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Never messed with homemade chocolates before, but want to churn out something that makes Ferrero Rocher sit in the corner wearing a dunce cap on Valentine's Day? WITHOUT making a mess of your whole house? This surprisingly vegan, super-indulgent hazelnut truffle recipe is an easy introduction to making chocolate confections at home.
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We used to offer assorted vegan truffles like these in our restaurants and on my food truck as a Valentine's special. But we also stuffed house-made Korean donuts with ‘em, and I’ve been known to polish off more than a few of these alongside some vegan eggnog, or a hot cup of bandrek—my fave herbal tea from Indonesia.
Hazelnut bonbons, like the likes of which you never thought you could whip up at home, are going to be yours super quickly by following this recipe. So, grab your cutest apron, fire up the Willy Wonka soundtrack, and let's get truffling!
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🥰 Why you’ll adore these vegan hazelnut truffles
✅ Tested and Approved Worldwide: Like all of my vegan recipes, I had this one replicated by an amazing team of recipe testers around the globe. The result? Consistent success, no matter the kitchen!
⏱️ Ready in No Time: With minimal hands-on effort, this recipe is a breeze to whip up. Chill, roll, coat, and you're done—perfect for last-minute desserts or special occasions.
🍫 Dialed-In Ganache: The quick ganache filling is pretty darn foolproof. I’ve messed with variations of it in restaurant kitchens over the past 24 years.
🛒 Made with Simple, Accessible Ingredients: All the ingredients for this recipe are pantry staples that you probably already have on hand or can find at just about any grocery store.
✊ Vegan AF & GF: This chocolate hazelnut truffles recipe, like all of my vegan desserts, is made without harming a single adorable creature. No heavy cream and no cholesterol either! And? It's friggin' gluten-free too.
🌰 Hazelnut truffle ingredients
Semi-Sweet Vegan Chocolate Chips
This recipe is built to be practical, not some exhausting, costly bean-to-bar experiment. Ideally, use good quality semi-sweet chocolate chips (or you can use couverture, wafers, or a chopped chocolate bar) with at least 60-70% cocoa for a balanced sweetness and smooth melting. Or, if you aren't a freak (like I am) for dark chocolate, you can certainly use a vegan milk chocolate instead.
Roasted Hazelnuts
Use pre-roasted hazelnuts to make the process quick and easy, or roast ‘em yourself in an oven, like I do when making homemade vegan Nutella. If working with whole hazelnuts, you can break them up for this recipe by chopping them by hand or pulsing them a few times in a food processor.
What’s cool about this recipe is that it can be tweaked and made to work with other nuts too. Want to make some of them with pistachios or roasted almonds? Just swap ‘em right in, ya big goof!
Refined Coconut Oil
Instead of having to deal with a finicky tempering process for these, simply adding some refined coconut oil to the chocolate coating helps us get a glossy, smooth texture. Of course, they will be a little more melty that way, but that's the price you pay for easy, right?
I do want to stress here that you want to use refined coconut oil, which has a much less noticeable coconut flavor. That’s why I used the stuff for making everything from vegan matcha cookies to vegan banana muffins.
Chocolate Sandwich Cookies
These are optional, but I LOVE sprinkling these with a little ground chocolate sandwich cookie dust. A lot of people don’t realize that Oreos are accidentally vegan (albeit full of crappy ingredients). There are gluten-free options out there too that just happen to be vegan. Otherwise, use cacao nibs (bits of unroasted chocolate beans) if you don’t want to grab a whole pack of cookies just to make a couple spoonfuls of cookie dust!
Cocoa Butter
A key ingredient in the optional glaze, cocoa butter melts smoothly and has a great natural cocoa fragrance. You can use either regular cocoa butter or raw cacao butter interchangeably in this project. If you have some deodorized cocoa butter leftover from making my vegan parmesan cheese recipe, that stuff works fine in this recipe too.
Frangelico
This hazelnut liqueur is a killer secret weapon that you really need to add ASAP to your confectionary and pancake-making arsenal. For about a decade, we used it to make our white chocolate-glazed bourbon hazelnut ganache donuts. Anyway, if you try to avoid cooking with alcohol, feel free to swap it out with a mixture of hazelnut extract and maple syrup instead.
*See the recipe card at the bottom of the page for exact quantities, nutritional info, and detailed cooking directions.
🤯Variations
Vegan Gianduja Truffles
Gianduja, a traditional Italian confection, combines finely ground hazelnuts with chocolate to create a smooth, melt-in-the-mouth chocolate. To replicate this at home, mix a few tablespoons of hazelnut butter and a tiny bit of vegan cream cheese directly into the melted chocolate ganache.
Hazelnut Ganache Pancakes
Swirl a few spoonfuls of melted vegan Nutella into plain pancake batter, or into the batter for my blue corn pancakes. Once on the griddle, sprinkle with chopped hazelnuts, so that when the pancakes get flipped, they cook with the hazelnuts pressed into the tops. When plating, add some of these truffles, use some vegan whipped cream, and drizzle with chocolate syrup.
📖 How to make this hazelnut chocolate truffle recipe
Make your darkest chocolatey dreams come true by following these step-by-step photos with helpful tips. Or scroll down to the bottom of this page for the easy-to-print recipe card.
Step One
Make the Ganache:
Heat the plant-based milk in a medium saucepan over medium heat until it just starts to simmer. Place the chocolate chips in a heatproof bowl, pour the hot milk over them, and let it sit for 2 minutes to melt. Stir until smooth and fully combined.
Step Two
Nutty by Nature:
Stir in the roasted crushed hazelnuts, salt, and vanilla extract until evenly distributed. Cover the bowl and refrigerate for at least 2 hours or until the ganache is firm enough to shape.
