Gianduja – Nutella, Who? A Rich and Tasty Luxury

If you like Nutella, you’ll adore its ancestor: this rich, dark chocolate hazelnut gianduja spread!

I recently went to World Market in search of their store brand white chocolate and milk chocolate swirled hazelnut spread. I was a bit disappointed to learn that it has been discontinued (probably long since – I must have bought it about a decade ago).

One really nice thing about making your own gianduja rather than buying something like Nutella is that you can completely control the ingredients. You pick what kind of chocolate you use, what kind of oil you eat, and how much sugar and fat are in the finished product.

Can chocolate really be sinful?

Gianduja, and later its younger cousin, Nutella, both made their debut appearances following major wars.

However, the chocolate is not to blame.

These tasty desserts were born from human ingenuity in the face of post-war rationing.

History of gianduja

Also spelled gianduia, this delectable paste hails from Turin. This city which served as the first capital of Italy, from 1861-1865.

During the Napoleonic wars (1803-1815), Napoleon Bonaparte instituted the Continental Blockade against the United Kingdom. This created a strain on the supply of cocoa on the main continent of Europe.

In order to spread what little cocoa he had left a bit further, chocolatier Michele Prochet (another story claims that it was Pier Paul Caffarel, the founder of Caffarel chocolates – we may never know) mixed it with hazelnuts from the Langhe. This a beautiful and lush hilly area south of Turin, in Piedmont.

This helped chocolatiers survive the higher import taxes on cocoa beans.

Traditional gianduja features dark chocolate, as its invention predates milk chocolate. Various laws at different times required at least 20-30% hazelnut content to claim the name gianduja.

The evolution to Nutella

Later, following World War II, cocoa was still carefully rationed.

Peitro Ferrero (yes, the same Ferrero that created those delightful chocolate hazelnut Ferrero Rocher confections) invented Nutella. He originally called it Pasta Gianduja, and it came in wrapped solid loaves very reminiscent of traditional gianduja.

(Interestingly in light of this original name, British chef and restauranteur Jamie Oliver stated that gianduja is delicious with pasta.)

Soon enough, Ferrero began adding vegetable fat, which made it both cheaper and more spreadable. He called this new version Supercrema Gianduja.

This beloved spread received its current name, Nutella, in 1964. Nutella is likely quite a bit sweeter than traditional gianduja.

Gianduja Ingredients

Before you begin, you will need:

• 8 ounces of chocolate of your choice (I used bittersweet, 60% cacao)
• 1 cup of hazelnuts (also called filberts – try to find blanched and peeled ones so you can skip those steps. Sadly I did not find any locally, but you can get them from Amazon.)
• 2 Tbsp sugar
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/4 cup coconut oil

• Food processor
• Colander
• Measuring cups and spoons
• Baking sheet
• Saucepan
• Spatula (unless you melt the chocolate in its final container)

How to Make Gianduja – Chocolate Hazelnut Spread

First, blanch, peel, and toast the hazelnuts

1. To begin, blanch the hazelnuts (unless you bought pre-blanched nuts). Bring about 2 cups of water to a boil in a saucepan, then add in about 3 tsp of baking soda. Once the bubbles recede, add in the hazelnuts and boil for about 3 minutes. Yes, the water will turn almost black, and yes, that’s completely normal.
2. When the three minutes are up, drain the hazelnuts in a colander, rinse them with cold water so you don’t burn yourself, and remove the skins. The skins are very bitter.
3. After that, spread the hazelnuts on a baking sheet and bake at 350° for about 18 minutes (less if you bought pre-blanched and peeled hazelnuts since they are dry to start – maybe 12 minutes). Once they smell toasted to your preference and have turned golden, take them out and let them cool for a couple minutes.

Next, assemble the gianduja

1. Once the hazelnuts are toasted, put them in a food processor and blitz to your desired consistency. Depending on the strength of your food processor, you might be able to make them rather creamy, but I left mine with a bit of crunch, much like crunchy peanut butter.
2. After that, place your chocolate in a microwave safe bowl, or a saucepan or double boiler. Heat it up until just melted, but not more than that or it could scorch.
3. Once the chocolate is melted, stir in the salt and sugar.
4. Then, add in the crushed hazelnuts and stir to combine.
5. Next, melt the coconut oil in a microwave safe dish for 20 seconds or so, then add that to the blend.
6. Finally, chill in the refrigerator for about an hour or until your gianduja reaches a peanut butter-like consistency. It will be nearly liquid right when it’s done since we heated the chocolate and coconut oil to blend them together.
7. Serve on toast, baked into croissants or pastries, on crepes, between cake layers, on pancakes, or however you’d like!

Note: If you store this in the fridge, you will need to microwave it for 20-30 seconds before serving so it is spreadable. I have also seen some people cut it into blocks like fudge.

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Variations on this recipe

Feel free to use any kind of chocolate you’d like – white, milk, dark, extra-dark, etc.

You can also choose any fat you’d like. People make gianduja with butter if they don’t need it to be vegan. Note that the bittersweet chocolate I used contains milk fat and so is not vegan. However, you can find vegan chocolate on Amazon if necessary. Some people use olive oil if they don’t think the flavor would be too strong.

Try adding in finely ground coffee, like Turkish coffee, or instant coffee for a richer flavor.

You could also add vanilla or almond extract, or any liqueur of your choice (amaretto would go well here).

For a twist on the classic chocolat au pain, add a layer of gianduja in the middle of puff pastry, crescent roll dough, or whatever you’re making.

Similarly, you could use gianduja in place of or in addition to the cinnamon paste when making homemade cinnamon rolls. This yields delightful chocolate hazelnut rolls, with or without cinnamon.

Top with shredded coconut or any garnish you’d enjoy.

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Related Dessert Articles

You could mix this gianduja into this bobka dough for a tasty chocolate Easter bread.

While it’s not quite the same as getting gianduja gelato in Italy, you could also blend some of this spread into the ice cream base from this black walnut ice cream recipe.

Interested in a slightly healthier option? Try mixing it with this frozen banana swirl!

I hope you enjoyed this gianduja recipe and history!