We make Datella with the Thermomix® whenever a jar of Nutella runs out and we want to skip the guilt. 250 g dates, 50 g walnuts, a spoonful of cocoa, and you have a chocolate spread with no refined sugar, ready in 25 minutes and good for two weeks.
This spread has been on our breakfast table for years, and over that time we have tried almost every variation: with almonds, with hazelnuts, with and without soaking, with natural and with alkalized cocoa. What remains is a recipe that consistently turns out spreadable and never gritty. That is exactly where most Datella attempts fall short.
Date Chocolate Spread (Datella) with the Thermomix®
Ingredients 0 / 6 ✓
- 50 g Walnuts
- 250 g Dates pitted
- 150 g Water
- 50 g Coconut oil
- 30 g Baking cocoa (unsweetened)
- 1 pinch Salt
Instructions 0 / 5
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1
Toast the walnuts.
Toast the walnuts in a dry frying pan for a few minutes, then leave to cool for 10 minutes.
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2
Soak the dates.
Place the dates in a bowl and soak in the water for 10 minutes.
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3
Grind the walnuts.
Meanwhile, sterilise a jar and lid with boiling water. Place the walnuts in the mixing bowl and grind for 10 sec / speed 10. Push down with the spatula and grind for a further 10 sec / speed 10, then set aside.
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4
Blend.
Add the dates and water to the mixing bowl and blend for 7 sec / speed 8. Push down with the spatula and blend for a further 7 sec / speed 8.
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5
Mix the Datella.
Add the walnuts and remaining ingredients, mix for 10 sec / speed 6 and push down with the spatula. Repeat until the desired consistency is reached.
Transfer the cream into the jar and store in the fridge. Kept chilled, the date chocolate spread will keep for at least 2 weeks.
Tip: You can also make this spread with almonds or hazelnuts.
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Nutrition per serving
What makes our Datella better than the typical Nutella clone
Most recipes online throw dried dates straight into the mixing bowl without soaking and use ready-made nut butter. We go three steps further, and you can taste the difference:
We soak the 250 g dates first. The recipe calls for 10 minutes in 150 g of warm water, which is enough for soft Medjool dates. If your dates are hard and dry (often the cheaper Deglet Nour variety), give them 30 minutes or soak them overnight. Without this step, fibre pieces remain and the spread turns gritty instead of creamy. The soaking water goes into the mixing bowl too, as it carries all the sweetness.
We grind 50 g whole walnuts ourselves instead of buying ready-made nut butter. 10 seconds at speed 10, push down with the spatula once, then another 10 seconds. The freshly ground walnut oil brings omega-3 and an earthy note that shop-bought hazelnut cream does not have. Other Thermomix® recipes use 50 g of soft butter, but our walnut version stays vegan.
We use 30 g of baking cocoa rather than raw cacao powder. Baking cocoa is alkalized, tastes fuller and does not turn bitter from the friction in the mixing bowl. Raw cacao can quickly go harsh with the heat. This is the one point where many Datella recipes fall flat.
The real reason for using the Thermomix® is power: to release the oil from the walnuts and break the dates down completely, you need a strong blade. A stick blender cannot manage that, bits always remain. In the mixing bowl, everything happens in one appliance, from grinding the nuts to the finished cream, without dirtying a second container.
The most common pitfalls with Datella
The cream turns gritty instead of smooth
This is by far the most common mistake, and it almost always has the same cause: dates that were soaked too briefly or not at all. Dry date skins cannot be blended completely and leave behind fibres. Our solution: Soak the dates in warm water for at least 10 minutes, longer for harder varieties. When blending, run for 7 seconds at speed 8, push down with the spatula, then blend again for 7 seconds until the mixture is smooth.
The spread stays too runny
Straight out of the mixing bowl, Datella is always quite soft, but do not be fooled. Our solution: The 50 g of coconut oil are not optional, they are the setting agent. Coconut oil solidifies below 24 °C, so the full 10 minutes of chilling time in the recipe matter, and ideally an hour in the fridge. Only then does the cream reach a spreadable consistency. If you replace coconut oil with a liquid vegetable oil, you will end up with a permanently runnier spread.
Large walnut pieces in the finished cream
If you grind the walnuts in one go, whole pieces often stick to the top of the mixing bowl wall. Our solution: After the first 10 seconds at speed 10, always push down with the spatula and grind a second time. We also toast the walnuts briefly in a dry pan beforehand and leave them to cool for 10 minutes. This intensifies the flavour and makes them more brittle, so they grind more easily.
How to vary your Datella: hazelnut, almond, espresso
Hazelnut Datella (closest to Nutella): Swap the 50 g walnuts 1:1 for toasted hazelnuts and add 1 tsp vanilla. This is the direction many Thermomix® recipes take, though often with 200 g hazelnuts and butter. Our 50 g is enough for the nutty note without making the spread too rich.
Almond Datella (mild and chocolatey): Almonds instead of walnuts give a milder spread that lets the cocoa take centre stage. The spread tastes less nutty but more intensely of chocolate.
Espresso Datella for adults: Add 1 tsp espresso powder along with the cocoa. The coffee deepens the chocolate note, similar to a pinch of salt. Speaking of which: the 1 pinch of salt in the base recipe is essential, it is what brings out the natural sweetness of the dates.
With berries or desiccated coconut: Blending in a handful of frozen raspberries adds a fruity note, and stirring a few tablespoons of desiccated coconut into the finished spread gives it texture. Both options do shorten the shelf life slightly, as more water or fresh ingredients are added.
What we love eating Datella with
At home, Datella is best on fresh Thermomix® pancakes or a slice of home-baked bread. If you sweeten with dates, you can take it all the way: our Thermomix® rice pudding can also be sweetened with dates instead of sugar, with a dollop of Datella on top. It works just as well as a topping over porridge or in a yoghurt bowl as it does as a healthy spread on toast.
Storing and freezing Datella
We fill the Datella straight into a clean screw-top jar that we have rinsed out with boiling water. In the fridge it keeps for at least 2 weeks, with the coconut oil acting as a natural preservative. Important: always use a clean spoon, otherwise crumbs and moisture get into the jar and shorten the shelf life.
At room temperature the spread becomes softer and keeps for about one week, so in summer it is best stored in the fridge. To freeze, we portion the cream into ice cube trays, which keeps well for 6 months, and we only thaw as much as we need.
Frequently asked questions about Datella with the Thermomix®
Also pairs well with: Toast, crispbread and banana.
