Food Food and Nutrition

Grab a Bigger Spoon, Because We Found a Nutella Dupe With Way Less Sugar

Alexis Berger

March 15, 2019

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Photo: Getty Images/mrs

Here’s an alternative theory that’ll rock your TRL-loving world: Back in 1997, when N’Sync first suggested that God must have spent a little more time on you, the group was not talking about you (or your middle-school crush, for that matter). Over twenty years later, I know now that they could only be talking about Justin’s Chocolate Hazelnut & Almond Butter.

This epiphany came to me yesterday—back when I thought my life was complete, I thought it was whole—when I tried said almond butter for the first time. Immediately I wondered, “Can this be true? Tell me, can this be real?” because the stuff tastes like a dead ringer for what I thought was my one true love: Nutella. Yet this new-to-me magic spread packs way more protein than the stuff I've grown up loving with just half the sugar.

The Justin’s spread has been around for a few years, but certainly not as long as Nutella (which hit the shelves in 1964). So it stands to reason that Justin Timberlake was just prophesizing about the 21st-century creation of a different brilliant Justin when he wondered, “How can it be that right here with me, there’s an angel? It’s a miracle.” Because, really, is there anything more worthy of a dedicated power ballad than a taste-worthy Nutella dupe that's healthy to boot? Not in my book. (Sorry, Jessica Biel—it is what it is.)

Even after adjusting for discrepancy in serving size, it's clear that there's way less sugar in the nut butter. And before you balk at the uptick in fat included in the nutritional info, remember: Fat is your friend.

To give a complete comparison breakdown, a 37-gram serving of Nutella (about two tablespoons, per the USDA) has 200 calories, 11 grams of fat, 21 grams of sugar, and 2 grams of protein. Meanwhile, a 32-gram serving of the Justin's version (one of their single-serve squeeze packs) has 200 calories, 16 grams of fat, 8 grams of sugar, and 4 grams of protein. Once adjusting for discrepancy in serving size, it's clear that there's way less sugar in the nut butter (10 grams fewer, to be precise), and nearly double the protein.

Before you balk at the uptick in fat included in the nutritional info, remember: Fat is your friend. “The dietary guidelines shifted in 2015 and there’s no longer a recommended cap on the intake of dietary fat,” Rebecca Shern, RD, previously reminded Well+Good readers. Plus, nuts are a good source of omega-3 fatty acids, which facilitate brain health.

I'm still coming to terms with the harsh truth that I've lived in a world where this creation, which surpasses them all, has existed for so long without me knowing about it. But I plan to make up for lost time by enjoying unending amounts of it. You know, for my brain health (and my devoted love that runs like a river, peaceful and deep).

While this sweet nut butter is worthy of a JT-fronted power ballad, he and Jessica Biel really are couple goals—they even do cryotherapy and workouts together.