Nutella is not healthier than chocolate, at least not when compared to dark chocolate. A two-tablespoon serving of Nutella packs 21 grams of sugar and 200 calories, with sugar and palm oil making up the bulk of the product. Dark chocolate with 70% or higher cocoa content delivers more beneficial nutrients, less sugar per gram, and compounds linked to heart health. Compared to milk chocolate, the picture is closer, but Nutella still comes out behind in most meaningful ways.
What Nutella Actually Contains
Nutella’s ingredient list starts with sugar and palm oil, not hazelnuts or cocoa. A two-tablespoon serving (37 grams) contains 200 calories, 12 grams of fat, 21 grams of sugar, and just 2 grams of protein. That means more than half the weight of each serving is sugar alone. The cocoa content is minimal, listed near the bottom of the ingredient panel.
The fat in Nutella comes primarily from palm oil, which is about 50% saturated fat. Harvard nutrition experts note that palm oil is better than trans fats but worse than liquid vegetable oils like olive or canola oil. It raises LDL cholesterol and triglycerides, both risk factors for heart disease. The hazelnuts contribute some healthy fats, but they’re a small fraction of the overall product.
How Dark Chocolate Compares
Dark chocolate (70 to 85% cocoa) contains 598 calories per 100 grams, with 42.6 grams of fat and 24 grams of sugar. Those calorie and fat numbers are high, but the sugar content is dramatically lower than Nutella’s. Scaled to the same 100-gram comparison, Nutella would contain roughly 57 grams of sugar, more than double what dark chocolate has.
Dark chocolate also delivers real micronutrients. A single ounce of 70% dark chocolate provides about 65 milligrams of magnesium, over 15% of the daily value. The cocoa in dark chocolate is rich in flavanols, plant compounds the FDA has acknowledged may reduce cardiovascular disease risk when consumed at 200 milligrams or more per day. That threshold is achievable with high-flavanol dark chocolate or cocoa powder, but not with Nutella, which contains too little cocoa to provide a meaningful dose.
The Milk Chocolate Comparison
Milk chocolate sits somewhere between Nutella and dark chocolate. Per 100 grams, it has 535 calories, 29.7 grams of fat, and 51.5 grams of sugar. That sugar level is close to Nutella’s, making milk chocolate a similarly sugary choice. Neither product offers much in the way of fiber, protein, or meaningful cocoa flavanols.
If you’re choosing between Nutella on toast and a few squares of milk chocolate, the nutritional difference is small. Both are candy-level sugar delivery systems. The real gap opens up when dark chocolate enters the comparison.
Blood Sugar Response
One area where Nutella performs surprisingly well is glycemic index, a measure of how quickly a food raises blood sugar. Nutella has a GI of about 33, comparable to plain milk chocolate at 34. Standard milk chocolate bars from brands like Cadbury and Nestlé score higher, ranging from 42 to 49. Candy bars with added caramel or nougat, like Mars Bars, push even higher at 62 to 68.
This relatively low GI likely comes from Nutella’s fat content slowing sugar absorption. But a low glycemic index doesn’t make a food healthy. It simply means the sugar hits your bloodstream more gradually. The total amount of sugar is still very high.
How Serving Size Distorts the Picture
Nutella’s listed serving size is two tablespoons, but as a spread, it’s easy to use far more than that in a single sitting. Spreads and semi-liquid foods tend to produce less satiety than solid foods. Research in nutrition science consistently shows that softer, more liquid food forms lead to less chewing, weaker fullness signals, and incomplete calorie compensation at later meals. In practical terms, you’re more likely to overeat Nutella than you are a chocolate bar, because the bar requires chewing and feels more substantial in your stomach.
Those 21 grams of sugar in a single Nutella serving already exceed the CDC’s guideline of no more than 10 grams of added sugar per meal. Two servings, which many people easily reach on a couple of pieces of toast, would put you at 42 grams of added sugar from one food alone.
Which Choice Is Actually Better
If you’re deciding between Nutella and a square or two of dark chocolate (70% cocoa or higher), the dark chocolate wins on every front: less sugar, more minerals, meaningful flavanol content, and better satiety from its solid form. It’s not a health food, but it offers real nutritional value alongside its calories.
Milk chocolate and Nutella are nutritionally similar. Both are high-sugar, low-nutrient treats. Choosing between them is less about health and more about preference. The key difference is that Nutella markets itself with images of hazelnuts, milk, and cocoa that suggest a wholesome breakfast food, while a chocolate bar at least looks like what it is: a dessert. Treating Nutella as a daily breakfast staple rather than an occasional indulgence is where the real health risk lies.