Making your own sunflower seed butter
This easy recipe is for making your own sunflower seed butter. It’s simple, delicious and can be used to replace peanut butter in just about any recipe that calls for it.
Making your own sunflower seed butter
The first time I did a whole30, back in the day, I was shocked to find out I could not eat peanut butter. I mean: what’s wrong with peanuts right? Well, long story short; when you’re on the whole30 peanuts are not allowed. They are technically a legume and since they might give an allergic reaction they are a no-go for 30 days. A good replacement for me has always been almond butter but when I saw that you could make a butter out of sunflower seeds I was intrigued.
Roasting
So naturally I had to try making it myself. And trust me, the recipe is super easy but it does require a little bit of time before you get the right texture. First of all you need to roast all the sunflower seeds. I used about 400 gram (a little less than one pound) for making this and you literally need only the seeds. You might think it will never work when you start to blend the roasted seeds but stick with it.
Into the food processor
Once they are roasted and cooled down a bit you add it all to the food processor. I really didn’t think it would actually work in the beginning as it does take a while before it forms into a sunflower seed butter. Scrape down the sides of the food processor a couple of times as it will look very grainy for a while.
It will first start to look a bit like sand, then it will transform into wet sand and if you stick to it, it will eventually transform into a lusciously smooth sunflower seed butter. Once you have that you can use it for anything where you would normally use peanut butter. Think about making a satay sauce for instance (which apparently if you use sunflower seed butter to make it, it is called sunshine sauce. Gotta love that name!)
Add flavor
Now once you’ve made the sunflower seed butter you can add variations to the flavor. The butter is slightly more bitter than it would be if you’re thinking about peanut butter. So adding a little bit of vanilla or even a touch of honey might be a good idea if you think it is too bitter. Keep in mind though that you will be using it in something or on something so I didn’t find the bitterness all too bad.
Is sunflower seed butter better than peanut butter?
In terms of nutritional value yes, the sunflower has more vitamin E, manganese and less saturated fat compared to peanut butter. It’s also a great option for anyone with a peanut allergy.
How long can you keep the sunflower seed butter?
I found that keeping it for roughtly one month was still ok. You can probably keep it even longer than that. Store bought usually lasts 2 months after opening but fresh I find tends to expire quicker. You can usually smell if the butter goes stale. But just use it for everything and you’re good to go.
Do I need to keep it in the refridgerator?
You can keep the sunflower seed butter outside of the refridgerator. In fact it will become thicker if you do refridgerate and might need some vigorous stirring if that happens. If the weather is really hot I do keep it in the fridge. Just to be on the safe side.
Sunflower seed butter
How to make sunflower seed butter
- Preheat the oven to 180˚C (350˚F)
- Spread the sunflower seeds out on a baking tray so you have one layer. Roast in the oven until they are lightly brown. Don't let them become too dark or it will be bitter. And it goes quickly so stay close to the oven.
- Let it cool a bit before transferring to your food processor. Blend the seeds together. It will first become like sand, than wet sand and after a while longer it will all clump together and sort of stay fixed in your food processor. That is normal. Keep breaking up the clump in between and repeat the process until – at some point – it will let go and transform into a smooth butter.
Notes
Nutrition Information per portion
Disclaimer
The nutritional values above are calculated per portion. The details are based on standard nutritional tables and do not constitute a professional nutritional advice.
3 comments on “Making your own sunflower seed butter”
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I have not made butter from sunflower seeds – cashews, almonds yes but I need to try this! Loving it!
I’ve always been confused about how loosely the word “butter” is used too. But I understand why/how people use it they way they do — I think — so I ignore it. But it is weird. What’s not weird is this sunflower seed butter. Looks pretty good. And no way would I call it sunflower seed “cheese!”
Haha… I agree.. That just sounds horribly wrong doesn’t it?