Lindt v Nutella: what is the best chocolate hazelnut spread in Australia?

Whether it invokes childhood delight, or haunting post-breakup flashbacks to sobs between spoonfuls, few spreadable products are able to conjure emotion quite like Nutella.

But lately, there have been challengers to the Ferrero-owned chocolate and hazelnut spread’s grocery aisle supremacy. They promise to be healthier, nuttier, less packed with palm oil or simply cheaper.

The latest and most visible of these is Swiss chocolatier Lindt’s hazelnut spread, which will be available in Coles supermarkets from March 2020, and at all retailers from May 2020. When Lindt released a similar spread in the UK in 2018, it quickly sold out in stores – and prompted Amazon resales for more than double the recommended price.

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But are any of them actually better than Nutella? Guardian Australia got our hands on a sample of the new Lindt spread and compared it with Nutella and three other major competitors. We enlisted five tasters for a blind test and asked them to rate the spreads on overall taste, overall texture, how good the spreads tasted on bread (a plain, untoasted brioche bun) and how pleasurable they were to eat from a spoon.

Our rating sheets were returned smeared with chocolate, and one had “THERE IS NO BAD HAZELNUT SPREAD” scrawled at the bottom. Then, we tabulated the results to give each spread a score out of 100. Of course, taste isn’t the only thing that matters, so we asked accredited practising dietitian Bronwen Greenfield to assess the nutritional content and ingredient lists of the spreads as well. Her verdict? “Like anything it comes down to moderation.” She says that a modest intake of any of them each day – a tablespoon at most – is fine as long as you’re eating enough vegetables, grains and healthy proteins.

The winner: Lindt Hazelnut Spread

Score: 85/100
Recommended price: $10 for 200g (available in Coles from March and all major retailers from May)
What the taste-testers said: The Lindt Hazelnut Spread scored perfect marks with two out of five testers, and rated highly with all. Most identified it as the most “expensive” tasting (true). They called it “smooth, not sickly sweet”; “denser, drier and nuttier” with a “very good” spoonfeel.
What the dietitian says: Greenfield notes that with 25% hazelnuts – the only ingredient that’s really good for you in any of these spreads –the Lindt spread is probably healthier than Nutella. “It has a lower saturated fat and sugar content. It does have higher calories, but it also is higher in protein compared to Nutella. So if we weigh up the negatives v benefits I’d say it’s a better product.”

The competition:

Nutella

Score: 81/100
Price: $3.70 for 220g
What the taste-testers said: Three out of five were able to correctly identify the Nutella, and the product received the highest marks from two. One labelled it perfect for midnight snacking, as the thick texture means it won’t “spill on your nightie”, while another stated it “doesn’t coat the teeth”.
What the dietitian says: Nutella is the least healthy of the spreads tested, in Greenfield’s opinion. This is because “it’s got the highest saturated fat by quite a bit”. She also notes the product is highest in sugar, and contains only 13% hazelnuts.

Nuttvia Hazelnut Spread

Score: 67/100
Price: $6 for 350g
What the taste-testers said: American-made Nuttvia is marketed as a healthier alternative to Nutella. The product is vegan, contains no palm oil and uses sweeteners rather than sugar. It was by far the most controversial of the spreads tested. One tester gave the product a perfect score, and another rated it lowest, writing “YUK” on their test-sheet. Tasters noted the spread’s grainer consistency, which two stated they preferred over smoother textures when the product was spread on bread. One tester described the flavour as “subtle”, while another found the artificial sweetener “too sugary”.
What the dietitian says: Although Nuttvia is meant to be healthier, it was not Greenfield’s healthiest pick. She says that while it is certainly the lowest in sugar, it was also lower in protein “so we’re less likely to feel fuller for longer”.

Bramwells Choc Hazelnut Spread

Score: 62/100
Price: $2.50 for 400g
What the taste-testers said: Aldi’s spread is the most budget-friendly option, and our tasters noticed the difference, with one describing the taste as “chemically” and “cheap” and another noting it was “sickly sweet”. While most taste-testers commented on the product’s similarity to Nutella, none believed it was the real thing and one scored it lowest of all products.
What the dietitian says: This product did not stand out as particularly good or bad to Greenfield, who said “it has the second highest amount of sugar and salt, but didn’t have the highest or lowest amount of anything. It was on the lower end with percentage of hazelnut.”

Pana Organic Hazelnut and Chocolate

Score: 60/100
Price: $7 for 200g (bought on special, usual RRP is $9.90)
What the taste-testers said: Australian made (from imported ingredients) and certified organic, Pana’s spread had the lowest aggregate score amongst testers, who noted its “runny” and “thin” texture, and complained the taste was “not chocolatey enough”, and “problematic on brioche”.

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What the dietitian says: “If we were to choose any from a health-conscious perspective I would say the Pana spread,” Greenfield says. “We want to aim for a product with less saturated fat, sugar and salt. That was the lowest of these.” She also praised the spread for having 36% hazelnuts – the highest of all the spreads.

The conclusion

While the Lindt Hazelnut Spread won our taste-test, most testers noted that the flavours were far less differentiated when the spreads were eaten on bread. So, if you’re not planning to dip into your jar with a spoon, your pleasure probably won’t be diminished if you opt for a spread that’s cheaper or healthier.

• Lindt Hazelnut Spread was provided to Guardian Australia by Lindt as it is not yet commercially available; all other products were purchased by Guardian Australia.