The Grocery Store Brand Hazelnut Spread You Should Avoid At All Costs

The finest hazelnut spreads are so rich and chocolatey that they're delicious eaten straight from the jar with a spoon. However, with a delectably smooth consistency and sweet aroma, they also make the yummiest addition to sweet sandwiches, a sumptuous topping for French toast, and a lush ingredient in fudgy brownie batter. Having said that, after Tasting Table ranked several contenders, we discovered that there's one store-bought hazelnut spread that you should definitely avoid at all costs: Target's Good & Gather Chocolate Hazelnut Spread.

The clear loser from our list of 12, this product was so overwhelmingly sweet that it masked the flavor of every other ingredient. While a hazelnut spread obviously should be sweet, it shouldn't be so dominant that it overpowers the other elements, such as the richness of the buttery hazelnuts and the chocolatey flavor of the cocoa powder. Perhaps we should've expected this, seeing as Good & Gather Chocolate Hazelnut Spread is priced at half the cost of the leading brand and is packed with sugar (there are a whopping 23 grams per two tablespoons, or 37 grams). 

Even the creamy texture of the spread, which was super-smooth and easy to slather over a slice of bread, wouldn't push us to buy it again as the flavor was just too saccharine. We'll concede that it's budget-friendly, but there's little point in buying a product that doesn't tickle your tastebuds. You'd be better off selecting a pricier spread with a rounder flavor that allows the personality of the hazelnuts and cocoa to shine too.

The findings of our taste test concur with the reviews of other buyers, highlighting that we aren't the only ones who think Good & Gather Chocolate Hazelnut Spread is excessively sweet. One reviewer on Target's site states that "It doesn't taste like Nutella at all. Or like any other brand or generic brand of hazelnut spread. It doesn't even taste chocolatey. It tastes like you put a spoonful of powdered bakers sugar in your mouth, only that this stuff also has a nauseating slippery texture". Another commenter went as far as warning users: "Just spend the extra bucks and get the delicious real thing instead of this fake stuff."

In our opinion, the most delicious hazelnut spread to put your money on is undoubtedly Nocciolata Organic Hazelnut Spread, which is available on Amazon. This product easily overtook the other contenders because it boasted a rich hazelnut flavor, gorgeously thick texture, and just the right amount of sweetness that, crucially, didn't overpower. Made with organic ingredients and free from controversial palm oil, it had a luxurious vibe and an indulgent quality that truly delivered. The texture of the spread also had a subtly chewy quality, likely due to the hazelnut paste mentioned in the ingredients, which we loved.