Dr. Laura's Kitchen

Food is the Best Medicine

Healthy Nutella

Avoid the high sugar and artificial ingredients of store-bought Nutella, and make this easy and delicious Healthy Nutella instead!

Healthy Nutella

Before we transitioned to a more healthy lifestyle, my daughter used to love Nutella. But I didn’t love the high sugar content, artificial flavors, and unhealthy oils. Did you know that 1 serving of Nutella has more than 5 spoons of refined sugar? It amazes me that some people consider Nutella a “healthy” breakfast food!

This version contains much less sugar and only natural ingredients.

Hazelnuts are packed with vitamins, minerals, and healthy fats. They:

  • help fight heart disease and diabetes.
  • improve cognitive function.
  • help prevent cancer (read about more cancer-fighting foods here).
  • boost your metabolism, which fights obesity.
  • are high in Vitamin E, which promotes healthy skin and hair.

My kids love this nutella on whole-grain bread for their school lunches. And I love to dip strawberries or other fruits in it.

Healthy Nutella

Healthy Nutella
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Healthy Nutella

Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Total Time 20 minutes

Ingredients

  • 4 cups (500 grams) hazelnuts skins removed
  • 125 grams dark or milk chocolate
  • 1 teaspoon natural vanilla
  • 1/2 teaspoon sea salt

Instructions

  • Roast the hazelnuts at 350 F (180 C) on a baking sheet in a single layer for about 5 minutes. This makes the nuts easier to process into butter. If using raw nuts, roast for about 15 minutes.
  • Blend the hazelnuts in a food processor or high-speed blender until a smooth butter forms. Depending on the strength of your food processor, this should take 10-15 minutes. You will need to stop the food processor periodically to scrape the sides of the bowl.
  • Meanwhile, melt the chocolate over a double boiler or in the microwave, stirring every 30 seconds.
  • Add the melted chocolate, vanilla, and salt to the hazelnut butter and blend until combined. Taste and add more salt or natural sweetener as desired.
  • Store at room temperature, or in the refrigerator. The mixture will become more firm when cold.
  • Enjoy!

Notes

*I use these chocolate chips, because they contain only natural ingredients.

Reader Interactions

Comments

    • Dr. Laura says

      I was having a hard time finding natural vanilla here so I started making my own. I get whole vanilla beans from amazon, cut into 1 inch pieces, and just soak the beans in vegetable glycerin for 6 weeks. It makes a very delicious vanilla syrup which I use in all my recipes in place of vanilla extract.