Homemade Nutella / Hazelnut Chocolate Cream Spread Recipe

05/30/2025

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Homemade Nutella / Hazelnut Chocolate Cream Spread Recipe

Homemade Nutella a delicious creamy chocolate hazelnut spread, perfect spread on a slice of bread, as an ingredient in a cake or pie or why not dip your favourite fruit in it? Fruit never tasted so good.

I have been wanting to make Homemade Nutella for such a long time. Actually I did try it a few times with no luck. It never came out as creamy or with the flavor, taste. and texture I was looking for.

Some said to pass it through a sieve to remove the extra bits of hazelnut but with my version there is no need for that, its creamy and delicious. Italians love their Nutella especially on fresh baked Italian bread, in cakes, cookies or even gelato!. I experimented with a few ideas and after some trial and error I believe I got it!

What you need to make a homemade nutella recipe

Hazelnuts – roasted (preferably without skin)
Brown sugar – light brown sugar
Salt
Dark chocolate – make sure you use a good quality dark chocolate, I prefer it rather than cocoa powder
Milk – be sure to use either whole or 2% milk
Butter – I use salted butter but if you use unsalted then add a bit more salt

How to make it

In a small pot add the chocolate, butter and milk, heat on low until chocolate has almost melted remove from the heat and stir until smooth. Let cool slightly.

butter, chocolate in a pot blending the nuts and brown sugar in a food processor

In a blender or food processor add the hazelnuts, brown sugar and salt, blend then add 1 tablespoon of the chocolate mixture and continue to blend until mixture becomes almost creamy but with still some crunchy crumbs. Be sure to turn the blender/food processor off and on while blending and scrape the sides with a spatula as you blend.

adding the chocolate to the mixture in the food processor

Once the hazelnut mixture has become creamy add more of the melted chocolate mixture, blend again until creamy, continue until all the chocolate has been added and mixture is very creamy.

adding the remaining chocolate to the nuts in the food processor

Pour into a sterilized jar, cover and refrigerate for a short period of time, this gives the hazelnut cream time to thicken.

How to roast nuts

Place the hazelnuts (with or without skin) on a baking sheet and toast in a pre-heated oven at 350F (180C) for about 10 minutes then move them immediately to a clean bowl. Do not leave them on the cookie sheet or they will continue to bake and you could end up with burnt hazelnuts.

If you are using nuts with skin then you will need to remove it. Place the roasted nuts in a clean kitchen towel and rub them together to remove it. Be sure the hazelnuts are fresh. Fresh Nuts make all the difference, how to tell if nuts are rancid.

What is the best chocolate to use

I like to use a good quality dark chocolate, about 52% cocoa, if you prefer you can use half dark and half milk chocolate or you can even use a higher percentage of cocoa, if you do you may want to add a bit more sugar. European milk chocolate has 30% cocoa and American has 10%, although they now make 30% milk chocolate also. So if you can find that, then I would definitely buy it, believe me it makes quite the difference, it is much creamier.

recipe tips

If you find the homemade Nutella has developed some lumps then add a bit of hot milk and stir until they have dissolved.
If you find the hazelnut cream has hardened too much when you take it out of the fridge, just dip the jar in some boiling water and stir to soften it up, (be sure to use a heatproof jar).

Substitutions and Variations

Instead of using hazelnuts I am sure you could use almonds. Instead of regular milk you could use dairy free or lactose free. If you use milk chocolate be sure to add less sugar. Instead of brown sugar you could substitute with powdered sugar or granulated sugar.

Is Nutella healthy?

Homemade Nutella can be healthier than store-bought Nutella, but actually being “healthy” can depend on how it’s made and of course how much you eat and what you eat it with. For example this recipe does not use palm oil, it has less sugar, no additives and uses dark chocolate. Of course spreading it on bread, white pizza or pancakes will bring up the calorie count but reaching for some fresh fruit for dipping such as strawberries or sliced bananas does help.

How to store it

Because this recipe uses milk it is best stored in the refrigerator, it will keep for up to 3-4 weeks in the fridge. Be sure to bring it to room temperature before consuming. It can also be frozen although it probably won’t be as creamy but it will keep longer and still be delicious!

More Nutella Recipes

So if you are looking for a Homemade version of your favourite Hazelnut Cream Spread I hope you give this Homemade Nutella a try and let me know what you think. Enjoy!

60 hazelnuts roasted (preferably without skin)
¼ cup brown sugar (lightly packed)
1 pinch salt (if you use unsalted butter then add ¼ teaspoon of salt)
3½ ounces dark chocolate (good quality or half milk and half dark if you prefer)
⅓ cup butter
¼ cup + 2 tablespoons milk (I used 2%) (90 grams total, if you double the recipe then double this amount)
¼ teaspoon vanilla extract

Place the hazelnuts (with or without skin) on a cookie sheet and toast in a pre-heated oven at 350F (180C) for about 10 minutes then move them immediately to a clean bowl. Do not leave them on the cookie sheet or they will continue to bake and you could end up with burnt hazelnuts.
In a small pot add the chocolate (broken into pieces), butter and milk, heat on low until chocolate has almost melted remove from heat and stir until smooth. Let cool slightly, stir in the vanilla.
In a blender or food processor add the hazelnuts, brown sugar and salt, blend for about 15 minutes (stoping and starting so the machine doesn’t over heat) then add 1 tablespoon of the chocolate mixture and continue to blend until mixture becomes almost creamy but with still some crunchy crumbs, this should take approximately 20-30 minutes (maybe more) turning the blender/food processor off and on and scraping the sides with a spatula as you blend.
Once the hazelnut mixture has become creamy add a little of the melted chocolate mixture and blend again until creamy, add half of the remaining chocolate mixture and blend, add the remaining chocolate and again blend until mixture is very creamy. Pour into sterilized jars and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes for the Homemade Nutella to thicken. Enjoy!

I heated the jar (out of the fridge) in a small pot of boiling water to soften it up for dipping.
Keep in mind that this is homemade so if you do have a few crunchy bits, you may want to strain it to remove them, but for me it wasn’t at all necessary it was very creamy.
Properly stored the hazelnut cream can be kept in a cool pantry for up to two weeks, or if you prefer in the fridge for up to a month. If kept in the fridge be sure to bring it to room temperature before consuming.