Hazelnut oil is used in many culinary recipes as well as skin and haircare products. It is particularly popular in salad dressings and in cooking and baking.
If you are all out of hazelnut extract and need it for your recipe no need to fear. There are a number of great substitutes you can use in place of hazelnut extract.
So what are the best substitutes for hazelnut extract?
The top hazelnut substitutes are hazelnuts, hazelnut butter, Nutella, almond extract, and cashew extract.
Read on for more on each of these alternatives and how you should use them in your recipe.
Related: Hazelnut Substitutes
Hazelnut Extract Alternatives
Whether you are making a salad dressing, cooking up a stir fry, or baking a delicious hazelnut flavored dessert, there are a number of great hazelnut extract replacements you can use to replicate that nutty hazelnut flavor.
Be sure to read on to know what types of recipes each substitute works best in as well as the substitute ratio to use.
Hazelnuts
The absolute best way to achieve the delicious flavor of hazelnut in your recipe is to use, you guessed it, hazelnuts.
You can incorporate whole or crushed hazelnuts in all types of recipes and achieve excellent results.
Going with hazelnuts as an extract replacement does require a bit of finesse as you will have to make slight adjustments to how much hazelnut you use depending on the type of recipe you are making.
Equivalent
1/2 cup hazelnut equals 1 teaspoon hazelnut extract
Hazelnut Butter
Hazelnut butter is a great way to add hazelnut flavor to all types of dishes. I find it works particularly well in baked dishes. So cookies, cakes, muffins and more dessert recipes will work wonderfully with hazelnut butter used instead of hazelnut extract.
Hazelnut butter is not available at all supermarkets but if you cannot find it locally it is available from numerous online retailers.
Equivalent
2 tablespoons hazelnut butter equals 1 teaspoon hazelnut extract
Nutella
Nutella offers the combination of chocolate and hazelnut making it an interesting option for specific recipes. While it works wonderfully in baked dishes and as a spread, it probably isn’t the way to go when cooking a savory dish that calls for hazelnut extract.
Because it has a lot of added sweetness, you will likely need to reduce other sweeteners in your recipe. Just add ingredients to taste and your recipe will turn out great.
Equivalent
1 tablespoon Nutella equals 1 teaspoon hazelnut extract
Related Recipe: Strawberry Banana Crepes with Nutella
Almond Extract
For those who just do not like the flavor of hazelnut, or want to try something different, almond extract works quite well in almost every recipe that calls for hazelnut extract.
It offers a nutty flavor and works well with most ingredients found in hazelnut extract recipes. This extract is also more readily available at most grocery stores making it a versatile and convenient replacement option.
Equivalent
1 teaspoon almond extract equals 1 teaspoon hazelnut extract
Related: Almond Extract Substitutes
Cashew Extract
Cashew offers an amazing flavor that is one of my personal favorites. And cashew extract is an excellent sub for hazelnut extract in all recipes, and desserts in particular.
It has a delicious, nutty flavor and cashew extract tends to be easier to find locally than hazelnut extract making it a great ingredient to keep stocked in the pantry. You can also find it at many online retailers.
Equivalent
1 teaspoon cashew extract equals 1 teaspoon hazelnut extract
Related Recipe: Cashew Nougat Cookies
Hazelnut Extract Replacement FAQ
Can you substitute vanilla extract for hazelnut?
Yes you can substitute vanilla extract for hazelnut extract at a 1:1 ratio. Vanilla extract’s flavor is much different than hazelnut extract though so your recipes final flavor will be quite different when using vanilla extract.
You may find you like using almond or cashew extract more when subbing for hazelnut extract as it will provide a nutty flavor that compliments recipes that call for hazelnut.
Related: Does Vanilla Extract Go Bad
What is in hazelnut extract?
Hazelnut extract is produced by extracting the oil from the nut using alcohol. Sometimes food coloring or water is also added to hazelnut extract. Hazelnut extract is used in everything from culinary recipes to skin and hair products.
What does hazelnut extract taste like?
Hazelnut extract has a nutty flavor with a subtle hint of hazelnut flavor. Not all the flavor compounds found within a hazelnut are extracted during the production process meaning extract will have a less pronounced hazelnut flavor than a whole nut.