Sunflower Seed 101

Besides being a great baseball snack, sunflowers are actually a really great little seed! They are not a common food allergy so are a great snack for schools. They are packed with vitamins and minerals including copper, manganese and selenium. They do have a decent amount of calories so it’s recommended to eat them in moderation… as with everything!

Sunflower Seed Butter Ingredients

roasted sunflower seeds – it’s important to use roasted sunflower seeds. The roasting process allows the natural oils to be released and makes for a smoother and thinner texture.

maple syrup

vanilla extract

You can absolutely make “plain” sunflower seed butter with just roasted sunflower seeds but I like to add a few add-ins like maple syrup and vanilla. I find that the flavor is more balanced and appealing but you can experiment and find what you prefer.

Sunflower Seed Butter In Your Food Processor

To make sunflower seed butter, my biggest tip is patience! The seeds will blend in your food processor for 10-15 minutes. The seeds are first ground to a powder and if you keep grinding they’ll become thicker. Keep going until the sunflower seed oil is released and the end mixture is a smooth, creamy mixture. Just keep going!

After you blend the seeds, you’ll add in the additional flavors. Like I mentioned, I add in maple syrup, vanilla extract and sea salt. You can skip the sea salt if you are using salted sunflower seeds. Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to a week or in the fridge if you need to store for longer.

Here Are More Butters and Spreads to Try:

If you try this homemade sunflower seed butter recipe please be sure to leave a comment and star rating below letting me know how it turned out. Your feedback is super helpful for the EBF team and other readers.

Homemade Sunflower Seed Butter

Author: Brittany Mullins
Yield: about 1 cup

Print Recipe

Description

This sunbutter is incredibly easy to make at home in your food processor and works as a substitute for peanut butter in most recipes!

Ingredients

2 cups roasted sunflower seeds
2 teaspoons pure maple syrup
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon sea salt (only add if using unsalted seeds)

Instructions

Place sunflower seeds in your food processor and process for 9-10 minutes.
If the mixture is still dry and thick after 10 minutes of processing, process a little longer. It may take an additional 5-6 minutes for the sunflower seed oil to release and thin out.
Once the sunbutter has reached your desired consistency, add in maple syrup, vanilla and sea salt. Give the processor a few more pulses to combine, then turn machine off and remove the sunbutter with a spatula.
Store in an airtight container at room temp for up to a week. Keep in the fridge for longer storage.

Notes

Definitely buy roasted sunflower seeds or roast them yourself in the oven. The roasting process allows the natural oils to be released and makes for a smoother and thinner texture.