3-Ingredient Nutella Cookies Recipe (dairy-free/vegan option)

3-ingredient Nutella cookies recipe, anyone? They only take 20 minutes to make, they’re crisp on the outside, chewy in the middle and you’d never know they were gluten-free. 

3-ingredient Nutella cookies recipe – it’s finally here! Who knew that 3 ingredients could result in mind-blowing, bakery-style cookies? I’ve also included step-by-step photos AND a recipe video in this post, so you absolutely can’t go wrong.

I’ve discovered that Nutella is a magic ingredient that can be used in place of cocoa, butter AND sugar in baking. And nope, there’s no compromise on the finished bake at all.

Don’t believe me? Well, check out my 3-ingredient Nutella brownies recipe – trust me, eating is believing!

That means, less ingredients, less mixing in, no need to chill the dough AND best of all… another excuse to eat Nutella ?

Here’s a few reasons you need to bake this if you weren’t convinced already!

Why make my 3-ingredient Nutella cookies recipe?

• It only takes 20 minutes. Simply mix up your 3 ingredients in a bowl, roll into balls and bake. That’s it!
• No xanthan gum required.
• These need a third of the ingredients you’d need to make ‘proper’ cookies.
• They taste AMAZING – just like my ‘proper’ cookies, but take a third of the time to make.
• You’d never know they’re gluten-free (or dairy-free) by tasting them AT ALL. Everyone will love these!
• You probably have all the ingredients you’ll need for this recipe already.
• This is one of the few posts on the blog to include step-by-step photos AND a recipe video – so you can’t go wrong!

So, what do my 3-ingredient Nutella cookies taste like?

They’re exactly like the marvellous bakery-style cookies that we never get to eat as gluten-free folks. Crisp on the outside, soft and chewy in the middle with intense hits of melty chocolate (if you wish to optionally add chocolate chips/chocolate chunks).

Every bite is pure heaven with that unmistakeable hit of Nutella in every bite. Sweet, intensely chocolatey with a hazelnut finish. Absolutely awesome, in other words!

Adding the chocolate chips/chocolate chunks are entirely optional, but if you want them to turn out exactly like mine in the photos, then don’t hesitate to add them. The chocolate chunk gives them a melty middle, after all.

So I’m sure you’re wondering by now… what are these magical three ingredients? Here’s everything you’ll need for my 3-ingredient Nutella cookies recipe. Keep scrolling until you see the recipe card below if you’re looking for the measurements and method ??

3-ingredient Nutella cookies recipe: Ingredients

• Nutella
• 1 egg
• gluten free self raising flour
• chocolate (chips and chunks – optional but epic!)

So I thought I’d kick things off with a little frequently asked questions section – if you just want the recipe, then keep scrolling.

But I’ve thrown in some tips here that will be really helpful if this is your first time baking this, or you want to adapt it. So here they are!

3-ingredient Nutella cookies recipe: Frequently asked questions

Can I make this recipe gluten free? Is it suitable for Coeliacs?

It is gluten free, though nobody would know just by tasting it – trust me!

Bear in mind that minimising cross-contamination is hugely important if you’re Coeliac or making this for someone who is. Here’s some tips from Coeliac UK on minimising the risk of cross contamination:

Also, make sure that all ingredients used don’t have any gluten-containing ingredients. Then make that that they also don’t have a ‘may contain’ warning for gluten, wheat, rye, barley, oats (which aren’t gf), spelt and khorasan wheat (aka Kamut).

Here’s some more info from Coeliac UK on identifying safe gluten free products.

Can I make your 3-ingredient Nutella cookies recipe dairy free?

Yes you can! Whilst Nutella definitely is NOT dairy-free, there are dairy-free alternatives to Nutella available out there.

But please beware – most vegan alternatives to Nutella may have no dairy-containing ingredients, but the one commonly available in the free from aisle comes with a nasty ‘may contain traces of dairy’ warning. So please double check the labels first.

This particular chocolate hazelnut spread in particular is dairy-free. However, the jarred version by the same brand has a ‘may contain dairy’ warning, so please be careful! Remember, you’ll need 300g of it, so that’ll be the entire bottle.

Can I make your 3-ingredient Nutella cookies recipe vegan?

Yep! If you follow the instructions above to make this recipe dairy free, then all you’ve got left to contend with is the eggs.

Here’s a few ideas you can use as egg replacements, so each of these = 1 egg.

• 3 tablespoons of aquafaba – water from a can of chickpeas. Keep the chickpeas for a future dinner!
• 1 tbsp of ground flaxseed and 3 tbsp of water
• Egg replacement powder – I’d recommend using Orgran as it’s gluten free.
• 1 tablespoon of chia/flax seeds mixed with 2 tablespoons of water and left for 10 minutes in the fridge.
• 3 tablespoons of applesauce.

I haven’t tested all of these egg alternatives so let me know how you get on in the comments below ??

Can I make this recipe low FODMAP?

Nutella contains lactose which isn’t low FODMAP, but if you use this vegan alternative instead then this recipe will be lactose-free and therefore, low FODMAP. That would make this recipe suitable for the elimination phase of the diet.

Just bear in mind that the product linked above is not dairy-free, so whilst it’s low FODMAP, it’s not suitable for milk allergy sufferers.

Is your 3-ingredient Nutella cookies recipe nut free?

Sadly not as Nutella isn’t nut-free. If you know of any suitable nut-free alternatives to Nutella then let me know in the comments below and I’ll link it here.

Is Nutella gluten-free?

