Gianduja
Hazelnut and milk chocolate paste — the silky Italian spread that outclasses Nutella
Grolet / Charles & Ava
- 150 g hazelnuts
- 150 g milk chocolate couverture
- 75 g icing sugar
Gianduja is the Italian precursor to Nutella — a smooth, dense paste of equal parts hazelnuts and milk chocolate, lightened with icing sugar. Unlike most commercial hazelnut spreads, homemade gianduja contains no palm oil, no cocoa powder, and no added emulsifiers. The result is rounder, cleaner, and far more deeply nutty. It is used as a spread, a ganache component, a filling for bonbons, and a base for croustillant — anywhere a rich hazelnut-chocolate note is needed.
Method
Roast & skin
- Spread hazelnuts on a tray. Roast at 165 °C for 12–15 minutes until golden and fragrant.
- Wrap the hot hazelnuts in a clean tea towel and rub vigorously to remove as much of the papery skin as possible. Some skin remaining is fine. Cool completely.
Blend & combine
- Process the cooled hazelnuts in a food processor with the icing sugar until a smooth, liquid hazelnut paste forms. This takes 5–10 minutes depending on the power of the machine — the paste must be completely fluid before the chocolate is added.
- Meanwhile, melt the milk chocolate to 40–45 °C.
- With the machine running, pour the melted chocolate into the hazelnut paste. Blend until fully combined and smooth.
- Pour into a clean jar while still fluid. Allow to set at room temperature. The gianduja will firm to a dense, sliceable paste as the chocolate cools.
Background
Gianduja originated in Turin in the early 19th century as a way to stretch limited cocoa supplies by blending them with the abundant local hazelnuts. The Piedmontese hazelnut (Tonda Gentile) is particularly prized for its sweetness and low bitterness — if you can source them, they produce a noticeably superior result.
The ratio in this recipe — equal weights of hazelnut and chocolate — produces a classic gianduja with a firm, sliceable texture at room temperature. Increasing the nut proportion (e.g. 200 g nuts / 100 g chocolate) shifts it towards a softer, more spreadable paste. Decreasing it makes a firmer slab more suitable for cutting and enrobing.
Icing sugar (versus caster sugar) is used because it dissolves completely in the fat phase without any grittiness. Using caster sugar would require cooking the sugar first — icing sugar is simply more convenient and gives the same smooth result.
Gianduja is one of the few preparations where the quality of the milk chocolate matters enormously. A flat, overly sweet supermarket milk chocolate will produce a flat, sweet gianduja. A couverture with 35–40% cocoa and complex dairy notes will produce something remarkable. Valrhona Jivara, Callebaut 823, or similar couverture grades are worth using here.
Mistakes I've Made
- Hazelnut paste too grainy when chocolate added. Did not blend the hazelnuts long enough before adding the chocolate. The fat must release fully and the paste must be completely liquid before combining — otherwise the chocolate sets against the nut particles and the gianduja stays gritty.
- Gianduja seized and turned chalky. Added chocolate that was too hot directly to a cold paste. Always add the chocolate around 40–45 °C into a warm paste. Temperature differentials cause fat bloom.
- Skinned hazelnuts improperly. Didn't roast long enough for the skins to loosen. Residual skin contributes bitterness and specks. Rub hard while still hot for the best result.
Sources
- Gianduja —