This Chocolate Spread is so good, you’ll want to lick the knife clean! It’s easy to make, nut-free, and tastes great on everything from toast to waffles to apple slices! This recipe is a longtime fan favorite, and it’s now been updated with new troubleshooting tips and step-by-step photos, to make sure yours turns out perfectly every time.
🍫 The Best Nut-Free Chocolate Spread
This recipe came about because a reader asked a simple question: could I help her make a tasty chocolate spread at home? The requirements: no nuts, no complicated equipment, no unfamiliar ingredients, and no long list of steps.
It took a few attempts, but I finally nailed a recipe that hit all the right notes: it has a deep chocolate flavor and a lush, silky texture. The ingredients are all things you probably have at home already, and it comes together in just 5 minutes.
This recipe is built on two of my favorite ingredients: chocolate and butter. It has a small amount of vanilla, and a pinch of salt, but it’s really all chocolate, all the time. If you’re looking for a nut-free alternative to peanut butter or Nutella, this is the recipe for you!
When it’s first made it has the texture of hot fudge sauce (and I won’t stop you if you want to pour it all over ice cream, cake, your hands, etc…), but once it’s chilled, it’s gorgeously creamy and smooth, with a consistency that’s perfect for spreading on toast or using as a dip for fresh fruit.
❤️ Why You’ll Love This Spread
This delicious dark chocolate spread was first published back in 2012, and it quickly became a favorite with readers (and my own family!) It’s easy to see why people love it:
- simple list of easy-to-find ingredients
- no complicated methods or equipment
- nut-free!
- only 5 minutes to make it
- can be kept for weeks
- good for snacking, or dessert
- makes a great gift
More Chocolate SPREADS
Check out some of our most popular frostings, filling and spreads for when you need a chocolate fix: The BEST Chocolate Ganache, Edible Cookie Dough (frosting, filling or dip!), Easy Chocolate Sour Cream Frosting, Mocha Dipping Sauce and Dark Chocolate Fondue.
Table of Contents
🧾 What You’ll Need
Ingredients
You won’t need much to make this rich and smooth Chocolate Spread. Here’s a few ingredient tips to help you gather your ingredients. Full ingredient amounts can be found in the recipe card. (Links are affiliate links and I earn a small commission from qualifying purchases.)
- Dark chocolate: Dark chocolate gives the spread a super boost of chocolate flavor. This is where most of the flavor comes from, so don’t use cheap chocolate chips here: make sure you use flavorful chocolate that you enjoy eating.
- Water: To dissolve the other ingredients and get the right consistency.
- Granulated sugar: Use a little granulated sugar (aka white sugar or regular sugar) for sweetness.
- Unsweetened cocoa powder: For rich, chocolately flavor, make sure to use a high quality unsweetened cocoa powder. Cheap cocoa powders can be nearly flavorless, or worse, impart a bitter, dusty, or stale flavor.
- Unsalted butter: Butter gives the spread its lush, creamy texture. I like to use unsalted butter and add salt separately, but you can use salted butter and omit the extra salt. Make sure to soften and cube the butter so it incorporates easily into the spread.
- Vanilla extract and salt: These round out and balance the chocolate flavor.
Equipment
- Saucepan: You’ll need a small saucepan to heat the ingredients on the stovetop.
- Whisk: You’ll also need a whisk to combine the ingredients and stir them while simmering.
- Plastic wrap: I recommend keeping the chocolate spread in a container with a lid or in a jar with plastic wrap on top. Covering the top of the spread with plastic helps prevent a skin forming on top.
Ready to Make This?
- Get the recipe below 👇👇
- Scroll below the recipe for step-by-step photos
- Read the tips and FAQs
❤️ More Dessert Sauces
Leave a Review!
If you make this recipe, let us know! Leave a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating on the recipe below, and leave a comment, take a photo and tag me on Instagram @elabau, or use #sugarhero on IG!
Lick-The-Knife-Clean Chocolate Spread
Ingredients
- 4 oz bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped (about 2/3 cup)
- 2 fl oz water, (1/4 cup)
- 3.5 oz granulated sugar, (1/2 cup)
- 1 TBSP unsweetened cocoa powder
- Pinch of salt
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 5 oz unsalted butter, (1.25 sticks), softened and cubed
Instructions
- Finely chop the bittersweet chocolate and set aside.
- In a small saucepan, combine the water, granulated sugar, unsweetened cocoa powder, and salt.
- Place the pan over medium heat and stir until the sugar and cocoa powder dissolve. Continue to heat the pan, stirring frequently, just until it reaches a simmer.
- Once simmering, remove the pan from the heat and add the vanilla extract, chopped chocolate, and cubed butter.
- Whisk until the chocolate and butter melt and the mixture is completely smooth. When it is freshly made, this spread will have the consistency of hot fudge sauce.
