Can You Microwave Nutella? – The Ultimate Guide

Nutella has so much potential to be more than just a spread for toast. It can also be a warm, melted chocolate hazelnut syrup that can be drizzled or poured over nearly anything you eat. 

Can you microwave Nutella to melt it? Yes, you can, but you have to be careful not to overcook it because you don’t want to end up with hard choco-nut spread. 

To melt Nutella in your microwave, follow these easy steps:

1. Never leave it in the original jar
2. Transfer it to a microwave-safe container
3. Cover it to protect the moisture levels
4. Microwave in short bursts of 20 – 30 seconds, stirring well in between

Those are the basic steps, but in this article, we’ll explain exactly why each step is crucially important to the well-being of your Nutella, and we’ll also advise you on how to use melted Nutella and how to store it once it’s been melted.

What Happens If You Microwave Nutella?

If you microwave Nutella properly, with all the correct safety measures in place, the chocolate hazelnut spread will melt into a chocolate hazelnut syrup that is silky smooth and so delicious it should be illegal.

If you heat it too long or at too high of a heat, your Nutella will go from thick and spreadable, to liquidy syrup, to rock hard within about 1 minute. Follow the detailed instructions below to avoid hitting that last level.

How To Microwave Nutella – Step By Step

It may seem like microwaving Nutella should be simple and straight-forward and, for the most part, it is.

But, if you skip a step as outlined, you are at risk of ruining your treat.

Follow the instructions carefully until the process is instinctive and you’ll always have delicious, melted Nutella within a minute.

Step One: Safety First

There are two safety measures you want to follow before microwaving your Nutella. First, it’s not a good idea to take a jar straight from the store and stick it in your microwave un-opened.

This may sound obvious, but it is worth mentioning. 

When you first open a jar of Nutella you’ll notice that it comes sealed with aluminum foil for freshness. Metal of any kind, including aluminum foil, should never be put in your microwave.

In the best-case scenario, it will pop and spark. Worst case scenario, it sets your microwave on fire and your Nutella is ruined for good…not to mention your appliance and potentially the rest of your kitchen and home. 

The next thing you want to be wary of is the jar itself.

Most Nutella sourced inside North America comes in plastic containers. If you buy the imported versions, you may get a glass jar, but you’re most likely to get your choco-nutty spread in a plastic jar.

You don’t ever want to microwave plastic containers. For one, it might melt, which is not ideal for future storage.

Beyond that, there are dangerous chemicals in plastic that are safe when they remain inside the plastic, but toxic when they leach out into your food. Heat causes this leakage, so don’t microwave plastic containers. 

Finally, unless you’re going to eat an entire jar of Nutella in a single serving, the quality of your spread is at risk if you leave it in the jar it came in. Heating the entire container in your microwave and then storing leftovers can degrade the quality much more quickly than necessary.

Step Two: Portion Control

Now that you know you can’t (or at least shouldn’t) microwave your Nutella in its original jar, you will have to start thinking about what to transfer it to for melting.

For best results, scoop out a reasonable portion size and transfer it to a glass, ceramic, or pyrex, microwave-safe container. This could be a storage container, a baking dish, or simply a bowl that you’ve previously tested in your microwave for safety.

If you’re going to be pouring your melted Nutella like gravy, you may even want to simply transfer it to a gravy boat. Guests and family members will appreciate the classy serving arrangement.

If you’re going to be dipping, choose a dish that is wide enough to accommodate what you will be dipping.

Also, keep in mind that extra space may be required if multiple people will be dipping in at the same time. Consider something like a fondue dish.

Step Three: The Cover

Too much heat without an appropriate amount of moisture will dry out your Nutella, leaving you with a hard piece of nutty chocolate instead of a decadent syrup.

To prevent this from happening, you need to cover your container strategically.

You still need to allow air to escape, but you want to trap in as much of the steam that is released from the spread as possible. 