Step Three
Firm the Truffles:
Scoop out tablespoon-sized portions of the chilled truffle mixture and roll them into balls between your hands. Dust each truffle with cocoa powder and place them on a tray. Freeze the truffles for 45 minutes until they are firm.
Step Four
Melt the Coating:
Melt the chocolate chips and coconut oil together in a heatproof bowl over a pot of simmering water (double boiler) or in the microwave in 15-second intervals, stirring after each interval until smooth and glossy.
Step Five
Enrobe the Truffles:
Using a fork, dip the frozen truffles into the melted chocolate, coating them completely. Let any excess chocolate drip off into the bowl. Transfer truffles to a wire rack to set.
✅ Place the wire rack over a baking sheet so you can reuse any chocolate that drips off—just add it right back into the pot with the rest of the enrobing chocolate.
Step Six
Garnish the Truffles:
While the chocolate coating is still wet, sprinkle each truffle with ground toasted hazelnuts, ground chocolate sandwich cookies, or cacao nibs.
Let the truffles set on a parchment-lined tray at room temperature or in the refrigerator.
Step Seven
Glazed and Confused (Optional):
Melt the cocoa butter gently in a small saucepan over low heat. Stir in the powdered sugar and Frangelico until smooth.
Step Eight
Glazy Suzan:
Drizzle the glaze over the decorated hazelnut chocolate truffles using a small spoon or piping bag, and let the glaze set before serving. Otherwise, you can also just use vegan royal icing if you already have some on hand.
👉Top tips
- Use Bangin’ Quality Chocolate: Since these truffles are mostly made out of chocolate, the quality of what you use is really noticeable. Try to find a chocolate you love the flavor of, ideally something a little darker, that isn’t super sweet.
- Maintain Proper Temperature:When combining hot plant-based milk with chocolate, ensure the milk is just simmering—not boiling—to prevent scorching the chocolate and achieving a silky ganache.
- Chill Ganache All Zee Way: Refrigerate the ganache mixture until it's firm enough to scoop and shape easily. This step is crucial for achieving uniform truffles that hold their shape and don’t have one side that’s completely flat.
- Toast Hazelnuts for Better Flavor: Lightly toasting the hazelnuts before incorporating them intensifies their natural nuttiness, adding depth to your truffles. Be cautious not to over-toast, as burnt nuts can impart a bitter taste.
- If You Have One, Use a Melon Baller or Small Scoop: Employing a melon baller or small cookie scoop helps in portioning uniform truffle sizes, ensuring even coating and a professional appearance.
🤷♀️ Recipe FAQs
Ensure the truffles are at room temperature before dipping them into the melted chocolate. Drastic temperature differences can cause the coating to crack.
Yes, mixing some vegan hazelnut spread can add creaminess and step up the hazelnut flavor in the ganache.
Use a double boiler or microwave in short bursts, stirring frequently, to melt the chocolate evenly without scorching.
Refrigerate and consume within 3 weeks.
You can freeze them too! Pop ‘em in an airtight container for up to 3 months. Thaw in the refrigerator before serving to maintain texture and flavor.
✌️You'll love these vegan chocolate recipes too
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Dark Chocolate Hazelnut Truffles (Vegan)
Ingredients
For the Hazelnut Ganache:
- 1 ½ cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
- ¾ cup unsweetened plant-based milk
- ½ cup roasted hazelnuts crushed
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¼ cup cocoa powder
For the Chocolate Coating:
- 1 ½ cups semi-sweet vegan chocolate chips
- 1 tablespoon refined coconut oil
For Decoration:
- 2 tablespoons roasted hazelnuts ground
- 2 tablespoons cacao nibs or vegan chocolate sandwich cookies, ground
For Optional Hazelnut Glaze:
- 2 teaspoons cocoa butter
- ¼ cup powdered sugar
- 2 teaspoons Frangelico
Instructions
For the Hazelnut Ganache:
- In a medium saucepan, heat the plant-based milk over medium heat until bubbling hot. Place the chocolate chips in a heatproof bowl. Pour the hot milk over the chocolate and let it sit for 90 seconds to melt. Whisk together until smooth and fully combined.
- Stir in the chopped roasted hazelnuts, salt, and vanilla extract until well incorporated. Cover the bowl and chill in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours or until firm enough to handle.
- Once chilled, scoop out tablespoon-sized portions of the ganache and roll into balls. Dust each truffle with cocoa powder, then chill in the freezer for 45 minutes.
For the Chocolate Coating:
- Melt the chocolate chips and coconut oil together in a heatproof bowl over a pot of simmering water (double boiler) or in the microwave in 15-second intervals, stirring after each interval until the chocolate melts and become completely smooth.
- Remove the frozen truffles from the freezer and dip each chilled truffle ball into the melted chocolate using a fork, ensuring they are fully coated. Let any excess chocolate drip off as you transfer them to a wire rack suspended over a baking tray to cool and drip off.
Decoration:
- While the coating is still wet, sprinkle each truffle with ground hazelnuts and cacao nibs, or ground chocolate sandwich cookies. Allow the truffles to set on a parchment-lined tray at room temperature or in the refrigerator.
For the Optional Hazelnut Glaze:
- In a small saucepan, gently melt the cocoa butter over low heat. Stir in the powdered sugar and Frangelico until smooth.
- Using a small spoon or piping bag, drizzle the glaze over the decorated truffles. Let the glaze set before serving.
Notes
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Deborah says
I've made these a few times and they are absolutely delicious! The recipe is easy to follow and easy to make. A family and friends favorite was the oreo coated.
Ruth Kivi says
These Dark Chocolate Hazelnut Truffles (vegan) are the best I've ever tasted! They melt in your mouth! I've never made candy before but these are easy to craft and so rewarding! This is a 5-star rated dessert. (I'd give it 10 stars if I could!)