Homemade Nutella – Hazelnut Chocolate Spread

How to make Homemade Nutella! This recipe makes your favourite smooth and creamy hazelnut chocolate spread in no time and it couldn't be easier. Rich, decadent and good!

You won't believe how easy it is to make your own homemade chocolate spread and it tastes as good as anything you can buy.

All you need is a food processor to blend the hazelnuts and a few simple pantry ingredients unpeeled whole hazelnuts, dark chocolate, milk chocolate, powdered sugar, cacao powder and a little sunflower oil.

Omg, it is so good, spread it thick on crepes or pancakes, use it to make Nutella Ice Cream or dunk in some fresh strawberries for a quick snack!

The best thing about this recipe is not only how quick and easy it is to make but that it contains no unnecessary additives or ingredients and tastes good. We mean, you can eat half a jar of this stuff and have no regrets!

How to make Homemade Nutella – step by step

Roast the nuts

Tip: this recipe has been tested with both raw unpeeled hazelnuts and pre-roasted. Both of them make a good chocolate spread but by roasting the nuts yourself it releases the natural oils and creates an extra smooth and creamy consistency which is totally worth the extra step!

First, you want to roast your hazelnuts and remove their skins. Place the hazelnuts on a lined baking tray and bake in the oven for 10 minutes.

You're not looking for much colour here it's to release the natural oils and make it easier to remove the skins.

Once cooled rub the hazelnuts inside a kitchen towel or use your hands to remove most of the skins (photos 1 & 2).

Make the chocolate spread

Once you've removed the skins add the hazelnuts to a food processor (a high-speed processor will give the best results) and blitz the nuts until they turn into butter (photos 3 & 4).

This can take around 10 minutes to become extra smooth and creamy. Make sure you stop the processor every so often to scrape down the sides.

Now add dark unsweetened cocoa powder, icing sugar (confectioners') and a little sunflower oil. blitz to combine (photo 5).

Melt the dark and milk chocolate together, let it cool then add to the homemade Nutella spread with a small pinch of salt, blitz again to combine (photos 6 & 7).

The end result at this point will be quite runny (although so good) pour the mixture into a jar or container and place in the fridge to thicken (photo 8).

Ways to use it

Although sometimes all you need is a spoon, here are some fun ways to use it

• Spread it on crepes or pancakes and top with fresh berries
• Drizzle on top of ice cream
• Make your own Nutella Ice cream
• Spread it on toast and top with slices of banana
• Use it to fill Italian doughnuts
• Use it to make frosting, cakes, brownies and more!

Top tips and recipe FAQs

• Gift it – homemade Nutella is the solid gift for your chocolate-loving friends and family. Why not tie a pretty ribbon and label around the jar and gift it for Christmas.
• Chocolate – If you love dark chocolate you can replace the milk chocolate with more dark, it'll give you a more intense chocolate flavour.
• Food processor – We high-speed food processor is best for getting an extra smooth nut butter. It can take up to 10 minutes to blend the nuts into butter so don't worry if it's taking a while. You'll need to scrape down the side every so often until the butter is formed.
• Variations – you can adapt this recipe by adding ingredients such as vanilla or orange zest!

What's the best kind of hazelnuts to use?

You can use either whole unpeeled hazelnuts or pre-roasted but roasting the nuts yourself will give a creamier and smoother consistency.

What can we use instead of hazelnuts?

Instead of hazelnuts, you could use almonds or unsalted pistachios or peanuts although those nuts won't give you the same classic Nutella flavour.

How long does it last?

The chocolate spread will keep well for 2-3 weeks.

More Italian chocolate recipes you might like

• White Chocolate Panna Cotta
• Italian Nutella Cookies (Nutellotti)
• Chocolate Semifreddo Recipe
• Italian Hot Chocolate – Thick and Decadent
• The Ultimate Chocolate Martini

Ingredients

Makes 15 servings (1 medium sized jar)

• 2 cups whole unpeeled hazelnuts ((300g))
• 1 tbsp dark unsweetened cacao powder
• 1 tsp powdered sugar (icing sugar)
• 1/2 tsp sunflower oil
• 1/2 cup milk chocolate ((2.8 oz/80g) broken into squares)
• 1/3 cup dark chocolate ((1/7 oz/50g) broken into squares)
• 1 small pinch salt

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F / 180°C.

2. Place the hazelnuts on a lined baking tray and bake in the oven for 10 minutes, let cool. Once cooled rub the hazelnuts inside a tea towel or just use your hands to remove most of the skins.

3. Once you've removed the skins add the hazelnuts to a food processor (a high-speed processor will give the best results) and blitz the nuts until they turn into butter. This can take around 10 minutes to become extra smooth and creamy. Make sure you stop the processor every so often to scrape down the sides.

4. Once a smooth, liquid butter is formed add the cacao powder, powdered sugar and oil. Blitz to combine.

5. Break the chocolate into small pieces and place in a bowl above a pot of simmering water (making sure the water doesn't boil and the bowl doesn't touch the water).

6. Melt the chocolate then let cool slightly. You can also melt the chocolate in 30 second bursts in a microwave.

7. Add the cooled chocolate to the hazelnut spread with a small pinch of salt and blitz until combined and super smooth.

8. At this point you can adjust the sweetness to your liking. The texture will be runny, pour it into a jar or container and place in the fridge until thickened.

Kitchen notes

• Gift it homemade Nutella is the solid gift for your chocolate-loving friends and family. Why not tie a pretty ribbon and label around the jar and gift it for Christmas.
• Chocolate If you love dark chocolate you can replace the milk chocolate with more dark, it'll give you a more intense chocolate flavour.
• Food processor We high-speed food processor is best for getting an extra smooth nut butter. It can take up to 10 minutes to blend the nuts into butter so don't worry if it's taking a while. You'll need to scrape down the side every so often until the butter is formed.
• Variations you can adapt this recipe by adding ingredients such as vanilla or orange zest!
• This chocolate spread will keep well for 2-3 weeks.