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Nutella is a simple spread that has had many attempts at being veganised, but the recipes I've seen have been too healthy for what I'm looking for. I'm not looking for calorie-free Nutella, I want the real stuff.
You'll find no maple syrup nor raw cacao powder in this recipe, and if you're using a vegan Nutella recipe that calls for either then you've already missed the mark. This recipe aims to mimic the classic Nutella recipe: sugar, cocoa, hazelnuts, milk powder, palm oil and vanillin. It should be noted that Nutella normally calls for vanill(IN) and not vanill(A) so I've not used vanilla here like many copycat recipes call for.
When you make the hazelnut butter, make sure the hazelnuts are warm so they release their oils quicker, and process until COMPLETELY smooth if you'd like to replicate the consistency of store-bought Nutella. Coconut oil has the closest melting point to palm oil, and if you choose a refined version then the scent and flavour of coconut won't be in the final product.
Copycat Vegan Nutella
INGREDIENTS
3 cups hazelnuts
2/3 cup cocoa powder
3 tablespoons soy milk powder
1.5 cups powdered sugar
Zero to 1 tablespoon coconut oil (I’ve found 1/2 teaspoon makes the best texture)
1/4 teaspoon salt
METHOD
Toast hazelnuts in an oven at 180 degrees celsius for 10-12 minutes (until aromatic). Remove from oven and cover in aluminium foil or a tea towel to steam for a few minutes before rubbing the skins off and discard.
When the hazelnuts have cooled down, but are still warm, begin grinding them in a food processor. Process for 10-15 minutes, scraping the bowl occasionally, until the hazelnuts have formed into a butter. This should not be grainy, and will be noticeably oily when you've reached the right consistency.
Add in and process the cocoa powder, soy milk powder and salt.
While the processor is running, slowly add in the powdered sugar. The mixture will create something like a dough ball.
Finally, add the coconut oil in small increments until the right consistency is achieved. Adjust until you get the consistency you want, but remember that the final product will be slightly less runny once it has fully cooled. If you have a good enough quality food processor and process the butter for 15 minutes+ then you can extract enough oil from the hazelnuts to put in next to no oil additional oil.
Pour your homemade Nutella into a jar and store or serve!
