This white Nutella, or white chocolate hazelnut spread, is a delicious twist on regular Nutella! It can be made traditionally with white chocolate or for a paleo and vegan version, with cocoa butter and maple syrup.
White chocolate and hazelnut is a sublime combination, so here’s a relatively quick and fun recipe that you can make to give out as gifts!
Or to simply eat with a spoon. Whatever you prefer. :)
Is white Nutella real?
It’s a bit confusing. A jar of white Nutella was posted on the internet, and people went crazy trying to get their hands on it.
Turns out it was not an official Nutella product but a homemade creation. It was all a big misunderstanding.
One website currently says that you can buy it in Italy, but my assistant lives in Italy, researched it and said this isn’t true. It’s never existed.
That website also says a few Australian shops import the Italian stuff. Which is also not true because there is no Italian white Nutella. 😆
As of 2022, there has not been any news or previews of launching a white chocolate version by the Nutella maker Ferrero.
But that’s not to say it doesn’t exist (if only in our dreams) because you can now make your own.
Store-bought white Nutella alternative
Nocciolata Bianca by Rigoni di Asiago is a white chocolate hazelnut spread that is made with 30% hazelnuts. The ingredients are:
hazelnuts, cane sugar, skimmed milk powder, sunflower oil, cocoa butter, soluble agave fiber, soya lecithin, vanilla extract, vanilla powder, and cocoa butter.
It has less sugar than the average hazelnut spread, and it’s 100% organic, with no palm oil (something Nutella can’t claim), and is gluten-free.
I can’t have some of the ingredients nowadays, but I’ve had it in the past and loved it.
Everything that Rigoni di Asiago makes is packed with flavor, by the way. It’s the only jam we buy. The ingredients are fruit, fruit sweetener from apple juice concentrate and pectin.
The only downside is that it goes bad more quickly than regular jam, but that’s to be expected with the lack of sugar and preservatives.
Homemade traditional version
Since I can’t have some of the ingredients in Nocciolata, I made my own version.
You need a food processor to break down the hazelnuts. If you don’t have one, store-bought hazelnut butter works.
But you would have to buy blanched hazelnut butter. I don’t think I’ve ever actually seen that.
Regular hazelnut butter, which is made from unblanched hazelnuts, would also work, but the flavor from the skins might interfere with the flavor of the white chocolate.
And your white chocolate hazelnut spread wouldn’t be as light in color and would have lots of brown specks in it.
If using pre-made nut butter, you would simply mix the melted white chocolate, hazelnut butter, and all the other ingredients until creamy. No need for a food processor.
Homemade paleo/vegan version
If you’re vegan, you can use vegan white chocolate instead of regular white chocolate. It’s not easy to find in stores, but is easy to get online.
Enjoy Life, King David, Dee Best and Pascha make vegan white chocolate, but they’re all super expensive.
Note: the following 3 photos of are the paleo/vegan version, but all the others in this post are of the traditional version.
So my vegan version uses cocoa butter and maple syrup instead of white chocolate.
Cocoa butter is also an expensive ingredient, but at least cocoa butter + maple syrup is healthier than white chocolate.
On the other hand, the texture is softer with white chocolate. So both versions have their advantages!
I don’t think the paleo/vegan version is as tasty as the traditional version. Or rather, I should say that it tastes different in that it’s not as white chocolaty.
I LOVE white chocolate, so for me, anything with actual white chocolate in it is going to win over anything without it.
I’ve also made the paleo/vegan version using hazelnut butter instead of hazelnuts. If doing that, you can melt the cocoa butter and then stir in the nut butter and the other ingredients.
Keep in mind with the paleo/vegan version, you have to stir it occasionally while cooling to ensure that it sets correctly. I find my Chocolate Almond Butter way easier to make, and it only calls for 4 ingredients.
You could use hazelnut butter in place of the almond butter, but it uses cocoa powder, so it’s a dark brown color.
How to make it
Melt the white chocolate or cocoa butter (for the paleo/vegan version).
