Do you like Nutella? It’s gorgeous stuff, kids can be addicted to it, it seems to go with everything and can be eaten straight out of the jar with a spoon. And probably often is!
But… and there’s always a but isn’t there, the nutritional content is pretty poor. Palm oil constitutes 25% of the total weight. Palm oil isn’t a great food to have often. Wiki says
According to the World Health Organization, evidence is convincing that consumption of palmitic acid increases risk of developing cardiovascular diseases, placing it in the same evidence category as trans fatty acid
A further whopping 50% of the jar is sugar, pure, simple, and also, not great in such proportions.
And it’s only the remaining 25% that is the hazelnuts, milk and cocoa that we tend to think of as the ingredients, conveniently forgetting the other 75%!
So, I’ve been pondering for a while now about trying a recipe to make some at home, with better nutrition. There are many many recipes out there for home made Nutella. Many use a bar of chocolate, but I didn’t want to do that, I wanted a little more control over the ingredients. One used condensed milk which I got quite excited about for a while, but decided against in the end.
I finally decided to have a go using similar ingredients to those shown on the graphic. I changed the palm oil to rapeseed oil. The hazelnuts were hugely increased, now a massive 25.4% of the total content, and the sugar content is more than halved.
Home Made Nutella Nutrition
| per 15g serving | Home Made | Nutella |
| calories | 66 calories | 80 calories |
| fat | 5g | 5g |
| carbs | 4g | 9g |
| protein | 1g | 1g |
| price per 100g | 44p | 63p for the biggest jar |
| % of hazelnuts | 25.4% | 13% |
So with this home made version, we’ve reduced the calories by 19%; improved the fat from palm oil to an oil rich in Omega 3; reduced the carbs by a whopping 54% (which is almost all sugar) and increased the protein a bit. I reckon that’s a pretty good result nutrition wise!
I’ve had some here for breakfast on a muffin with a few cherries from our tree
How to make chocolate hazelnut spread
The first, and most fiddly, part of the process is to toast and deskin your hazelnuts. Put the nuts on a suitable container and toast under the grill or in the oven until roasted. Watch them closely, they’ll burn easily. Leave until cool, then rub in a clean tea towel to remove the skins. I got fed up halfway through the de-skinning and threw the half skinned nuts all in the processor, it didn’t seem to make any difference!
Or do what I’ve done on subsequent times of making this recipe and use chopped hazelnuts, so no de-skinning at all, and don’t bother with the toasting!
Put the hazelnuts in a food processor and whizz until a very fine powder.
Add the oil, cocoa, milk powder and sieved sugar and whizz again for a couple of minutes. Now add the water and whizz again. And that’s it, you’re done.
Store your delicious hazelnut and chocolate spread in the fridge, but you may need to let it come to room temperature before using if it thickens up too much
If you don’t think you will use it very quickly, pop it in the freezer. It will keep well in the fridge because of the sugar in it acting as a preservative
Verdict
This is lovely, lovely stuff! I’m extremely pleased with it.
I can definitely taste that this is a hazelnut spread, and I used those nuts because that is what Nutella is. However, absolutely any nut that you want to use would all work well and give their own unique flavour. Do try it. Try not to dip that spoon in the jar too often!
What changes can I make to my healthy Nutella alternative
- to make a milder version, more like milk chocolate, increase the milk powder. Add 10g at a time until it is as you’d like it. You may need to add a tablespoon or 2 more of water
- or decrease the amount of cocoa. Or mixture of decreased cocoa and increased milk powder
- coconut oil could be used instead of the vegetable oil
- I like to use rapeseed oil as it is a good source of Omega 3, but any neutral vegetable or seed oil could be used
- change the nuts to walnuts, peanuts, macadamia nuts, Brazil nuts or almonds
- leave out the nuts altogether to get a nut free version
- add the grated zest of an orange, lemon or lime
- decrease the amount of sugar further if you wish
Update – Ground Almond Version
Since making the version above using hazelnuts, I’ve now developed this super simple version using ground almonds which just needs a quick stir to make it. The kids could do it themselves!
Priced at Asda, October 2017 – to be updated
50g dried milk powder, 340g/£1.88, 28p
50g cocoa powder, 250g/£1.69, 34p
150g ground almonds, 150g/£1.60
100g icing sugar, 1kg/£1.70, 17p
160ml vegetable oil, £1.09/litre, 17p
100ml milk, 2.27 litres/99p, 3p
Total weight 610g, total cost £2.59
This is 42p per 100g. Branded Nutella is sold in Asda in kilogram jars for 50p per 100g
Total yield 610g
Nutrition per 15g tablespoon, 77 calories, 6g fat, 4g carbs, 2g protein
Nutella nutrition per 15g tablespoon, 81 calories, 4.7g fat, 8.6g carbs, 0.9g protein
For this version, simply put everything in a bowl and stir together with a spoon. It seems a little runny to start with, but thickens up after a while.
