Homemade Low-Carb Frangelico Hazelnut Liqueur

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After the successful results of my first attempt at low-carb homemade Amaretto — I was keen to experiment a bit more with other variations. I’ve always loved Frangelico, so a low-carb hazelnut liqueur was the perfect option for me to attempt next. And so glad I did, as it turned out amazingly!

While you could use hazelnut extract for this (or even add hazelnut extract for more flavour), I really wanted to infuse the alcohol with real hazelnuts, and while the flavour definitely pays off doing this, you do end up with a slightly cloudy liqueur at the end.

You have a few options here though. The liqueur will be cloudier if you roast the hazelnuts; if you leave them raw you’ll still get a slight cloudiness but not as extreme as when you use roasted. You could use half roasted and half raw nuts to lessen the effect here. The flavour is great either way — when using roasted nuts you get a richer, toasted hazelnut flavour, whereas using raw will give you a more pure and subtle flavour.

Either way, I found that straining the nuts and vanilla bean out, and then straining again through a coffee filter helps to remove the smaller bits of sediment.

Sweeteners To Use in Homemade Liqueur

And a note on sweeteners — I used xylitol here as erythritol can crystallise when chilled, and this is best stored in the fridge. On the other hand we are only using quarter a cup so it's unlikely to develop any noticeable crystals. In either case, always shake before serving. You could also use allulose though it's hard to come by here.

Nutritional values (per serving, 1 shot/ 30 ml)

Ingredients (makes about 450 ml/ 15 fl oz)

• 1 ¹/₂ cups raw hazelnuts (140 g/ 5 oz)
• 1 cup vodka (240 ml/ 8 fl oz)
• ¹/₂ cup brandy (120 ml/ 4 fl oz)
• 1 vanilla bean
• ¹/₂ cup water (120 ml/ 4 fl oz)
• ¹/₄ cup granulated Erythritol, Swerve, Xylitol or Allulose (50 g/ 1.8 oz)

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 170 °C/ 340 °F (conventional), or 150 °C/ 300 °F (fan assisted).
   
2. Add hazelnuts to a tray in a single layer and toast 10-15 minutes until the outsides are starting to lightly brown, shaking the tray halfway through to ensure even toasting. Remove from oven and allow to cool completely.
3. If you are using whole unpeeled hazelnuts, it's better to remove (most of) the skins as they tend to add a bitter aftertaste. Once the hazelnuts are roasted and cooled, rub them together in your hands to remove the skins.
   
4. Roughly chop the nuts. Add to a mason jar with the vodka and brandy.
   
5. Split the vanilla bean in half and scrape the seeds into the jar, and then place the scraped pod in as well. Cover and allow to sit, at room temperature.
   
   
6. Start taste testing after 7 days and when flavoured to your liking, strain the solids through a nut milk bag or sieve lined with cheesecloth, and then strain the liquid through a coffee filter to remove any small sentiment. This is not necessary but will make the Frangelico less cloudy.
   
7. Make low-carb simple syrup by adding water and sweetener to a small saucepan and cooking it over low heat until dissolved. Remove from heat and allow to cool.
   
8. Add along with the strained Frangelico mix to a clean bottle. Store in the fridge up to a month. Shake before serving.
   

Ingredient nutritional breakdown (per serving, 1 shot/ 30 ml)

Net carbs	Protein	Fat	Calories
Hazelnuts, roasted - used for infusing
0 g	0 g	0 g	0 kcal
Vodka, distilled alcoholic beverage (~40% vol)
0 g	0 g	0 g	34 kcal
Brandy, distilled alcoholic beverage (~40% vol)
0 g	0 g	0 g	17 kcal
Vanilla extract, powder (vanilla bean)
0 g	0 g	0 g	1 kcal
Water, still
0 g	0 g	0 g	0 kcal
Erythritol (natural low-carb sweetener)
0.2 g	0 g	0 g	1 kcal
Total per serving, 1 shot/ 30 ml
0.2 g	0 g	0 g	53 kcal

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