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You may be thinking to yourself, “Really Tess?! Make my own sunflower seed butter?! As if I would go to the hassle to do THAT!!”
Well let me convince you.
- This requires no special skills.
- It is done in under 10 minutes.
- It is more frugal than store bought.
- And MOST importantly, the taste? You simply cannot compare it to anything you’d purchase!! My kids were lukewarm about sunflower seed butter until I started making my own. Now, we polish off one batch about once a
week.
I have been making my own sunflower seed butter for sometime now.
Peanut butter used to be a staple in our house. Then my toddler started getting random hives in weird places around his body. After about a week of this, I finally figured it out: his older sisters had taken to peanut butter toast for the week, and their touches from unwashed hands were causing the hives!
Now, with all peanut butter out of the house (a blood tests confirmed a high IgE to peanuts), we had to find a replacement. Peanut butter was such an easy form of healthy protein for my picky kids! Luckily, sunflower seed butter is equally as delicious, and my kids don’t notice the difference anymore. AND now they ask for it all the time!
Storing: Ours have never lasted too long, but we had one jar out for three weeks, in the pantry wih no issues. The oils in nuts and seeds do go rancid, so store in the fridge if you don’t mind it a bit firmer and don’t plan on consuming it within a few weeks.
Tools: I used my 14 Cup Cuisenart Food Processor for this, and my Blend Tec.
Variations: A touch of vanilla and/or cinnamon makes for a special treat! My kids love to mix in raisins and dip apples in it!
What about you guys, what creative flavor combinations can you think of? Have you ever tried making your own, what was it like?
- 4 cups roasted, unsalted sunflower seeds (you can roast your own by spreading raw, hulled seeds on a cookie sheet and baking in a 325 degree oven for about 15 minutes, until the seeds are turning golden and quite fragrant. Don’t shortcut this step. You want them nice a toasty for the lovely flavor!)
- 2-4 tablespoons light tasting oil (I prefer coconut oil or light olive oil)
- ¼ teaspoon liquid stevia (optional)
- ½ teaspoon salt (to taste, or omit entirely…depends on your tastebuds)
- In the bowl of a food processor, place the orated sunflower seeds and process.
- As mixture goes from a flour like consistency to clumping together (the oil are starting to be released from the heat of the machine and friction), add in 2 tablespoons light tasting oil. Be patient, this can take a couple of minutes.
- Continue processing, and as the mixture continues to warm, it should turn creamy and smooth and whir happily, easily inside the bowl. If not, it is OK to add a bit more oil until the mixture is runny and whirring smoothly.
- Continue to process for another 2-3 minutes.
- Add in the stevia (or any liquid sweetener like honey or maple syrup), and salt to taste, and process to mix. You sunflower butter should be ready at this point…but….
- For an extra creamy punch, if you own a high powered blender, pour the mixture while warm into the blender cup and process one to two full cycles. (I have tried making it in my blender alone before and EVERY TIME it seemed like my blender was working WAY too hard to accomplish this, so I found the food processor/blender combo to be my best bet). If you do not have an high powered blender, it is also OK to process several more minutes in your processor for additional creaminess.
Here is the progression of steps: flour, to clumping, to whirring smoothly, to blender cycle for creaminess.
This recipe was shared on: Seasonal Celebration Sunday, Sugar-Free Sunday, My Meatless Monday, Melt In Your Mouth Monday, Natural Living Monday, Monday Mania, Make Your Own Monday, Gluten Free Monday, Better Mom’s Linky, Tasty Tuesday, Fat Tuesday, Slightly Indulgent Tuesday, Traditional Tuesdays, Hearth & Soul, Kids In The Kitchen, GF Wednesday, Cast Party Wednesday, Frugal Days Sustainable Ways, Healthy 2Day Wednesday, Whole Foods Wednesday, Real Food Wednesday, Full Plate Thursday, Keep It Real Thursday, Simple Lives Thursday, Pennywise Platter, Wellness Weekend, Fresh Bites Friday, GF Fridays, Freaky Friday, Healthy Vegan Fridays, Fight Back Friday, Whole Foods Friday, Fill Those Jars Friday, GAPS Friendly Friday
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When her third child was born with severe food allergies, Tessa took to the kitchen to figure out how to feed her family well. Always up for a culinary challenge, their journey has taken many twists and turns! Lots of Paleo, and lots of top 8 free. Good food for families, that's what she's about!
