How to make Hazelnut Butter at home with just ONE simple, deliciously healthy, natural ingredient… Or switch it up with the best added flavours.
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Homemade Hazelnut Butter – Simple, Versatile, Delicious!
Move over peanut… There’s a new jar in town! Hazelnut Butter is rich, flavoursome and healthy and it’s also super-easy to make. If you have never tried it, let this post give you a nudge. Because not only is it delicious, but it’s also incredibly versatile.
Read on to get the low-down on how to make it with just ONE natural ingredient… How to flavour it up in all the best ways… AND how to eat, enjoy and bake with it too!
What’s in my Hazelnut Butter Recipe?
I originally posted my Hazelnut Butter recipe back in 2014, linked to a specific post for cookies. I’m giving it an upgrade however, with its very own recipe card, both because it’s delicious and deserves to be recognised in its own right… And because since first making it, I’ve discovered lots of ways to enjoy it. But what exactly is in the jar?
Well… my Hazelnut Butter recipe ONLY contains ROASTED hazelnuts. There’s no added oil (because it’s not necessary) and it is totally pure.
If you’re wondering why the hazelnuts are roasted? It’s primarily for flavour (although it also supports shelf-life too). Roasting nuts brings out the best depth and toasty nuttiness… It enhances and intensifies the natural earthiness of the hazelnuts. So, with every bite, you can taste the goodness.
Are hazelnuts good for you? Hazelnut nutrition in a nutshell
(Pun intended). And yes! Hazelnuts are not only super-yummy, but they are packed with goodness. So, what’s in the shell?
- Like all nuts, hazelnuts are a great protein source. Perhaps a little less than some other nuts, but nonetheless a reasonable ratio.
- They are a fabulous source for antioxidants and certain minerals and vitamins. In particular, they are very high in Manganese and offer a wonderful boost for Vitamin E, Copper, Thiamin and Magnesium. But they also contain a good dose of vitamin B6, folate, zinc, phosphorus and potassium too.
- Hazelnuts also pack a punch with all-important healthy fats. They are rich with mono and polyunsaturated fats and Omega 6 and 9 fatty acids too.
- And let’s not forget fibre… a single serving (of about 28g) offers 11% of what you need in a day…
What does all this mean for your health?
It means that hazelnuts support the health of your heart, bowels, bones, skin and blood. But they also may go some way to helping maintain good cholesterol levels, balancing blood sugar, reducing inflammation and in offering some anti-cancer properties too.
So, what are you waiting for? Grab those hazelnuts from the shelf and make Hazelnut Butter!
How to make Hazelnut Butter – Tips for the best results
Making one-ingredient Hazelnut Butter couldn’t be easier. Here are my top tips for getting it as yummy as possible…
- Roast the hazelnuts for the best flavour. (See below for instructions).
- If the raw hazelnuts have skins on them, roast in the skins and then be sure to peel off the skins before blending. (See below for instructions).
- Or… Easier still: Make your hazelnut butter with hazelnuts that have already been roasted and peeled! Buy in a larger pack for the cheapest option.
- Use a robust and powerful high-speed blender. As with grinding any nuts, the machinery needs a bit of power behind it. Blending smooth hazelnut butter takes more than a few seconds and the last thing you need is struggling equipment. I blend mine with my Vitamix A2300i, which is not only a powerful bit of kit for blending everything from nuts and oats (for oat flour) to the best roasted vegetable soup, but can also be fitted with smaller blending bowls (which was a priority for me) and smoothie blending cups for versatility.
- Make sure your Hazelnut Butter storage jars are ready and clean before you start. Either run them through a hot, soapy wash and rinse (hand or dishwasher). Or, for best shelf-life, sterilise them in the oven ahead of time.
How to Roast Hazelnuts
If using raw, skinned hazelnuts to make Hazelnut Butter, they will need to be roasted first…
- Pre-heat the oven to 180 C/350 F/Gas 4.
- Spread the raw hazelnuts on a baking tray, preferably in a single layer.
- Pop in the oven and dry-roast for about 15 minutes, turning a couple of times during cooking for an even roast.
- Roast until they smell toasty and have darkened (but not burned) and the skins have started to ‘blister’.
- Remove from the oven and cool to the point that they are relatively easy to handle. Then…
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Remove the skins…
- Tip the warm roasted hazelnuts onto a clean tea towel.
- Wrap the towel round the nuts so that they are fully enclosed and rub them firm and hard between your hands. It may be easier to do this in batches (particularly if you have roasted in bulk). The friction of the nuts together and against the fabric of the tea towel will help the skins to come loose and fall away.
