Is Nutella vegan? Many who eat a plant-based diet or have vegan-friendly eaters who gather around their table will want to know the answer to this question. We’ll go through each of the ingredients and help you know what’s vegan and what’s not, as well as how to find vegan friendly alternatives.
What Is Nutella—and Is Nutella Vegan?
Nutella is a chocolate hazelnut spread that can be eaten plain, used as a dip, or made as a spread for a variety of purposes.
What Are the Ingredients In Nutella?
The ingredients used to make Nutella include the following.
Sugar, palm oil, Hazelnuts (13%), Skimmed milk powder (8.7%), Fat-reduced cocoa (7.4%), Emulsifier: lecithin (soya), vanillin.
Is Nutella Vegan?
No, Nutella is not vegan because it contains milk, palm oil, and sugar none of which are vegan-friendly.
Is Nutella Vegetarian?
No, Nutella contains skim milk which comes from cows, making it not vegetarian.
What is a Vegan Diet?
A vegan diet consists of eating plants and plant-based foods. Vegans don’t eat foods that contain animal products, byproducts, or cause cruelty to an animal’s environment.
What is a Vegetarian Diet?
A vegetarian diet consists of eating plant-based foods such as fruits, vegetables, nuts, and seeds. It avoids eating meats such as beef, poultry, and fish.
Is Nutella Healthy?
The answer to the question of whether Nutella is healthy depends on one’s dietary restrictions and how Nutella is consumed.
Nutella can be considered healthy when consumed in moderation, eaten with fruits or vegetables, and according to serving sizes and dietary restrictions.
Nutella is considered not healthy when consumed in large amounts, recommended serving sizes, or outside of dietary restrictions.
Is There a Healthy Version of Nutella?
Whether you consider Nutella to be healthy or for there to be a healthy version of Nutella depends on your dietary restrictions as well as your personal preference and definition for an item to be healthy.
We like to suggest if you can’t find the desired item on store shelves, it’s best to make it yourself and then you can custom make it according to the ingredients you’d like to include.
We’ve included a recipe below for homemade vegan Nutella.
Vegan or Not?
Following are the ingredients for Nutella, according to the product packaging.
Sugar, palm oil, Hazelnuts (13%), Skimmed milk powder (8.7%), Fat-reduced cocoa (7.4%), Emulsifier: lecithin (soya), vanillin.
Why is Nutella Not Vegan?
Nutella isn’t vegan because it contains 3 ingredients that are problematic to a vegan diet. Those ingredients are milk, palm oil, and sugar. These ingredients are generally avoided on a vegan diet.
We go into more detail about why these ingredients don’t fit a vegan diet below.
Is There Such Thing as Vegan Nutella?
There are no vegan varieties that are produced by the Nutella brand. There are, however, alternative brands that make similar chocolate hazelnut spreads.
Where Can I Buy Vegan Nutella?
The brand Nutella doesn’t manufacture a vegan-friendly option. But most large grocery stores carry vegan friendly alternatives to chocolate hazelnut spread. Check the peanut butter section of your grocery store aisles.
Vegan Nutella Add-Ons
We’ve got to admit that eating Nutella alone can be pretty delicious. However, adding a few ingredients to it now and then will kick it up a notch and make it that much more delicious. Here are some ideas for vegan Nutella add-ons.
sprinkles of cinnamon
crushed peppermint
chopped peanuts
shredded coconut
chunks of hazelnut
Plain Nut Butter
As an alternative vegan friendly option, plain nut butters such as almond butter, pecan butter, hazelnut butter and more are made with vegan-friendly ingredients.
For more information, you can read more here in our post about the best substitutes for peanut butter.
Ways to Use Vegan Nutella
Be creative as far as how you use vegan Nutella. Here are some ideas.
Spread it on bread, or anything
Drizzle it on pretty much everything
Fill some vegan crepes
Enjoy it as a fruit dip
Eat it by the spoonful
Nutella Contains Milk
Let’s take a closer look at the ingredients that are used to make Nutella. Nutella contains cow’s milk, which of course disqualifies it from a vegan diet.
This is true because cow’s milk is an animal byproduct, making it not fit for a vegan-friendly diet.
Other Problematic Ingredients
Other potentially problematic ingredients that are included in Nutella that disqualify it from a vegan diet are:
Sugar. Sugar is sometimes processed using bone char. We don’t know for sure how the sugar that’s used in Nutella is processed, but if it’s indeed processed with animal bone char, it would not be vegan-friendly.