What blender/food processor do you have? I tried this and failed miserably with mine. We go through 2 jars a week so I am thinking this would eventually be a money saver if I made the investment of a good food processor.
Hi Kelly, I used a Cuisenart 14 cup processor, I inserted a link in the post for you! I adore mine and use it daily!!
I was super excited to try this recipe and alas, my food processor was entirely too crappy to pull this off. It turned into weird oily hard/granular glue. Maybe one of these days I’ll be able to buy a vitamix and none of these issues will be a concern.
Hi Sabrina….it should work in a food processor….what kind do you. Have? I would add more oil and just keep letting it whir and see if it finally succumbs….it is possible your processor is too weak, but worth a shot. What a bummer, sorry!
If you take a I’d and share it on my fb page, I could Hazard a reason….
Oh this looks delicious! I’ve tried making nut butter in my food processor before but it’s just not powerful enough. Gotta start saving up 8)
Sunflower seed butter might work…nut butters are more challenging, the seeds are softer Rachael!
This is the best butter I have seen. I am going to try it soon.
Well i am glad it LOOKS good, but really, I want it to TASTE good Balvinder! Let me know how it goes!
You said to toast the “unhulled” sunflower seeds — does that mean with or without the hulls?
Hi Karen, unhulled! You see them in the picture…..
Then I think you mean “hulled” as “unhulled” means with the hulls still on.
Thanks for the recipe!
HILARIOUS Julie!! Can you imagine someone trying to make this with the whole seed?! hanks for catching my typo!
One thing I have not tried is making my own nut butter, but I do like sunflower seed butter. I’m intrigued at the flavor difference and I’ll be trying this very soon.
Hmmmm I might have to invest in a food processor. I do make this in my Vitamix, but I have to use almost as much oil as sunflower seeds (Ok, maybe half as much!) to get even remotely creamy. Not that I mind using that much oil, but if I don’t have to, that would be great!
Yes Anne, I find the combo of the two to be best…my Blend Tec seems likes it is almost going to overheat when I have tried in the past!
What a rocking recipe Tessa! I spend waaaay too much on SunButter which my kids adore. I can’t wait to make my own thanks to your recipe and fabulous instructions and save a little bit at the same time!
Yay Laura…let me know how it goes and what you think!
I really want to try this Tessa! I wonder if my blender is powerful enough though. Still no reason not to try! Thank you for the great directions and pictures!
What kind of blender do you have Vicky?
I’ve made my share of homemade nut butters with wonderful success…I’ve never tried sunflower seed butter. I can’t wait to try this…I love Sunbutter but it’s hit or miss to find the organic one without added sweetener, and sometimes the taste is a bit off. This will be perfect with my Gooey Sunbutter Brownies!
Wow this looks so creamy and amazing!! Much better than store-bought, you have me convinced
This recipe looks so delicious!
I am stopping over from the blog hop at Frugally Sustainable.
Helen
Blue Eyed Beauty Blog
http://blueeyedbeautyblogg.blogspot.com
Where do you find the sunflower seeds that are not cross-contaminated with peanuts? We love sunbutter, and I would love to make my own.
Where do you purchase your raw sunflower seeds? I have had a hard time finding some that has not been contaminated with peanut or peanut oil.
Geez Tammy & Kelly, I had never even heard of cross contamination issues…my son can’ EAT sunflower seed butter yet either…thanks for the heads up! I have been purchasing through iHerb and Amazon, now I will check to see where they are processed!
I don’t know where you live but if you have a Trader Joe’s nearby they sell “clean” sunflower seeds, raw or roasted, for about $2/lb. That’s where we buy our seeds!
Oh, also Gerb’s brand is safe. You can buy them on amazon or directly from their website. There’s usually a 20% off code floating around. They have both pumpkin & sunflower seeds. But they are more expensive than TJ’s.
Awesome Laura..I do buy then at TJ’s too…I have just never looked to see if they were in a clean facility! I will be now!
I want to try this, but may have to get a better processor. I bought cheap one that has worked well so far, but it may not be powerful enough for this.
