Nutty About My Homemade Nutella Recipe

I have to confess.  In my past life Nutella was somewhat of an addiction of mine.  In fact, during my study years, I would often have a jar of it perched on my desk to keep me company during the long nights of tedious chemistry study.  With it so close to hand, it was easy to just dip my finger in and enjoy all that is delicious about Nutella.  It must be noted that during those days I was also doing a lot of training and exercise so a mere tub or two of this sugar packed brown hazelnut paste didn’t actually show up on the hips.

Well, fast forward to today and unfortunately for my children, my knowledge of food, ingredients and nutrition is somewhat expanded.  I now know that while it tastes great, Nutella doesn’t equal nutritious (although for a long time they tried to convince us otherwise) and in fact has sugar as its highest ingredient at a whopping 55%.  Needless to say it hasn’t been a staple in my life for a very, very long time…until now.

This recipe was inspired by Sarah Wilson’s fabulous I Quit Sugar Chocolate Cookbook and while my version is not sugar free (although I’ll give you information on how you can make it that way), it is still a far healthier choice than the store bought variety.  The best part is it is super easy to make and as Sarah guarantees, even the most sceptical kid (or mother) will be impressed.

Now the kids get to enjoy the taste of Nutella…and I get to indulge a bit from time to time too (although I’m sure it goes to the hips these days ;))

Print Recipe

Homemade Nutella Recipe

An easy to make, super tasty recipe that is a healthy version of the store bought Nutella.

Prep Time15 mins

Total Time15 mins

Servings: 1 1/2 cups approx

Author: The Klutzy Cook

Ingredients

• 1 cup hazelnuts
• 125 ml coconut milk
• 1/4 cup maple syrup
• 1 tablespoon macadamia oil or coconut oil
• 1/4 cup cacao powder
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 180C.
• Spread hazelnuts on a baking tray and bake for 8-10 minutes.
  
  
• Allow to cool and then rub the hazelnuts between your hands to remove the skins. Most will come off pretty easily, but if a few remain that is fine. The skins are bitter so it is best to remove as much as possible.
  
  
• Put the nuts into a food processor and process until fine. The finer the nuts, the smoother the end result will be so if you don’t mind a few chunks no need to be too particular.
  
  
• Add all the remaining ingredients. Process until smooth and well mixed. Spoon into a clean jar and store in the fridge. If the mixture is a bit runny, it will harden on refrigeration.

Notes

– To make a sugar-free version of this recipe, replace the maple syrup with rice syrup.

– Cocoa powder can be used as a substitute for cacao powder.

– To make a Nutella ‘sauce’, simply add more coconut milk to the desired consistency.

What will you enjoy your Homemade Nutella on?