Nutella Gets a Healthy, Vegan Makeover — And It’s Delicious
We’re having a bit of a “have your cake and eat it too” moment with this totally delicious and totally healthy recipe for vegan Nutella. Sure, we love the original chocolatey hazelnut spread that’s a pantry staple, but when we’re in more of a clean eating mode, we need to find a more virtuous version to satisfy our sweet tooth. Enter this amazing recipe that manages to be super chocolatey, rich and satisfying without any refined sugar or dairy and is filled with super good-for-you ingredients like dates, raw cacao powder and healthy-fat-filled coconut oil. So yeah, healthy chocolate for breakfast just became a thing — you’re welcome :)
Ingredients:
Makes about 1 1/2 cups
-1 ½ cups raw hazelnuts
-10 large pitted Medjool dates
-¼ cup raw cacao powder (or regular cocoa powder)
-2 tablespoons coconut oil, melted
-1 teaspoon vanilla extract
-¼ teaspoon salt
-¼ cup water (not pictured)
Instructions:
1. Pre-heat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Place the hazelnuts on a lined sheet pan and roast them in the oven for 10-12 minutes, until they are lightly browned and starting to smell nutty. Allow them to cool for 5-10 minutes on the tray until they are cool enough to handle.
2. Remove the skins from the hazelnuts by transferring them to a clean dish towel and rubbing them between the layers of the folded towel. This helps to loosen the thin skin away from the nuts quickly and easily.
3. Place the nuts into a food processor fitted with an S blade, and process until the nuts turn into a thick and creamy butter. You want the butter to be as smooth as possible, so this will take a few minutes as the nuts turn from a rough crumbly texture into a creamy paste. Be sure to scrape down the sides of the processor bowl a few times to help make sure everything mixes together evenly.
4. Transfer the nut butter to a bowl and add your pitted dates to the food processor. Pulse until the dates are pureed into a thick paste.
5. Now you can add the rest of the ingredients — minus the water — to the food processor. Add in the hazelnut butter, cacao powder, coconut oil, vanilla and salt, and pulse until the ingredients are well combined. At this point your mix will still be a bit chunky looking. To create a smooth, glossy texture, continue to pulse the ingredients while slowly pouring in the ¼ cup of water. Once the water is fully incorporated into the mix, you can transfer the spread into a couple of pint-sized canning jars or a tupperware container. The finished spread will keep in the fridge for a few weeks.
Roast the hazelnuts in the oven at 350 degrees Fahrenheit until they are nice and toasted-smelling and lightly golden brown.
Quickly peel the skins off the hazelnuts by rubbing them between the layers of a folded dish towel.
Make your own hazelnut butter by blending the nuts in a food processor until they turn into a creamy paste. Remove the nut butter from the processor and set aside.
Next, add your dates (no need to clean out the bowl between ingredients) and process until they make a thick paste as well.
Time to put all of your ingredients in the food processor and mix. Add the water at the very end to help create a glossy, smooth texture just like store-bought Nutella.
Now you can dig in! We think your usual almond butter and toast will have some competition for fave healthy breakfast on-the-go.
Creamy and spreadable, just like the original, but full of delicious and good-for-you ingredients. Mmmmm.
Soooo simple to make and keep on hand for breakfast, snacks or any time you just need a spoonful of something sweet!
What’s your fave way to eat Nutella? Tell us in the comments!
