These hazelnut truffles contain just 7 ingredients and are naturally gluten-free, dairy-free, refined sugar-free, and vegan yet make for a delicious, healthier vegan Ferrero Rocher-inspired snack! Best of all, these simple no-bake bites only take minutes of hands-on prep.
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.You can also skip this step if you are using pre-made hazelnut butter.
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.
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
Roll the hazelnut truffles. You can use a small melon baller, a measuring spoon, or a small ice cream scoop to get them all evenly sized. Use between 1-2 Tbsp per truffle or adjust based on how large you want the truffles to be.
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.
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, then 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 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!
Notes
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.
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 before dipping them in the melted chocolate and crushed hazelnut/puffed quinoa or rice topping.
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.
Check the blog post for more tips and answers to top FAQs.