Sunflower Seed Butter

Course: Snack

Cuisine: American

Keyword: sunflower seed butter

Prep Time: 15

Cook Time: 10

Total Time: 25

Servings: ounces

Calories: 176kcal

Author: Megan Gilmore

Sunflower seed butter is an easy nut-free alternative to peanut butter, made without any added oil. It's perfect for making nut-free school lunches and snacks!

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US Customary - Metric

Equipment

Food Processor

Ingredients

12 ounces hulled sunflower seeds (unsalted; raw or dry roasted)
3/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
1/4 cup granulated sugar (optional)

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350ºF and spread the sunflower seeds out into an even layer on a rimmed baking sheet. Roast the seeds for 8 to 10 minutes, or until they smell fragrant. When you stir the seeds, they should glisten from their natural oils being release. Let the seeds cool for at least 10-15 minutes, so they won't melt the plastic of your food processor or blender container.
Add the warm (but not piping hot) seeds to the bowl of a food processor or blender and process for 2 minutes. Stop and scrape down the sides of the machine, as needed.
Continue processing the seeds, until they start to stick together and form a thick paste. This is a good sign! The seeds will need to process for roughly 5 more minutes, until a gritty sunflower seed butter starts to come together.
Keep processing the seeds for another minute or two, until the sunflower seed butter becomes more runny and drippy in consistency. When it looks relatively smooth, you can add any seasonings you like, such as salt and granulated sugar, if you want to counter-balance the bitter flavor of the seeds. Process briefly to evenly distribute the seasonings, about 60 seconds.
Transfer the sunflower seed butter to a glass jar, and let it cool completely before securing the top with a lid. (This way the jar won't steam from the heat, which could cause it to spoil faster.) Sunflower seed butter can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 1 month.

Notes

Nutrition information is for roughly 1 ounce of sunflower seed butter, which is about 2 tablespoons. This information is automatically calculated, and is just an estimate, not a guarantee.

*If you are making this for someone with nut allergies, be sure to check the package of your sunflower seeds to make sure they aren't processed in a facility that also handles tree nuts.

*I use coconut sugar when making this recipe, but you can use a different granulated sugar if coconut allergies are a concern. Brown sugar or cane sugar will also work well. Do not use a liquid sweetener, like maple syrup or honey, or the texture will stiffen up and it will become very difficult to spread.

Nutrition