How to Make Sunflower Seed Butter?

This homemade sunflower seed butter recipe, sometimes called sunbutter or sunflower butter, is among the most cost-effective seed kinds of butter, along with homemade tahini, also known as sesame seed “butter,” and pumpkin seed butter. Without sacrificing nutrients, it also performs remarkably well as a substitute for many different kinds of nut butter in recipes. Also, homemade sunflower butter can be created from raw, soaked (sprouted), or roasted seeds with minimal effort!Sunflower Seed Butter

How to Make Sunflower Butter?

This recipe is for making sunflower seed butter, which is ideal for children with allergies and their friends. Don’t panic if you have never prepared nut or seed butter at home. There is hardly any hands-on time, and it’s pretty simple: It takes roughly seven to eight minutes to get from seed to silky butter.

First, toast the seeds. As the roots are toasted, the flavor is intensified, and the natural oils are liberated, allowing you to produce this spread with very little added fat.

Process after that in a food processor. There will be several steps for the mixing. Your seeds will first be ground into a fine powder before becoming a clumpy powder. The mixture will develop into a ball and thicken as you continue to process it, and it will eventually transform into a buttery, loose seed.

Your food processor could operate quicker or slower because each one is unique. Follow the recipe’s visual instructions below, and go with your gut while making seed butter!

Just a quick aside: This dish may be made with no additional oil, and I merely add it because I enjoy the mild sweetness of coconut oil rather than because it improves the texture.

Ingredients

  • 2 cups raw sunflower seeds

Suggested Equipment

  • Food Processor

Instructions

  1. the sunflower seeds are roasted. This process improves the flavor of the seeds by assisting in the release of some of their natural oils. You can omit this step if you’d instead make raw sunbutter.
  2. On a baking sheet, distribute the raw sunflower seeds. After that, roast the seeds for 8 minutes at 330°F/165°C (fan assisted) or until they are golden brown.
  3. Sunflower seeds should be removed from the oven until touchable cooling occurs.
  4. Mix the seeds into a smooth butter. Sunflower seeds should be added to a food processor or blender and blended until smooth. The roots will go through various rounds of this process, and they will first be processed into a good meal. They will solidify and form a ball, followed by a thick paste and eventually a silky, creamy sunflower butter. To prevent overheating of the seeds (and your machine), do this at intervals of about 2-3 minutes.
  5. The seed butter will have a runnier consistency the longer it is blended. To ensure that all the seeds are well mixed, scrape down the sides of the processor or blender every time you pause it if it doesn’t already do so. Depending on your machine, this process could take as little as 2 minutes, 15 minutes, or even 30 minutes or more (for me, it takes 12-15 minutes for the super smooth sunflower butter I end up with).
  6. Sunflower seeds may not progress past the powdery/ball stage if you use uncooked ones. To get the machine to work at that point, you might need to add a tablespoon of neutral oil. To give it a chance first, I advise letting it run for 10 minutes (with breaks every 2-3 minutes).
  7. Transfer the finished homemade sunflower seed butter to an airtight glass jar. When you’ve reached the correct consistency, add other ingredients, such as salt, sweetener, flavorings, etc., and pulse the mixture a few times to distribute them throughout the sunflower butter.
  8. Can I make sunflower butter from sprouted, soaking seeds? Yes, but it will take a lot longer to complete. The sources must first be soaked in filter water (or overnight) for three hours. The seeds should then be drained and patted dry (nicely!).
  9. The seeds can then be dried in a dehydrator for 10 to 12 hours at 104 degrees Fahrenheit (40 degrees Celsius) (if you want to make raw sunflower butter). Alternatively, bake them in the oven at low heat (until dry) before roasting them if you’d like.
  10. Why make an effort? The nutrients within the seeds will become more accessible to the body, making them easier to absorb, and the phytic acid will decrease due to soaking the seeds (an enzyme inhibitor).

Ways to Sweeten and Flavor your Sunflower Butter

I like adding a bit of cinnamon, some coconut oil, some vanilla essence, and some brown sugar at the end to flavor and sweeten the sunflower seed butter. Coconut sugar would also be excellent. If you want your butter a little bit sweeter than I do, add more sugar, one teaspoon at a time. Taste after each addition until it reaches your desired level.

In the past, I’ve used liquid sweeteners like maple syrup, but these days I play it safe and use dry sweeteners because nuts and seeds contain a lot of natural oil, and adding more water-based liquid can cause your seed butter to seize up. Why? In other words, your nut or seed butter becomes clumpy and challenging to spread as the oils congregate together and separate from the water.

