If you love granola bars as much as I do, you’ll be excited to hear about the delicious product that’s essentially your favorite bar turned into a spread: granola butter!
It’s perfect for when you want to enjoy a slice of toast (or many other things, as we’ll talk about) but need that delicious granola bar flavor along with it! And, even if you don’t like granola bars, granola butter has some unique characteristics that may be for you (we’ll talk about those in this article).
We’ll compare it to Nutella today, which is an interesting nut butter due to it essentially being a flavored hazelnut butter…
But, since these two spreads are so different, we’ll really jump into the little details of the two – you’ll see their nutritional profiles, how to best use them, what diets you can use them in, and more!
Let’s dive in and see whether granola butter or Nutella should be your next pick the next time you’re at the store!
Comparing granola butter vs Nutella
Granola butter and Nutella both contain nuts, although granola butter really varies with what kind of nuts are in it – Nutella has hazelnuts in it. They’re both creamy, although granola butter tends to be more grainy than the smooth Nutella. They each have tree nuts as an allergen, with coconut being a common allergen in granola butter as well and Nutella also having soy and milk as allergens.
You can use granola butter for vegan diets but not for paleo and keto ones – Nutella can’t be used for any of those. We don’t have concrete numbers in terms of their glycemic indexes, but granola butter likely has a medium glycemic index due to the added sugar, whereas Nutella likely has a high glycemic index since it has WAY more sugar added than in granola butter. Keep that in mind if you have issues with blood sugar level spikes, and consult your physician!
| Granola butter | Nutella (flavored hazelnut butter) | |
| Taste | Toasty, roasted (like granola or a graham cracker) | Sweet, chocolatey |
| Texture | Creamy, slightly grainy | Smooth, creamy |
| Allergens | Tree nuts (coconut) | Tree nuts, milk, soy |
| Vegan? | Yes | No |
| Paleo? | No | No |
| Keto? | No | No |
| Glycemic index (GI) | Unknown; likely medium due to added sugar | Unknown (likely high due to added sugar content) |
What is granola butter?
Granola butter, like I mentioned, is essentially a granola bar or your favorite granola turned into a delicious spread! It’s creamy, but also slightly grainy due to the oats in it.
You can make granola butter at home through a really easy blending process. All you need is the same ingredients that you’d find in granola bars: rolled oats, spices, seeds, honey, coconut oil, nuts, etc.
What is Nutella?
Take hazelnut butter, add some ingredients to flavor it, and you’ve got yourself Nutella!
It’s a chocolatey and sweet spread that features a high amount of sugar, palm oil, and soy/milk products. Unfortunately, that means the delicious taste isn’t very healthy…
Thank goodness we have some delicious recipes for making Nutella at home that avoid the nasty ingredients for you, along with a keto Nutell recipe that’s there for all you low-carb and keto diet folks!
Differences between granola butter and Nutella
The biggest differences between granola butter and Nutella are the flavor and texture.
It’s hard to explain exactly what granola butter tastes like because it comes in a variety of forms – you can make it using many different ingredients! But, you’ll usually enjoy a nutty, roasted, and slightly sweet flavor with undertones of cinnamon (or whatever other spices were used).
Nutella has a chocolate and very sweet flavor to it. Many brands have tried to recreate it, but you can always tell what’s Nutella and what’s another brand.
I mentioned that both spreads are creamy, but Nutella is completely smooth while granola butter is grainy, giving it a bit of a unique texture.
Their nutritional profiles are also fairly different, which we’ll check out in just a bit!
How to use granola butter vs Nutella
You can use both granola butter and Nutella for a bunch of different things!
Granola butter and Nutella go great spread on your toast, pancakes, and waffles (Nutella and pancakes are one of my all time favorite uses for the spread), added as ingredients in bakes (especially muffins for granola butter and brownie batter for Nutella), and mixed into your smoothies or oatmeal! You can also use them as a dip for sliced apples or other fruits and vegetables – strawberries dipped into Nutella are to die for!
Just remember, their vastly different tastes will likely change whatever dish you’re pairing it with dramatically if you’re using them interchangeably.
Nutrition: Granola butter vs Nutella
Granola butter’s nutritional profile is a bit tricky since it varies due to different recipes using different ingredients and measurements. However, it tends to be lower in calories than a lot of other nut butters, but has quite a few carbs. Granola butter also often has sugar added to make it sweeter.
Nutella, on the other hand, has way more carbs than granola butter per serving, and also boasts a crazy 21 grams of sugar per serving – 19 grams of that is added! It’s also calorie dense, but both spreads are low in protein and fiber.
| Serving size: 2 tbsp | Granola butter | Nutella (flavored hazelnut butter) |
| Calories | 170 | 200 |
| Total fat (saturated) | 12 g (4 g) | 12 g (4 g) |
| Total carbs | 14 g | 23 g |
| Net carbs (fiber) | 13 g (1 g) | 22 g (1 g) |
| Total sugars (incl. added) | 4 g (4 g) | 21 g (19 g) |
| Protein | 3 g | 2 g |
How to store granola butter and Nutella
Granola butter should be stored in the fridge because it’s quite prone to oil separation. The fridge will also thicken it up a bit, extend the shelf lift, and stop it from going rancid too soon!
Nutella is fine at room temperature, but putting it in the fridge will thicken it up if that’s something you want!
Homemade granola butter can last in the fridge for up to 1 month if it’s covered, while Nutella should last you up to 12 months after opening.
Granola butter vs Nutella: The ultimate verdict
Granola butter is higher in carbs and sugar than a lot of other nut butters, but it doesn’t even compare with how much sugar and carbs are in Nutella!
They’re both great spreads with many uses in the kitchen, and they do different things well. However, there can only be one winner here today…
Based on all the facts, granola butter wins due to a better nutritional profile, customization options when making it at home, and slightly better versatility in diets.
FAQs
Granola butter is usually creamy with a grainy texture, but some home recipes include bigger chunks of granola to give it a “crunchier” consistency.
No. Granola butter is high in carbs and sugar without any fiber, which are a few reasons why it’s not paleo friendly.
Nutella isn’t good for your health as it doesn’t have any significant vitamin, nutrient or healthy macro content. I recommend enjoying it in moderation and making sure you get your “health” from different foods.
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