The volcano known as Momotombo in the west of the Central American country rumbled into activity before dawn, but then calmed down again, the Nicaraguan Institute for Territorial Studies said.
No one living near the mountain was hurt, it said.
Momotombo stands 1,297 meters high, some 40 kilometers from the capital Managua, separated by a large lake called Lago Xolotlan.
On December 1 the volcano belched gas and ash and then lava that poured onto uninhabited areas on the slopes of the mountain.
Its last big eruption dates back to 1905.
In 1980, the volcano emitted lava, but there was no eruptive explosion. In 2006 it emitted gases only.