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These Nutella swirl rolls are built from scratch with homemade dough, stuffed with chocolate-hazelnut spread in place of typical cinnamon, for a far more decadent treat. Take my word for it — it's pure BLISS. Simple to make and perfect to enjoy with the little ones! Craving another chocolate fix? French crepes stuffed with Nutella and juicy strawberries deliver that same luscious hazelnut creaminess with a brighter, fruitier twist.
It took a few attempts, but I finally cracked a version that keeps that rich Nutella taste without weighing you down at the end. They're low-effort, too — you barely touch the dough because most of the work is just waiting for it to rise.
Full disclosure: this one did NOT come together on attempt number one. A few months back, while hunting for a festive bake, a Nutella roll popped up on my Instagram feed and instantly took me back to slathering Nutella on cinnamon rolls and wolfing them down. That planted the idea — I needed to develop a proper, complete version for the blog: sweet but not cloying, big on flavor. My early drafts were either far too dense or an absolute pain to put together.
So I rebuilt the dough and went fully from-scratch instead of leaning on store shortcuts. That's what gives you total command over the texture — the buns turn out tender rather than dense, and they keep their form beautifully once baked. It's the exact same logic behind why I'd rather DIY crepes or bread at home, where texture is everything.
I also fiddled with the Nutella so it glides on evenly without bleeding out of the roll. That tweak made a massive difference in how they bake and how crisp the swirl layers look.
Note: Find the complete ingredient list with measurements on the printable recipe card near the bottom.
I'm always hunting for alternatives in my desserts — whether that's a lighter spin like using sweet potato as a brownie base, or quick swaps when my pantry is missing something.
Grasp what each ingredient actually does, and suddenly tweaking the recipe to fit what you have becomes a breeze without ruining the finished bake.
Dough refuse to rise? Nine times out of ten the yeast never woke up. Double-check that your milk is warm-but-not-burning (and not fridge-cold), and look for gentle foam on top before you continue.
Ended up with dense buns? Usually that's a sign of too much flour or rushing the rise. Your dough should feel soft going into its proof and roughly double in volume.
Spot Nutella oozing out during the bake? It probably got too liquid. You want it spreadable, not drippy.
Tops browning quicker than you'd like? Drape foil loosely over the pan for the final few minutes.
These hazelnut-swirl buns hit their peak while they're still warm and the glossy topping has just melted into the dough.
I hand them straight over from the pan so everyone can tear one apart while it's still pillowy — that's when the swirls look their best and the filling stays gloriously creamy.
Want them to feel like a full-fledged brunch moment without going overboard? Pair them with something lighter on the side. A fresh fruit salad, a bowl of strawberries, or a simple scoop of yogurt balances everything out perfectly.
Honestly, they don't require a single thing more to feel complete.
Got a few left over? Store them properly and they'll stay tender and delicious for days.
To keep them, cool the rolls completely and tuck them into an airtight container.
For warming up, I almost always use the microwave since it restores that fresh-baked softness in seconds.
If the fridge leaves them a touch dry, a quick reheat does absolute wonders.
Want to freeze them? Totally doable:
Surprisingly, after a reheat the texture comes roaring back to nearly-fresh.
Crescent rolls rely on a laminated, quick-croissant-style dough that bakes up airy, layered, and a touch flaky. My Nutella scrolls take the opposite route with a soft yeast dough, so they come out more like a classic cinnamon roll — fluffy, neat, and far simpler to shape and fill.
Technically yes, but expect a different texture. Homemade dough hands you more control and yields a softer roll, while store-bought versions bake up heavier and don't keep those clean swirls.
That typically comes down to flour overload or an underwhelming rise. Remind yourself: the dough should feel soft beforehand and double before it hits the oven.
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Nutrition info is worked out automatically, so it should be treated as a close estimate rather than an exact figure.
