This creamy and smooth Sunflower Butter is the perfect alternative to any peanut or almond butter. Toasted sunflower seeds are seasoned with cinnamon and cloves, and naturally sweetened with maple syrup for a seed butter you won’t believe is nut free!

Graphic for text - diy sunflower seed butter - nut free - full of flavor - school lunch. Image is oa white background with a white bowl and hand holding a spoon with sunbutter dripping off of it and a blue and white napkin.

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

Homemade Sunbutter

Ever since Ellie started going to a nut-free school, I have been playing around with making different seed butters.

This experiment started the lazy way. I went to the store and bought a $6 jar of sunbutter, took a big lick and almost gagged! Really?!?! That stuff was not good! I can’t believe kids would actually eat this stuff. So I took that as a challenge. Seed butter was about to get a makeover.

After 4 trial batches, the end result was a rich, creamy, spicy seed butter that rivals any almond butter out there. Just look at that golden brown jar of goodness!

This homemade sunflower butter will easily become your new nut butter staple for school lunches or afternoon snacks. You can even use it in place of peanut butter or nut butter for any recipe – peanut noodles with crispy tofu? Done! Sweet potato hummus? Totally! Yogurt and peanut butter fruit dip? Abso-frickin-lutely!

A white bowl of sun butter, with a hand, holding a spoon pulling some out.

Reasons to Love this Sunflower Butter

  • Made with pantry staples
  • Excellent source of vitamin E, fat, protein, and fiber
  • Naturally nut-free
  • Great for school lunches and snacks on-the-go
  • Perfect addition to sandwiches, tortillas, oatmeal or yogurt
  • Naturally sweetened
  • Customizable – add a dash of chia seeds, hemp seeds, flaxseed, cocoa powder, you name it!
  • Cost-friendly alternative to store-bought seed butters
Spread of ingredients on a white background to make spiced sunflower seed butter.

Ingredients

  • Sunflower seeds: raw, unsalted (or if yours are roasted, just skip the toasting step in the recipe)
  • Coconut oil: you can use any type, we’ll use a little bit to make the butter creamy and fluffy
  • Maple Syrup: use pure maple syrup for the best flavor and no artificial flavors
  • Cinnamon
  • Cloves
  • Sea Salt

Health Benefits of Sunflower Butter: Sunflower butter is a great healthy alternative to peanut butter since it is allergy friendly. It is a good source of fiber and protein and boasts tons of healthy fats and important vitamins and minerals like magnesium, copper, and vitamin E.

Step-by-Step Instructions

Is skillet against a white counter, filled with raw sunflower seeds.
If using raw sunflower seeds, add them to a medium skillet and heat over medium heat.
A skillet on a white countertop full of toasted sunflower seeds.
Let toast until golden brown and then let cool.
A food processor, full of toasted sunflower seeds against the white countertop.
Place the sunflower seeds into a food processor.
A food processor on a white countertop with ground up sunflower seeds.
Start processing the seeds. This is after one minute of processing.
A food processor with ground up sunflower seeds, and additional ingredients to make some butter.
Once you get a sand like texture, add in the coconut oil, maple syrup, cinnamon, cloves, and salt.
A food processor with a hand, holding a spoon over full of not quite done sun butter.
Tihs is after 5 minutes of processing and it still has a few minutes to go.
A hand, holding up a spoonful of smooth, sunflower seed, butter, over a food processor against a white background.
It will take 8-10 minutes to get this smooth texture.
Food processor, full of very smooth, sun, butter. Against a white countertop with a blue and white napkin.
Store in an air-tight jar and serve as you wish.
  1. If using unsalted roasted sunflower seeds, skip to step #3.
  2. For raw sunflower seeds, add them to a medium skillet and toast over medium-low heat until golden brown. Let cool slightly.
  3. Add the sunflower seeds to a food processor and blend until you have a fine sand texture.
  4. Next, add in the rest of the ingredients and continue to process for 8-10 minutes or until completely smooth.
  5. Store in an air-tight container and serve at will.

How to Use Sunflower Butter for 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, but here are several more ideas!

A kids, purple plate, full of sun, butter, toast, with banana, a side of yogurt, with cinnamon, and cut grapes against a white countertop.

How to Store

Store in air-tight container for 1 month. I like to keep my nut and seed butters in my pantry so they stay easy to spread and they last at least 1 month for me. You can also keep in the fridge for a longer storage time.

A bowl full of sunflower butter, on a white countertop, with a white and blue napkin with sunflower seeds scattered about.

Expert 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!
A bowl full of sunflower butter, on a white countertop, with a white and blue napkin with sunflower seeds scattered about.

Get the recipe: DIY Spiced Sunflower Seed Butter

5 stars (2 ratings)
This creamy and smooth Sunflower Butter is the perfect alternative to any peanut or almond butter. Toasted sunflower seeds are seasoned with cinnamon and cloves, and naturally sweetened with maple syrup for a seed butter you won't believe is nut free!
Yield: 20 servings (2 cups)
Prep: 10 minutes
Cook: 10 minutes
Total: 20 minutes
Author: Michele Olivier
Course: Condiment
Cuisine: American
Diet: Gluten Free, Vegan
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Ingredients 

  • 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

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.
    A skillet on a white countertop full of toasted sunflower seeds.
  • Transfer the seeds to a food processor or blender and run the machine for 2 minutes. The seeds will start to look like thick sand.
    A food processor on a white countertop with ground up sunflower seeds.
  • Add in coconut oil, maple syrup, cinnamon, cloves, and salt.
    A food processor with ground up sunflower seeds, and additional ingredients to make some butter.
  • 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.
    A hand, holding up a spoonful of smooth, sunflower seed, butter, over a food processor against a white background.
  • Transfer to an air-tight container.

Notes

Yield: 2 cups
Storage: store in an air-tight 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 at least 1 month for me. You can also keep in the fridge for a longer storage time.
Sunflower Seeds: if you can find unsalted roasted sunflower seeds, you can use that in place of roasting your own sunflower seeds. I can sometimes find these at Trader Joes or Whole Foods. 
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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