Is Nutella Vegan & Cruelty-free | Dairy-free Nutella Alternatives
The craze over Nutella is unimaginably vast! This frenzy is well exhibited in the claim that Nutella makes on the website that you may circle the globe 1.8 times with the number of Nutella jars manufactured in one year.
The term ‘Frenetic’ even fits the market trend of Nutella-based food items. From ice-creams to desserts and cocktails, this chocolate-flavored confection is identifiable as a greatly valued inclusion in most of the menus, of least to highly popular restaurants, around the world.
If you do find Nutella-madness around it might pop-up some sensible questions like Is Nutella Vegan? Or Is there dairy in Nutella? Not throwing hints, but maybe if you have heard people claiming it to be healthy, just because it has hazelnuts, you might as well wish to know does Nutella have milk in it, and can we find dairy-free Nutella alternatives somehow?
Too overwhelming- but hold your excitement! This article is all about diving deeper into can vegans eat Nutella or find a vegan Nutella alternative to avoid having to say goodbye to a dearly chocolatey treat.
What is Nutella?
Nutella is a sweetened hazelnut cocoa spread, prepared by an Italian company, Ferrero, which is also the world’s third-largest producer of Chocolate. Nutella was innovated by Pietro Ferrero who combined ground hazelnut with chocolate spread to meet the demand for cocoa , despite a shortage of supply in the country, during World War II.
This spread is primarily consumed as a topping on homemade bread, just like jams and butter, in toasts, pancakes, waffles, etc. It is also added to shakes and smoothies to enhance the flavor. Some people even use it as a substitute for nut butter since it “appears” to be healthy for containing hazelnuts. What consumers fail to scrutinize, is the nutrition label, which reveals how heavily Nutella is loaded with calories, sugars, and fats.
Is Nutella Vegan?
Sorry to break your animal-caring heart, but Nutella is not vegan. If you were just wondering, is there milk in Nutella? The answer would confirm your concern! Besides the fact that it is advertised to be the yummiest food for kids or adults to start a day, Nutella is not a healthy breakfast inclusion.
We have broken down every aspect reflecting why you should think about replacing Nutella with a vegan alternative!
What makes Nutella Non-vegan-friendly?
Besides the major visible components like sugar, palm oil, hazelnuts, and cocoa, Nutella contains additives, including soy lecithin, vanillin, skim milk, and whey. Skim milk being non-vegan in nature, surely evicts Nutella from the vegan-friendly listing.
The yummy flavor of Nutella comes from a combination of sugar, fat, hazelnuts, and chocolate (check vegan status), which has the least to do with skimmed milk. Further, milk does not even contribute to the smooth texture and consistency that people have an extra affinity for. Yet, Nutella uses dairy as a selling strategy.
Additionally, Palm oil in Nutella does not always tend to have an environment-friendly process of extraction. It is also high in calorie count and low on nutrients content.
Ingredients in Nutella
Nutella is not vegan because it contains dairy. But that’s not all. We need to also scrutinize the ingredients that constitute this criminally yummy hazelnut spread. It contains Sugar, Palm oil, Hazelnuts, Cocoa, Skimmed milk powder, Soy lecithin, Vanillin.
Visiting the ingredients that may trouble Vegans:
Sugar: might have been sourced from beet or refined cane sugar. Sugar is mostly refined using bone char, derived from cattle, to give it a shiny white color. If the sugar has been refined using bone char, it is non-vegan. Further, Nutella is made of an astounding 57% sugar!
Palm oil: This vegetable oil gives Nutella its trademark creamy texture and spreadability. However, its process of extraction need not be sustainable every time. Given that Nutella does not verify whether the palm oil has an environment-friendly extraction, it is safe to guess that it is not!
Skimmed milk powder: It is prepared by evaporating pasteurized non-fat milk. This is a sure shot to the non-vegan status of Nutella.
The Nutrition value of Two tablespoons (37 grams) of Nutella is as follows:
Nutrition Facts of Two Tablespoons (37 g):
Calories: 200, Fat: 12g, Sugar: 21g, Iron: 4% of RDI, Calcium: 4% of RDI, Protein: 2g
But don’t lose your heart just yet! We have handpicked a few vegan Nutella alternatives for you to enjoy guilt-free!
