A hazelnut chocolate spread made from scratch
This Homemade Hazelnut Chocolate Spread Recipe, Most famously known as Nutella. is easy, simple and can be made in a jiffy. with absolutely simple ingredients thats is off your pantry shelf. With no preservatives at all, this recipe is definitely a keeper. You will never opt for a store bought spread anytime. It is also called the Gianduja.

This Homemade Hazelnut Chocolate Spread is
- Easy and quick
- Made with 5 simple ingredients and no additives. What more... ? Just make your version of hazelnut goodness.
- Totally customizable to your taste and preference.
- Its not a thick paste, but a lovely spread with a good texture and consistency.
- Use it as a dipping sauce, topping sauce, spread on toast and so much more
- Gluten free and Vegan friendly too.
HOW TO MAKE HAZELNUT CHOCOLATE SPREAD from scratch
Before getting into how to make this delicious homemade chocolate nut spread, a quick run through on all what we need
First up the
tools and equipment you need
- A sheet pan for roasting in the oven or A pan for toasting hazelnuts on the stove top.
- A good high speed Food processor.
- spatula
- a double boiler. or a microwave to melt chocolate.
- a clean jar.
Next up
The Ingredients -Just 5 simple ones
- Hazelnuts - peeled and toasted lightly, to bring out the nuttiness and the flavour from the nuts.
- Chocolate - in this recipe, you can use any kind of chocolate milk, bitter sweet, semi sweet or dark chocolate. I personally used dark chocolate about 60% of cocoa content. only for taste preference. So that I can alter the sweetness. Always use a good quality of chocolate. That has good cocoa and cocoa butter. and no added additives. Read your label. The best chocolate spread is made with the best chocolate that you can get your hands on.
- Cocoa Powder - some cocoa powder. Pure unsweetened or dutch processed cocoa powder. Using Cocoa Powder, gives in a rich chocolate depth to the chocolate hazelnut spread.
- Sugar - Just plain white sugar powdered. You will first powder and then measure. No substitutes here, but you may use brown sugar, which will give you a slight caramel taste.
- Oil - Any oil to help in the emulsion of the chocolate and nuts. this is totally optional. But using this will give a smooth spread. You can use coconut, canola, sunflower or any vegetable oil.
Make it Vegan
Swap the chocolate bar to a vegan chocolate or pure 100% chocolate bar that is just pure chocolate bar. In other words it is also called the unsweetened chocolate bar. TO this you will need to alter the amount of sugar in the recipe. In this recipe for vegan and if using a 100% pure chocolate bar - use upto ¾ to 1 cup of sugar.
Altering the Sweetness
and tweaking your taste
While using milk chocolate use less of sugar.
While using dark chocolate use more of sugar. increase the sugar quantity by atleast about ¼ cup.
In a nutshell, you can increase or decrease the sugar in the recipe for a more sweeter or a less sweeter Hazelnut spread.
Here is how you make it from scratch
Peel the hazelnuts
- Peel the hazelnuts
To peel the hazelnuts, spread the nuts in a roasting pan and pop it into a preheated oven for about 4 mins. Remove and turn the nuts on to the other side and keep it back for another 4 mins .
- Toast the Hazelnuts
Toast the peeled hazelnuts for about 5 mins in the oven or on the stove top
- Making the hazelnut spread
In a food processor, grind the nuts to a light grainy consistency. to that add chocolate cocoa powder and sugar. and process until a smooth spread is formed. 300
- Final Grind
Add some oil to complete the spread and give a final pulse in the processor
Storage & Shelf Life
To Store the hazelnut chocolate spread
Storing this spread doesnt require an elaborate canning process, but a little care to store this, will help the hazelnut stay fresh for a long time
So first
Take a clean jar and the lid, and soak it in a pot of hot water. Let it sit for atleast 10 mins.
Take it out. wipe it clean with a dry cotton cloth and let completely dry. So there are drops of water.
Once dried, transfer the hazelnut chocolate spread
Dessert Topping and other Ideas
Its not that we do not know where to use, but just in case you need some help
here you go
- Spread it on a toast top it with some berries, whipped cream for a happy breakfast
- Drizzle on a hot waffle, may be some berries or just plain. you are in for a good snack or breakfast.
- Top it on pancakes, spread on crepes.
- Make Hazelnut waffles sundae - a thick waffle bed top it up with a scoop of vanilla bean or chocolate ice cream and pour some hazelnut chocolate spread and some toasted hazelnuts on top.
- Use it as a cake or a cupcake filling. Just smear a thin layer of gianduja on the cake layer. or fill it up inside a cupcake.
- Drizzle this hazelnut chocolate spread on a nice thick chewy brownies Take it a notch higher by making it a sundae. a scoop of icecream
- Put a spoon of gianduja in a glass of hot milk, you have a hazelnut chocolate flavoured milk.
And I can just go on and on... !! This chocolate spread is just so versatile that you can pair it with almost anything and make an amazing dessert.
Let me know how did you pair this chocolate spread ? Would love to know
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Homemade Chocolate Hazelnut Spread
Equipment you will need
Ingredients
- 200 grams hazelnuts (peeled and toasted )
- 100 grams semisweet chocolate (melted )
- 1 tbsp cocoa powder (unsweetened or dutch processed)
- ¼ cup sugar (powder and then measure )
- 1 tbsp canola oil (canola, coconut oil or sunflower oil)
Instructions
peeling the skin off the hazelnuts
- If you have hazelnuts with skin. Then first peel them, by toasting them in the oven and rub them off in a towel. the skin will come out easily.
Making the Hazelnut chocolate Spread
- TO Toast the hazelnuts In the Oven First, toast the hazelnuts in a preheated oven at 180°c/340°f. for about 4 mins on each side. Remove and let it cool. On the Stove TopIn a fry pan, on medium low heat, toast the peeled hazelnuts, until there are light brown specks. Remove from heat let it cool down a little.
- In a Food Processor or a mixer grinder. On medium speed grind the hazelnuts to a smooth butter consistency.Note : you can grind until slight grainy also.
- To that, add in the melted chocolate, powdered sugar and cocoa powder. Grind to a fine smooth spread.
- Then add 1 tablespoon oil and give one run in the processor.
- Transfer the hazelnut chocolate spread in to a nice clean jar. Close the lid tight, and store in a cool place away from direct sunlight. Preparing the Jar: In a pot of hot water, dunk in the jar and the lid for atleast 10 minutes. Remove and wipe out the excess water with a clean cotton cloth or a kitchen paper towel. Let it completely dry out before transfering in to the jar.
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