Palm oil. Palm oil is a controversial ingredient among vegan eaters. Strict dieters don’t include palm oil in their diets because as a result of how it’s processed, some animals have become extinct.
Other not so strict vegan dieters consume palm oil in its raw form as they argue it doesn’t affect animal habitats.
Milk. We’ve already made mention of milk in Nutella, but we’ll do so here again so it’s included on our list of ingredients to be avoided.
Is Nutella Vegan? No, But These 5 Alternatives Are
Nutella is not vegan. Because it includes sugar, palm oil, and milk, it is not a vegan friendly food. There are, however, vegan friendly alternatives available for Nutella.
Or you might choose to make your own using our easy recipe below.
Choosing a Vegan Chocolate Hazelnut Spread
Choosing a vegan-friendly Nutella alternative can provide a delicious solution that fits within one’s diet. Here are some vegan brands you might like to try.
Justin’s Chocolate Hazelnut Butter
JEM’s Raw Chocolate Hazelnut Butter
Nutiva’s Vegan Hazelnut Spread
Don’t Go Nuts Chocolate Soybean Spread
Nocciolata Organic Chocolate Hazelnut Spread
…Nut butter alternatives
Whether you choose to consume vegan Nutella, make a homemade recipe and store-bought options for creamy chocolate hazelnut spread, we think it comes in handy from time to time to know how to make your own vegan Nutella alternatives.
Although Nutella isn’t vegan, there are some great vegan Nutella substitutes you can buy off the shelf or make yourself.
What are the Best Snacks to Eat with Nutella?
You can eat many snacks wit Nutella. In fact, the sky’s the limit. Here are some ideas.
Carrots
Celery
Graham Crackers
Pretzels
Bananas
Apples
Pancakes
Waffles
Crepes
Oatmeal
Cheesecake
Nutella works great for a variety of purposes. We recommend using it as a dip for crackers, vegetables, and a variety of fruits.
How to Make Vegan Chocolate Spread
To make a homemade chocolate spread that’s similar to Nutella, you’ll need hazelnuts, cocoa powder, coconut oil, maple syrup, vanilla, and table salt. Here are our step-by-step instructions.
4 cups hazelnuts, roasted, skinless
3/4 cup cocoa powder
1/2 cup maple syrup
2 tablespoons coconut oil
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1 teaspoon table salt
Instructions:
Place roasted, skinless hazelnuts in a blender or food processor. Pulse until the mixture is smooth and fully incorporated.
Add cocoa powder, maple syrup, coconut oil, vanilla and salt. Mix until thoroughly blended.
Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator or serve and enjoy.
Frequently Asked Questions
Following are frequently asked questions that relate to is Nutella vegan. If you have a question that’s not answered here, please drop it to us in the comments box below and we’ll be happy to answer it.
Is Nutella dairy-free?
No, Nutella is not dairy free. It contains skim milk, which is of course dairy.
Does Nutella contain egg?
No, Nutella doesn’t contain egg in its ingredient line up.
Will Nutella ever be vegan?
Nothing has been announced about Nutella creating a vegan friendly variety.
Is Nutella lactose free?
No, Nutella contains skim milk which contains lactose.
Is Nutella gluten-free?
Yes, Nutella is gluten free. None of the ingredients are gluten containing so it’s safe for those with dietary restrictions that need to avoid gluten.
Is homemade Nutella healthy?
Homemade Nutella can be healthy, depending how it’s made and how it’s consumed. Use health wise ingredients for a healthier outcome.
Is Nutella allergy friendly?
If you have an allergy to nuts, you’ll not want to eat Nutella. It includes hazelnut and tree nuts, which are a common allergy item.
Does Nutella have dairy?
Yes, Nutella includes milk. Therefore, it does have dairy content.
More Healthy Eating Guides
Here are some more healthy eating guides that you might find helpful.
Related Ideas:
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Homemade Vegan Nutella
Equipment
- blender or food processor
Ingredients
- 4 cups hazelnuts roasted, skinless
- 3/4 cup cocoa powder
- 1/2 cup maple syrup
- 2 tablespoons coconut oil
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon table salt
Instructions
- Place roasted, skinless hazelnuts in a blender or food processor. Pulse until the mixture is smooth and fully incorporated.
- Add cocoa powder, maple syrup, coconut oil, vanilla and salt. Mix until thoroughly blended.
- Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator or serve and enjoy.
Nutrition
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