This vegan chestnutella is a delicious take on a Christmassy, homemade vegan Nutella recipe. It's perfect to make as a festive treat for yourself or an unusual, edible gift. It’s a recipe from the Bosh boys and you can see their original version here. The main difference is that I use considerably less maple syrup, making this a pretty healthy vegan alternative to Nutella.
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Thanks to the invention of long-life, vacuum-packed chestnuts you can, of course, enjoy this chocolate chestnut spread at any time of the year. However, replacing the usual hazelnuts with chestnuts seems to me to make this particularly festive. Adding in the optional mixed spice makes this smell and taste like a warming, winter treat.
Before we get into the recipe I think we need to address the prep time here. This recipe requires your patience and judgement when it comes to making the chestnut butter. If you’re using anything other than a high-speed, bells and whistles blender, you’ll likely get to the stage where you’ve been processing your nuts for so long you’re convinced this isn’t gonna happen.
I added a pinch of salt, an extra tablespoon of maple syrup, warm water and even a dash of toasted sesame oil to try to encourage my chestnuts to ball into a buttery form. Even then it took 25 minutes of sweating and swearing to get it to the right consistency in my faithful old food processor. It will happen eventually but you need to scrape down the sides frequently and possibly keep giving your equipment a few minutes rest to avoid burning out the motor, or just treat yourself to one of these! (Affiliate link)
I like to present this in pretty recycled glass jars that I’ve saved from olives, sundried tomatoes and jam etc. Because of this, I prefer to wash the jars in hot, soapy water, rinse thoroughly and then sterilise them on the hottest wash in the dishwasher. I feel this is an easier and safer option than the oven or stovetop method you would usually use with purpose bought mason jars for canning. Although these jars must have been sterilised to hold the original food contents I’m wary of boiling untempered, upcycled or second-hand jars at high heat on the stovetop.
To make it really gift-worthy I add ribbon and re-use gift tags. I often make my own by cutting them out of old cards and adding upcycled ribbons. Look for pretty or unusual shaped jars with plain lids or ones that don’t feature writing or branding on the rim. That way you can disguise the original contents of the jar by cutting a gift tag to size and sticking it to the top of the jar.
Please check out the video below to see my other homemade gifts for the vegan, low FODMAP foodie in your life. If that’s you then share it with Santa to make sure you get what you want in your stocking this year. For those of you without the time or inclination for homemade gifts then check out my ultimate vegan, low FODMAP gift guide.
Go nuts this Christmas!
Recipe FAQ’s
Is this vegan Nutella recipe gluten-free?
Yes. This recipe contains no obvious sources of gluten. If you suffer from coeliac disease, allergies or intolerances then please take all usual precautions when checking your ingredients.
Which milk can I use to make this vegan and low FODMAP?
All my recipes use dairy-free milk alternatives and are suitable for vegans. In this recipe, I used Califia Farms espresso coffee flavoured almond milk for an extra boost of flavour (Affiliate link). If you’re in the elimination phase of a low FODMAP diet then double-check the ingredients on flavoured milk or stick to regular almond milk. Unflavoured almond milk works just as well in this, particularly when combined with the optional mixed spice.
Is this homemade Nutella alternative safe for people with nut allergies?
I’m no expert in allergies but from my limited research, I’ve discovered that chestnuts are botanically different from peanuts and tree nuts. This means that people with peanut/tree nut allergies may be able to tolerate them. Allergy UK says that chestnuts do not usually need to be avoided if you have a tree nut allergy. However, some people may be specifically allergic to chestnuts with or without any other nut allergies present.
How long can I store this?
Because of its lack of preservatives, this has a fairly short shelf life. I would only recommend keeping this for a maximum of 2 weeks in the coldest part of the fridge (towards the back rather than in the door).
It freezes really well. I recommend freezing it in ice cube trays, in heaped tablespoon portions, before transferring it to a freezer-safe container. This way you can easily defrost 1-2 servings at a time to avoid waste. It can also be blitzed from frozen, straight into smoothies to add a nutty, chocolate kick.
