German nougat – also called viennese nougat or gianduja – is made with three ingredients: hazelnuts or almonds, chocolate and sugar. While store-bought nougat contains dairy – this homemade German nougat is dairy-free, gluten-free, egg-free and vegan!
German nougat is so delicious – it’s used as baking ingredient, as cake or praline filling, for ice creams and desserts or eaten as it is. I always wanted to make German nougat at home – especially since I can’t eat dairy (and therefore store-bought nougat) anymore. However, all recipes that I tried produced more a chocolate spread – not real German nougat!
But, finally, after years of research and trial and error I found an old recipe for traditional homemade German nougat. Yay! I adapted the recipe slightly because the nougat was made with too much chocolate. I’m so pleased with the recipe: This homemade German nougat is even better than store-bought German nougat! I never thought that it’d be so easy to make German nougat from scratch at home.
You can make German nougat with almonds or hazelnuts. Hazelnut nougat is darker than almond nougat. They taste different too but both are delicious!
Homemade German Nougat From Scratch
Ingredients:
Hazelnut Chocolate Nougat
- 500g hazelnuts
- 500g sugar
- 100g chocolate *
Almond Chocolate Nougat
- 500g almonds
- 500g sugar
- 100g chocolate *
* I used baking chocolate (semi-sweet baking chocolate or German’s sweet baking chocolate) because it’s vegan.
Directions:
Pulse hazelnuts (or almonds) in a food processor until smooth.
Combine hazelnuts (or almonds) and sugar in a saucepan. While constantly stirring, heat it over medium heat until the sugar is dissolved.
Pulse hazelnuts (or almonds) and sugar again in a food processor until smooth and creamy.
Melt the chocolate over low heat and stir it into the sugar-nut-mixture.
Store homemade German nougat in a cool, dry and dark place for up to 1 week.
Even if the German nougat looks grainy in the photos, it has a smooth mouthfeel. I used the homemade German nougat to make German nougat buttercream filling – it was a really decadent cake!
More Homemade Confections From Scratch
This looks like an easy and delicious candy yo make! Thanks for the recipes
Thanks, Pat! 🙂
Ooo yummy! Love that this is vegan too! Thanks for sharing at Fiesta Friday.
Thanks for stopping by! 🙂
Hello thanks for sharing the recipe. I love nougat but can’t find the stuff that tastes correct. Every Christmas my mom would give me a whole bar just for me. I am going to make it this weekend let u know what happens