These dark chocolate hazelnut truffles have a creamy chocolate and hazelnut filling that's rolled in chopped hazelnuts and coated in dark chocolate. They're vegan, paleo and only sweetened with dates (no sugar added).
I'm such a sucker for homemade paleo chocolates like truffles, fudge and candy bars.
It's hard to resist a sweet, creamy filling surrounded by a layer of dark chocolate and topped off with a pinch of sea salt - that perfect combination of sweet and salty, chewy and crunchy!
And these dark chocolate hazelnut truffles? Ooh, they are irresistible! These hazelnut truffles have a creamy filling that's coated in a layer of chopped hazelnuts and then encased in a dark chocolate shell. They're paleo, vegan and refined sugar free - a great healthy dessert to share for the holidays!
Why You'll Love these Chocolate Hazelnut Truffles
- vegan and paleo - made with simple, wholesome ingredients you can feel good about
- easy to make - just blend the filling ingredients, roll into balls, coat in chopped hazelnuts and then dip in dark chocolate.
- no bake - these homemade truffles don't require any baking or cooking over the stovetop
- grain free and gluten free - made without oats and without flour
Ingredients
The full recipe for these paleo hazelnut truffles can be found in the recipe card below, but here's an overview of what you'll need:
- dry roasted hazelnuts (unsalted) - hazelnuts are used in both the filling and the crunchy coating around the filling. I recommend dry roasted instead of raw hazelnuts, as roasting them brings out more flavor. If using raw hazelnuts, toast them in your oven for a few minutes prior to making these truffles.
- dates - I used Medjool dates, but any variety will work.
- almond butter - an unsalted, unsweetened almond butter is used in the filling, helping to achieve a creamy, nutty texture. Any nut or seed butter will work as a substitution. Just note, using a different nut/seed butter will slightly change the taste. My top recommendations for swaps would be hazelnut butter or cashew butter.
- coconut cream - Just like the almond butter, coconut cream is added for texture purposes. I have not tried this recipe without coconut cream, but imagine any nut or seed butter would work as a replacement. The end product will have a slightly different taste and texture, but if you cannot consume coconut then replacing it should work.
- cacao powder - since these are "chocolate" hazelnut truffles, they have cacao powder in the filling. Cocoa powder can be used instead.
- salt - brings out more flavor. If your almond butter is salted, then leave this out.
- dark chocolate - the dark chocolate coating is completely optional, but highly recommended! If you want these to be Whole30 friendly, then omit this ingredient.
- coconut oil - I combined coconut oil with the dark chocolate to make the truffles easier to dip; the coconut oil makes the melted chocolate runnier. You may omit this ingredient or use cacao butter instead.
How to Make Chocolate Hazelnut Truffles
Truffles are one of those desserts that look hard to make, but I assure you they're not! You can easily make them look decadent, fancy and store-bought without much effort. Here's what you need to do:
- Blend pitted dates and hazelnuts in a food processor.
- Add in the remaining filling ingredients.
- Blend until the mixture forms a sticky, cohesive dough.
- Scoop the filling using a small cookie scoop and roll it in chopped hazelnuts.
- Place the fillings on a lined baking sheet or plate and freeze.
- Once chilled, dip the fillings in melted chocolate.
- Optional: drizzle any remaining chocolate over the truffles and top with a pinch of flaked salt.
- Set in the fridge or freezer a few minutes to fully set.
Storage
These hazelnut truffles need to be kept in the fridge or freezer. Place them in an airtight container or baggie and store in the fridge for up to 2 weeks, or the freezer up to 3 months.
FAQ
After making the filling, place the truffles in the freezer for at least an hour. This keeps the truffles from melting when you dip them in chocolate - helping them hold their shape and making them easier to dip. When they thaw, the filling will be soft, as if they'd never been frozen.
There are a few different ways you can melt chocolate for truffles. You can melt it in the microwave, in a double boiler or in a saucepan on the stovetop.
My preferred method is melting the chocolate in a saucepan on the stovetop. I place the saucepan on the smallest burner and set the heat to low. You want to cook on low heat, stirring frequently so that the chocolate doesn't burn.
While I have only tested these truffles with coconut cream, swapping it for a nut or seed butter (like almond butter) should work.
More Paleo and Vegan Truffle Recipes
Dark Chocolate Hazelnut Truffles (Paleo, Vegan)
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Freeze Time: 1 hour
- Cook Time: 0 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour 30 minutes
- Yield: 17-18 truffles 1x
Description
Homemade truffles with a creamy, date sweetened filling, a hazelnut crunch topping and a dark chocolate coating. Paleo, vegan and gluten free!
Ingredients
Filling
- ½ cup dry roasted, unsalted hazelnuts (65g)
- ½ cup pitted Medjool dates (about 6 large dates)
- ¼ cup almond butter (unsweetened, unsalted)
- ¼ cup coconut cream*
- 2 Tbsp cacao powder (or cocoa powder)
- ¼ tsp salt
Hazelnut Crunch Topping
- ⅓ cup chopped hazelnuts
Chocolate Coating
- 6 oz dark chocolate
- ½ Tbsp coconut oil
- flaked sea salt (optional)
Instructions
Make the Filling
- Combine dates and hazelnuts in a food processor. Make sure to remove the pits from the dates! Blend well.
- Add in the remaining filling ingredients: almond butter, coconut cream, cacao powder and salt. Blend in your food processor until the mixture forms a sticky, cohesive dough.
Make the Hazelnut Crunch Topping
- Place the chopped hazelnuts in a small bowl.
- Grab a small cookie scoop (one tablespoon in size) to scoop the filling and then drop it into the small bowl of chopped hazelnuts. Press the hazelnuts into the dough and use your hands to form the truffle into a ball.
- Place the coated truffle on a lined baking sheet. Repeat until all of the filling has been coated and shaped into balls.
Freeze Truffles
- Freeze the truffles for at least an hour to harden.
Make the Chocolate Coating
- Place the chocolate and coconut oil in a small saucepan. Melt on the stovetop over low heat, stirring frequently. Once fully melted, remove the chocolate from the heat and turn off the burner.
- Grab the truffles from the freezer. One at a time, dip the truffles into the melted chocolate, coating completely. Place the truffles on a parchment lined baking sheet to set.
- After all of the truffles have been dipped, drizzle any extra chocolate over the truffles. Before the drizzled chocolate has a chance to set, add a pinch of salt to each truffle.
- Set in the fridge or freezer a few minutes to fully set.
Notes
Store truffles in an airtight container in the fridge or freezer.
*use just the cream from a can of full fat coconut milk or a can of coconut cream. If the cream and the water are not separated, refrigerate the can of coconut overnight.
Ellie
These are the bestttt!! 🤩🤩 i didn't have almond butter so i made them with peanut butter and still awesome! I had leftover crushed hazelnuts so we topped them with that and they are sooo cute and delicious!!
Katie
Yay! I bet they tasted amazing with peanut butter! I'll have to try that myself 🙂 Thank you for the review.