Homemade Ferrero Rocher (chocolate hazelnut truffles) are ADDICTING, so easy to make, & come together with just a handful of healthy ingredients! These truffles even make a fun DIY edible gift for the holidays! This homemade version is vegan, gluten-free, and refined sugar-free.
I love Ferrero Rocher all year, but when the holidays come around I get extra excited. My family would always have them around and you could always catch me passing the Christmas cookie table going straight for them!
If you haven’t ever tried a Ferrero Rocher, let me explain this heavenly treat – they have a crispy chocolate shell coated in toasted hazelnuts that surrounds a fudgy chocolate and hazelnut center. It’s a dream combination that melts in your mouth!
Why you’ll love this recipe
- They are SO easy to make and come together in a food processor.
- Homemade Ferrero Rocher are vegan, gluten-free, refined sugar-free, & paleo-friendly.
- They are the perfect healthier sweet treat and kid-friendly!
- Great recipe for your holiday/Christmas dessert table!
- They make a fun no-bake edible gift for the holidays!
Vegan Ferrero rocher recipe video
How to make homemade fererro rocher
Equipment
- Food processor
- Mixing bowl
- Parchment paper
- Baking sheet
Ingredients
- Raw hazelnuts: I purchase them on Amazon as they’re the cheapest per ounce that i’ve found! These already have the skins removed as well, which speeds up the process of making these!
- Cacao powder: I opt for raw cacao powder for its antioxidant properties!
- Coconut oil or avocado oil
- Homemade Nutella: You can also use store-bought, but it’s so easy to make at home, tastes better, & the ingredients are MUCH better! My recipe is in the recipe card below!
- Pantry staples: Vanilla extract, sea salt
Homemade nutella
Homemade Nutella is the star ingredient in these Ferrero Rocher truffles! Don’t be discouraged – it is SO easy to make! All you need is a few ingredients and some patience! Making it at home is a much more wholesome option, without having to lack on flavor or texture. I actually prefer it homemade to store-bought! Let’s take a peak at the ingredients:
Ingredients in store-bought Nutella Chocolate Hazelnut Spread: Sugar, Palm Oil, Hazelnuts, Skim Milk, Cocoa, Lecithin as Emulsifier, Vanillin: An Artificial Flavor.
Ingredients in my homemade Nutella: Raw hazelnuts, cacao powder, coconut sugar or monk fruit, coconut oil, vanilla extract, sea salt
If you are vegan or dairy-free, or wanting a low sugar option, my homemade recipe will be perfect for you! Just store the leftovers in an air-tight container at room temp!
Steps to make homemade ferrero rocher
- Make the Nutella: Simply blend hazelnuts in a Vitamix or high power food processor until creamy. Then you’ll add in the cacao powder, sweetener, vanilla, and sea salt, bending until smooth.
- Make the Ferrero Rocher: Add all of the ingredients to a bowl, mixing well until a dough forms. Roll the dough into balls, placing a raw hazelnut into the center. Freeze the balls for 30 minutes or so to firm up. You can roll the balls into chopped hazelnuts prior to freezing if you’d like!
- In a small bowl, melt the chocolate until smooth. Dip each ball & return to the parchment-lined baking sheet. Place back in the freezer for 20 minutes or so until they’re completely firm. Then move to an air-tight container. Store in the fridge.
Tips
- Have patience! Depending on your blender, the Nutella can take a bit to come together. It’ll happen, don’t worry, just be patient! You can store leftovers in an air-tight container and use on pancakes or waffles, with apples, on toast, with bananas, etc.
- If you want a firmer bite, store these in the freezer. If you want a more truffle-like softer texture, store these in the fridge. For long-term storage, store in the freezer. You can let them thaw at room temp for 5 minutes prior to eating.
- I love giving homemade Ferrero Rocher and homemade Nutella as edible holiday gifts! I’ll store the Nutella in cute little individual jars!
- How to use up leftover homemade Nutella: This chocolate hazelnut spread is great on everything from pancakes and waffles, to dip bananas and apples in, on toast, etc!
