to an airtight container and store in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.

Finally, enjoy your healthy dark chocolate spread on healthy french toast, banana chia pancakes, spinach pancakes or on any number of desserts. You can even add a little to a smoothie as well.

Hazelnut chocolate spread in a jar.

Tips

  • Softening the dates is a must because even the best blenders and food processors sometimes have a hard time breaking down dates
  • Add more milk if you feel the mixture is too thick, but ⅓ cup of oatmilk should be fine
Wooden spoon dipped in hazelnut chocolate spread.

Variations

  • Use animal milk - you can use cow's milk here in the same quantities as oat milk
  • Other sweetener - can use honey (for over 1 year olds) or agave syrup. Replace the number of dates with 2 tablespoon of a liquid sweetener

FAQ

Is Nutella healthy?

Nutella, the store-bought kind, is not healthy. Although you might have seen commercials saying it is filled with roasted hazelnuts and whole milk the truth is that it is mainly palm oil and refined sugar. The homemade chocolate spread though, made out of pure hazelnuts and cocoa powder sweetened with dates and some extra milk for texture, is the real deal!

Why do we avoid using sugar in our recipes?

We usually avoid using refined sugar in any recipe – it's a highly processed food that spikes and crashes your energy levels without providing any nutritional benefits. Not to mention, overconsumption of sugar can lead to a whole lot of non-communicable diseases.

At what age can kids eat homemade chocolate spread with raw cacao?

You can actually give them this hazelnut chocolate spread from the moment they start eating solids. I would however check first how they tolerate raw cocoa powder and give them their first "dose" in the morning just to see whether it causes restlessness due to the slight caffeine content.

If you've tried this recipe or any other recipe on the blog, then please rate it and leave us a comment below!

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If you've tried this recipe or any other recipe on the blog, then please rate it and leave us a comment below!

Homemade chocolate spread in a jar with wooden spoon dipped in.

Healthy Homemade Hazelnut Chocolate Spread

Contains no refined sugar, sweetened only with dates and made with raw cacao powder. This dark chocolate hazelnut spread is the healthy version of Nutella.
5 from 6 votes
Author: Dora
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 1 minute min
Cook Time 15 minutes mins
Blend time 10 minutes mins
Servings 1 cup
Fridge Life? 2 weeks
Freezable? 3 months

EQUIPMENT

  • Vitamix Blender

Ingredients

  • 7 oz hazelnuts (roasted)
  • 2 teaspoon raw cacao powder
  • 12 pitted dates
  • ½ cup oat milk
  • ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 tsp coconut oil
  • pinch salt

Instructions
 

Roasting Hazelnuts

  • Place hazelnuts on a baking tray and bake for 10 mins at 180°C / 360°F
  • Once roasted, allow to cool and peel off the skin by rubbing hazelnuts between your palms. It is ok if some skin is left on.

Homemade Nutella with Dates

  • Soften the dates by placing them in a bowl of hot water for 5-15 min (the softer they are the better they blend).
  • Make hazelnut butter. Blend the hazelnuts in a Vitamix blender or food processor at highest speed for 5-10 mins until they form a thick hazelnut butter.
  • Add the rest of the ingredients in the blender and blend until you have smooth and creamy nutella.
  • Transfer to an airtight container and store in the fridge for up to 2 weeks. Finally, enjoy your healthy Nutella on toast, or used on any number of desserts. You can even add a little to a smoothie as well.

Notes

  1. Add more milk if you feel the mixture is too thick, but ⅓ cup of oatmilk should be fine
  2. Use animal milk - you can use cow's milk here in the same quantities as oat milk
  3. Other sweeteners - can use honey (for over 1-year-olds) or agave syrup. Replace the quantity of dates with 2 tablespoon of a liquid sweetener

Nutrition

Serving: 1cupCalories: 1553kcalCarbohydrates: 108gProtein: 34gFat: 122gSaturated Fat: 9gPolyunsaturated Fat: 16gMonounsaturated Fat: 91gSodium: 59mgPotassium: 1963mgFiber: 27gSugar: 71gVitamin A: 294IUVitamin C: 13mgCalcium: 432mgIron: 11mg
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

If you've tried this recipe or any other recipe on the blog, then please rate it and leave us a comment below!

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Related Categories

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Audree

    February 16, 2024 at 4:31 pm

    There is no palm oil, but there's in sunflower oil in oat milk. I never saw oat milk without it, sadly.
    I would substitute the oat milk for another kind of milk without palm oil, sunflower oil, or any kind of "sneed" oil.

    Reply
    • Nic

      December 17, 2024 at 3:05 pm

      I’m not sure where you are based but in Australia you can get macro organic oat milk from Woolworths that had no added oils and clean ingredients.

      Reply
5 from 6 votes (6 ratings without comment)

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