Nutella- the more I think about it, the more I want to eat it! It’s literally heaven for all chocolate and hazelnut lovers. And this time, I’m bringing this joy to my vegan bakers! Yes, a vegan nutella recipe that can be easily made at home.
Honestly, Nutella can make anything, and everything tastes much better. Whether it’s cookies, waffles, pancakes, or ice cream – you name it, Nutella can be paired with almost every dessert. This jar full of happiness has been on the market since the 1960s. Before that, it was called Supercrema, originally invented as a sandwich spread. Later, it was modified and renamed as Nutella. Since then, it’s been a rage amongst everyone.
But sadly, it isn’t vegan. Yeah, it contains skimmed milk powder making it not fit for our vegan diet followers. This made me realise we need to put vegan Nutella recipes out there so you guys can make it anytime and enjoy it just like everyone else. Various vegan Nutella jars are available in the market; however, nothing is better than making it at home.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe?
- The Taste: This recipe is closest to the original Nutella. The taste is quite similar, and you will simply love it. Make it once; the next thing you know, you are making it quite often.
- Consistency: The texture and consistency is commendable as you are making it at home with a regular food processor/mixer grinder. It’s easily spreadable and pipable where you can use it with simple toasts, waffles, pancakes, ice-creams, cakes/cupcakes etc.
- Easy and Simple: All you need is just five ingredients, and you are good to go. The Recipe is pretty straightforward, and no complicated steps are involved. You’ll be amazed how easily you can make delicious chocolate and hazelnut spread at home.
- Vegan: Since it’s vegan, it opens doors for many bakers and clients who cannot have the regular famous Nutella. With so many substitutes and ingredients available, it’s always possible to make alternative products keeping authenticity and originality intact.
Important Ingredients Used In The Recipe
- Raw Hazelnuts: The very essence of the product lies in these nutty hazelnuts. Do take your time to buy a good batch of hazelnuts, as the entire flavour depends on them.
- Cocoa Powder: The next ingredient that provides flavour is cocoa powder. Here, I have used natural cocoa powder as it brings both chocolatey as well as a slightly acidic taste making it less intense. Nutella is more sweet, so dark or intense cocoa powder will make the Nutella dark in flavour.
- Castor Sugar: Just like the original Nutella, sugar is pretty important for this recipe too. It gives the sweetness the spread needs as none of the two above ingredients, hazelnuts and cocoa powder, are sweet in nature.
- Salt and Vanilla Essence: Both salt and vanilla essence provide balance to Nutella. It is required as they uplift the flavours of other ingredients. Without them, you may feel the spread is bland.
How To Make Vegan Nutella
Preparation: Get your ingredients together to make the vegan Nutella. Preheat the oven to 180C (OTG mode: upper rod + lower rod + fan).
Roast Hazelnuts: Spread the hazelnuts in a baking tray and put them in the oven to roast at 180C (OTG mode: upper rod + lower rod + fan) for 12-15 minutes. Roast until they turn amber-golden in colour.
Cool the Hazelnuts: Once the hazelnuts have been roasted, remove them from the oven and let them cool down. We don’t have to cool them completely; we need them to be warm in touch.
Grind Hazelnuts: Put the warm hazelnuts in a food processor or blender and grind them until they become a paste. Even further, they should become buttery as the continuous grinding will warm the hazelnuts further, and they will leave natural oil.
Add Rest Of The Ingredients: As soon as the hazelnuts become a smooth buttery paste, add the other ingredients, which are cocoa powder, sugar, salt and vanilla essence. Continue blending them until they incorporate thoroughly and become a smooth, homogenous spread.
Chef’s Tips For The Recipe
Do not Over-Roast the Hazelnuts
Make sure you do not bake/roast the hazelnuts for too long. They will become too dark in colour and taste bitter/burnt. Also, if you do not have an oven, you can roast them in a pan, keeping it at a low flame.
Tip for Grinding
Grinding is the crucial step here. It is important first that the hazelnuts become a smooth paste and that they leave their natural oils. This will help it become smooth. Then, again, when other ingredients are added, grinding must be done until each ingredient has mixed well. After all, you don’t want a lumpy or gritty Nutella, right?
How To Store Vegan Nutella
Store the Nutella in a jar with a tight lid. You can keep the jar at room temperature for 2-3 weeks to keep it in a smooth, spreadable consistency. For a longer shelf-life, you can keep it in the refrigerator for an extra week.
More Easy Recipes
Want to learn more about vegan desserts? Try out these amazing recipes:
Vegan Peanut Butter Cups
Vegan Lemon Bundt Cake
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, absolutely. You must roast those hazelnuts to get the best flavour out.
I would not recommend that. Dutch cocoa powder has acidity removed, making it dark and intense. Adding that to the Nutella will make it more chocolatey(too intense), and it will overpower the hazelnut flavour as well.
No, you don’t need to add any other ingredient if you follow the recipe to the T. Grinding all ingredients together long enough will get you the consistency you need.