- Open the cloth and carefully remove the nuts to the blender or a bowl.
- Shake the skins off of the tea towel into the food composter or garden.
Crunchy or smooth?
The hazelnuts are now ready to be blended into Hazelnut Butter… Which begs that all-important question… Crunchy or smooth? And that is a matter of personal preference. But the principle for blending is this…
The longer the nuts are blended, the smoother and runnier the Hazelnut Butter will be. I like to vary mine from batch to batch (and depending what I am using it for). But that’s the beauty of homemade Hazelnut Butter… YOU get to choose!
Given that it is best to blend in stages (to avoid over-heating the blender), you have the ideal opportunity to test and check the crunchiness levels along the way. Simply stop when it has reached the perfect consistency!
The BEST ways to flavour Hazelnut Butter
Homemade Hazelnut Butter is amazing just as it is. But if you prefer to have a little saltiness, sweetness or flavouring added, the options are almost endless… Your best bet is to test and taste with small batches to find your favourites, before risking loads of nuts on something that doesn’t ‘float your boat’…
- Chocolate Hazelnut Spread – The obvious one right? And yes… grinding roasted hazelnuts to a smooth butter is stage 1 of the process… But to make it as easy as possible, Gluten Free Alchemist already has a recipe to make your very own healthier than Nutella (optional vegan) Chocolate Hazelnut Spread…
- If you like Hazelnut Butter with a little extra basic flavour, add a hint of salt or sweetness to the batch. For 500g hazelnuts, add about ¼ to ½ tsp sea salt and/or ½ to 1 tbsp maple syrup, honey, date syrup, coconut sugar, light brown sugar or simple caster sugar to the batch. And blend to taste.
- Add Cinnamon – For 500g hazelnuts sprinkle ½ to 1 tsp ground cinnamon, about ¼ tsp salt and a little of one of the sugars listed above (at about ½ to 1 tbsp) into the blender with the nuts and blend to taste.
- And Spice – Exactly the same, but switch out the cinnamon for Autumnal Pumpkin Pie Spice, or even try a little ginger, for a warming kick.
- Go Vanilla or Coffee – Switch out the spice and sub with a teaspoon or two of vanilla extract, powder or paste… Or create your perfect hazelnut-coffee combo with a little Instant espresso powder.
How to Store Hazelnut Butter
Once your favourite Hazelnut Butter(s) are made and transferred to super-clean jars, they will need to be stored… No worries. Simply keep them in a cool, dark place (a cold larder area) and they should keep fine for 6 to 8 weeks (or longer if stored in a fridge).
How to eat, enjoy and bake with homemade Hazelnut Butter
So… What goes well with Hazelnut Butter? Like all nut butters, it is utterly delicious spread on toast, crackers or slathered between two slices of delicious homemade gluten free wholemeal bread… But why stop there? Here’s a few ideas for getting the best from the jar…
- Swirl into warm freshly-made Porridge (oat or oat-free).
- Spoon over homemade gluten free Vanilla Buttermilk Pancakes or Banana Buttermilk Pancakes. Or even a speedy batch of Protein Blender Pancakes.
- Drizzle over bananas on homemade Gluten Free Waffles.
- Add as a topping on a Quinoa Breakfast Bowl.
- Stir into a healthy bowl of granola or onto a Granola Yoghurt Pot.
- Spread onto a speedy homemade Gluten Free Flour Tortilla Wrap, top with bananas and roll into a delicious, healthy snack.
- Add to Chocolate Fudge Brownie Ice Cream for an extra layer of flavour and texture.
- Throw in the bowl when making your favourite Energy Bites.
- Or…
Bake with Hazelnut Butter!
Sub the peanut butter for homemade Hazelnut Butter (check each recipe for smooth or crunchy) to make:
- Hazelnut Butter Brownies (gluten free)
- Chocolate-Hazelnut Butter Oat Crumble Bars (gluten free)
- Hazelnut Butter Blondies (gluten free)
- Or make the most delicious chewy, Flourless Hazelnut Butter Cookies
Alternatively… Grab a spoon and simply eat it from the jar…
Hazelnut Butter also makes a lovely food gift…
Last but not least, if you like to offer foodie presents at Christmas, birthdays and celebrations, Hazelnut Butter dressed in a pretty jar makes a lovely gift.
Have you made my Hazelnut Butter or still have questions?
Do let me know if you make this super-easy Hazelnut Butter. And if you still have any questions, just shout and I’ll do my best to help. You can contact me by leaving a comment below, by email, or through social media messaging (You’ll find me on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest or Twitter).