If you’ve chosen a storage container, loosely place the lid overtop of the container, without being sealed. If you’ve chosen a bowl, you can cover it with an appropriately sized inverted plate. 

If you’re a regular microwave chef, you probably already have a cover designed specifically to steam food and prevent splatter in your microwave (this is our favorite). One of these will work perfectly for maintaining good moisture levels as you microwave your Nutella. 

Step Four: The Microwave

Once your Nutella is safe in a covered dish, set your microwave to medium. You may have never changed your microwave settings before, but trust us, it’s worth it. 

Melting Nutella in the microwave can go very wrong if you’re not careful. The longer you heat it and them higher temperature you use, the more moisture will be lost. The medium setting is perfect. 

Start with a 30-second burst of heat at a time. Mix it thoroughly after 30 seconds and, if it’s melted enough for your liking and purposes, stop there and use. 

If it’s still too thick, put your microwave on for another 20-30 seconds. Again, stir it well to distribute the heat and it will become more liquidy.

Continue like this until your Nutella is perfectly melted.

Again, be aware that there is a breaking point. Nutella is naturally thick and spreadable but the oils will help keep the melted chocolate liquidy to a point.

If you heat it too much, it will dry up and become more than just thick – it will become solid.

How to Use Melted Nutella

When Nutella melts, it turns into a thick chocolatey, hazelnutty syrup. You can use it in any way you would use any type of sweet syrup.

Here are a few of our favorite melted Nutella uses:

• Generously drizzled over ice cream
• As a dip for strawberries, apples, grapes, pears or really any other sort of fruit you slice
• Instead of maple syrup on your pancakes
• Drizzle on top of our favorite french toast recipe
• Mixed into a hot, milky or coffee beverage
• Poured into oatmeal, cream of wheat or rice pudding
• As something to dip a hard cookie into

There are many more ways you could use melted Nutella, but you should have a good start now.

How to Store Melted Nutella

If you have leftover Nutella after microwaving it, you can store it in an airtight container, preferably a non-plastic container.

You should not return it to the original container though, it can ruin what’s left of your fresh Nutella and compromise the quality of your melted Nutella.

Once it returns to room temperature or cooler, your Nutella will thicken back to something closer to its original consistency.

Depending on how long it was microwaved for and how it’s stored, it may be slightly runnier or, on the other end of the spectrum, it may get a little bit harder than natural Nutella. 

Results will vary every time you melt and store Nutella.

Related Questions

How to keep Nutella soft?

The best way to store your Nutella is simply in a cool, dry place out of direct sunlight. Such as your pantry. At room temperature, the oils and sugar content in the chocolate-hazelnut spread should stay soft. A good stir will silken it even more. 

If it’s still too solid for your liking, transfer a portion to a microwave-safe bowl and warm it up for 20-30 seconds.

How to harden Nutella?

If you place your jar of Nutella in the fridge, it will solidify and get harder, but it won’t fully harden.

If you want a chocolate shell type of hardness, the best thing you can do is blend melted Nutella with melted coconut oil and cool it.

Coconut oil does harden when it’s cooled, and it will take the Nutella along for the ride. As soon as it warms up though, it will start to loosen, so you’ll have to eat it cold.

How to get Nutella out of the jar?

As your jar of Nutella begins to get alarmingly close to empty, you’ll start to notice how the shape of the jar impacts your access to the last of your chocolatey spread.

The packaging is specially designed to make the spread stand out against its nut-butter relatives, which come in standard, straight-sided spherical containers.

Getting every last ounce of Nutella out of your jar isn’t the easiest task in the world, but there are a few ways to approach it.

1. If you have found a glass jar, simply microwave it or place it in a hot water bath until the insides liquify and pour out.
2. Pour in some sturdy cereal, shake the container thoroughly. Pour in some milk, shake the container thoroughly once more. Enjoy your Nutella flavored cereal snack straight out of the jar.

Up Next: Can You Freeze Nutella?