Nutella Magic Shell is a rich chocolate hazelnut sauce that hardens on contact with anything cold, and turns plain ice cream into a magical dessert for kids of all ages.

Don’t you love Magic Shell? It’s one of those kid foods that’s not just a kid food at all — and one of the most fun recipes in the dessert world. Two simple ingredients combine to become a glossy liquid sauce that hardens into a candy-like shell on contact with something cold, aka ice cream. If you want the basic chocolate Magic Shell recipe, go to my How to Make Homemade Magic Shell. This Nutella Magic Shell does it one better!
what you need to make Nutella Magic Shell
- Nutella chocolate hazelnut spread
- Coconut oil
- coconut oil is solid at room temperature, and comes in jars.
what type of coconut oil is best for magic shell?
I use refined coconut oil for this recipe. You’re likely to find two types of coconut oil in stores: virgin and refined. Both will work, and both are delicious, it just depends on your preference:
- Virgin coconut oil is less processed and has a stronger coconut flavor and a slightly gritty texture.
- Refined coconut oil is more processed, has a milder flavor and a smoother texture, making it better for magic shell.
how does Nutella Magic Shell work?
The secret to the magic is in the coconut oil, which solidifies at 74 degrees (it’s solid at room temp, which is why it comes to us as a solid white substance in a jar.)
I melt the coconut oil and blend it with, in this case, Nutella.
When the sauce comes in contact with cold ice cream, it hardens to a candy-like texture. You need to shatter it with your spoon to break it open.
why buy magic shell when you can make it?
You can bypass artificial flavors and preservatives, and customize it for your (or your family’s) taste. The chocolate in homemade magic shell is much better quality, too. Once you’ve made a basic chocolate shell topping you can start to branch out creatively. I’ve used Nutella in place of chocolate, and it turned out to be the best tweak ever.
storing your Nutella Magic Shell
Don’t pop it in the fridge, it’ll harden up. Store your sauce in a capped jar in your pantry. It will last for at least a month and remain silky and pourable and ready to use at a moment’s notice. I assure you, though, it won’t last that long. You’re never going to be satisfied with a naked bowl of ice cream again!
More frozen and fabulous treats
- Chocolate Frozen Custard
- Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Ice Cream
- Watermelon Kiwi Pospsicles
- How to Make Rainbow Fruit Popsicles
- Fresh Mint Chip Ice Cream
- Healthy Popsicles to Make with Kids
Nutella Magic Shell
Ingredients
- 13 oz jar of Nutella
- 3 Tbsp (heaping) coconut oil, coconut oil is a solid at room temperature, so measure when solid
Instructions
- Put the Nutella and the coconut oil in a microwavable glass bowl. Microwave for 30 seconds. If the coconut oil is not completely melted, micro for another few seconds. Stir the mixture until it is completely smooth.
- Pour into a jar with a tight fitting lid and store at room temperature until ready to use.
- Pour over ice cream and watch the magic happen!
Your pictures are SO gorgeous – this looks totally delicious – great magic stuff!
Mary x
Hi Sue! Just ran into your blog and its wonderful! You have amazing recipes and yummy desserts too! Love all of it! Hope to see you again! ๐ Anna, and Have a wonderful Mother’s Day!
Cool! Very, very cool! I have to laugh at you because I feel like I’m laughing at myself. All my life, I’ve tried to be planned and organized when it came to meals and preparing food. But I”m too much of a renegade and don’t enjoy cooking with a ton of structure which would not make me a good candidate for opening a restaurant. I get some fun, sometimes crazy idea and I run with it and I love it! You are already giving me fun ideas with this magic stuff …….
Oh I think my Friday needs this! Love it!
this is just pure evil! ;0)
I love magic shell!
Had to share this in my friday roundup!
have a great weekend!
You are a genius, Sue!! That’s all I can say! Love this idea!!
It was a fun day!
I put PB Magic Shell in my cookbook. Your magic shell looks sooo good that I want to just put it on…everything!
I wondered about a peanut butter version…I couldn’t quite imagine it…does it get hard?
Ooooh…pretty!!!
๐
Love this idea for my aplhabets..
And Coconut oil is good for you:)
It is good for you—and when you mix it with dark chocolate, which is also good for you, you’ve got a super health food!