Carob Nutella
Carob Nutella is a delicious and decadent hazelnut spread. It’s Vegan, Paleo, dairy free and refined sugar-free.
Today is World Nutella Day! I wouldn’t even know that if it wasn’t for my husband. A few weeks ago he proclaimed ‘It’s going to be World Nutella Day on Feb 5th! You should do a blog post about that.’ He often comes to me with interesting/weird pieces of information.
A little bit of Nutella history
As my hubby explained nutella came about due to hard times during World War II. Apparently during World War II Ferrero, an Italian chocolate-maker couldn’t get enough cocoa, so he mixed in some ground hazelnuts to stretch the supply.
I’m convinced hubby shared this particular bit of information with me on purpose though. This was no coincidence. He knew that I would not be able to resist the urge to healthify his favourite spread.
Carob Nutella
I decided to try my hand at making nutella with toasted carob powder 
instead of cacao. I bought a package of toasted carob powder a while ago when I was doing a detox and planned on using it as a cocoa substitute but never got around to it. This felt like the perfect opportunity to put it to good use.
What is carob?
Carob comes from the pod of a tree native to the Mediterranean. The pod contains a sweet, edible pulp and inedible seeds. After drying, the pulp is roasted and ground into a powder that resembles cocoa powder. Though similar to cocoa powder in color the two have completely different tastes.
Carob benefits
Carob is naturally sweet, low in fat, high in fiber, has calcium, and no caffeine. Since I am making this spread with my husband in mind this last fact is important . My husband drinks at least 3 espressos
per day and since I am pretty sure he will be eating this spread by the spoonful I didn’t want to add to his caffeine intake.
I’ve kept this recipe very simple. It’s basically a hazelnut butter with carob added. (You can see step by step photos on making nut butter in this post.) The consistency is like play dough. If you would like it less thick add a touch of water or milk. This will however affect the shelf life.
If you can get your hands on carob powder give this a try, if not you can go the traditional route and make this with Organic Cacao 
. I’ve been enjoying it on a rice cake with fruit for my mid-morning snack.
You can spread it on toast, pancakes or even make a shake from it. The possibilities are endless.
Please share this post to give your family and friends a chance to try out the recipe too.
Happy Nutella Day!!
Carob Nutella
Equipment
- 1 food processor
Ingredients
- 2 cups hazelnuts toasted
- 4 tablespoons toasted carob powder or unsweetened cocoa powder
- 4 tablespoons maple syrup or date syrup
- 1 teaspoon melted coconut oil
- ¼ teaspoon himalayan salt
- ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Instructions
- Place toasted hazelnuts in the bowl of your food processor and begin processing.
- The nuts will go from coarsely chopped, to crumbly, to finely ground.
- Continue to process the nuts until the oils are released, and a smooth, creamy mixture is formed. At that point add the carob, honey, coconut oil, salt and vanilla extract.
- Pulse to combine.
- Transfer the spread to an airtight glass container and store at room temperature or in the refrigerator.
Keeps for 1 month.
Enjoy
My daughter loves Nutella too…I’m going to try making this Carob Nutella for her. I like Carob but had no idea where it was from!
Hi Jessica if you can combine your daughter’s love for nutella and yours for carob you have a winning combination here.. :)
I love Nutella! I’ve never made my own so I’ll have to try it!
Give it a go Britney it tastes really great!!
I really love this healthy alternative! I haven’t eat Nutella for…mmm… let me think… at least 2-3 years cause of the emplty calories (sugars), but with this recipe, may be a weekly habit! Thank you Krystal! :)
Thank you Kostas!! It tastes really great and is completely guilt free.. :)
My son love nutella. I have never been a big fan of carob. I will try the cocoa with it. Pinning!
Thank you Anna! Carob or cocoa either way its definitely healthier than the original. Enjoy.. :)
Mmmm…. love this!! Pinning.
Thanks Jessica!!
I will try making this. The pics are very beautiful
Thank you very much for your kind words Kirtz!
Love the suggestion of using the food processor! I tried it in a blender once and it didn’t get so smooth. This looks amazing!
Thanks Linda! I don’t have a very powerful blender so I always make this sort of thing in the food processor. Works for now.. :)
What a lovely recipe! I really enjoy the flavor of carob. Yum!
If you like carob then you’ll love this spread Emily!
Nice stepping up the ingredients!! Lovely! :)
Thanks Megan!
If you prefer more carob taste you can replace honey with carob syrup. For oil it is better to use extra virgin olive oil (not saturated fats).
Thanks allaboutcarob I have never heard about carob syrup. I’m going to look it up. I am a HUGE fan of EVOO but for this hazelnut spread its distinctly pungent flavour just wouldn’t work . Secondly, all saturated fats are not created equal. The naturally occurring saturated fat in coconut oil has some amazing health benefits and should not be mistaken for fats which are artificially manipulated into a saturated state through the man-made process called hydrogenation. It is these hydrogenated vegetable and seed oils which should be avoided. You can read all about the benefits of using coconut oil here http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2010/10/22/coconut-oil-and-saturated-fats-can-make-you-healthy.aspx
Oh Krystal! Yeah! I am totally making this with the girls next week if I can get my hands on some hazelnuts! Thank you!
My kids would love this… yum!
Thanks Rachel!!
I really don’t like Nutella, but I don’t know. I may need to try this. Maybe I’ll like this version better!
Chloe do you like hazelnuts? If not you probably wont like this version either but give it a try, you never know!
Carob Nutella looks so delicious & yummy. I never know Feb-5th is World Nutella Day & it is amazing to know the facts relating to World War II. The recipe is interesting & I would love to try this for my kids.
Thank you Lisa. Interesting history right! I hope your kids like it.. :)
This looks absolutely DELISH.
Thank you Kim! It really is… :)
That looks amazing! I’ve always had a hard time liking carob, but I’m thinking this might be the ticket! Pinning ;)
Thank you Heather! the carob really works well here. Give it a try and let me know how you like it!
This looks super yummy! Thanks for linking up!
-Cindy
Thanks Cindy!
What a great recipe and sounds so easy to make. It sure would hit the spot for those chocolate cravings. I love the idea of added fruit to the top. Thanks for sharing on Real Food Fridays. Pinned & twitted.
I have tried this twice and mine will not combine. I use carob 9I’m allergic to chocolate )and maple syrup because I don’t tolerate honey. It always comes out clumpy. What can I be doing wrong?
Hello Phyllis. The consistency should be that of play dough.Maple syrup can be a bit thinner than honey.Perhaps use a bit less and see. What brand carob powder are you using? Is it finely ground?
I would add a tablespoon or so of ramon nut powder. It is a superfood, and has a chocolaty taste. I am going to try that–adding flavor and nutrition, too.
Can you use something other than coconut oil? I can’t have coconut but really want to try this recipe after finding out I’m intolerant to cocoa!
You can omit it.