This Nutella tart is an easy, no-bake dessert perfect for chocolate lovers! It has a soft, chewy crust and a smooth, chocolaty Nutella filling – great for holidays or even a date night. The recipe is vegan (dairy-free, egg-free), grain-free (gluten-free), soy-free, and refined sugar-free.
I’ll probably never get tired of raw or no-bake desserts. They look so fancy, are pretty foolproof, and only take a few minutes to assemble. This Nutella tart recipe is no exception.
The slightly crunchy, chewy, chocolaty crust perfectly complements the decadent, dreamy Nutella filling. The consistency of the tart filling lands somewhere between a chocolate mousse and a no-bake cheesecake. It’s light and silky but rich at the same time. You’ll be amazed at how lovely this recipe is, especially considering that the Nutella tart recipe doesn’t involve whipping coconut cream or baking in a water bath.
If you are a fan of chocolate and hazelnuts, you will fall head over heels for this tart!
Tips for Making Nutella Tart
Ingredients
If you have homemade Nutella on hand, you most likely have the rest of the ingredients as well. Here’s what you’ll need to make the Nutella tart recipe:
Tart Crust
- Hazelnuts: Nutella is based on hazelnuts, so it makes sense also to base the tart crust on hazelnuts. However, you can use any other type of nut (or finely ground nut flour).
- Cocoa powder: for a chocolate dessert, cocoa powder is a must. I prefer Dutch-processed cocoa powder because it’s not as acidic, but raw cacao powder works well too. Since this is a no-bake tart recipe, you can use either or.
- Coconut oil: since this tart crust is date-free, coconut oil is the main binder in this recipe. In addition to holding all the ingredients together, it also brings extra richness to the crust.
- Maple syrup: any liquid sweetener is fine to use here. Compared to dates, which I typically use for raw crusts, a liquid sweetener makes this Nutella tart crust soft and delicate rather than sticky.
- Salt: a pinch of salt complements the rich chocolate flavor and brings out the sweetness. If your nut butter is already salty, I suggest not adding any extra salt.
Nutella Filling
- Nutella: this chocolate-hazelnut spread imparts Nutella flavor to the tart, separating it from a classic chocolate tart. I always use my homemade Nutella for this tart, but you can easily find dairy-free chocolate hazelnut spread in the store. Beware that the original Nutella from Ferrero contains dairy in the form of skimmed milk powder.
- Coconut milk: coconut cream transforms the Nutella into a tart filling. It must be full-fat coconut milk for the filling to set properly.
- Dark chocolate: I used 70% dark chocolate, but use any chocolate you enjoy eating on its own. Just remember that Nutella is quite sweet, so I wouldn’t go below 60%. That being said, if Nutella doesn’t seem overly sweet to you, by all means, use semi-sweet chocolate. Nowadays, I regularly eat 80% dark chocolate, so I find the Nutella filling still very sweet even with 70% dark chocolate.
How to Make Nutella Tart
This Nutella tart is a truly foolproof dessert because it’s so easy to make. You do need a food processor for the crust, but if you’re starting with already ground hazelnuts (instead of whole hazelnuts), you just need a mixing bowl.
- Process the tart crust ingredients. Add the hazelnuts to a food processor bowl fitted with an S blade and process until the nuts are finely ground. Be careful not to over-process the nuts; otherwise, they will turn into hazelnut butter. Add the almond butter, maple syrup, cocoa powder, and salt to the food processor and pulse until well combined. The mixture should be sticky enough to hold together when you press it between your fingers. If it’s too dry, pulse it a little bit more.
- Press the mixture into a tart pan. Transfer the crust mixture to a lightly greased 9-inch/23-cm tart pan and press it firmly across the bottom and sides of the pan to form a solid base and sturdy edge. A tart pan with a removable base is best for easy removal and a more elegant presentation, but a regular tart pan also works. If using a tart pan with a removable base, remember never to grab the tart pan from underneath because the removable bottom will lift up and break the crust. In fact, I recommend placing the tart on a cookie sheet to make it easy to move the tart from the counter to the refrigerator.
