Sunflower Butter!
I love sunflower seed butter, aka sunbutter. These tiny seeds are the most concentrated source of our body’s primary fat-soluble antioxidant: vitamin E. Vitamin E is a potent anti-inflammatory with great cardiovascular benefits, plus it’s wonderful for your skin! Interestingly enough, some of the symptoms of vitamin E deficiency are digestive problems and nutrient malabsoption. If you are like me, the last thing you need is another factor contributing to digestive woes or anemia.
Sunflower seed butter is a great nut-butter alternative for those with allergies or people looking to diversify the nutrient content of their diet. My son’s daycare is entirely “nut-free” so I use sunflower seed butter or tahini often as a sandwich-filler.
Unfortunately most of the store bought sunflower seed butter is expensive and contains added sugar. My favorite store bought variety is the Organic Sunbutter because it’s unsweetened and very creamy. However, I almost always end up whipping up my own version of the spread using a mix of roasted and raw sunflower seeds. Trader Joe’s carries one pound bags of roasted and unsalted sunflower seeds for less than $2.00! The salted sunflower seeds often have way too much salt to make a palatable butter. You can also roast your own if you like.
My simple recipe:
- 1 lb Roasted Unsalted Sunflower Seeds
- 1/2 Cup Raw Sunflower Seeds (hulled of course)
- 1-2 TBS Virgin Coconut Oil (you could sub any oil or try without as well)
Whir all ingredients like crazy in your trusty food processor. When making nut or seed butter, I’ve found that you just have to be patient. Sometimes you need a little more oil to get the spread going. You could also use a Vitamix or Blendtech type high speed blender. I prefer to use the food processor because it’s easier to get nut/seed butters out after you make them.
Thanks for this information on making sunbutter and the nutrient benefits. We’re now living on a small island in the UK and the health food store is quite limited. I’ve considered ordering things online but, dang, nut and seed butters are expensive.
We don’t have a food processor here but I am thinking of buying one and starting to make butters (and other fun stuff!) with it. This is a great recipe and I appreciate the tips too.
Thanks!
I know what you mean about kitchen clutter though, gadgets can get overwhelming and they are definitely one of vices…kitchen stuff and jackets! I’ve actually kept the Kitchenaid mixer in the garage for over a year as a test to see if we can get rid of it (my husband is still holding out though).
Our food processor is probably our most used appliance! We eat a ton of nut/seed butters. I also make a lot of hummus and bean dips and use it for mixing up grain-free cookies or shredding vegetables.
I love your blog Rachel! Keep up the great work.