I’ll write it up as a proper post in a while
Ingredients
Home Made Nutella
- 50 g milk powder
- 50 g cocoa powder
- 150 g hazelnuts
- 100 g icing sugar
- 100 g rapeseed oil
- 140 ml cold water
Instructions
Home Made Nutella
- The first, and most fiddly, part of the process is to toast and deskin your hazelnuts. Put the nuts on a suitable container and toast under the grill or in the oven until roasted. Watch them closely, they’ll burn easily.150 g hazelnuts
- Leave until cool, then rub in a clean tea towel to remove the skins. I got fed up halfway through the deskinning and threw the half skinned nuts all in the processor, it didn’t seem to make any difference!Or do what I've done on subsequent times of making this recipe and use chopped hazelnuts, so no de-skinning at all, and don't bother with the toasting!
- Put the hazelnuts in a food processor and whizz until a very fine powder or paste. You really do need a food processor for this.
- Add the oil, cocoa, milk powder, sugar and water and whizz again for a couple of minutes.50 g milk powder, 100 g icing sugar, 100 g rapeseed oil, 140 ml cold water, 50 g cocoa powder
- Taste. Add more cocoa if you want it stronger. Add more sugar if you really want it.
- Store your delicious hazelnut and chocolate spread in the fridge, but you may need to let it come to room temperature before using if it thickens up too much
- If you don't think you will use it very quickly, pop it in the freezer. It will keep well in the fridge because of the sugar in it acting as a preservative
Equipment Needed
Notes
- to make a milder version, more like milk chocolate, increase the milk powder. Add 10g at a time until it is as you'd like it. You may need to add a tablespoon or 2 more of water
- or decrease the amount of cocoa. Or mixture of decreased cocoa and increased milk powder
- coconut oil could be used instead of the vegetable oil
- I like to use rapeseed oil as it is a good source of Omega 3, but any neutral vegetable or seed oil could be used
- change the nuts to walnuts, peanuts, macadamia nuts, Brazil nuts or almonds
- leave out the nuts altogether to get a nut free version
- add the grated zest of an orange, lemon or lime
- reduce the sugar further if you wish
Nutrition
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It’s a tricky one. There is no doubt that it is an extremely good grower. This means that it is very sustainable for an ever growing population, which ultimately has an ever growing need for oils.
I personally don’t have enough information to know if it is the actual growing palm forests for their resources is unethical or not. Or is it solely the methods used in ‘protecting’ the resources with no regard to local biodiversity?
If it is the latter then a step away from consuming products with palm oils may not be the answer, but more so working with organisations and pressure groups such as activists etc is the way forward. Supporting these will bring attention to the public and government to try and drive change in future to more sustainable practices for everyones benefit (not just human).
The worry is that if everyone dropped buying products with palm oils and favoured another type of oil instead then that oil would get the bad name… and we would find ourselves in the same situation as we are now. Perhaps palm oil isn’t the enemy here.
Thank you Scotty, that’s very useful. It does taste, and feel, very nutty, so yes, I’m sure you could drop the nut content a little without noticing
I’m on a bit of a mission re palm oil. It is one of the unhealthiest things you can consume, it is deeply unethical and it is used in so so many things. The more alternatives I can offer to replace this horrible ingredient the better I shall be pleased.
Was just thinking. You could maybe bring it under 50p per 100g by lowering the hazelnut count just a fraction. You would likely not even notice the difference but it will bring you on par with Nutella current price. I seem to recall one of your meal plans (perhaps plan 1) that wanted hazelnuts, perhaps the leftover could be used there.
Anyway here’s what I came up with.
Priced at Asda, June 2017
50g dried milk powder, 340g/£1,69, 28p
50g cocoa powder, 250g/£1.69, 34p
125g hazelnuts, 150g/£1.72, £1.43
100g icing sugar, 1kg/£1.70, 47p
100g butter, 250g/£1.18, 47p
80ml milk, 2.27 litres/99p, 3p
Total weight 605g, total cost £3.02
This is 49.92p per 100g. Branded Nutella is sold in Asda in kilogram jars LESS THAN 50p per 100g
Total yield 605g
Also noting that Nutella is owned by Nestle one of the most unethical companies in the world this is a pretty good one to make yourself.
Ooooh, Valerie, they sound dangerously good! No, I’ve not heard of those. I’ve just started a post, to be completed later on, of food items that can be included in gift hampers. HM Ferrero Rocher would make a lovely addition, or indeed, a hostess gift or something like that.
All kinds of variations are springing to mind. I might have to test some, oh dear
Hi – If you’ve Nutella – homemade or shop bought, you can make a cheaper version of Ferrero Rocher. Thought I’d pass this on (though maybe you’ve heard of it already?)
You need: 3 Weetabix, 5 tablespoons Nutella & a sachet of drinking chocolate powder (eg: Options). Just mix together the Weetabix & Nutella, squish into conker sized balls & roll in chocolate powder. Sounds disgusting, but taste lovely. They look especially pretty if you pop them in tiny paper cake cases.
I’ve not tried it, but I wonder if another variation would be to try using Grape Nuts instead of Weetabix.