- What Is
- What is Nutella?
- Ingredients
- What are the ingredients in Nutella?
- Why Isn't Nutella Vegan
- Why isn't Nutella vegan?
- Is Nutella Healthy
- Is Nutella healthy?
- Are Nut Butters Healthier
- Are nut butters a healthy vegan alternative to Nutella?
- Sweet Chocolatey Vegan Alternative
- Is there a sweet, chocolatey vegan alternative to Nutella?
- Comments
- **COMMENTSTAGLIST**
- More
- **OTHERTAGLIST**
What is Nutella?
Nutella is a very popular chocolate spread made from hazelnuts and other ingredients. It's commonly used on toast, crepes, cookies, and in countless dessert recipes. We know Nutella is vegetarian, meaning it does not contain any animal meat products, but is Nutella vegan?
Vegans are strict vegetarians who don't eat meat but also don't eat any animal by-products such as dairy or eggs. Nutella is not vegan because it does contain skim milk powder, which is made from cow’s milk.
According to their website, the first version of Nutella was invented shortly after World War II, when cocoa was hard to come by. An Italian company named Ferrero came up with a product that contained ground hazelnuts, sugar, and only a tiny bit of the rare cocoa. The delicious chocolatey paste went through a few changes over the following years and became what we now know as Nutella in 1964.
Today, Nutella is a popular treat, used in countless recipes around the world.
What are the ingredients in Nutella?
The current recipe for brand-name Nutella contains just seven ingredients:
- Sugar
- Palm oil, for a creamy texture
- Hazelnuts
- Skim milk powder
- Cocoa
- Lecithin, to increase the smoothness
- Vanillin, for flavor and fragrance
According to Ferrero, they commit to using socially and environmentally sustainable ingredients and packaging. There are lengthy descriptions of how they achieve this and the guarantees they offer on their website if you want to know more.
Why isn't Nutella vegan?
Most of the ingredients in Nutella are vegetarian, meaning they don't contain animal meat products. The only ingredient in the Nutella recipe that's made directly from an animal by-product is the skim milk powder.
For this process, the manufacturer takes cow’s milk and puts it through an elaborate heating and drying process to remove the cream and water before it's added to the final Nutella product. Although Ferrero says their milk is obtained from traceable and reliable sources, it's still a product from a cow, which makes Nutella not okay for people on a strict vegan diet.
Is Nutella healthy?
Clever marketing has positioned Nutella as a breakfast food, though it's classified as a dessert and should be eaten in small quantities. Sugar is the main ingredient in Nutella, palm oil the second ingredient, and hazelnuts the third ingredient, listed by weight.
Eating too much Nutella, or any food with high sugar content, can lead to health problems, especially in children. According to the American Heart Association, children who eat more than 25 grams per day of added sugar are at risk for obesity, heart disease, dental disease, diabetes, and other health problems.
But this doesn't mean children should avoid food with added sugar altogether. You can still safely include sugary foods, like Nutella, as part of your child's healthy diet as long as you serve them in small amounts.
The recommended daily intake of added sugar for adults is also 25 grams, similar to that of children.
Added sugar is any processed sugar added to products like soda, ketchup, and Nutella. It doesn't include sugars naturally present in fruits, vegetables, and milk.
Nutella contains 21 grams of sugar — 19 of which are added sugar — in 2 tablespoons of spread. Following the American Heart Association and World Health Organization’s recommendations, the average person will nearly meet the daily recommended sugar intake with one normal serving of Nutella. Nutella is a treat and shouldn't be eaten in large quantities.
Are nut butters a healthy vegan alternative to Nutella?
Nutella is made of ground hazelnuts, so it could be considered a nut butter, even with its high sugar content. However, there are alternatives to Nutella that are healthier and vegan, if that's your goal.
Nuts are high in unsaturated fats, which has been found to decrease the risk of diabetes in women, decrease the risk of heart disease, and prolong life span. So, healthy nut butters are a great part of a healthy diet. One study showed that a healthy Mediterranean diet with 30 grams of nuts daily could reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease.
To decide if a nut butter is healthy and vegan, read the ingredient list. In general, look for simple ingredients, with your choice of nut as the first ingredient — possibly the only ingredient. Avoid nut butters with extra fillers, excess sugar and salt, and partially hydrogenated vegetable oils. Be aware that nuts and nut butters, though considered healthy, are relatively high in calories, so don't eat too much in one day.
There are many types of nut butters out there to try, including:
- Peanut butter
- Cashew butter
- Almond butter
- Walnut butter
- Coconut butter
- Pistachio butter
- Mixed nut butter, which is a combination of the above nut butters
- Flavored nut butter, with added ingredients such as dates or cinnamon
Is there a sweet, chocolatey vegan alternative to Nutella?
If you're vegan and just want a chocolatey dessert spread similar to Nutella, you do have other options. There are many products on the market that are made with various kinds of nuts and with different flavors. You can find these products online, at your local special health food stores, and often at your regular grocery store in the peanut butter aisle.
Another popular option for vegans who want that nutty, chocolatey taste without the animal by-products is to make your own. The internet is full of recipes for different kinds of nut butters — whether vegan or not vegan, with or without chocolate, and with all different kinds of nuts. A quick search will produce so many results that you may want to take the weekend off to try them all.
Although Nutella is a popular chocolate hazelnut dessert spread, it's not for everyone. Vegans, in particular, may find the ingredients not suitable for their diet, but there are alternatives available to buy or make yourself.
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Medically Reviewed on 2/14/2023
References
SOURCES:
Cedars Sinai: "Nut Butters: Which One Is Healthiest?"
Circulation: "Added Sugars and Cardiovascular Disease Risk in Children: A Scientific Statement from the American Heart Association."
Harvard Health Publishing: "Ask the doctor: Healthy nuts: How much should I eat?"
The Journal of the American Medical Association: "Nut and peanut butter consumption and risk of type 2 diabetes in women."
Nutella: "Nutella Jar," "Our commitments to achieving sustainability," "Our heritage," "Our quality and ingredients."
One Green Planet: "These 15 Organic Nut Butters Will Make Ditching The Sugary Stuff Easy."
Preedy, V., Watson R, The Mediterranean Diet: An Evidence-Based Approach, Academic Press, 2020."
World Health Organization: "WHO calls on countries to reduce sugar intake among adults and children."