Can I Make Sunflower Seed Butter without a Blender?

I believe it is possible to make nut and seed butter with a spice grinder, though I haven’t tried it (in smaller batches). I advise letting it run for 15 seconds at a time until the consistency you want is achieved (this may take several minutes or as little as a minute). Use of a mortar and pestle, particularly the Japanese Suribachi, is an additional choice, but be aware that it demands considerable arm strength! If you try one of these techniques, please let me know in the comments!

Using a food processor, coffee spice grinder, or powerful blender like a Vitamix, you can quickly grind raw (or soaked and dehydrated) sunflower seeds. Avoid over-grinding the sunflower seeds, or you can end up with sunflower seed butter. Pulse the sunflower seeds until they resemble flour. Add maple syrup, vanilla, and sea salt once the sunbutter has reached the appropriate consistency. Add a few more pulses to the processor to mix, then turn it off and scoop out the sunbutter with a spatula. Store in an airtight container for up to a week at room temperature or up to a month in the refrigerator.

Is Sunflower Seed Butter Good for you?

One tablespoon of sunflower seed butter provides over one-fourth of your body’s daily vitamin E needs. Additionally, sunflower seed butter is a fantastic source of protein, good fats, and magnesium. Add a spoonful to oatmeal or a smoothie, sprinkle it on pancakes or waffles, or spread it on toast.SunButter provides significantly more nutrients and much less harmful fats found in peanut butter, although they both contain similar amounts of minerals and offer similar advantages. And to top it all off, sunflower seeds are preferred to peanuts as a snack.

Little, nutrient-rich sunflower seeds that are an excellent source of protein, healthy fats, vitamin E, and magnesium are used to make sunflower butter. The protein and good fats keep you feeling full, satisfied, and energized. Vitamins and minerals Figure 2 and Table 1 Compared to peanut or sunflower seed butter; almond butter has significantly more calcium and potassium (p 0.05). Sunflower seed butter has more magnesium, phosphorus, zinc, copper, and selenium levels than almond or peanut butter.

Do I Need to Refrigerate Sunflower Butter?

SunButter doesn’t need to be chilled; whether you store it in a fridge or a cupboard is simply a matter of preference. (We’re not judging!) Although SunButter lasts longer when refrigerated, you can keep it securely in a cold environment. The SunButter website states that sunflower butter remains edible for a year from the manufacturing date. Homemade nut and seed butter shouldn’t be kept at room temperature and can last up to one month in the refrigerator. Sunflower butter has a shelf life of one year from the date of manufacture, according to the USDA and most manufacturers.

Your sunflower butter will go bad more quickly once it’s been opened. After being opened, it typically lasts between one and two months. Defeat inflammation while lowering cholesterol. The potential of sunflower butter to reduce cholesterol and combat inflammation is one of its most well-known advantages. The paste is naturally cholesterol-free and rich in good fats, which help reduce LDL or harmful cholesterol levels.

How do you Store Sunflower Seed Butter?

Storage: Sunflower seed butter should be kept in the refrigerator if it won’t be consumed within a few days because it doesn’t contain any added hydrogenated oils or preservatives. Sunflower butter should last for several weeks in a glass jar with a cover when kept in the refrigerator. Sunflower butter has a shelf life of 1-2 months after opening. Despite not needing refrigeration, it will remain fresher for a more extended period. You’ve come to the right place if you’re new to using sunflower butter or if you have some unanswered queries about this delectable substitute for tree nut kinds of butter.

Sunflower seed butter prepared at home needs to be kept cold. Store-bought seed butter includes preservatives and hydrogenated oils. Sunflower butter will hold better and last longer in the refrigerator. It’s loaded with vital vitamins and minerals that can considerably improve your dog’s health. Remember that the seeds must be peeled, unsalted, and free of artificial flavoring before being turned into butter. Sunflower butter is a delightful and healthful treat for your dog when given in moderation.

Conclusion

Homemade sunflower seed butter is a delicious, nut-free alternative to peanut butter, and it’s easy to create using raw or roasted seeds. By itself, with oats or spread on toast, seed butter tastes best when eaten straight from the spoon. I loved peanut butter as a child, and I ate it with a spoon, on toast, in sandwiches, with apples and bananas, and in other ways.

I never had any problems bringing peanut butter and jelly sandwiches to school because nut allergies weren’t as well-known when I was a kid. With good reason, the world has changed. The prevalence of nut allergies is rising, and even trace amounts of nuts can cause a severe nut allergy. My toddler began preschool last month, and her welcome packet included a firm warning not to bring nut products in her snack box.