- Pour the spread into a jar or other container with a lid. Press a layer of plastic wrap on top of the chocolate to prevent a skin from forming, and refrigerate it until it thickens.
- If it is too cold to spread easily, let it sit at room temperature for a short while before serving. Store it in the refrigerator for up to two weeks.
Video
Recipe Notes
Variations
- To make it dairy-free: substitute the butter for an equal amount of coconut oil – no need to melt it first. Add it in when you would add the butter. Note that your spread will probably have a light coconut-chocolate flavor, unless you’re using refined coconut oil.
- To make it sugar-free: substitute a 1:1 sugar replacement for the granulated sugar in the recipe, and use a sugar-free chocolate, like Lily’s brand. We have tested it with both Swerve and Splenda, and both work fine. Make sure you are using a 1:1 product, and measure by volume, not weight.
Tips
- If your spread becomes grainy: heat it in the microwave in 30-second increments, whisking well and checking it for sugar crystals after each interval. To check, rub a bit of the chocolate spread between your fingers to see if you feel any sugar crystals. When the spread is warm and you can find no trace of sugar crystals, pour it back into a container.
- If your spread becomes oily: heat it in the microwave in 30-second intervals, whisking after each time, until it is warm and fluid. Place an immersion blender in the bowl and blend it until the oil mixes back into the chocolate. It might take a minute, but you should see your mixture transform into a glossy chocolate with a pudding-like texture.
Measuring Tips
Our recipes are developed using weight measurements, and we highly recommend using a kitchen scale for baking whenever possible. However, if you prefer to use cups, volume measurements are provided as well. PLEASE NOTE: the adage “8 oz = 1 cup” is NOT true when speaking about weight, so don’t be concerned if the measurements don’t fit this formula.
Want to learn more about baking measurements and conversion?
Nutrition
📸 Photo Tutorial: How to Make Chocolate Spread
Follow this photo tutorial to see how easy it is to make this Chocolate Spread. Full instructions are included in the recipe card above.
- Chop chocolate: Finely chop 4oz bittersweet chocolate.
- Combine water, sugar, cocoa powder and salt: In a small saucepan, combine 2 fl oz (1/4 cup) water, 3.5 oz (1/2 cup) granulated sugar, 1 TBSP unsweetened cocoa powder, and a pinch of salt.
- Stir and simmer: Place the pan over medium heat and stir until the sugar and cocoa powder dissolve. Continue to heat the pan, stirring frequently, just until it reaches a simmer.
- Add vanilla, chopped chocolate and butter: Once simmering, remove the pan from the heat and add 1 tsp vanilla extract, previously chopped chocolate, and 5 oz cubed butter.
- Whisk until smooth: Whisk until the chocolate and butter melt and the mixture is completely smooth. When it is freshly made, this spread will have the consistency of hot fudge sauce.
- Cover and refrigerate: Pour the spread into a jar or other container with a lid. Press a layer of plastic wrap on top of the chocolate to prevent a skin from forming, and refrigerate it until it thickens.
- Enjoy or store: If it is too cold to spread easily, let it sit at room temperature for a short while before serving. Store it in the refrigerator for up to two weeks.
🥣 Making it Dairy-Free or Sugar-Free
This recipe is flexible and can be adapted to many different dietary needs.
- To make it dairy-free: substitute the butter for an equal amount of coconut oil – no need to melt it first. Add it in when you would add the butter. Note that your spread will probably have a light coconut-chocolate flavor, unless you’re using refined coconut oil.
- To make it sugar-free: substitute a 1:1 sugar replacement for the granulated sugar in the recipe, and use a sugar-free chocolate, like Lily’s brand. We haven’t tested it with every sugar replacer, but we have tested it with both Swerve and Splenda, and both work fine. Make sure you are using a 1:1 product, and measure by volume, not weight.
💡 FAQs
Rarely, the spread can develop a grainy texture over time. This happens if the sugar has not been completely melted and dissolved during the heating step. Even just a few stray sugar crystals can make it so that the rest of the sugar slowly crystallizes, leading it to have a grainy texture.
You might not notice it when it is freshly made, but over time you’ll see and taste the spread becoming more granulated. It’s still perfectly safe to eat, but most people don’t enjoy the crunchy texture. Fortunately, it’s easy to fix the grainy texture.
Transfer the chocolate spread to a bowl and heat it in the microwave in 30-second increments, whisking well and checking it for sugar crystals after each interval. To check, rub a bit of the chocolate spread between your fingers to see if you feel any sugar crystals. When the spread is warm and you can find no trace of sugar crystals, pour it back into a container, place plastic wrap on top, and let it cool completely.
If you notice your chocolate spread developing a clear oily layer on top, this means the fat in the spread has “separated.” This is rare, but it does happen sometimes.
