Healthy Sugar-Free Nutella (Ready in 5 Minutes!)

Did you know you can make a much healthier version of Nutella at home in just five minutes? You only need four main ingredients (two of which are hazelnuts and raw cacao) and a food processor to make this sugar-free Nutella.

This hazelnut chocolate spread is creamy, delicious, and good for you! The perfect healthy sweet treat to enjoy with your favorite low-sugar fruits, keto crackers, cakes, and more!

How to make sugar-free Nutella in 5 minutes

There are two ways to make homemade Nutella, with the same delicious result:

• The long way (about 35 minutes). This involves making the hazelnut butter from scratch, which is not complicated but requires a little bit more time in the kitchen and more cleaning. This method is useful if you can’t find 100% hazelnut butter, but requires a powerful food processor. Also, this spread stays softer after refrigeration, and I feel it has a more intense hazelnut flavor (probably because the hazelnuts are roasted, which is not the case with most store-bought hazelnut butter)
• The short way (about 5 minutes). You can use 100% hazelnut butter which is pretty easy to find in grocery stores and online. This version will be smoother and creamier than the long one because the hazelnut butter you make at home, depending on the food processor you use, can have a bit of a texture. However, it will be less soft, but still spreadable, after refrigeration. Just add one extra tablespoon of MCT oil for a smoother version.

The conclusion is that if you can find 100% hazelnut butter, I recommend using the short way. Experiment with one or two tablespoons of MCT oil to find the texture and consistency you like more.

Why make Nutella at home?

Even if it takes only five minutes, why bother? The easier way to illustrate why it is worth the little extra effort is to show the ingredients side by side:

Ingredients in store-bought Nutella	Ingredients in homemade sugar-free Nutella
Sugar Palm oil Hazelnuts (13%) Skimmed milk powder (8.7%) Fat-reduced cocoa (7.4%) Emulsifier: lecithin (soya) Vanillin (a synthetic version of vanilla)	Hazelnuts (the main ingredient, more than 60%) Raw cacao powder Coconut oil MCT oil Yacon Syrup (or Allulose Syrup / Lakanto Syrup) Vanilla powder or pure vanilla extract

While I am grateful Nutella was invented, I’ll always wonder why they don’t make an extra effort for a cleaner and healthier version.

How much sugar is in a Nutella jar?

A serving of store-bought Nutella, which is 15 grams (less than one tablespoon!), has 8.4 grams of sugar. The question is, who eats only one tablespoon? This can escalate fast. And why only 13% hazelnuts?

The same quantity of our no added sugar Nutella has only 0.8 grams of sugar, plus it is rich in nutrients, healthy fats, fiber, and protein.

A 200 grams jar of store-bought Nutella has 112 grams of sugar, so approximately 28 teaspoons of sugar (more than 50%). Here it is a visual representation. On the left is our homemade Nutella (a little more than 200 grams), with no sugar at all and a minimal amount of a safe, natural sweetener (one tablespoon). On the right is the amount of sugar you find in a 200 grams Nutella jar.

At least they don’t use high-glucose corn syrup.

Ingredients to make a healthier Nutella:

IF YOU MAKE HAZELNUT BUTTER:

• 2 cups raw hazelnuts

IF YOU USE STORE-BOUGHT HAZELNUT BUTTER:

• 1 cup 100% hazelnut butter (just one ingredient)

ADD-INS:

• 2 tablespoons raw cacao powder (NOT cocoa powder!)
• 1 tablespoon melted coconut oil
• 1 tablespoon C8 MCT oil
• 1 tablespoon liquid sweetener (Yacon syrup, Allulose syrup, Lakanto monk fruit syrup)
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract or 1/2 teaspoon vanilla powder
• pinch of Himalayan pink salt (make sure it is just a small pinch, not more!)

Choose the best sweetener for you

I prefer to use a liquid sweetener for this sugar-free Nutella spread, and as with all my sugar-free desserts, I advocate for minimal use. One tablespoon will give this spread enough sweetness without an aftertaste or digestive upset.

