Hazelnut spread
Other names Pâte à tartiner aux noisettes, Chocolate hazelnut spread
Hazelnut spread: high in sucrose and nickel; moderate in FODMAPs and oxalates; low in lactose, histamine, gluten, fructose, tyramine and salicylate. If you're sensitive to any of these, check it against your profile before eating.
Intolerances
- SucroseHigh
Hazelnut spread lists sugar first and hazelnut well down - it is a sugar product with nuts in it rather than the reverse. The whole jar is a large sucrose dose.
Sources· 1
- USDA FoodData Central, the national nutrient database, queried for the sugar profile
- NickelHigh
Hazelnut spread puts two of the foods named as very high in nickel, hazelnut and cocoa, in the same jar. There is no version of it that is not high.
Sources· 2
- Flyvholm M-A et al., Z Lebensm Unters Forsch 179 (1984) 427-431, nickel content of food and estimates of dietary intake
- Noel L et al., Food Chemistry 132 (2012) 1502-1513, second French Total Diet Study, nickel among nine trace elements
- FODMAPsModerate
Hazelnut spread is milk powder and sugar before it is hazelnut - read the order on the label. The lactose from the milk solids is the FODMAP here, not the nut: hazelnuts themselves are low at a normal serving, and there are not many in the jar.
Sources· 2
- Tuck C et al., J Hum Nutr Diet 31 (2018), FODMAP content of common plant-based and processed foods
- USDA FoodData Central, the national nutrient database, queried for the sugar profile
- OxalatesModerate
Hazelnut spread is mostly sugar and oil - the hazelnuts are typically a tenth of the jar - so the oxalate arrives heavily diluted compared with the nuts themselves. It also carries milk powder, and that calcium binds some of what oxalate there is.
Sources· 2
- Jaeger Ph et al., Nephron Physiol 98 (2004)
- Holmes R et al., Kidney Int 59 (2001)
- LactoseFODMAPsLow
Hazelnut spread names its dairy openly: skimmed milk powder is usually the third or fourth ingredient, above the hazelnuts in some brands. It is one of the few products where reading the order of the list tells you more than reading the name.
Sources· 3
- Regulation (EU) No 1169/2011, Annex II, which requires milk to be declared as an allergen
- USDA FoodData Central
- Schweizer Nährwertdatenbank v6.3 (2021), Bundesamt für Lebensmittelsicherheit, consulted as a third lactose reading
- Histamine (+liberators / DAO inhibitors)Low
Hazelnut spread is ground seed or nut with no fermentation step, so it starts low. The risk is rancidity rather than bacteria: an opened jar left warm goes off through oxidation, and that is a different spoilage from the one this axis measures. Pastore looked for dopamine, serotonin, tyramine, histamine and 2-phenylethylamine in chocolate. It is a method paper: it reports what was detected and how repeatably, and publishes no concentration for any chocolate.
Sources· 2
- SIGHI — Swiss Interest Group Histamine Intolerance, food-compatibility list, for the entry, its rating and its letters
- Pastore P et al., J Chromatogr A 1098 (2005) 111-115, biogenic amines in chocolate by ion chromatography
- GlutenPossible
Hazelnut spread is hazelnuts, sugar, oil and milk powder - no gluten in the recipe. What puts it here is the factory: the same plants make filled wafers and biscuit spreads, and the jars carry a 'may contain' line for that reason rather than for anything in the paste.
Sources· 2
- Regulation (EU) No 1169/2011, Annex II (cereals containing gluten must be declared)
- Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) No 828/2014 (gluten-free at or below 20 mg/kg)
- FructoseFODMAPsLow
Hazelnut spread is sugar first and hazelnut second, but the sugar is sucrose - it splits evenly, so the fructose never outruns the glucose. Its problems lie on other axes.
Sources· 1
- USDA FoodData Central, the national nutrient database, queried for the sugar profile
- TyramineLow
Hazelnut spread carries the small amine load of cocoa. Chocolate was on the old MAOI restriction lists and came off them: the assays that measured it found tyramine at levels an ordinary portion does not reach. Dark chocolate carries more cocoa and so a little more.
- SalicylateLow
Hazelnuts are high in salicylate but a spread is mostly sugar and oil — typically a low percentage of nut, which is what brings it down here.
- OligosaccharidesFODMAPsNone
- SorbitolFODMAPsNone
Intolerance levels are based on our documented scientific sources. See sources →
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Frequently asked questions
Which intolerances does Hazelnut spread affect?
Hazelnut spread is notable for sucrose, nickel, FODMAPs, oxalates, lactose, histamine, gluten, fructose, tyramine and salicylate. Clear on oligosaccharides and sorbitol.
Does Hazelnut spread contain sucrose?
Yes — Hazelnut spread is high in sucrose. Hazelnut spread lists sugar first and hazelnut well down - it is a sugar product with nuts in it rather than the reverse. The whole jar is a large sucrose dose.
Does Hazelnut spread contain nickel?
Yes — Hazelnut spread is high in nickel. Hazelnut spread puts two of the foods named as very high in nickel, hazelnut and cocoa, in the same jar. There is no version of it that is not high.
Does Hazelnut spread contain FODMAPs?
Hazelnut spread contains moderate levels of FODMAPs. Hazelnut spread is milk powder and sugar before it is hazelnut - read the order on the label. The lactose from the milk solids is the FODMAP here, not the nut: hazelnuts themselves are low at a normal serving, and there are not many in the jar.
Does Hazelnut spread contain oxalates?
Hazelnut spread contains moderate levels of oxalates. Hazelnut spread is mostly sugar and oil - the hazelnuts are typically a tenth of the jar - so the oxalate arrives heavily diluted compared with the nuts themselves. It also carries milk powder, and that calcium binds some of what oxalate there is. Amounts vary by brand and recipe, so always check the label of the exact product.
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