Please let us know how it works Elisa, I would be curious to know which models work and those that do not!
YUM, this looks divine. I love that it’s extra creamy. I think it would make cookies that use sunflower seed butter extra delicious!! Can’t wait to try it! Thanks for looking out for those with nut allergies — this is going to come in handy for some dear friends of mine.
It is good all by itself too Lindsey, enjoy!
Hi Tessa,
What a great idea,my family is going to just love this, as they just love their sunflower seeds. Enjoy your weekend and thank you so much for sharing with Full Plate Thursday.
Come Back Soon!
Miz Helen
Thanks so much for sharing this on Natural Living Monday! I was shopping the other day and thinking about buying some sun butter but it was OUTRAGEOUSLY expensive! I will definitely have to make some.
That does look creamy! I am impressed.
Thanks for linking to Healthy 2day Wednesday. Hope to see you back this week!
I know all about those hives and PB
I love sunbutter, I need to try to make out own! 
YUM, got this tweeted and pinned!
Hi this sounds great, I’ve been planning on making our own sunbutter for a while now. Only problem is that we don’t own a food processor, only a Vitamix. Is there any way we can make this entirely with the Vitamix blender?
Hi Liza…I talked about this in the post…the high powered blender just gives you the extra creamy part, but before i started using both appliances, I just did it in my food processor. It will not get quite as creamy, but is is still just as delicious. In general, the longer you process, the smoother it will be, so plan on at least 10 minutes of processing! Without a food processor, I am not sure it would work, but I do not have other appliances to test that out!
Yum! I need to make some!
Oh I simply cannot wait to try this!! – will soak//dehydrate my seeds first…thanks for cracking the code!
blessings!
My pleasure Lib, enjoy!
Hi Tessa,
I saw this post on Real Food Wednesday.
Yumm! I have to try this now! I don’t like buying sunflower butter but I love the taste of it. It would be the perfect breakfast on the go for me on a sour dough spelt toast and bee pollen sprinkled on top.
Hi, I made this recipe last week and it worked great. This week I made a double batch and for some reason it was a disaster. The food processor was going along great, I added the oil, then a fair amount of honey, and the whole thing clobbed up into a glue ball. The oil seemed to seperate and so the seed butter is gluey and the oil won’t incorporate into the mix. What in the world!!?? The seeds were right from the oven when I made this….was it all too hot??? I continued to process it to no avail. It’s still edible…just not pretty!LOL
Hmm, strange..that very thing has happened to me with random batches of coconut butter….but never this. It might have something to do with the doubling and the mixture never getting enough movement or heat to create the butter. Try a single batch…or try working with half of the mixture you have and see what happens. Let us know!
Would this work with hulled seeds? It looks delicious!
Yes, that is what I use! Whole sunflower seeds with the black shells would not work here!
I see some people asking about using a vitamix and not a food processor.
This is what I do. I bought a $19 coffee grinder on Amazon.
I put the sunflower seeds in a pan on the stove top. In less than 10 mins you can have them nice and golden brown. Just keep moving them around in the skillet.
Put the seeds(they wont all fit at once) in the coffee grinder. Grind them for approx 12 seconds til you have it to a powder.
Put the powder in your vitamix and blend on #5 for approximately 30 seconds. Wait a min. Keep doing this 2 – 3 more times and there you go your sunbutter is done.
I also add 1/4 tsp vanilla and 1/4 tsp salt to the vitamix
Thanks for your tips Mike!
Hi! I just made this today and it turned out wonderful!! I did the combined blending method using my food processor and Vitamix! Thank you for the great recipe. I have made this before but never with such creamy results
Awesome Kelly! We must have been on similar wave lengths, I made another batch today too! Thank you so much for taking the time to give your feedback, it is valuable!
I am excited to make this for my son who has a peanut allergy, but am wondering how long this will stay good for in the fridge…?
Gosh Karynn, we go through ours quickly! But it the pantry, a couple/few weeks, in the fridge a few months, at least! Shelf life would be typical of any natural nutbutter
My boyfriend is allergic to peanut butter, and I am sorely missing my peanut butter topped english muffins for breakfast! I’m definitely going to have to try this out soon. Do you know if there is any health benefit to sunflower seed butter compared to peanut butter?
