Homemade Sunflower Seed Butter (The Only Version My Kids Will Eat)

After one too many disappointing jars of store-bought sunflower seed butter, I decided to make my own – and I’m never going back. This creamy homemade version is made with toasted sunflower seeds, cozy spices, and a drizzle of maple syrup for a nut-free spread that’s downright irresistible. It’s also the only sunflower seed butter my kids will eat.

Ever since my oldest started attending a nut-free school, I’ve been on a mission to make better seed butters at home.

Now, I’ll admit, this experiment started the lazy way. I grabbed a $6 jar of store-bought sunflower seed butter, took one big bite, and… well, let’s just say I was disappointed.

Really?! That couldn’t be the best we could do.

I crossed my fingers and packed store-bought sunflower seed butter and jelly sandwiches into my kids’ lunches anyway. Both sandwiches came home with exactly one bite missing. Honestly, I couldn’t blame them.

So I got to work.

After four trial batches (and more than a few misses), I finally landed on the winner – a rich, creamy sunflower seed butter flavored with cinnamon, cloves, and just a touch of maple syrup. It’s so good that I regularly find myself eating spoonfuls straight from the jar. No shame.

But the real test was still ahead: the lunchbox test.

I packed seed butter and honey sandwiches into both kids’ lunches without saying a word. That afternoon, both lunches came home empty… and both kids immediately asked for bananas smeared with the homemade sunflower seed butter.

I’m pretty sure that’s kid-speak for, “Make this again.”

Let’s Get Blending –>

1. Gather all of your ingredients.
2. If using raw sunflower seeds, add them to a medium skillet and heat over medium heat until they are golden brown. Let cool slightly.
3. Place the sunflower seeds into a food processor and let them process for 2-3 minutes. The texture will be like course sand.
4. Once you get a sand-like texture, add in the coconut oil, maple syrup, cinnamon, cloves, and salt.
5. After 5 minutes of processing, the butter will be blended but still too thick. Scrap the sides and let the maching run for 2-3 more minutes.
6. The finished butter will be smooth.

How to Serve Sunflower Butter to Kids

Sunflower butter is a delicious alternative to many foods where you might typically use peanut butter or other nut butters. My kids’ favorites include seed butter and jelly tortilla roll-ups, a seed butter and honey sandwich, or swirled into yogurt for a quick snack. Here are a few of our other faves:

• Spread on toast, bagels, or tortillas
• Swirled into yogurt parfaits or oatmeal
• Blended into a toddler and kid-approved favorite smoothie, like this Chocolate Peanut Butter and Hidden-Veggie Smoothie
• As a substitute in this hearty Banana Peanut Butter Oatmeal Bake
• For a simple teething treat for babies like these Peanut Butter Banana Melts

Get the recipe: Homemade Sunflower Seed Butter (The Only Version My Kids Will Eat)

5 stars (1 rating)

After one too many disappointing jars of store-bought sunflower seed butter, I decided to make my own – and I'm never going back. This creamy homemade version is made with toasted sunflower seeds, cozy spices, and a drizzle of maple syrup for a nut-free spread that's downright irresistible. It's also the only sunflower seed butter my kids will eat.

Yield: 20 servings (2 cups)

Prep: 10 minutes minutes

Cook: 10 minutes minutes

Total: 20 minutes minutes

Author: Michele Olivier

Course: Condiment

Cuisine: American

Diet: Gluten Free, Vegan

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Ingredients 

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• 2 cups raw sunflower seeds
• 2 tbsp coconut oil
• 2 tbsp maple syrup
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1/8 tsp cloves
• 1/8 tsp sea salt

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Instructions 

• In a medium pan, toast sunflower seeds over medium-low heat for 10 minutes or until seeds are golden brown, stirring frequently. Let cool slightly.
• Transfer the seeds to a food processor and run the machine for 2 minutes. The seeds will start to look like thick sand.
• Add in coconut oil, maple syrup, cinnamon, cloves, and salt.
• Run the food processor for another 7-8 minutes, scraping down the sides if needed. The Sunbutter will be thick at first, but as you get closer to the 7 minute mark, the butter will become smooth and creamy.
• Transfer to an air-tight container.

Notes

Yield: 2 cups

Storage: Store in an airtight container for 1 month. I like to keep my nut and seed butters in my pantry so they don’t get too thick, and they last me at least 1 month. You can also keep them in the fridge for longer storage.

Sunflower Seeds: If you can find unsalted, roasted sunflower seeds, you can use them in place of roasting your own. I can sometimes find these at Trader Joe’s or Whole Foods.

Recipe Tips:

• Choose raw, unsalted sunflower seeds as they’re often much lower in sodium than roasted seeds.
• Be patient when grinding sunflower seeds – it does take several minutes for the seeds to break down.
• If serving to babies or younger toddlers, make sure to prepare safely, as nut butters can be a choking hazard due to their thicker nature. To minimize the risk, blend seed butter until very smooth and mix with milk or breastmilk, water or yogurt to thin it. Or spread a very thin layer on crackers or toast.
• Feel free to get creative – experimenting with some tasty additions to this seed butter like chia seeds, hemp seeds, flaxseed, cocoa powder or vanilla is so much fun!

Calories: 93kcal, Carbohydrates: 3g, Protein: 3g, Fat: 8g, Saturated Fat: 2g, Sodium: 16mg, Potassium: 89mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 1g, Vitamin A: 7IU, Vitamin C: 1mg, Calcium: 13mg, Iron: 1mg

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Medically reviewed and cowritten by Jamie Johnson, Registered Dietitian Nutritionist (RDN), and Lauren Braaten, Pediatric Occupational Therapist (OT).