It usually occurs because the butter and chocolate weren’t mixed well enough into the spread. Maybe the butter was too cold when it was added, or the chocolate was in large pieces so it didn’t incorporate well. It can also happen if the spread goes through multiple heating and cooling phases. (See below for a longer explanation.) It’s still completely edible, but it doesn’t look very appetizing, so here’s how you fix your oily chocolate spread.
First transfer it to a bowl and heat it in the microwave in 30-second intervals, whisking after each time, until it is warm and fluid. Next, place an immersion blender in the bowl and blend it until the oil mixes back into the chocolate. As you blend, move the blender around, including the sides and bottom of the bowl, so all of it gets well mixed. It might take a minute, but you should see your mixture transform into a glossy chocolate with a pudding-like texture.
Don’t have an immersion blender? A regular blender can also be used, but it’s my second choice since it can be a pain to clean, and doesn’t work as well for smaller quantities. You can also try just using a whisk after reheating, but if you do that, be sure to keep whisking until you see the texture change. This could take several minutes.
Bonus nerdy section on why the spread sometimes separates: the spread is an emulsion, meaning it has fat particles from butter and chocolate suspended in the water and sugar base. Not mixing it enough, or heating and cooling it frequently, can both result in the fat dropping out of the suspension and coming to the surface of the spread.
The spread will have the texture of hot fudge sauce when it is first made, but after chilling it, it will become spreadable. Hot weather and hot kitchens can cause it to soften again. If your kitchen is quite warm, you’ll find that it becomes soft again when it is left out on the counter for long periods. Simply refrigerate it briefly until it firms up again.
This chocolate spread should be stored in a jar or container with tight-fitting lid. It can kept in the refrigerator for at least two weeks – but anecdotally, I’ve had it last up to a month and be fine.
It will be pretty firm when it comes out of the refrigerator, so you can either stir it until it becomes more spreadable, or let it sit at room temperature for 10-15 minutes until it softens a bit.
I love this recipe!
Made this with dairy free spread. It was a great success! My daughter who is dairy intolerant loved it.
So glad to hear it, Margaret! Thanks so much for letting us know it worked well with dairy-free spread. If you happen to come back and see this, could you let us know which spread you used? I know others might find it helpful to know which brand is tried and true. 🙂
Hi, can you let me know how long the shelf life would be and if it’s ok to store in the pantry? Thanks! Lisa
Hi Lisa, Because of the butter, I would recommend storing this in the refrigerator vs the pantry. I’d say you could get at least 3-4 weeks out of it that way!
My daughters absolutely loved making this. They are 9 & 10 yrs old and made this with little supervision. They’ve been bugging me to make it again. This is exactly what we need since one of my girls and I are allergic to hazelnuts so Nutella is out of the question for us.
Thank you, Emily! I’m so glad to hear that you and your daughters are enjoying this recipe!
Can you skip the premade chocolate in this recipe?
Hi Connor, if you mean can you leave it out, then no, you cant. It’s necessary to give the spread the right taste and texture.
Can this be made with milk chocolate instead?
Hi Amanda, I haven’t tried it but I think it would work fine. Just be aware that milk chocolate is typically a sweeter chocolate so I imagine the spread would be quite sweet. You could try reducing the sugar or increasing the cocoa powder a bit to compensate.
Love the recipe but I need some advice please it goes mouldy after 7 days what can I use to stop this from happening as we need to store it for long periods of time.
Your sincerely Lee Oram
Thank you for your time
Hi Lee, are you storing it in the refrigerator and seeing mold after 7 days? I haven’t had it go bad that quickly, but because it is made with fresh dairy, by nature it will not last an extremely long time. Depending on how long you need it to last, you could look into adding a mold inhibitor meant for candy and desserts, this will probably help with longevity:
https://amzn.to/3CQRFq0
Wow, this was delicious! Totally knocked it out of the park! Easy to make, dare I say foolproof. I used it as an alternative filling for a Nutella-stuffed chocolate chip cookie recipe, because my husband is allergic to hazelnuts. It was perfect.
Lasts six weeks in the fridge? We’ll never know; as a spread, it was gone in six minutes!
Elaine those cookies sound incredible! Now you’ve got me wanting to make this just to have some cookies…. 😉 Thanks for sharing, and I’m so glad to hear you liked the recipe!
amazing
Thank you, Zainab! It truly is lick-the-knife-clean chocolate spread!
I haven’t yet made this recipe, but I was quite excited to see it. I grew up in England enjoying Fry’s Chocolate spread, which looks just like this. All other recipes I have seen try to emulate Nutella, but I cannot understand why as in my opinion this is very light on chocolate and heavy on Hazelnuts – not that I have anything against Hazelnuts – in fact I love them, as nuts, but mixed into a spread which is light on chocolate does nothing for me – it is a lightweight.
I am hoping for great things with this recipe and I will report back once I have tried it.
Thank you for the feedback Gordon! I look forward to hearing your experience!