Homemade Nutella / Hazelnut Chocolate Cream Spread

Homemade Nutella a delicious creamy Hazelnut Chocolate Cream 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 as I wanted, 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.

It is so easy, since your blender or food processor does all the work. I found and tried a few recipes, most of them used cocoa and added water, I didn’t like that idea. I wanted to use a good dark chocolate and I preferred to use milk. I experimented with a few ideas and after some trial and error I believe I got it!

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.

In a blender or food processor add the hazelnuts, brown sugar and salt, blend for about 15 minutes 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.

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

Pour into a 1 1/2 – 2 cup sterilized jar, cover  and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes, this gives the hazelnut cream time to thicken. 

How to roast nuts

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.

If you are using nuts with skin then you will need to remove it. Place the roasted nuts in a clean tea 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 dark chocolate, about 50% cocoa, if you prefer you can use half dark and half milk chocolate. I actually learned an interesting fact from David Lebovitz on milk chocolate. I always wondered why milk chocolate in Italy was so much creamier and tastier than back home. European milk chocolate has 30% cocoa and American has 10%, 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.

How to store it

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.

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. Here are some delicious recipes to help you get started Make it with Nutella. Enjoy!

Updated from February 21, 2016.