This hazelnut butter recipe is a healthy take on the popular hazelnut spread – Nutella. Make it at home in less than 10 minutes using your food processor.
Add the roasted hazelnuts [see note] in the bowl of a food processor.
Blend the hazelnuts till turn into a smooth and creamy paste. The hazelnut butter goes through various phases as you grind it - starts with a dry powder, rolls up into a dough and then finally starts turning into a paste [see step by step pics in the post].
Stop to scrape the sides of the bowl every couple of minutes, if needed. Takes about 8-10 minutes to get a fine paste. The timings may vary depending on your food processor.
To make plain hazelnut butter – Add a pinch of salt and maple syrup at this point and mix well with a spatula to incorporate it in.
How to make chocolate hazelnut spread
Add milk chocolate morsels along with oil to a microwave-safe bowl.
Microwave it for about 30-45 seconds till the chocolate chip morsels have completely melted.
Pour this chocolate mixture into the freshly ground hazelnut butter to make a chocolate based spread.
Store the hazelnut butter in a glass jar or airtight container in the refrigerator for about 2 months.
Notes
When making the chocolate hazelnut spread you could use cocoa powder instead of chocolate morsels but that makes the spread a tad bitter and then you’ll have introduce sugar to sweeten it up. That's why I prefer chocolate chip morsels.
If you like dark chocolate then you can replace the milk chocolate morsels with dark to mix it up.
You can use coconut oil but it solidifies quickly so choose avocado oil instead.
Hazelnut butter will solidify in the refrigerator. To use, transfer as much as needed in a bowl and microwave it for about 10 seconds to transform it into a spreadable texture.
How to roast hazelnuts
Roasting hazelnuts at home is cheaper and you can do it without oil in an oven or an air-fryer. It takes about 6 minutes in an air-fryer at 325°F and about 10-12 minutes in an oven kept at the same temperature. Don’t forget to toss the hazelnuts at the 3-minute mark for even browning. I prefer to air fry since there is no preheating needed and the hazelnuts are evenly roasted. Make sure you let the hazelnuts cool down for at least 10 minutes before grinding. Tips
Let the roasted nuts cool down for about 5-10 minutes before blending them.
From what I have seen the food processor grinds nut butter faster compared to a high-performance blender. So if you have a food processor try that first.
You'll need to determine the minimum quantity of nuts you need to add to your food processor so that these nuts grind properly. For my food processor, it was about 2 cups.
Blenders and food processors can overheat and shut down. That's why don't run your machine for more than 3 minutes at a stretch. Stop and scrape the sides every 3 minutes and wait for about 30-60 seconds before blending again.
The blending time will vary depending on the device you use. Be patient and look for visual cues as explained in the instructions above.