5 Best Chocolate Spreads That Aren't Nutella
Nutella with baking ingredients
Few pantry staples inspire customer loyalty like Nutella. Invented in postwar Italy by Pietro Ferrero as a clever way to stretch scarce cocoa supplies with local Piedmont hazelnuts, this iconic spread now populates pantry shelves worldwide. Fans stock it for its silky texture, rich cocoa finish, and unmistakable nostalgia, slathering it onto warm toast, folding it into brownie batters, or eating it straight from the jar. For decades, Nutella has completely defined the chocolate-hazelnut category. Today, however, a growing wave of competitors challenges that dominance with bolder flavors, cleaner ingredient lists, and more transparent sourcing.
While Nutella still sets the commercial benchmark, modern shoppers demand more from their spreads. Some crave deeper cocoa notes, while others want the robust punch of deeply roasted nuts to lead the charge. Texture shapes the experience just as much as flavor, often separating mass-market contenders from artisanal champions.
To find the ultimate Nutella alternative, our tasting panel sampled a wide range of brands in a blind, side-by-side taste test. We evaluated flavor clarity, mouthfeel, sweetness, aroma, and ingredient quality to crown a winner. Here are our five favorites, ranked from lowest to highest.
Pan di Stelle, Cream Hazelnut Spread
Italian brand Pan di Stelle pushes the category squarely into dessert territory. Famous across Europe for its iconic cookies, the brand folds crunchy biscuit crumbles directly into their palm oil-free spread, abandoning traditional smoothness for a cookies-and-cream profile.
Texture drives the entire experience, from the first bite. The cookie crunch takes center stage, creating a playful mix of cocoa and biscuit that overshadows the underlying hazelnut depth. Tasters compared the sensation to eating crushed cookies folded into premium ice cream, with hints of hazelnut.
The panel agreed that this jar shines brightest as a dessert component rather than an everyday breakfast staple. It elevates ice cream, tops whipped cream beautifully, and adds fantastic contrast to otherwise plain pastries. While the crunch adds plenty of excitement, the limited hazelnut character is what ultimately holds this back. Pan di Stelle leans harder into sweetness, texture, and dessert-style indulgence rather than hazelnut and chocolate.
You can find it on Amazon and at specialty shops for $7.50 to $9.00.
Milka, Hazelnut Cream Spread
Milka enters the arena backed by its famous Alpine milk heritage, building its hazelnut spread around a sweet, dairy-forward profile. Owned by confectionery giant Mondelēz International, the brand relies on the same flavor identity that makes its purple-wrapped chocolate bars famous across Europe.
The spread’s higher milk-powder ratio, intended to echo the brand’s signature chocolate, puts milk chocolate at the forefront and softens the roasted hazelnut depth you often find in other contenders. Its consistency leans thinner; however, the tasting team didn’t see that as a negative. If anything, it made the spread especially enjoyable for drizzling over fruit or gliding across delicate pastries without tearing the surface. Tasters praised its luxurious mouthfeel, describing it as an approachable, highly snackable treat.
The silky texture and chocolate profile make it worth trying; even with its limited hazelnut taste. It’s primarily only found at Cost Plus World Market or to ship through Walmart, $8.99
Bonne Maman, Hazelnut Chocolate Spread
Famous for its iconic top-tier fruit preserves, French producer Bonne Maman extends its ingredient-led philosophy into the chocolate-hazel nut spread aisle. Their formula rejects overwhelming sugar, choosing instead to showcase roasted hazelnuts. This results in a profile that feels more composed than confectionary. Its signature glass jar and heritage packaging reinforce a sense of old-world craftsmanship, positioning the spread closer to a pâtisserie ingredient than a mass-market breakfast product.
The spread carries a substantial body that smears cleanly, reinforcing a small-batch, homemade feel. Available for around $8, at several popular grocery outlets, it delivers an upscale, premium experience at an accessible price point.
Fratelli Carli, Hazelnut and Cocoa Spread
2. Fratelli Carli, Hazelnut and Cocoa Spread
Ligurian olive oil producer Fratelli Carli takes a radically different approach to the category. By swapping out standard vegetable oils for their own premium olive oil, this historic Italian brand steers the spread toward a sophisticated, Mediterranean flavor profile.
The olive oil instantly transforms the texture, imparting a light, clean mouthfeel. Cocoa and hazelnut operate in perfect harmony, while a distinct, fruity whisper of olive oil adds quiet complexity without overwhelming the senses.
This jar tastes less sweet and feels far more integrated than most mainstream options. Instead of slathering it on basic toast, this elegant spread pairs well with artisan sourdough, fresh figs, or as part of an expertly curated dessert charcuterie board. Only its steep price tag, $19.50 and limited online availability keep it from taking the top spot.
Nocciolata Dark
Produced by Rigoni di Asiago in the foothills of the Italian Alps, Nocciolata claims our top spot. The company prioritizes certified organic sourcing, traditional slow-batch manufacturing, and clean-label formulations, and that philosophy triumphs in every single spoonful.
While the brand manufactures both milk and dark varieties, our panel tested the dairy-free dark variety. This recipe caters beautifully to vegan and lactose-intolerant diets while delivering maximum flavor impact. From the very first taste, the spread delivers a structured, multi-layered experience that prizes deep cocoa complexity over sweetness.
The thick, glossy consistency reinforces its artisanal pedigree while maintaining excellent spreadability. Tasters universally applauded its flawless balance, noting that the assertive cocoa powder perfectly complements the rich, roasted hazelnut base. Nocciolata easily outperforms the competition, offering the ultimate balance of ingredient integrity and pure culinary indulgence.
It is available for under $10 at Sprouts Farmers Market, Target, Amazon and other popular stores.