Is Nutella vegan?
No — Nutella contains skimmed milk powder and whey.
Key facts
- Verdict
- Not vegan
- Category
- Chocolate & sweets
- Also listed as
- Nutella
- Best swap
- Nutella Plant-Based (where sold)
Why
Ferrero's recipe is sugar, palm oil, hazelnuts, skimmed milk powder, fat-reduced cocoa, whey powder, lecithin and vanillin. The dairy is core to the product, so no market version is vegan. Ferrero launched a separate plant-based spread in some countries, which is labelled as such.
What to check on the label
- The ingredient list on your own pack — Nutella recipes differ by country and change over time
- Milk, whey, casein, lactose, egg, honey, gelatin, carmine (E120) and shellac (E904) in the list
- "May contain milk" is an allergen cross-contamination note, not an ingredient — most vegans still buy it
Swap it for
What is actually in it
Nutella's dairy content is structural, not incidental. Skimmed milk powder and whey powder are two of the seven core ingredients, giving the spread its creamy body and rounding out the cocoa bitterness. Because they are built into the single global recipe, there is no country where classic Nutella is accidentally vegan — unlike biscuits or crisps, where recipes vary by factory. Ferrero recognised the demand in 2024 and launched Nutella Plant-Based, a separate jar that swaps the dairy for plant-based ingredients (such as chickpea-derived protein) and carries vegan labelling; it rolled out first in selected European markets and sits next to, not instead of, the original. If a jar just says 'Nutella', it contains milk. Several own-brand hazelnut-cocoa spreads are dairy-free by default, and homemade versions (roasted hazelnuts, cocoa, a little sugar and oil, blended smooth) are reliably vegan and avoid the palm oil too.
Label codes to recognise
- Skimmed milk powder — Dried cow's milk solids
- Milk (animal)
- Whey powder — Dried cheese-making by-product
- Milk (animal)
- Lecithin — Emulsifier; soy-based in Nutella
- Soy (plant)
- Vanillin — Synthetic vanilla flavour
- Synthetic
- Palm oil — Fruit oil; vegan but environmentally contested
- Palm fruit (plant)
How it differs by region
- European Union / UK: Classic recipe contains milk everywhere. Nutella Plant-Based launched in selected markets from 2024 — look for the distinct 'Plant-Based' jar with vegan labelling.
- United States / Canada: Classic jars contain skimmed milk and whey. Check whether the plant-based version has reached local shelves; otherwise choose an own-brand dairy-free spread.
- Rest of world: The classic recipe is the same globally. Where the plant-based jar is unavailable, supermarket own-brand hazelnut spreads are the most common vegan route.
Questions people ask
Is Nutella certified vegan?
Certification is separate from the recipe. Many products with no animal ingredients carry no vegan mark because the maker will not rule out shared production lines. Check the pack for a registered vegan trademark, and treat the ingredient list as the primary evidence.
Does the answer change between countries?
Often, yes. The same brand name can use different fats, emulsifiers, colours or whey depending on the plant that made it, so always read the local label rather than an answer written for another market.
Is Nutella Plant-Based vegan?
Yes — it is a separate product made without milk or whey and sold with vegan labelling. It does not replace the classic jar, which still contains dairy.
Is Nutella dairy-free or lactose-free?
No. Classic Nutella contains skimmed milk powder and whey powder, so it contains both dairy and lactose.
Is Nutella vegetarian?
Yes — milk and whey are acceptable for vegetarians, and the lecithin is soy-based. It fails only on the vegan standard.
Are supermarket hazelnut spreads vegan?
Many are. Several own-brand versions use no milk; check for skimmed milk powder and whey on the label, and look for a vegan mark.
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