This salted chocolate hazelnut spread is rich and luxurious, with a toasty, nutty flavor and deep notes of cocoa. Enjoy it on toast, swirled into yogurt bowls, or straight from the spoon. Inspired by Nutella, this homemade version is truly one for the books!
As a huge chocolate lover (see: French hot chocolate and Julia Child’s chocolate mousse), I’m always on the lookout for new products. And after buying and recommending Soom’s Salted Chocolate Tahini Spread countless times, I wondered if I could just make my own salty chocolaty spread, preferably with hazelnuts for a lovely callback to the original chocolate spread we all know and love, Nutella.
Well, it’s here, and it’s delicious. Might I suggest pairing it with my homemade Greek yogurt and strawberries, buckwheat crepes, or creamy oatmeal? Or, make a double batch and share this dreamy nut butter with your friends.
👩🏽🍳 Recipe Testing
In research, I learned that gianduja, my preferred version of hazelnut spread, needs at least 30% hazelnut paste, whereas Nutella contains significantly less. In my version, I wanted to ensure I included a sufficient amount (read: 40%) for optimal nuttiness.
Most homemade Nutella and gianduja recipes include toasted and blanched hazelnuts, chocolate and/or cocoa powder, sweetener, vanilla, oil, and salt.
Hazelnuts
To reduce bitterness, the skins must be removed from the hazelnuts. Toasting the nuts helps loosen the skins and brings out more toffee caramel notes, so that’s a must, too!
Chocolate
I tested the recipe with just cocoa powder and found it far too intense. A mix of chocolate and cocoa powder offers a better balance.
Sweetener
- Jamie Oliver’s recipe calls for powdered sugar, while Tara’s Multicultural Table uses granulated sugar. Chocolate Covered Katie suggests using any non-liquid sweetener, which makes sense because liquid sugars can often alter the texture in an unusual way.
- Nonetheless, I rarely have powdered sugar on hand, and it’s so, so messy. Maple syrup is my go-to these days, so I wanted to make it work. Unfortunately, when I added the maple syrup, the nut butter clumped into greasy bits.
- Because nut butter is oil-based, and maple syrup is water-based, the water and fat don’t naturally mix, creating a greasy, oily-looking concoction. The solution? Add a tablespoon or two of water, and the system flips! The water helps form a smooth emulsion, bringing everything together.
Ingredient Notes
- Hazelnuts: For this recipe, we’ll need toasted, blanched hazelnuts. I’ve included instructions on how to toast and remove the skins yourself, or you can buy pre-blanched nuts (and toast them). Blanched nuts are usually more expensive at the grocery store, but my local spice shop sells them for the same price, so I recommend double checking.
- Maple Syrup: I prefer pure maple syrup as my sweetener, as I always keep it in my fridge, and it adds deep, caramel notes.
For a full list of ingredients and their quantities, please refer to the recipe card.
How to Make This Recipe
Toast and Blanch Hazelnuts:
Step 1 – Roast hazelnuts (Image 1) at 375°F until the nuts smell fragrant, the skins look crispy and the insides look golden, about 8 – 10 minutes (Image 2).
Step 2 – Transfer to a kitchen towel and tie in a knot to seal in the steam. Allow nuts to steam for 5 minutes. Still tied, rub the nuts against themselves to help remove their skins (Image 3). Remove as much skin as possible, then cool completely and transfer to the food processor (Image 4).
TIP: It is *very* difficult to fully remove hazelnut skins. I try to remove about 75% of the skins and call it a day. But please don’t skip this step, as the skins are quite bitter!
Make the Nut Butter:
Step 3 – Grind the nuts in the food processor until smooth and liquidy (Image 5). Add the cocoa powder, melted chocolate, maple syrup, vanilla, and salt, and process until combined (Image 6).
Step 4 – At this point, the mixture will likely look slightly clumpy, like brownie crumbs (Image 7). That’s normal! With the processor on, stream in the oil; now it will look quite greasy. Finally, stream in 1 – 2 tablespoons of water until the nut butter smooths out completely.
Step 5 – Taste and season with plenty of salt.
Recipe FAQs
For a very smooth result, the hazelnut butter should look glossy and flow in slow, smooth ribbons off a spoon. For a slightly textured result, it should look creamy but feel a bit grainy between your fingers.
I wouldn’t recommend omitting the maple syrup in this recipe, as its consistency and sweetness serve a specific role in the overall texture of the spread.
While inspired by Nutella, this spread is actually closer to Gianduja, an Italian confection made from chocolate and at least 30% hazelnuts. Mine includes over 40% hazelnut, with a hint of salt to help balance the sweetness. Overall, it’s richer and nuttier, like a grown-up version of Nutella!
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Salted Chocolate Hazelnut Spread
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 cup hazelnuts, blanched or unblanched, see notes
- 2 tablespoons Dutch processed cocoa powder
- 1 ounce dark chocolate, melted and cooled slightly
- 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste, or vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon Diamond-Crystal Kosher Salt, or ¼ teaspoon Morton Kosher Salt or Sea Salt, plus more for seasoning
- ⅓ cup maple syrup
- 2 tablespoons neutral oil, or extra-virgin olive oil
- 2 tablespoons cold water
Instructions
- Prep the Hazelnuts: Preheat oven to 375℉ (191℃) and arrange 1 cup hazelnuts in an even layer on an unlined baking sheet.For Blanched Hazelnuts: Toast in the oven until fragrant and golden brown, about 5 – 8 minutes. Remove from the oven and cool completely, about 20 minutes.For Unblanched Hazelnuts: Toast in the oven about 8 – 10 minutes, stirring halfway through, until fragrant, skins appear crispy, and the insides are golden brown.Transfer nuts to a kitchen towel and tie in a knot to seal in the steam. Let them sit for 5 minutes; the residual steam will help loosen the skins. Then, keeping the nuts inside the towel, rub them together until most of the skins flake off (removing about 75–80% is fine). Cool completely before using.Note: Keep a close eye here, as nuts can burn quickly!
- Make the Hazelnut Butter: Transfer nuts to a food processor. Process until the mixture is creamy and homogeneous, about 2 – 4 minutes.For a slightly textured result, stop once it looks creamy but feels slightly gritty between your fingers.For a very smooth result, keep going until the mixture looks glossy and flows in slow ribbons off a spoon with a smoother feel between your fingers.
- Make the Chocolate Hazelnut Spread: Add 2 tablespoons Dutch processed cocoa powder, 1 ounce dark chocolate (melted and slightly cooled), 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste, ½ teaspoon Diamond-Crystal Kosher Salt, and ⅓ cup maple syrup and process until combined. The mixture may look a bit crumbly at this stage — that’s normal. With the processor running, slowly stream in 2 tablespoons neutral oil. The mixture might briefly look oily and separated, but it will come back together as you gradually add the 2 tablespoons cold water, 1 tablespoon at a time, until smooth and creamy.
- Finish: Taste and adjust for seasonings. I usually add a touch more salt for balance, but season to your preference.Transfer to a clean jar and refrigerate for up to 2 weeks. The spread will thicken slightly in the fridge but remain spreadable. For a softer texture, let it sit at room temperature for 10 – 15 minutes before using.
Notes
Nutrition
The nutritional information on this website is only an estimate and is provided for convenience and as a courtesy only. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Owner’s Review: I love the slightly textured consistency of this spread and how hazelnut-forward it is! It’s got just enough sweetness with a bit of saltiness too. I truly think is a lovely grown-up version of Nutella.