Hi Chelsea..sunflower seeds are different than peanuts..peanuts are legumes. Her is a wiki excerpt: From a nutritional perspective, sunflower butter contains almost four times as much vitamin E[8] as peanut butter, and about twice as much iron, magnesium, phosphorus and zinc. Peanut butter contains higher levels of protein and slightly less sugar and fat.[9]
I’ve been eyeing sunbutter for awhile but the Trader Joe’s brand has added sugar and the others are so expensive. You’ve convinced me the flavor is worth making it at home. I already make my own almond butter, which is so easy, so I’ll just add this into the rotation. Thanks, Tessa!
Tessa,
I haven’t made sunbutter in so long, but really like it and can’t wait to try it again using your method.
I’m guessing you don’t have to refrigerate the sunbutter, right? (I can’t remember how I stored it before…it’s been that long!)
Thanks!
Anne-Marie
I would only refrigerate it if it does not get consumed within two weeks Anne. Any nut or seed butter will go rancid overt time in the pantry!
Just finished whipping up a batch and it’s great. I pinned and Facebooked this recipe. =) Now…I just read in the comments that you make coconut butter. I’m off to search your blog in hopes of finding that recipe. =)
Hi
I made your recipe but i really really made the seeds toast. So my mixture came out really darkbrown. But I like the more smokey flavour ^^
Thanks for good recipe.
/cate fr sweden
Awesome Cate…I love mine super toasty too!
Hi
I have a Viking Professional food processor. I just made this butter and it didn’t come out creamy at all, very pasty in fact. The greenish color is also very unappealing. I had the same effect when I tried to make cashew butter. I kept adding coconut oil and maple syrup but after a while it just became dry. Any suggestions? I really would like to provide nut butters for my family.
Hi Nadia, bummer! Here are some thoughts: I have noticed that the mixture seizes or gets pasty/stiff when I add liquid sweetener. Was the there butter whirring smoothly before the sweetener was added? Strange on the green color….sunflower seeds react with acids to make a green color, but there are no acids in this recipe, not sure what happened there.
Try these things:
-make sure you are processing long enough. The seed butter should go from flour, to clumping, to one bog ball, and eventually, as the oils release…nut butter. One you achieve the running smoothly stage, you still have to let it go a bit longer.
-food processor cup capacity:I use a 12 cup size. Mif yours is smaller, use less seeds….they need enough room and power to get to seed butter stage.
-do not add any salt or sweetener until it is ultras creamy, and then try stirring it in by hand as a very last step. I have hunch on this one…it sometimes happens to me, sometimes not, and I am still trying to puzzle out the science on it. I think maybe if it ahas not released enough of it oils (not processed long enough)it seizes and turns pasty.
Hope this helps Nadia! So sorry it was a bust for you!
Does roasting sunflower seeds not ruin them nutrition-wise? I make all my nut (almond, coconut, peanut) butters raw, but when I made raw sunflower seed butter the flavour was quite bitter.
Hi Jessy! There are many opinions about that very issue. From what I can tell, antioxidants are reduced, and enzymes destroyed through toasting, but that does not crops cancel all the other health benefits of seeds and nuts. That’s my opinion though! I can imagine raw sunflower seed butter wouldn’t be tasty at all!
Try attached link, less oil and more tips.
http://prudentbaby.com/2011/08/entertaining-food/how-to-make-sunbutter-the-best-sunflower-butter-recipe-2/
YOU ROCK!!
Thanks for the recipe!
I bought a blendtec blender at costco a few
months ago on sale and it has changed my life!! I use it every day!
I have so many stomach issues and allergies. After having babies I started noticing that certain foods caused me extreme pains in my stomach, made my cheeks burn bright red, caused my face to break out, soy makes me get welts……. So I guess i have more intolerances than actual severe life threating food allergies but I have definitely found that I feel so much better if I live a life sugar free, gluten free,soy free, dairy free, egg free.
Excited to find your blog!
What is your child allergic to?
Thanks for having this blog and for being you!
Happy Mothers DAy!!!
Hi Carrie! My sons story is on my about page..plenty of things to list ! Three cheers for BlendTecs!