I’m not sure about you lot, but Ferrero Rocher always reminds me of Christmas. Probably because I always find myself nibbling through a box during the festive period (and only sharing if I must!). However, I found myself craving them again recently, and since I’ve previously shared “healthier” veganized candy treats like my vegan Twix bars, snickers, peanut butter cups, and bounty bars (Mound bars for Americans), I set my mind to creating a delicious vegan Ferrero Rocher too (aka chocolate hazelnut truffles)! Traditional Ferrero Rocher consists of melted chocolate and hazelnut topping surrounding a crisp wafer shell, soft hazelnut chocolate ganache filling, and hidden hazelnut center. But, of course, traditional versions are also packed with sugar, dairy, and even wheat (in the wafer). In comparison, this recipe for Ferrero Rocher is made up of simple and wholesome hazelnut butter and chocolate truffle mixture surrounding a hazelnut kernel and topped with a crushed hazelnut coating (with optional dark chocolate coating). Surprisingly, these vegan truffles are also packed with healthful ingredients. For example, coconut milk and hazelnuts are packed with healthy fats and several vitamins and minerals. Meanwhile, dark chocolate is packed with antioxidant-rich cacao. With all of that, how could you say no? I’ve recently been loving “healthier” chocolate treats like healthy chocolate fudge. I even made a dessert chocolate hummus! Best of all, once prepared, you can store the Ferrero Rocher balls in the fridge for up to a week or in the freezer for three-four months! Then, simply pop one (or three…) out onto the counter 10-15 minutes before you want to enjoy it and enjoy it as a quick snack or dessert (I do the same with my vegan filled chocolates). Wanting more bite-sized healthy snack inspiration? You might also like these turmeric energy balls, cacao almond protein balls, or coconut bliss balls (like bounty/mound balls)!
The Vegan Ferrero Rocher Ingredients
There are only 7 ingredients (plus salt) for Ferrero Rocher candy when made at home, including:
The vegan hazelnut truffles
Hazelnuts: you need raw hazelnuts (we’ll be toasting them ourselves). We’ll be using these in three ways – for the actual vegan truffle mixture, a kernel inside each truffle, and for the truffle coating. Dark chocolate: I use homemade chocolate (I’ve made bean-to-bar chocolate but also have a method for a simple vegan dark chocolate). Cacao butter: this is important for texture and the best mouth feel. If you don’t have cacao butter then coconut oil should work. Coconut milk: make sure to use full-fat tinned coconut milk. This is thicker and creamier than regular dairy-free milk, so if you need to substitute it use a dairy-free cream rather than milk. Maple syrup: you can use any liquid sweetener like agave, brown rice syrup, etc. You could use honey if you aren’t vegan (or vegan dandelion honey!). Just note that each option will impact the flavor. Vanilla: I used homemade vanilla extract. Try to use a natural extract for the best results and flavor. Instant coffee: I love adding a little coffee to any chocolate treat to enhance the depth of flavor and generally create a richer chocolate flavor without tasting of coffee. Feel free to omit this or use a de-caf version if needed. Salt: like the coffee, a little salt added to any chocolate treat really helps enhance and balance flavors.
Other add-ins and variations
Other toppings: If you aren’t too bothered about the “Ferrero Rocher” vibes, you can experiment with other coatings – like the various options I used for these vegan almond protein balls. Crunch element: the wafer shell is the one element that I haven’t included in these Ferrero Rocher balls. However, it doesn’t mean that you can’t add a crisp element to the Ferrero Rocher recipe. I recommend using puffed quinoa or puffed rice (you could also use puffed rice cereal, but they’ll contain more sugars). You can use these in place of the crushed hazelnut topping or along with it.
I love using puffed quinoa to garnish and add crunch to dishes like this vegan chocolate smoothie bowl, salted caramel overnight oat jars, my GF vegan pumpkin pie, and frozen yogurt bark.
How to Make Ferrero Rocher (Hazelnut Truffles)
Step 1: Prepare the hazelnut butter
First, spread the hazelnuts over a large oven tray and roast in the oven at 325ºF/165ºC (fan assisted) for 15 minutes. You can skip this step and use raw hazelnuts for “raw truffles” if preferred. However, I like the flavor better when they’re roasted. After giving the nuts a few minutes to cool, add them to a high-speed blender/food processor and blend into thick nut butter. The more you blend, the smoother the hazelnut butter will become, but we don’t want it too runny. So instead, stop your machine once it’s a thick batter consistency.
