20 Hazelnut Recipes That Go Beyond Dessert (2024)

Move over peanut butter blossoms, there's a new thumprint in town. You’ll fall in love with hazelnut flour once you realize how nutty it makes these gianduja-inspired cookies. Melted chocolate adds extra cocoa punch to the dough, while rich and creamy Nutella tops them off.

Get the Chocolate Hazelnut Thumbprint Cookies recipe.

The “nutty” in the Nutty Irishman refers to hazelnut liqueur (like Frangelico)—we like topping ours with extra crushed hazelnuts and a homemade Irish whipped cream to get even nuttier!

Get the Nutty Irishman recipe.

These swordfish steaks, shallots, and radishes are simply seasoned with olive oil, salt, and pepper. After a quick-ish grill, they're dressed with a nutty, salty, sweet, and umami-packed hazelnut miso sauce that will blow your mind.

Get the Grilled Swordfish with Hazelnut Miso Sauce recipe.

Now this is what we call a decadent pie. Any other sweet has a difficult time competing with this layered masterpiece comprised of a graham-cracker base, brownie, and chocolate pudding, all crowned by whipped cream, chocolate shavings, and toasty hazelnuts. It all comes together for a rich (and delicious) treat, and that's precisely what we love about it.

Get the Mississippi Mud Pie recipe.

This tomato salad can be served as a side or as a meal all on its own. It will delight you on all fronts: It's got leafy greens, juicy tomatoes, blue cheese, candied hazelnuts, and stove-top croutons, tossed in gingery balsamic vinaigrette.

Get the Tomato Salad recipe.

Nutty, sweet, and vaguely smoky, romesco is a textured sauce made from roasted red bell peppers (or harder-to-find nyora peppers) that can be spread on toast, folded into pasta, or mixed into roasted veggies. To kick it into high flavor gears, use a head of roasted garlic and fire-roast your own red bell pepper for a sweeter, richer condiment.

Get the Romesco Sauce recipe.

Remember those Little Debbie Cosmic Brownies with the rainbow chocolate chips? Those were on our mind while creating these gluten-free squares of cocoa delight. To make these more adult taste bud-friendly, we switched out the rainbow chips for some chopped hazelnuts—if you're a lover of Nutella, you're going to love this pairing.

Get the Gluten-Free Brownies recipe.

A cross between cinnamon rolls and croissants, these morning buns are a touch crispy-flaky on the outside, moist and super-soft on the inside, with a healthy dose of nuts, rum raisins, and cinnamon. They're perfect for a special breakfast or brunch any time of year.

Get the Morning Buns recipe.

If you love a battered and fried fish paired with chips (or French fries) or on a sandwich, but are craving something lighter, look no further than this tilapia. We paired crushed hazelnuts with bread crumbs for an extra-special crispy crust. Pair it with zucchini noodles like we did here, or whatever you like.

Get the Hazelnut Crusted Tilapia with Zucchini Ribbons recipe.

Sure, banana pudding is great, but NUTELLA banana pudding? 🤯 We swapped out traditional Nilla Wafers for Oreos for an extra-chocolatey spin, and put toasted hazelnuts on top for a much-needed crunch that takes this classic over the top.

Get the Nutella Banana Pudding recipe.

You bought gorgeous carrots with those cute little green tops still attached. Now what? Surely you're not going to just... toss them away, are you? No, of course not. Because they're good to eat, especially when you blend it all up into pesto with deliciously toasted nuts, savory cheese, a touch of garlic and herbs, and a drizzle of oil.

Get the Carrot Top Pesto recipe.

This grilled chicken deserves a spot in your weekly dinner rotation. The parsley-lemon-hazelnut sauce is sort of like a nutty gremolata, and trust us, you're going to want to put it on everything.

Get the Flattened Chicken and Grilled Romaine with Parsley-Lemon Sauce recipe.

You could buy Nutella from the store, but if you're like us and love attempting homemade everything, this recipe is for you. This homemade version of our favorite chocolate-hazelnut spread has a little more texture and crunch to it (and no preservatives!), and is surprisingly easy to make.

Get the Homemade Nutella recipe.

Love a potato gratin but wish it was a little... classier? Upgrade your ingredients with blue cheese, hazelnuts, and colorful root veggies, then serve them in individual containers. Garnish with fresh rosemary for a beautiful holiday side.

Get the Root Vegetable Gratin recipe.

This homemade chocolate bark is a delicious treat year round, from an easy pack-along for summer picnics to giftables during the holiday season.

Get the Roasted Hazelnut & Pistachio Dark Chocolate Bark recipe from Country Living.

You only need 8 ingredients and a little patience (check out our top tips for perfectly browned butter) to make these brown sugar and chopped hazelnuts blondies.

Get the Brown Butter-Hazelnut Blondies recipe from Country Living.

Yes, pizza can be dessert! We topped ours with hazelnuts and honey brittle, but feel free to serve with different candies and fruit so each person can build their own pie.

Get the Choco-Hazelnut Pie recipe from Woman's Day.

Don't worry about your cheesecake cracking in the oven or dealing with a fussy water bath—this no-bake cheesecake is simply a mixture of cream cheese, chocolate-hazelnut spread, confectioners’ sugar, and whipped cream.

Get the Chocolate Hazelnut Cheesecake recipe from Good Housekeeping.

Love pecan pie? This takes it to the next level with an extra nutty, semi-tropical twist. Make this for Thanksgiving or Christmas this year and be prepared to share the recipe!

Get the Pecan Hazelnut Coconut Tart recipe from Country Living.

These cookie bars have a gooey Nutella center and are topped with chopped hazelnuts. The hazelnuts give the bars a nice crunch and bring out their flavor.

Get the Hazelnut Nutella Cookie Bars recipe from The Pioneer Woman.