Happy Valentine’s Day, my loves! ♥

Some of us love this day and some of us could do without. I’ve played for both sides but tend to lean towards loving it because hello…

Chocolate.

And by chocolate, I mean Nutella.

And by Nutella, I mean this Easy Vegan Nutella.

Nutella feels like something we can love every year, all year round, no matter what, but especially on Valentine’s Day when chocolate-covered strawberries are essential. Before buying store-bought Nutella (made with skim milk and whey protein), consider this healthier, dairy-free vegan version of your favorite chocolate hazelnut spread, mmmkay? Plus, no added oils in this recipe!

By the way, after making this dreamy spread, I’m totally crazy for hazelnuts… they are everything. This heavenly spread is super versatile! Lather it on toast, dip strawberries and fruit in it, spread it on crackers (I like these by Crunchmaster!) or savor by the spoonful…

How do you make Vegan Nutella?

First, you roast hazelnuts for 10 minutes to warm up the natural oils and loosen the skins (your kitchen will smell amaaaaazing). I bought roasted hazelnuts and re-roasted them again, but you could also use raw. The reason I used pre-roasted hazelnuts was because much of the skins were already removed, which will give you a less bitter tasting spread, so if you’re roasting raw hazelnuts, be sure to remove as much of the skins as possible!

Next step is to blend.

And blend. And blend. Whole, roasted hazelnuts, grounded down to the tiniest crumb, slowly swirling into the silkiest hazelnut butter heaven for the most lick-able end result. Talk about dreamy…

Instead of using my fancy blender, I opted for a basic food processor because honestly, I want you guys to try this without needing a high-speed blender! To my surprise, the process was simple and weirdly satisfying… watching hazelnuts transform in the food processor is nothing short of magical. After blending for a while, while stopping to scrape the sides down every couple minutes, you’ll notice the textures slowly transform from crumbly to grainy to smooth and creamy. Be patient! It will happen.

Adding oil is unnecessary but if you really want, feel free to add a couple teaspoons.

Next, we swirl in melted chocolate, vanilla and sea salt.

Depending on the taste you’re going for, you can make it sweeter by adding in coconut sugar, or make it extra chocolate-y by adding in cacao powder.