Step 2: Add the other ingredients
Meanwhile, melt the chocolate and cacao butter (or coconut oil) over a double boiler or in the microwave (in 10-15 second increments to avoid it burning) until smooth and melted. Then add all the remaining ingredients to the blender and pulse/blend until fully incorporated. Transfer the mixture to the fridge to chill and harden for 15-30 minutes. If it’s still too soft after that time, allow it to chill for a little longer. Be careful not to overchill though, or it’ll be hard to scoop and shape into the vegan truffles.
Step 3: Roll the vegan truffles
Next, it’s time to roll the hazelnut truffles. You can use a small melon baller (like I did), a measuring spoon, or a small ice cream scoop to get them all evenly sized. I probably used between 1-2 Tbsp per truffle. You can adjust this slightly based on how large you want the truffles to be. I made 24 truffles with this mixture. Place a whole hazelnut kernel in the center of each truffle, then use your hands to fold the mixture up over the hazelnut and roll it into a ball. Then, roll each truffle into a small dish of crushed hazelnuts to coat them.
(Optional) Step 4: Coat the dessert truffles
If you want to make even more decadent homemade Ferrero rocher truffles, you can coat each truffle with dark chocolate. To do so, melt a little extra dark chocolate. Dip each vegan truffle into the melted chocolate (I lower them into the bowl with a fork). Then gently toss in the crushed hazelnuts. Allow excess chocolate to drip off the truffles. After that, place the hazelnut chocolate vegan truffles back on the plate and back in the fridge to fully set before enjoying immediately or storing for later! Alternatively, you can combine the crushed hazelnuts into the melted chocolate mixture.
How to Store?
Store: Store any leftover Ferrero Rocher balls in an airtight container in the fridge for 5-7 days. Freeze: I like to place the vegan chocolate truffles on a large tray with space in between to freeze until solid. Then place in a freezer-safe container/bag and store for up to four months. Every time you feel like enjoying one of the truffles, just pop it out of the freezer for around 10-15 minutes, enjoy!
Can I use pre-made hazelnut butter?
The problem is that it may be too thin/liquidy and throw off the vegan truffles’ consistency. If you want to use pre-made hazelnut butter, I recommend reducing the amount of dark chocolate added to the truffle mixture and using a little powdered cacao powder to make up for the extra “liquid.”
Could I use milk chocolate for topping?
You can – though you’ll need to use your favorite dairy-free brand if you want to keep this recipe vegan.
Can I make these keto-friendly truffles?
For these vegan truffles to be considered keto, you’d need to swap out the sweetener for a keto-friendly one. I don’t know of a Keto liquid sweetener like maple and haven’t tried using a powdered sweetener. If you try the recipe with one, you may need a little additional coconut milk to achieve the correct consistency. You also need to use sugar-free dark chocolate or a keto chocolate bar.
Can I use blanched/skinless hazelnuts?
You sure can – either would work for this recipe. In fact, some prefer to use blanched hazelnuts for sweet treats to remove the sometimes “bitter” skin. If you do want to remove the skins, I recommend doing so after roasting the nuts. Place the nuts over a kitchen linen towel and rub well to remove the skins (similarly to how I do for this homemade hazelnut butter).
Can I use other nuts?
While they’ll no longer be vegan Ferrero Rocher/hazelnut truffles, you can swap out the hazelnuts for another nut (or creamy nut butter). I recommend cashews, almonds, or peanuts for a delicious nutty vegan truffles recipe.
To give as a gift: I recommend placing the truffles in mini cupcake liners (like store-bought Ferrero Rocher) and placing them in a nice container. For extra crunch: if you decide to add a crunchy element (in place of the wafer) to the homemade Ferrero Rocher, you can further this with multiple layers of crunch. To do so, after rolling the truffles, quickly roll them in a fine layer of crushed puffed quinoa/rice. Allow setting for a few minutes in the fridge. Then you can dip them in the melted chocolate and crushed hazelnut/puffed quinoa or rice topping.If you have issues dipping the hazelnut truffles: you can add a little coconut oil into the melted chocolate to create a smoother, more dippable consistency. You may also need to re-melt the chocolate to get back to the dipping consistency.
More Delicious Vegan Desserts
Fudgy no-bake browniesHow to make chocolateVegan chocolate cherry black forest tartChocolate tarte soleilVegan, gluten-free chocolate cakeGooey vegan chocolate chip cookiesVegan avocado chocolate mousse cupsHealthy Brownie Batter Dip (Naturally Sweetened)Vegan No-bake Chocolate Cake with Caramel (Mars Cake)
If you try this hazelnut truffles/ vegan Ferrero Rocher recipe, I’d love to hear your thoughts/questions below. Also, I’d really appreciate a recipe card rating below, and feel free to tag me in your recipe recreations on Instagram @Alphafoodie!