- Set up a double boiler. Add a few inches of water to a medium saucepan and top it with a stainless-steel bowl slightly larger than the circumference of the saucepan. The bowl should create a seal with the bottom saucepan to trap the steam produced by the hot water. Ensure the bottom of the bowl isn’t touching the water – this would cause the chocolate to get too hot. Bring the water to a gentle simmer over medium-low heat. Once the water is hot, turn the heat to the lowest setting.
- Prepare the tart filling. Add the chocolate, Nutella, and coconut milk to the stainless steel bowl set over the saucepan and melt the chocolate, stirring constantly, until all the ingredients are well combined and the filling is completely smooth.
- Assemble the tart. Pour the filling on top of the crust in the tart pan and spread it evenly, smoothing out the top. When pouring the filling into the crust, keep the bowl as close to the tart pan as possible. The further the filling has to fall, the more air bubbles will form. Tap out any air bubbles.
- Chill. Transfer the tart to the refrigerator to firm up, for 1-2 hours.
How to Serve Nutella Tart
If you have a tart pan with a removable bottom, slide the tart ring off the chilled tart. You can keep the tart on the flat metal disk or slide it onto a platter. Don’t attempt to move the crust out of the pan until the crust is properly set.
You can decorate your chocolate tart however you like. My favorite toppings include chopped hazelnuts, chocolate curls, and freeze-dried berry flakes. Serve the tart chilled.
How to Store Nutella Tart
- Refrigerating: transfer the Nutella tart to an airtight container and refrigerate it for up to 1 week.
- Freezing: transfer the Nutella tart to an airtight container and freeze it for up to 1 month.
Nutella Tart
Ingredients
Tart Crust
- 2 cups hazelnuts
- 1/4 cup cocoa powder
- 1/4 cup coconut oil , melted
- 3 Tbsp. maple syrup
- pinch sea salt
Tart Filling
- 1 cup dark chocolate , chopped
- 3/4 cup Nutella
- 3/4 cup full-fat coconut milk
Instructions
- Process the tart crust ingredients. Add the hazelnuts to a food processor bowl fitted with an S blade and process until the nuts are finely ground. Be careful not to over-process the nuts; otherwise, they will turn into hazelnut butter. Add the cocoa powder, coconut oil, maple syrup, and salt to the food processor and pulse until well combined. The mixture should be sticky enough to hold together when you press it between your fingers. If it's too dry, pulse it a little bit more.
- Press the mixture into a tart pan. Transfer the crust mixture to a lightly greased 9-inch/23-cm tart pan and press it firmly across the bottom and sides of the pan to form a solid base and sturdy edge. A tart pan with a removable base is best for easy removal and a more elegant presentation, but a regular tart pan also works. If using a tart pan with a removable base, remember never to grab the tart pan from underneath because the removable bottom will lift up and break the crust. In fact, I recommend placing the tart on a cookie sheet to make it easy to move the tart from the counter to the refrigerator.
- Set up a double boiler. Add a few inches of water to a medium saucepan and top it with a stainless-steel bowl slightly larger than the circumference of the saucepan. The bowl should create a seal with the bottom saucepan to trap the steam produced by the hot water. Ensure the bottom of the bowl isn't touching the water - this would cause the chocolate to get too hot. Bring the water to a gentle simmer over medium-low heat. Once the water is hot, turn the heat to the lowest setting.
- Prepare the tart filling. Add the chocolate, Nutella, and coconut milk to the stainless steel bowl set over the saucepan and melt the chocolate, stirring constantly, until all the ingredients are well combined and the tart filling is completely smooth.
- Assemble the tart. Pour the filling on top of the crust in the tart pan and spread it evenly, smoothing out the top. When pouring the filling into the crust, keep the bowl as close to the tart pan as possible. The further the filling has to fall, the more air bubbles will form. Tap out any air bubbles.
- Chill. Transfer the tart to the refrigerator to firm up, for 1-2 hours.
- Serve. Once set, remove the Nutella tart from the tart pan (only if using one with a removable base).
- Store. Leftover Nutella tart keeps well in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 1 week. For longer-term storage, freeze in an airtight container for up to 1 month.
Recipe Notes
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