Healthy Nutella, Vegan

This healthy nutella is almost as good as the store bought stuff. The recipe is just 4 ingredients and yields a creamy, decadent hazelnut spread.

I hate peeling hazeluts... I'd do it for this healthy nutella but, recently, I found hazelnut meal, so I'll never go back to peeling whole hazelnuts again! If you already have de-skinned hazelnuts, this hazelnut spread comes together in no time - it's just like making homemade peanut butter or any nut butter really!

Why make hazelnut spread from scratch?

I'm not going to deny the fact that Nutella is de-licious! Just give me a spoon, and I'm a happy camper. But, at the end of the day, it is a processed food. The first ingredient on the list is, unsurprisingly, sugar - no wonder it's so good! Right after sugar is palm oil, which is not only unhealthy but also environmentally unfriendly. The ingredient is overused and the demand for it has caused extensive deforestation. The rest of the ingredients are ok, although I am never a fan of artificial flavors. The fact that corporations add chemical flavors to enhance foods is something that will never sit well with me. But that's a whole other topic, isn't it!?

This 4-ingredient, healthy nutella is almost as good as store bought. Made with fewer, quality ingredients, it's creamy, decadent, and you can slather it on just about anything.

What do you eat hazelnut spread with?

• Toast
• Pancakes, waffles, or crepes
• Fruit (strawberries and bananas are my favorite)
• Smoothies
• Cake, cookies, or brownies
• Pretzels
• Or, ya know, with a big 'ole spoon and a glass of milk!

Tips for making nutella

Buy hazelnut meal (or hazelnut butter): If you can find de-skinned hazelnuts or hazelnut meal (I buy mine from Thrive Market), you are one lucky duck! If you can't, you'll want to roast the hazelnuts to release them from their skin. They'll never release entirely, but it will make de-skinning them a lot easier. You'll want to put a handful of hazelnuts in a cloth and aggressively rub them together, to cause the skin to fall off. You'll never get them 100% skin-free, so don't drive yourself crazy. Settle for the 80% and move on with your day.

Use semi-sweet chocolate: depending on how sweet you want your Nutella, opt for semi-sweet or half semi-sweet half dark (I buy Enjoy Life from Thrive Market). I like it on the sweeter side, so I used semi-sweet chocolate. It's a personal preference! If the nutella is not sweet enough, you can use cane sugar to sweeten it.

Avoid liquid sweetener: Even a drop of liquid sweetener, like agave or maple, can cause a reaction with the chocolate hazelnut mixture, making it much thicker.

Use a high speed blender: A question I get often is, what's the difference between a blender and food processor? A good blender is going to make everything silky smooth whereas a food processor isn't going to blend as finely. For Nutella, you'll want to get it extra smooth, if possible.

Don't bother melting the chocolate: Usually a recipe will call for melted chocolate, but that just creates extra dishes. The blender's power will produce heat and melt the chocolate on its own.

Looking for more chocolate-y recipes? You'll love:

Chocolate Cookie Dough Cups

Black Bean Brownies w/ Chocolate Ganache

Chocolate Peanut Butter Cupcakes

Skillet Chickpea Chocolate Chip Cookie

Dairy Free Banana Bread with Chocolate Chips