Yes, in the UK, Nutella is gluten-free! But don’t take my word for it (you never know when things might change after all), here’s a link to it so you can check it for yourself.

According to Coeliac UK, if a product has no gluten-containing ingredients and no ‘may contain’ warning for gluten, wheat etc. then that makes it safe for Coeliacs and those on a gluten-free diet.

Can I make your 3-ingredient Nutella cookies in a food processor or standing mixer?

Both are a little overkill for this recipe. You’re probably better off making this one by hand with a silicone spatula or a wooden spoon.

Do I need any special equipment to bake your 3-ingredient Nutella cookies recipe?

Nope – all you’ll need is a large baking tray and some non-stick baking paper.

Can I used melted chocolate instead of Nutella? Or another brand of chocolate hazelnut spread?

No, definitely don’t! Whilst they may look similar, melted chocolate is entirely different in its properties – for example, melted chocolate will eventually set, whereas Nutella never will.

So it’s Nutella for this or nothing! Although in saying that, most ‘own brand’ chocolate hazelnut spreads will work fine, as will almost any chocolate spread.

Does this recipe need xanthan gum?

You’ll see xanthan gum in a lot of my recipes as it’s an essential ingredient in gluten free baking. But not with this one, it’s not required.

There’s a little xanthan gum in gluten-free self-raising flour which goes a long way, so no need to add any extra.

Can I make this recipe using other gluten free flours like buckwheat flour or coconut flour?

There’s a big difference between ‘gluten free plain/self-raising flour’ and a *singular* type gluten free flour. When I say ‘gluten free plain or self-raising flour’ in a recipe, I mean a BLEND of gluten free flours, not just one, singular flour.

Most gluten free flour you buy in the supermarket typically contains a blend of rice flour, potato flour, maize flour, tapioca flour AND buckwheat flour. That’s a lot of different flours!

In gluten free self-raising flour, there’s usually even a little baking powder and xanthan gum in it too which always helps. So to replace it with just one specific type of flour… that’s not going to cut it at all. Definitely go for a gluten free flour blend.

Do I need weighing scales to bake your 3-ingredient Nutella cookies recipe?

In short… yes, yes and yes! And I wouldn’t advise attempting any my recipes without them. One of the worst things you can do in any baking recipe is alter the quantities by mistake or on purpose.

(unless you know what you’re doing of course)

Why? Well, you’re sort of just gambling with the recipe and praying that it turns out ok, don’t you think? And I’ve generally already done the hard work there for you, so you don’t have to do the guesswork with measurements!

A lot of work went into fine tuning ratios and quantities so I wouldn’t mess around with them unless you really know your stuff.

I’d recommending using digital cooking scales like these so you know you’re getting an accurate measurement.

Can I bake your 3-ingredient Nutella cookies recipe with less sugar / without sugar?

There’s actually no added sugar in this recipe, all the sweetness comes from the Nutella. So no need to add any extra!

How long can I keep your 3-ingredient Nutella cookies for?

I’ve kept these for 3-5 days in an air-tight container with no problems.

Can I freeze your 3-ingredient Nutella cookies?

Of course! I’ve frozen them for up to 2-3 months no problem.

When you want to enjoy one, each cookie should take 2-3 hours to defrost at room temperature.

How can I tell when my 3-ingredient Nutella cookies are done?

They should be nice and crisp on the outside with a slightly cracked surface. Definitely no ‘golden brown’ visuals here or browned edges.

Bear in mind they’ll be really soft until they’ve fully cooled, so don’t poke them to check if they’re done – it’s not much help with cookies!

Can I print your 3-ingredient Nutella cookies recipe?

Yes! Just hit the print button located on the recipe below ?? (otherwise you might end up printing this entire post which would probably make your printer go into early retirement)

3-ingredient Nutella cookies recipe: Method

Preheat your oven to 160C Fan / 180C and prepare a large baking tin with non-stick baking paper.

Place your Nutella in a bowl (loosen it by briefly heating in the microwave if you need to)

Add in your egg and mix it in.

Add your flour in and give it a thorough mix so that it forms a dough and no flour is showing.

Weigh out about 50g of the dough and roll it in to a ball. Then optionally flatten it in your hands and place a cube of chocolate into the centre of the flattened dough. Bring the dough together around the chocolate chunk and roll it up into a ball again.

Place your balls onto a tray, I only place 6 per large tray as they will spread a little.

Gently press each ball down, but not too much, just a little. Optionally stick a few chocolate chips in the top of each one.

Place in the oven for around 8-10 minutes, until slightly spread but with still a little raised middle (the less you cook them, the more raised the middle will be, resulting in a gooey centre – IF you have added the chocolate chunk of course)

Remove from the oven and allow to cool. They will be very soft so don’t touch them until they have cooled down and firmed up a bit!

Once more firm you can pick them up and… eat them!! If you added the chocolate chunk to the centre then break it down the centre for a gooey middle!

Ok, so here’s a printable version of my 3-ingredient Nutella cookies recipe. Please remember to give it 5 stars if you tried it and enjoyed it as it helps people know it’s worth trying too! ⭐️ Feel free to leave your written reviews in the comments below this post.

Thanks for reading all about my 3-ingredient Nutella cookies recipe! If you make it, I’d love to see how it turned out so don’t forget to take a snap of your creations and tag me on Instagram!

Any questions about the recipe? Please do let me know by following me on Instagram and leaving me a comment on a recent photo!

Thanks for reading,

Becky xxx

Don’t forget to pin this for later!