Choose the one that is best for you (you might need to adjust quantities depending on the sweetener):

• Yacon syrup. The one I use the most, because it is easier to find in Europe, and I don’t mind the small amount of carbs. It’s also a prebiotic food. If you have diabetes or are on a strict ketogenic diet, choose one of the below keto-friendly sweeteners.
• Allulose (liquid). This is a safe, non-caloric sweetener for people with diabetes or on a ketogenic diet.
• Lakanto monk fruit (liquid). Also a safe, non-caloric sweetener for people with diabetes or on a ketogenic diet.
• Inulin powder. I do prefer a liquid sweetener for the texture, but if none of the above are an option, you can use inulin powder which is a low-glycemic natural soluble fiber (and one of my favorite sweeteners overall). It’s not as powerful as the other sweeteners, so you might need to add more. If the spread is too thick, you can add more MCT oil.
• Stevia drops. Keto and diabetics-friendly, stevia is another great sweetener for this spread. Start with two drops and increase if necessary.
• One or two dates. If you prefer something more natural (but not suitable for diabetics and not keto-friendly), add one or two dates to the food processor for some sweetness and fiber.

If you use keto-friendly sweeteners, you will only have approx. 1.4 net carbs per serving (1 tablespoon). Obviously, you can enjoy more than one serving at once.

Why raw cacao powder?

Raw cacao powder is made of un-roasted and cold-processed raw cacao beans. It’s rich in nutrients and a great addition to your diet.

How to make this homemade Nutella recipe, step by step?

The long way (about 35 minutes, depending on the blender)

If you choose the long way, the first step is to roast the hazelnuts. Put them on a baking sheet and roast for about 15 minutes at 350F/180C. The skins will crack, and they will smell divine.

The next step is to remove the skins. You can do that but rubbing the hazelnuts with a towel. Don’t worry if they don’t all fall off. Remove as much as you can and separate the hazelnuts from the skins.

The third step is to process your hazelnuts until they become butter. For this step, you need a powerful food processor, a high-power blender that can make nut butter (like a Vitamix), or an immersion/stick blender that can make nut butter.

I have a Bamix stick blender, and it’s amazing for making nut butter. The advantage of using a stick blender is that you don’t have to stop and scrape down the sides of your food processor or blender (but not all stick blenders are built to make nut butter!).

The next step is to add the rest of the ingredients to the blender and combine.

The short way (5 minutes)

If you choose the short way, you just need to combine the hazelnut butter with the rest of the ingredients. It literally takes 5 minutes, cleaning included.

You can adjust ingredients:

• Add more raw cacao powder for a more intense chocolate taste.
• Replace cacao powder with carob powder if you can’t have cacao or cooking for small kids.
• Add more or less sweetener to fit your taste; you can also add one or two dates if you don’t want any sweetener.
• For a keto Nutella recipe, use one of the keto-friendly sweeteners above.
• Add more MCT oil for a softer consistency, especially if you use the short method.
• Replace MCT oil with extra virgin olive oil. It’s actually really tasty in this combination!
• If, for any reason, you can’t have hazelnuts, replace them with another 100% nut butter (pecan, almond, macadamia, etc).

How to serve sugar-free Nutella?

There are so many ways to enjoy this delicious and creamy homemade chocolate hazelnut spread:

• Serve with low-sugar fruits for a healthy snack: I love how it pairs with strawberries and raspberries.
• Add to a smoothie for a creamy consistency and a heavenly chocolate and hazelnut flavor.
• Use it as a cake frosting or filling cream.
• Use as an ingredient in sugar-free desserts that ask for nut butter as an ingredient.
• Spread on your favorite slice of (healthy) bread, keto crackers, or pancakes.
• Eat with a spoon!

*This post contains affiliated links, which means I get a small commission if you choose to purchase something via one of my links, at no extra cost to you.