And if you tried and loved homemade Hazelnut Butter, It would be great if you could rate the recipe (via the card or comments), so that other people get to make it too. I reckon it’s worth 5 stars ⭐️… What do you think?
Looking for more gluten free recipe inspiration? Look no further! We have over 400 recipes shared with my love to the gluten free community for FREE! Just grab a coffee and head over to our beautiful Gluten Free Recipe Book Index. Thanks for visiting and happy baking.
Other yummy gluten free recipes with hazelnut on the blog
Homemade Hazelnut Butter
Key equipment
- oven, baking tray and clean tea towel (if roasting)
- high-powered high-speed blender
- jam jars/Kilner jars – sterile
- spoon/spatula
Ingredients
- 250 g hazelnuts either raw with skins or pre-roasted and de-skinned
- sea salt (optional) – a pinch to ¼ tsp per 250g hazelnuts or to taste
- sugar/sweetener (optional) ¼ to ½ tbsp per 250g hazelnuts or to taste (use any of: maple syrup; honey; date syrup; coconut sugar; light brown sugar; simple caster sugar)
Instructions
To roast and de-skin the hazelnuts
- Pre-heat the oven to 180 C/350 F/Gas 4.
- Spread the raw hazelnuts on a baking tray, preferably in a single layer.
- Pop in the oven and dry-roast for about 15 minutes, turning a couple of times during cooking for an even roast.
- Roast until they smell toasty and have darkened (but not burned) and the skins have started to ‘blister’.
- Remove from the oven and cool to the point that they are relatively easy to handle.
- Tip the warm roasted hazelnuts onto a clean tea towel.
- Wrap the towel round the nuts so that they are fully enclosed and rub them firm and hard between your hands. It may make it easier to do this with just a handful of nuts at a time (particularly if you have roasted in bulk). The friction of the nuts together and against the fabric of the tea towel will help the skins to come loose and fall away.
- Open the cloth and carefully remove the de-skinned nuts to the blender or a bowl.
Blending the Hazelnuts into Hazelnut Butter
- Tip the hazelnuts into a high-powered/high-speed blender or food processor (in batches if the bowl is small).
- If adding OPTIONAL seasoning or flavourings (see Main Blog Post for ideas), add some of it before blending, taste part way through and add more to taste as you blend in stages.
- Blend in stages for 20 to 30 seconds at a time (to avoid over-heating) until the hazelnuts have become a paste. You can stop when the Hazelnut Butter is still slightly crunchy, or continue to grind until smooth.
- Transfer the Hazelnut Butter to clean storage jars and store in a cool, dark place. (Keeps for 6 to 8 weeks (or longer if stored in the fridge)).
Notes
Nutrition
© 2019-2023 Kate Dowse All Rights Reserved – Do not copy or re-publish this recipe or any part of this recipe on any other blog, on social media or in a publication without the express permission of Gluten Free Alchemist
Homemade Hazelnut Butter shared with
- Cook Blog Share October 2021 with Curly’s Cooking
- Sundays on Silverado #64 with The House On Silverado
- Fiesta Friday #403 with Angie
- What’s For Dinner #338 with The Lazy Gastronome
- Handmade Monday #251 with Sum of their Stories
- Full Plate Thursday #562 with Miz Helen’s Country Cottage
- Traffic Jam Weekend #301 with Life as LEO Wife
- Create, Bake, Grow and Gather #494 with Shabby Art Boutique
I’m not going to lie, a part of my had my fingers crossed that that one ingredient was … anything but hazelnuts!!!!
😂😂😂😂😂 Yup! Sorry about that x
I love your posts Kate, they always make me smile. They make me drool rather shockingly too. I make peanut butter, but never tried hazelnut. I think I need to know.
Awww thanks Choclette. That’s good to hear.
Definitely try Hazelnut Butter! It’s so easy and now I’m throwing it in everything! x
Thanks for sharing at the Lazy Gastronome’s What’s for Dinner party! Hope to see you again tomorrow! Happy Halloween!
You’re welcome Helen x
Hazelnuts are my favourite – love this idea!
Thanks Cat. Nothing beats homemade xx
What a clever idea – I had a hazelnut tree last year but it was taken down as it got too big, kinda wish I hadn’t now! Will have to go to the market to grab some hazelnuts to make this butter.
Oh No! A hazelnut tree is a delight. We planted a Kentish Cobnut a few years ago and get so excited with every small harvest. Good job for supermarkets!