Place the hazelnuts and salt into the bowl of a food processor fitted with an S-blade.
Process until you have something that looks like coarse hazelnut flour.
Add the vanilla and oil (if making the traditional version) and process until a paste forms.
Pour in the still warm white chocolate or cocoa butter + maple syrup for the vegan/paleo version and blend until combined and you have a silky nut butter. It should be very runny and pourable.
It’ll firm up in a few hours, so don’t worry that it’s too thin. The white chocolate or cocoa butter will solidify and make it spreadable.
Pour into a jar and let it sit for about 6-8 hours or until firmer and not runny.
Keep it at room temperature for up to a week. Longer is probably safe, but I’m erring on the safe side. You can refrigerate it for up to 3 months, but won’t be spreadable when cold.
I recommend keeping small amounts out at room temperature, that you could eat within a week, and keeping the rest refrigerated.
Other homemade food gifts
I have some great ideas if you want to treat others with homemade food gifts. Not only are they terrific, but they’re also healthier than most holiday sweets!
- How to Make Candied Pecans
- Paleo Vegan Candied Almonds
- Vegan Hot Chocolate Bombs
- Healthy Peanut Butter Balls
- Vegan Fudge
If you try this white Nutella recipe, I’d love to hear about it! Please leave a comment or snap a pic and tag #texanerin, so I can be sure to see it. Thank you. :)
White Nutella Recipe (White Chocolate Hazelnut Spread)
- Prep Time:
- Cook Time:
- Ready in:
- Yield: traditional - 2 cups | paleo/vegan version 1 1/3 cups
Ingredients
- 8 ounces (225 gram) white chocolate
- 4.5 ounces (127 grams) roasted and peeled hazelnuts
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- 5 teaspoons canola or vegetable oil1
- 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2 ounces (57 grams) cocoa butter
- 6 ounces (170 grams) roasted and peeled hazelnuts
- 3/16 teaspoon salt, plus more to taste
- 6 tablespoons maple syrup
- 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Regular version:
Vegan paleo version:
Directions
- Chop the chocolate and melt in the microwave at half power, stirring after every 30 seconds, until totally smooth and no chunks of chocolate remain.
- Put the hazelnuts and salt into the bowl of a food processor fitted with an S-blade.
- Process until you have something that looks like coarse nut meal, and then add the vanilla and oil.
- Process until a paste forms.
- Pour in the still warm white chocolate and blend until combined, and you have a silky nut butter. Very runny and pourable.
- Pour into a jar and let sit for about 6-8 hours or until firmer and not runny.
- Heat the cocoa butter in a small saucepan over medium-low heat, until melted.
- Put the hazelnuts and salt into the bowl of a food processor fitted with an S-blade.
- Process until you have something that looks like a coarse nut meal, and then add the melted cocoa butter, maple syrup and vanilla.
- Process on low until you have a silky nut butter. Very runny and pourable.
- Pour into a jar and let sit for about 6-8 hours or until firm, stirring after every 30 minutes or so. This prevents the cocoa butter from floating to the top.
- Keep it at room temperature for up to a week. Longer is probably safe, but better safe than sorry. You can refrigerate it for up to 3 months, but it won't be spreadable when cold. The best thing to do would be to keep small amounts out at room temperature, that you could eat within a week, and keep the rest refrigerated.
Regular version:
Vegan and paleo version:
How to store:
Notes
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18 comments on “White Nutella Recipe (White Chocolate Hazelnut Spread)” — Add one!
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Just a question/concern, I am NOT a fan of maple syrup in the slightest, it doesn’t affect the overall taste much does it, does it only act as a sweetener? If not, any alternatives?
If you use Grade A maple syrup (or whatever they’re calling it now) – the lightest kind – it will not taste of maple syrup. There’s unfortunately not a sub for it. Honey would add a strong taste. You could use agave if you’re not paleo! It has the right texture, but I haven’t tried it myself.