If you’re making this vegan Nutella as a gift then try to make it as close to gifting day as possible. Unless you know you’re making it for a large household or a true chocoholic then I also recommend splitting this up into smaller jars of 100-200 grams and gifting it to different people.
For your gift to be safely edible and waste-free remember to include a little note detailing the storage instructions. Many people keep jars of commercial Nutella open for months without a second thought so they may not think to eat this before it’s past its best. Encourage freezing in individual portions to make it last longer.
If you’re keeping it all for yourself (and why not) then freeze it in smaller quantities and keep only the amount you’ll eat within 2 weeks in the fridge at any one time.
What can I serve with this to keep it low FODMAP?
This vegan Nutella alternative can be used in any way you’d use regular Nutella. Spread it on toast, drizzle it on crepes or pancakes, add it to your dessert recipes or use it as a dip for fruit, crackers and biscuits.
The main thing you need to be mindful of is the fructan content of this recipe. My favourite way to eat this Nutella is spread on toast. I recommend a slice of FODMAP safe sourdough with no excess FODMAPs listed or half a safe serving (usually 1 small slice) of gluten-free, FODMAP safe bread.
If, like me, you're a child of the 70s and 80s then go nostalgic by dunking and crunching a gluten-free breadstick for ultimate childhood choc dip vibes (let me know in the comments if you remember those).
If you want to keep the fructans to a minimum you could serve this as a dip with a FODMAP free fruit. Alternatively, spread the FODMAP load with fructose-containing fruit such as strawberries or grapes.
How do you eat yours? Let me know all your weird and wonderful ways in the comments below.
Cooks Notes
If you’re not vegan or low FODMAP then feel free to use whichever chocolate you prefer. Just be aware that dark chocolate will give a deeper chocolate flavour and a darker colour whilst milk or white chocolate will be sweeter and look paler.
If you’re running out of time and patience with blending the chestnuts into butter then try adding the warmed plant milk to the partially blitzed chestnuts after a few minutes and see if that helps to speed everything up. It didn’t work for me when I tried it this way but in the original Bosh recipe they use this method in a high-speed blender, along with a much larger amount of maple syrup, and it seems to work well.
Vegan Notes
Please be aware that not all dark chocolate is vegan. This particularly applies to cheaper cooking chocolate available in the baking section of most supermarkets. Many of these have added milk and lactose.
If cost allows I recommend choosing a chocolate that you enjoy eating. I use the Moser Roth brand from Aldi.
FODMAP Notes
FODMAP Servings
As written this recipe is low FODMAP up to 33g or 1 heaped tablespoon. One heaped tablespoon serving of this recipe contains approx:
- ¾ Fructan serving - 15g roast chestnuts = <¼ portion + 16g dark chocolate = >½ portion
- ¼ GOS - 15g roast chestnuts = <¼ portion
- 0 Mannitol
- 0 Sorbitol
- 0 Fructose
- 0 Lactose - All my recipes are vegan and therefore free from dairy and lactose. Yay!
Always refer to the Monash app for current safe serves and FODMAP categorisations.
FODMAP Ingredient Notes
Chestnuts
Boiled chestnuts have a FODMAP safe serving of 168g. At larger servings of 295g, they become moderate for fructans and GOS.
Roasted chestnuts have a smaller safe serving size of 84g. They become moderate for fructans and GOS at larger servings of 134g.
The vacuum-packed chestnuts I use are roasted. If using pre-cooked chestnuts always double-check the packaging for the cooking method to help you determine your safe serving.
Dark chocolate
FODMAP safe serving of 30g. It contains high amounts of fructans at serving sizes of 125g. If you are vegan or malabsorb lactose then please be aware that not all dark chocolate is dairy-free, always check the label. If you’re using a non-dairy free dark chocolate then it also becomes moderate for lactose at a serving of 80g.
Plant milk
I recommend almond, macadamia or soy protein in the elimination phase as these are the ones that are FODMAP safe at 250ml/1 Cup and have no FODMAPs specified. If you opt for flavoured plant milk then double-check the ingredients for high FODMAP sweeteners such as xylitol.
