The best substitutes for hazelnuts

Hazelnuts have a creamy, nutty flavor that is appreciated by many, but they are not always available.

If you crave or need the flavor or texture of hazelnuts but simply don’t have any on hand, or are allergic and need a substitute to enjoy a recipe, there are some substitutes that may help.

What are the best substitutes for hazelnuts?

If you have hazelnut oil, extract or spreads like Nutella, or similar nuts like almonds or Macadamia nuts in your pantry, you can often substitute them in a recipe. Sometimes oats, seeds, and other crunchy foods can substitute for them texture-wise.

In this article, we’ll discuss some of the best substitutes for hazelnuts in different situations, setting you up for an easy alternative whatever your hazelnut needs.

What are hazelnuts?

Hazelnuts are the seeds of the hazel tree. In the US they are often simply called hazelnuts, although you may also hear them referred to as cobnuts or filberts if you talk to a European.

Hazelnuts, like most nuts, have a high oil content and a sweet, nutty flavor.

They are often used to make hazelnut oil, which is very tasty, or as an ingredient in sweet baked goods. They go especially well with chocolate and/or vanilla flavors.

Hazelnuts can also be used to complement savory dishes, both cooked and raw.

Adding hazelnuts to a fresh salad provides a crisp texture that is very different from the crunch of vegetables, while also adding a healthy dose of fat and protein. Chopped, hazelnuts add texture and flavor as a garnish to pasta or curries.

Hazelnuts are also a delicious and filling snack. They can be eaten raw or toasted, accompanied by sweet or salty complements.

The best substitutes for hazelnuts

There are many viable substitutes for hazelnuts, but the one you choose will depend on the reason for your substitution, as well as the type of recipe you are making the substitute for.

The most common reasons for substituting any ingredient are that you don’t have it, are allergic to it, or don’t like the taste of it.

If you’re looking for the flavor of hazelnuts, the substitute you choose will be different than if you have a nut allergy. It can also be different if you fancy a unique crunchy texture.

The chart below will give you a brief overview of some of the best hazelnut substitutes and how best to use them.

Let’s now take a closer look at each of these alternatives and how to use them.

How to get hazelnut flavor without hazelnuts

Hazelnuts have a characteristic flavor, more earthy than that of a normal nut. Although the texture also greatly influences the experience of eating hazelnuts, the aroma is even more evident.

If you like hazelnuts, when looking for a flavor substitute, you’ll likely also crave the fragrance that heralds the nut’s presence.

The only way to achieve an exact match of hazelnut flavor and fragrance is to substitute a product that uses hazelnuts.

1. Hazelnut oil

Having hazelnut oil as a staple in your pantry is a wise decision for many reasons.

Not only is it a perfect flavor substitute for hazelnuts in any recipe, but it can add a nutty sweetness to a wide range of recipes that don’t call for hazelnuts but would be more palatable.

It is possible to find crude or cold-pressed hazelnut oil; however, if you do find it, it is more likely to be recommended for external use on the skin or hair, or for use in beauty and perfumery products.

2. Hazelnut extract

Using an extract is an alternative to the actual nut, as well as a lighter option than hazelnut oil. It’s a great way to get the flavor and aroma without the added calories or other nutrients.

It is useful for baking cakes, making ice cream or adding to icings, although it will not add fat or protein. If your recipe calls for hazelnuts, you’ll need to find a reliable conversion to replace them with an extract and other ingredients to make up for what’s missing.

If you are allergic to hazelnuts but still like it and crave its flavor and fragrance, they also make imitation extracts that should be safe.

However, it is always recommended that you do your own research if you have a severe allergy, to ensure that the establishment is also nut-free and meets the rest of your safety requirements.

3. Hazelnut spreads and butters

Nut butters of all varieties are becoming more common, hazelnut butter among them.

When you use hazelnut butter or a hazelnut spread, you’ll get all the flavor, aroma, and even nutritional value of using whole hazelnuts; however, you won’t get the texture or crunch.

When buying hazelnut butter, if you plan to use it as a substitute for whole nuts, you should check the ingredients list to see if there are any added ingredients that could influence your recipe. The most common are sugar and/or oil, which can affect the sweetness or consistency of your recipe.

Substituting Nutella for hazelnuts will never be an exact match by any means, but if you’re baking sweet items, it can do the trick in a pinch, especially if your recipe also calls for chocolate.

Nutella is a brand of chocolate and hazelnut spread. Many recipes call for Nutella specifically. However, if you’re baking something that requires you to use hazelnut butter or crushed or pureed hazelnuts, Nutella will bring out some of the flavors you’re looking for.

Of course, it will also add chocolate and lots of extra sweetness, so you’ll need to adjust your recipe to accommodate the range of added flavors.

Other nuts as substitutes

Substituting one nut for another in a recipe is quite common. Even so, some are better substitutes than others, and not just because of the preferences and flavors of the dish.

almonds

Raw almonds are a fantastic substitute for raw hazelnuts, assuming you’re not allergic to them. They have a very similar texture, with a solid crunch followed by a very satisfying chew.

As an added bonus, raw almonds have a similar sweetness and fresh, nutty flavor to hazelnuts. So if used raw, they’re a near-perfect substitute, although they may need to be chopped down to size.

Macadamia nuts

Macadamia nuts have a buttery, crunchy texture similar to toasted hazelnuts.

They have the highest fat content of all nuts, which translates into a very creamy texture and flavor, more delicate and luxurious than hazelnuts, but close enough to satisfy your desire.

Unfortunately, macadamia nuts are only harvested in very select locations around the world, so they can be more exclusive and command a higher price than hazelnuts.