More healthy recipes to try
- Healthy Snickers bites
- Espresso Ice Cream Affogato (high protein, vegan)
- No bake ice cream sandwiches (vegan)
- Healthy frozen yogurt bites
- Copycat Heavenly Hunks
- Lemon protein truffles
- No bake cinnamon rolls (raw vegan, Erewhon copycat)
Homemade Ferrero Rocher (Vegan)
Homemade Ferrero Rocher (chocolate hazelnut truffles) are ADDICTING, so easy to make, & come together with just a handful of healthy ingredients! These truffles even make a fun DIY edible gift for the holidays! This homemade version is vegan, gluten-free, and refined sugar-free.
Ingredients
Homemade Nutella
- 2 cups raw hazelnuts, skins removed *I purchase them with skins already removed!
- 1 tbsp coconut oil, melted
- 5 tbsp cacao powder
- 3 tbsp coconut sugar or monk fruit
- 1 1/2-2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/2 tsp sea salt
Ferrero Rocher
- 3/4 cup raw hazelnuts, skins removed
- 1/3 cup homemade nutella
- 1/3 cup cacao powder
- 1 tbsp melted coconut oil or avocado oil
- 1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/4-1/2 tsp sea salt
Instructions
Homemade nutella
- Note: If you aren't using hazelnuts with the skins removed, you'll need to remove them yourself after roasting the nuts (it's okay if there's some skin, but you'll want most of them off). Preheat oven to 350F. Lay the hazelnuts on a baking sheet and place in the oven to roast for 10 minutes.
- In a Vitamix or food processor add the nuts while they are still warm, blending/processing until you achieve a creamy consistency. You'll need to scape the sides of the blender or food processor a few times – have patience! Depending on how strong your blender is, it may take awhile.
- Once the butter is super smooth and creamy, add in the remaining ingredients, blending until everything is well combined. Taste & adjust as you'd like.Store the Nutella in an air-tight container at room-temp!
Ferrero rocher
- In a food processor, add 1/2 cup hazelnuts and blitz into an almost almond-flour like texture. It's okay if there are some small bits of nuts but you don't want any large chunks. Add this to a large mixing bowl with the remaining ingredients. (I like to do it this way to have some crunch in my truffles, but you can also add everything to the food processor after processing the nuts if you want to save a dish!)
- A dough should form. If your dough seems too sticky, place the bowl in the freezer for 15 minutes or so, but you should be able to work with it straight away! Roll the dough into balls and place a whole hazelnut into the center, rolling the dough and smoothing it around it. I simply roll it between my palms.
- You can roll the balls into a bowl of finely chopped hazelnuts if you'd like, to create that crunchy outside, but this is optional! Place the balls onto a parchment paper-lined baking sheet or plate and place in the freezer for 30 minutes or so to firm up.
- Once firm, add the chocolate to a small bowl and melt until smooth. You can use the double-boiler method or heat in the microwave in 30 second increments, stirring well between each, until smooth.
- Dip each ball and return it to the baking sheet. Top with a sprinkle of chopped hazelnuts. Return to the freezer for 20-30 minutes until firm before storing in an air-tight container in the fridge.
- Note: For long-term storage, store in the freezer! I actually like mine straight from the freezer, but they will be firmer than when stored in the fridge. You can also let them thaw at room-temp for 5 or so minutes prior to enjoying!
Video
Notes
- Have patience! Depending on your blender, the Nutella can take a bit to come together. It’ll happen, don’t worry, just be patient! You can store leftovers in an air-tight container and use on pancakes or waffles, with apples, on toast, with bananas, etc.
- If you want a firmer bite, store these in the freezer. If you want a more truffle-like softer texture, store these in the fridge. For long-term storage, store in the freezer. You can let them thaw at room temp for 5 minutes prior to eating.
- I love giving homemade Ferrero Rocher and homemade Nutella as edible holiday gifts! I’ll store the Nutella in cute little individual jars!
- How to use up leftover homemade Nutella: This chocolate hazelnut spread is great on everything from pancakes and waffles, to dip bananas and apples in, on toast, etc!