Shopping Tips
- Merchant Gourmet whole roast chestnuts (180g). This is typically the brand I buy. They are usually available in most big supermarkets although they are often quite hard to find and I usually have to check several aisles before I see them. They typically have a long shelf life so I tend to stock up when I see them on offer or out of season.
- Califia Farms espresso cold brew almond milk (750ml). This deliciously dark cold brew coffee drink is perfect in this recipe. It comes in several flavours including mocha, coconut and plain almond. You can usually find them in the vegan/dairy alternative refrigerators in the big supermarkets.
- Vego fine hazelnut crunchy chocolate spread (350g). If all that seems like too much effort then you can always opt for this classic hazelnut, ready-made, vegan, gluten-free, organic and fair trade version from Vego.
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Free From
- Celery free
- Garlic free
- Gluten free
- Mustard free
- Onion free
- Peanut free (see cooks notes)
- Sesame free
- Soy free (depending on chocolate)
- Tree nut-free (see cooks notes)
- Wheat free
- Fructose free
- Lactose free (check chocolate)
- Mannitol free
- Sorbitol free
Please always double-check your ingredients to ensure your products, brands and version is “free-from” if required. Where we list free from FODMAPs please be aware we are referring to free from excess FODMAPs as defined by low/high FODMAP limits in the Monash app and not a true allergy-safe definition of “free-from”. Most plant foods will still contain some level of FODMAPs but in amounts that are considered to be tolerable for most people on the low FODMAP diet.
Recipe
Homemade Vegan Nutella
Equipment
- Food processor
Ingredients
- 180 g vacuum-packed roasted chestnuts
- 200 g dark chocolate
- 1 teaspoon coconut oil - Optional but recomended for texture
- 100 ml almond milk - I used Califia Farms cold brew espresso variety for extra flavour
- ½ teaspoon mixed spice - Optional to taste
- pinch salt - Optional to taste
- 1 tablespoon maple syrup - Optional to taste
- warm water - Optional - depending on the power of your blender
Instructions
- Spread 180 g vacuum-packed roasted chestnuts out on a baking tray and warm in the centre of the oven at 180 C / 350 F / Gas 4 for 10 minutes.
- Break 200 g dark chocolate into chunks and place in a heat-safe bowl. You can heat this in the microwave or over a pan of hot water until just melted.
- Adding 1 teaspoon coconut oil to the chocolate before melting helps to keep it smooth and glossy. You can skip this step if preferred.
- Melt the chocolate for 1 minute in the microwave. Stop to check after the first minute and continue in 30-second increments. Mine took 2 minutes.
- After 10 minutes, remove the chestnuts from the oven and blitz in a food processor whilst still warm.
- From this point on you’ll need to use your judgement as to how long to process the chestnuts. In my cheap and cheerful blender it took almost 25 minutes. You’re looking for a smooth and creamy nut butter consistency. You’ll need to frequently stop and scrape down the sides to fully incorporate all the bits of nut into smooth butter. See the notes below for how to speed this up.
- Once the chestnuts are blended into butter drizzle in the melted chocolate.
- Heat 100 ml almond milk for 1 minute in the microwave and add to the food processor.
- Process for a minute or so until all the chocolate has been blended into the nut butter.
- Taste and adjust. Depending on the bitterness of your chocolate you can add 1 tablespoon maple syrup for extra sweetness, pinch salt to balance or ½ teaspoon mixed spice for a subtle, Christmas flavour.
- Spoon the chestnutella into a sterilised glass jar. See the detailed recipe FAQ in the blog post regarding storage.
Recipe Video
Notes
Recipe Video
Skip to 6:38 for the vegan chestnutella recipe.
Did you make this homemade vegan Nutella alternative?
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Manuela Salini says
Wow! I made it a little while ago and it's fantastic!
I didn't have roasted chestnuts, but boiled ones. So I cooked them for about ten minutes in the air fryer at 200°C.
It came out spectacular. I just had to add a little more milk because otherwise it would have stuck to the blender.