Hi, can you tell me what the yield is in grams please. Thanks
I added up the grams of the ingredients and got 384 grams for the regular version.
absolutely delicious…the best recipe I have stirred up so far…thanks for that
You’re welcome! I’m so glad that you enjoyed it. :) Thanks for your feedback!
This was perfect!
So glad you enjoyed it! Thanks for your feedback. :)
It does exist I grew up on it in Israel. UK and Europe should have it
White Nutella doesn’t exist (at least these days, not even in Europe), but there are other brands that have white and brown hazelnut spreads swirled together in one jar. :)
Hi,
Actually White Nutella was a real thing in the early 80’s in Europe. I’m French and I use to like it very much when I was a kid. It was sold as a premium product combined with classic Nutella in a fancy glass (not a jar). It disappeared abruptly… I’m so grateful for your recipe! I’ll try the vegan version. XOXO
Hi Severine! I’m so sorry for just now seeing your comment that landed up in spam for some silly reason. Funny that you mention swirled hazelnut spread. That still exists here in Germany, and I completely forgot about it (my husband has done the grocery shopping for years so it slipped my mind). 😄 It’s not Nutella, but there are several other brands. I hope that you got to try out the spread and that you enjoyed it! :)
Thank you for this amazing recipe! It’s my third time making this in a week. I gave the first batch away to a good friend who was amazed that it was white and oh-so-delicious. The second batch was only half as big as I ran out of white chocolate. This next batch is in my air fryer as I am roasting the hazelnuts as I type this out. I LOVE THIS! It has fewer calories, saves me a trip to the store, is something so fast and easy and is cocoa free allowing my kids to stick to their sleep without the caffeine effects. You are a genius!
Hi Grace! I seem to have had some problems with comments in this post, so I’m just now seeing yours. :( So sorry about that! I’m thrilled that you enjoyed it enough to make it 3 times in one week. And I love that you gave some away to a friend! That was very nice of you. I find it a bit hard to share. 😆 Your comment made my day! My apologies again and thanks a ton for taking the time to leave your very nice comment. I appreciate it!
This looks absolutely phenomenal, and I’m eager to try it both ways but am a little concerned about adding the maple syrup to the paleo/vegan version– does it not clump/separate like what happens when you add liquids to regular nut butters? Or is there enough fat in the cocoa butter to smooth everything out?
Thanks for the recipe! I bet it would be good with cashews too for a less expensive alternative, or macadamias for true decadence :)
Thanks! I thought the same with the maple syrup before trying it out, but I have several jars of the paleo/vegan version still sitting on my counter, and they’re definitely spreadable and not clumpy or weird. So I guess it is the cocoa butter that is responsible for making that possible. I was also hesitant with the vanilla, but it also didn’t cause weirdness, like it usually does in plain nut butter. I hope you’ll enjoy it! :)
So, I finally made this, kind of– I used maybe about 12 ounces of roasted salted cashews that I couldn’t stay out of otherwise, an entire 9-ounce bag of melted Lily’s sugar-free white chocolate chips, vanilla and salt and a little more oil that your recipe called for, and….oh my goodness. This stuff is dangerous. I’m really sensitive to the “cooling” sensation of erythritol and could taste/feel it when the nut butter was warm, but oddly not at room temperature. It was slightly gritty and reminiscent of day-old hardened glaze on Krispy Kreme doughnuts I used to love. I can only imagine how decadent your recipe is had I followed it to the letter, but wanted to thank you for the inspiration anyway (or curse you, haha– I had to hide mine in the freezer to keep out of it) (and also to let other readers know that Lily’s does work if they need to use it). I hope you had a Merry Christmas and will have a Happy New Year!
Another comment I missed! I’m so sorry. :( Thanks so much for the tip on Lily’s! That’s great to know. Also about the cooling sensation when warm/cool. And I love that your version worked out well and that it reminded you of donuts. That sounds delicious! And haha at cursing me. I know how you feel. I might have eaten half a cheesecake yesterday. 🙈😆 Thanks for your lovely comment and my apologies again for just now seeing it (almost a year later).