If you’ve never had walnut butter before, you need to get on that right aways! You’re missing out on an awesome spread that tastes delicious, is highly versatile, and is one of the healthiest nut butters you can buy!
But, how does one of the healthiest nut butters compare against one of the most popular ones?
Nutella is a household name these days, being known all around the globe! The chocolatey hazelnut spread is truly delicious, and offers a smooth and creamy texture that you’ll absolutely love!
Now, we’ll have to put a microscope up to both of these side-by-side, which will let us see the nitty gritty details of what’s good and bad about both of these spreads. Then, we’ll truly know which one is better…
Let’s jump in!
Comparing walnut butter vs Nutella
Walnut butter and Nutella share a smooth and creamy texture that melts off your knife every time you spread it! They also share tree nuts as allergens, while Nutella also includes milk and soy in its allergen list.
The spreads stop sharing similarities there, however, with walnut butter boasting a low glycemic index while being great for vegan, paleo, and keto diets. Nutella is suspected to have a high glycemic index due to its sugar content, and it’s not great for keto, vegan, or paleo diets.
Talk to your physician if you have concerns with your blood sugar levels from spiking with either of these!
| Walnut butter | Nutella (flavored hazelnut butter) | |
| Taste | Earthy, buttery, slightly bitter | Sweet, chocolatey |
| Texture | Smooth & creamy | Smooth, creamy |
| Allergens | Tree nuts | Tree nuts, milk, soy |
| Vegan? | Yes | No |
| Paleo? | Yes | No |
| Keto? | Yes | No |
| Glycemic index (GI) | Walnuts=15 | Unknown (likely high due to added sugar content) |
What is walnut butter?
Walnut butter is made by blending roasted walnuts together in a food processor, creating a creamy and delicious spread that’s actually quite easy to make at home! You can even get creative with adding different flavorings through honey, cocoa powder, maple syrup, etc.!
And, while you can use raw walnuts, I recommend roasting them to enhance their flavor!
It’s also considered one of the healthiest nut butters along with almond butter!
What is Nutella?
Nutella is the mega popular hazelnut spread known around the entire world for its sweet and chocolate taste.
It’s made with a bunch of other ingredients, including refined sugar, palm oil, and many more things that you might think twice about…
If you prefer, you can make a homemade Nutella recipe that takes away a lot of these ingredients, or even a keto Nutella recipe that uses stevia-sweetened chocolate chips to fit your keto diet!
Differences between walnut butter and Nutella
The biggest difference between walnut butter and Nutella are their flavors.
Walnut butter has a very unique flavor that’s earthy, buttery, and slightly bitter, while Nutella has a distinct chocolatey and very sweet taste.
The taste in walnut butter represents the minimal ingredients in it, tasting very much like walnuts! Nutella, on the other hand, doesn’t really taste like hazelnuts at all due to the massive amount of sugar and other ingredients added.
These two are very different when it comes to nutritional profiles, which we’ll check out in just a bit!
How to use walnut butter vs Nutella
You’ll love to hear that these two can be used in basically all the same ways – although they definitely have their unique strengths!
Walnut butter, on one hand, goes really well with both savory and sweet dishes due to its unique flavor. The earthiness of it brings out a delicious profile in bakes, but also goes great as a spread or mixed into smoothies, oatmeal, sauces, and even salads!
Nutella, on the other hand, has a very sweet and chocolatey taste, which means it really shines in desserts – like in brownies! It’s also amazing as a standalone spread, especially on pancakes and waffles. Keep in mind that its taste can be quite pronounced when you mix it into something like a smoothie, so be sure to balance your ingredients!
Nutrition: Walnut butter vs Nutella
Walnut butter, as I mentioned, is said to be one of the healthiest nut butters. It offers a ton of omega-3 fatty acids, which are really important for the heart and brain – and everyone benefits from that! Plus, it’s really good for lowering inflammation in the body.
It has a lot of healthy fats and is very low in carbs and sugar, with a decent protein content as well!
Nutella is a bit of the opposite. It’s not healthy, with 19 grams of added sugar for a grand total of 21 grams per just 2 tablespoons! It’s also high in carbs, and is quite poor in fiber and protein.
| Serving size: 2 tbsp | Walnut butter | Nutella (flavored hazelnut butter) |
| Calories | 200 | 200 |
| Total fat (saturated) | 19 g (2 g) | 12 g (4 g) |
| Total carbs | 4 g | 23 g |
| Net carbs (fiber) | 2 g (2 g) | 22 g (1 g) |
| Total sugars (incl. added) | 1 g (0 g) | 21 g (19 g) |
| Protein | 5 g | 2 g |
How to store walnut butter and Nutella
Walnut butter has a high omega-3 content, which means that it can go rancid quicker. Storing it in the fridge will help slow that down, as well as stop oil separation from happening as quickly. It usually lasts about 2-3 months like all nut butters, but check the labels for any specific storage instructions and best-before dates!
Nutella does perfectly fine at room temperature in the pantry, and should last for 12 months after opening it according to Ferrero, the company that makes it. If you want, the fridge will thicken it up a bit!
Walnut butter vs Nutella: Which is better?
So, is one of the healthiest nut butters better or does the ultra popular spread take the crown here?
It comes down to several factors, including culinary versatility, flavor, nutritional profile, textures, allergens, ease of access, and more. All these things need to be balanced and positive for a spread to be considered “good.”
Looking at all those factors, it’s obvious that walnut butter is the better choice here. It has much better nutritional qualities while offering a delicious spread, and it’s much more versatile in different diets and dishes.
FAQs
Almost…almond butter is usually considered the healthiest overall, but walnut butter makes a strong case for itself with awesome omega-3 fatty acids, vitamins, and unsaturated fats!
There are many ways to use walnut butter! Try it as a spread, as a base for sauces, in baking, an ingredient in your smoothies, and more! The earthy flavor profile works great with both savory and sweet dishes!
It’s not great, with lots of added sugar and an overall poor nutritional profile. But, I recommend enjoying it in moderation if you want it!
Leave a Comment