Choosing nuts for their nutritional content

Hazelnuts are nutritious, bite-sized treats, so when looking for a substitute, you might as well consider matching as many nutritional qualities as you can.

A 1-ounce serving of hazelnuts will contain approximately

• 175 calories
• 4.7 carbohydrates, 2.7 of which are fiber
• 17 grams of fat
• 4.2 grams of protein

They are also a good source of vitamin E, among other vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants.

Almonds are a well known source of vitamin E and the best substitute for that particular nutrient. Almonds are also the food closest to hazelnuts in terms of caloric content, carbohydrates and fiber, although they have more protein than these.

The type of fat in hazelnuts is mono and polyunsaturated, with a good contribution of oleic acid.

Pecans are the closest alternative for monounsaturated fats, while cashews are closer for polyunsaturated. Almonds have some oleic acid, although not as much as hazelnuts.

As far as antioxidants go, pecans and pistachios have similar concentrations of the types of antioxidants present in hazelnuts.

Nutritionally speaking, almonds are the closest overall substitute for hazelnuts, although there are some cases where other options would be a better choice, especially if fat is your main concern.

Substitute hazelnuts for an allergy

If you’re allergic to hazelnuts, how you substitute them in recipes can vary, depending on the type of food you’re cooking and the other ingredients included in the recipe.

Your best substitute may also depend on whether you’re trying to replicate the texture or depth of flavor without using the nuts.

The obvious alternative is another type of nut. However, it is very likely that you avoid all nuts for the same reason.

For this reason, consider trying one or more of the following nut-free alternatives, if it fits your recipe:

• Seeds: Pumpkin, sunflower, chia, flax or sesame seeds are all rich in oils and crunchy
• Sweet Chips – Chocolate, caramel, or butterscotch chips can add flavor and texture to baked goods by substituting dried fruit toppings
• Oatmeal : Oatmeal, or granola, can add bulk and texture to your recipe, and if you toast it with a little butter first, it will even add a slightly nutty flavor, without the nuts.

Texture: Crisp Factor

One of the main reasons hazelnuts are added to many baked goods or even savory recipes is for their unique crunch.

Raw hazelnuts have a firm, solid texture, but are also somewhat chewy. When toasted, the texture is crunchier, but also butterier, almost melt-in-your-mouth.

Depending on what you’re looking for, you can try different substitutes to accomplish the specific task at hand.

Hazelnut Modified Substitutions

Not all recipes call for whole, raw, or roasted hazelnuts. Some require you to use Nutella, hazelnut flour, or hazelnut flour. All of them are made from hazelnuts, but they require a different type of substitution.

Substitute for hazelnuts in Nutella

Nutella is a chocolate and hazelnut spread, and recipes that call for it are often sweet baked goods.

If you don’t have Nutella, you can make your own spread using hazelnuts and chocolate, but let’s assume that you don’t have any type of hazelnut or that you can’t use this particular type of nut.

An alternative to Nutella could be just another type of nut butter melted or mixed with a little melted chocolate or chocolate syrup.

If you are trying to reproduce the texture of Nutella without any nuts, you can try mashing up some avocado with melted chocolate. The chocolate will be the defining flavor and the avocado will create the creamy, spreadable texture.

You can also melt some chocolate with coconut oil and chill it until it solidifies enough for your purposes. Neither of these options will bring out the nutty flavor, but they do double the consistency pretty well.

hazelnut flour substitute

The closest substitute for hazelnut flour is almond flour, which can be substituted in exact measurements in most recipes.

If you are going to bake a fluffy or light cake, you may want to cut the almond flour with a bit of regular wheat flour or a bit of quinoa flour to help with structure.

If you’re trying to avoid all nut flours, quinoa flour is a decent alternative. Nutritionally speaking, quinoa flour is “better” than hazelnut flour, plus it tastes somewhat nutty, earthy and full-bodied, and is naturally gluten-free.

What quinoa flour lacks is the mouthwatering, sweet, nutty fragrance of hazelnuts, which is especially pronounced during the baking process.

Coconut flour is another option, although the taste is different and the way the flour works in baking is slightly different, so you’ll need to customize it for each individual recipe with the help of a trusted recipe maker who has tested it. before.

If you are looking for a substitute for hazelnut flour, you can also use the above recommendations for hazelnut flour.

Hazelnut flour is often used as a synonym for flour, or at best it will be a slightly coarser grind than flour. If you can use almond flour instead of almond flour, that would be ideal, but not necessary in most cases.

Related questions

Are hazelnuts a type of nut?

Nut allergies are one of the most common allergies in the world, so before reaching for Nutella or homemade chocolate hazelnut spread, it’s important to ask yourself: do hazelnuts grow on trees?

The answer is yes, hazelnuts are the seeds of hazelnuts, making them a tree nut.

Before you avoid hazelnuts for life, it’s equally important to note that an allergy to one nut doesn’t necessarily indicate an allergy to all or any other nuts.

For safety, it’s best to get tested by a professional allergist or a doctor who specializes in allergy testing.

Can you eat raw hazelnuts?

You can eat raw hazelnuts straight from the tree, as long as you have a nutcracker capable of releasing the seed from the hard shell.

The grain or seed will be protected by a paper shell that you must remove, as it can have a bitter taste. Raw hazelnuts have a mild, nutty flavor with a slight sweetness and a firm, somewhat chewy texture.

Many people roast hazelnuts to develop the sweet flavor and heat the fats and oils to create a buttery, crunchy texture, but both are equally delicious.