Dairy-free Nutella Vegan Alternatives
1. Peanut Butter & Co. Dark Chocolatey Dreams
Don’t miss the feel-good essence of creamy spread while choosing to opt for a vegan lifestyle. Peanut Butter & Co. brings the goodness of peanut butter in spreads prepared for naturally extracted delicious ingredients. The Dark Chocolatey dream has low sugar content and high protein with each suggested serving.
The texture is well maintained using palm oil that has been certified for sustainable extraction through RSPO. The non-GMO and gluten-free ingredients further support the reason why you can scoop it straight from the jar to eat without worrying about its impact on health. This delicious and nutty spread is made from peanuts combined with cocoa, cocoa butter (check vegan status), cane sugar, and salt pinch.
There is no trans fat, no hydrogenated oil, or high fructose syrup in the recipe. It can give the right start to your day, unlike Nutella.
Nutrition Facts per serving (32 g):
Calories: 170, Carbs: 11g, Fat: 13g, Sugar: 7g, Iron: 2% of RDI, Calcium: 6% of RDI, Protein: 2g
2. Pyure Organic Hazelnut Spread with Cocoa
Can vegans eat Nutella? No! But you needn’t regret a bit when there’s a better vegan Nutella alternative With Pyure Organic Hazelnut Spread!
Pyure Organic Hazelnut spread has 90% less sugar content than Nutella. Sweetened with organic stevia and organic erythritol, this spread is not just a vegan alternative but is also a healthier option to settle for.
The spread also has lower carb content making it suitable for a ketogenic diet. It does not include Palm oil so no risk of running unsustainable! Furthermore, since it is free of peanut and tree-nuts, you can safely consume them if you’re allergic to either. The food is naturally gluten-free.
It is safe for your family and great to treat your vegan friends at house parties! Go add it to your shakes, desserts or spread it on yummy waffles, bananas (check vegan status) or mix it to your cookie’s batter- this chocolatey spread blends into every recipe!
Nutrition Facts per serving (35g):
Calories: 140, Carbs: 19g, Fats: 11g, Sugar: 2g, Iron: 15% of RDI, Calcium: 4% of RDI, Protein: 3g
3. Artisana Organics Hazelnut Cacao Spread
Another great Vegan alternative to Nutella is Artisana Organic Hazelnut Cacao spread. The rich chocolate taste combined with natural ingredients’ goodness shall be the best you could offer to your body, without negatively hampering the environment.
The spreads offered by Artisana are sweetened with coconut sugar to formulate a deliciously wholesome treat. Other ingredients include Organic Hazelnuts, Organic Coconut Sugar, Organic Cacao Powder, Organic Coconut MCT Oil, and Organic Vanilla. This spread can comfortably fit into a number of lifestyles because it is sustainably devised, organic, vegan, kosher, dairy-free, and gluten-free.
Since it does not use palm oil or emulsifiers to concentrate the formula, it might have a different texture than Nutella. However, if you look at the nutritional benefits of it, in contrast to Nutella, you will never regret choosing this alternative!
Nutrition Facts per serving(32 g):
Calories: 170, Carbs: 14g, Fat: 13g, Fiber: 3g, Sugar: 9g, Protein: 4g
Conclusion
Well, it would not be excess to say that the marketing of any popular food brand, tactically deviates consumers from realizing its major pitfalls. You may never wish to give high sugar food to your kids to develop long-term health risks, weak immunity, or dental cavities at least!
Further, if you are a vegan- it might feel a little disappointing to miss out on the brand value of Nutella. However, there are plenty of vegan-friendly alternatives available that can be used as a spread or topping. One such alternative is Hershey’s syrup, which is made with vegan-friendly ingredients and can be used in a similar way to Nutella.
My life literally revolves around optimum health and sustainable living by being a devotional vegan. My mission is to create a community of like minded vegans to go forth in creating a better and brighter world for humans, animals and the planet. Just like Gandhi once said: “The greatness of a nation and it’s moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated.” – Gandhi
