A mouthwatering healthy chocolate hazelnut spread that hits the spot. This easy homemade vegan nutella is made with raw cacao powder and sweetened with dates and will be loved by parents and kids.
I love Nutella. It's got to be the best spread ever for pure indulgent deliciousness. Unfortunately, when you breakdown the ingredients it is more than 50% pure sugar! So we made our own.
Why we love this recipe:
- Dairy-free and vegan Nutella
- Sweetened with dates
- A healthy breakfast chocolate spread
- No palm oil and no refined sugar
Jump to:
Ingredients
- 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 homemade Nutella?
Roasting hazelnuts - approx 30 min
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.
Homemade Nutella with Dates
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 Nutella 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.
FAQ
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 kind though, made out of pure hazelnuts and cocoa powder sweetened with dates and some extra milk for texture, is the real deal!
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.
You can actually give them this homemade nutella 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.
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
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 tbsp of a liquid sweetener
More healthy breakfast recipes
If you've tried this recipe or any other recipe on the blog, then please rate it and leave us a comment below!
Recipe
Healthy Nutella
Ingredients
- 7 oz hazelnuts (roasted)
- 2 tsp raw cacao powder
- 12 dates
- ½ cup oat milk
- ½ tsp vanilla extract
- pinch salt
Instructions
Roasting Hazelnuts
- Place hazelnuts on a baking tray and bake for 15 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
- Add more milk if you feel the mixture is too thick, but ⅓ cup of oatmilk should be fine
- Use animal milk - you can use cow's milk here in the same quantities as oat milk
- Other sweeteners - can use honey (for over 1-year-olds) or agave syrup. Replace the quantity of dates with 2 tbsp of a liquid sweetener
Nutrition
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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