Nutella is not keto friendly. Sugar makes up 57% of the spread by weight, and a single two-tablespoon serving contains 21 grams of carbohydrates. On a standard ketogenic diet that limits carbs to 20 to 50 grams per day, one serving of Nutella could wipe out your entire daily allowance.
What’s Actually in Nutella
Despite being marketed as a hazelnut spread, sugar is the first ingredient on Nutella’s label, meaning it outweighs every other component. Palm oil comes second. Hazelnuts, cocoa, and skim milk follow, but they’re present in much smaller amounts. The result is a product that’s closer to frosting than to a nut butter in terms of its nutritional profile.
Even a small 15-gram portion (roughly one tablespoon) contains 8.6 grams of carbohydrates, and 8.4 of those grams come from sugar. There’s virtually no fiber to offset the carb count, so the net carbs are essentially equal to the total carbs.
How Quickly It Breaks a Carb Budget
Harvard’s School of Public Health defines a ketogenic diet as one that keeps total carbohydrate intake below 50 grams a day, with many people aiming for 20 grams to stay reliably in ketosis. At 21 grams of carbs per two-tablespoon serving, a single generous spread on toast (if you were eating toast, which you wouldn’t be on keto) would consume 42% to 100% of your daily limit. And most people don’t stop at two tablespoons.
Could you technically eat a teaspoon and stay under 30 grams for the day? In theory, yes. A teaspoon contains roughly 3 grams of carbs. But those 3 grams deliver almost nothing nutritionally: minimal fat, negligible protein, and no fiber. On a diet where every carb gram matters, spending them on a teaspoon of sugar-based spread leaves very little room for vegetables, nuts, or other foods that actually support ketosis.
The Fat in Nutella Isn’t Ideal Either
Keto relies heavily on dietary fat for fuel, so the type of fat matters. Nutella’s primary fat source is palm oil, which is high in palmitic acid, a long-chain saturated fat. The fats that tend to support ketosis most effectively are things like avocado oil, olive oil, butter, and coconut oil. Medium-chain fats (found in coconut oil and dedicated MCT products) are particularly popular on keto because the body converts them to ketones more readily than long-chain fats like those in palm oil. Even setting aside the sugar problem, Nutella’s fat profile doesn’t offer the metabolic advantages that keto dieters typically look for.
Keto Chocolate Hazelnut Alternatives
Several brands make low-carb versions of chocolate hazelnut spread that swap sugar for keto-compatible sweeteners. The carb counts vary, so it’s worth comparing labels:
- ChocZero Chocolate Hazelnut Spread: 1 gram net carbs per two tablespoons, sweetened with monk fruit.
- Pyure Organic Hazelnut Spread: 2 grams net carbs per two tablespoons, sweetened with erythritol.
- NutiLight: 1 to 3.5 grams net carbs per tablespoon depending on whether you count sugar alcohols. Uses chicory fiber and erythritol.
- Nekstella Chocolate Hazelnut Syrup: 4 grams net carbs per two tablespoons, sweetened with monk fruit. This is a syrup rather than a spread, so the texture is different.
The difference is dramatic. Where two tablespoons of Nutella deliver 21 grams of carbs, most of these alternatives stay between 1 and 4 grams for the same serving size.
Making Your Own at Home
A homemade version gives you full control over sweeteners and fats. The basic approach is simple: blend roasted hazelnuts until they form a smooth butter, then mix in unsweetened cocoa powder, a neutral oil, and a powdered low-carb sweetener. Avocado oil works well because it has a neutral flavor, though coconut oil is another common choice. For sweeteners, erythritol (which has a slight cooling sensation), allulose, and powdered monk fruit all work. The key is to powder the sweetener first so it dissolves smoothly rather than leaving a gritty texture.
The result tastes surprisingly close to the original, with a fraction of the carbs. A two-tablespoon serving of a homemade version typically comes in at 2 to 3 grams of net carbs, and you get the added benefit of healthy fats from the hazelnuts themselves, which are naturally high in monounsaturated fat.