Have you ever made really good homemade Sunbutter (aka – sunflower seed butter)?
If not, you are in for a treat! As a long-time peanut butter lover (understatement), I have really picky ideas of what sunbutter should taste like. I have made a bunch of variations on this recipe until I finally nailed it with this combo and I think it’s awesome.
The secret ingredient in this How to Make Sunbutter tutorial is Ghee.
Now, I know that kind of sounds like a pain in the butt thing to either have to make something else first or buy something you don’t usually use. I am telling you that the addition of just a couple teaspoons of Ghee turns ordinary sunbutter into a rich, creamy and yes, buttery treat you will be swiping fingerfuls from every time you open the fridge.
BTW-Aren’t these photos stunning? They are the work of the ever-talented Pamela Bolig, who is slowly, steadily and very patiently giving me photography lessons. She did what I always strive to do (but don’t accomplish nearly enough) with my food photos- she made the dish look as good as it tastes.
NOTES:
- If you are Vegan, try substituting extra light olive oil. If you want to use organic virgin coconut oil, please note that I have found that it needs a lot more sweetener.
- Store in a glass container in the fridge for up to two weeks.
- You may need more salt or more sweetener depending on your taste preference but don’t add more Ghee (or oil) until you have fully processed this as the seeds really need time to release their oils.
- This Homemade Sunbutter is Paleo and naturally Gluten-Free.
RECIPES THAT USE SUNBUTTER
Sunflower Seed Butter and Chocolate Chip Banana Bread
Did you make this recipe? Please give it a star rating below!
How To Make Sunbutter. Paleo Sunbutter
- 1 pound raw sunflower seeds
- 3/4 teaspoon sea salt
- 1 Tablespoon pure maple syrup
- 2 teaspoons ghee
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Preheat oven to 350F. Divide sunflower seeds up on two baking sheets.
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Roast for 4 minutes. Rotate trays and toss seeds. Place back in the oven and roast for another 4 minutes.
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Carefully transfer to a food processor (or high powered blender) and add sea salt.
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Process for about 1 minute until seeds become powdery.
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Process 16 to 18 minutes, stopping every 2 minutes to scrape down the sides.
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Add the ghee and maple syrup at about the halfway point. Here are some photos of what this looks like.
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This might sound like a lot but it takes a while for the sunflower seeds to release their oil.
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If you stop too soon, the sunbutter will NOT be creamy.
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Trust me on this and be patient.
Did you make this recipe? Tag @EverydayMaven on Instagram with the hashtag #EveryDayMaven and please give a star rating below.
STUFFT Cuisine says
I tried making Sunbutter without a recipe. It started off too dry and then (after a little bit of this and a little bit of that) ended up super gummy. Yuck! Your recipe totally saved the day. Great suggestions on roasting the seeds and using ghee as the oil! Thanks.
EverydayMaven says
So glad to hear it worked for you! Enjoy 🙂
EverydayMaven says
So glad to hear it worked for you! Enjoy 🙂
Angela says
I needed Sunbutter for a batch of Sunshine sauce from Well Fed, I just knew almond butter wouldn’t cut it. I found your recipe and it saved the night! I was able to make it while I worked on the other parts of dinner, then it was ready just in time to make the sauce. We hadn’t even had sunbutter yet, it does remind me so much of peanut butter, which I really miss. So I will be making another batch just for snacking as soon as I can get more sunflower seeds. Oh, and the Sunshine sauce was great too, I recommend it!
Thanks for being one of the many awesome bloggers that share your recipes to take the guess work out of even what may seem ‘basics’ for the rest of us!
EverydayMaven says
I have heard amazing things about WF’s Sunshine Sauce. I have got to try it one of these days! So glad the SunButter worked out for you 🙂
Joy says
This has been my go-to recipe for sunbutter for months, but I never commented. This week I got some store-bought sunbutter on a great sale and discovered something awesome – I like this version SO MUCH BETTER than store-bought!! So thank you for this recipe! I can’t wait to make it again.
EverydayMaven says
You are so welcome Joy! So glad you love it and thanks for commenting and letting me know – I appreciate hearing it 🙂
Kristy says
I can’t have dairy – can this be made with coconut oil?
EverydayMaven says
Hi Kristy,
I have tried it with coconut oil and wasn’t crazy about the flavor but you may like it! It certainly “works” in regards to the correct amount of oil so it will just be a matter of personal taste. Good Luck!
Courtney says
Could you substitute grass-fed butter for ghee?
EverydayMaven says
Absolutely Courtney but make sure it is soft or at room temp.
Alaine says
If someone (not me, of course! lol) accidentally bought roasted sunflower seeds, do you think it would still turn out ok? 🙂
EverydayMaven says
Hi Alaine!
I am re-posting my response from below to Sarah:
Hi Sarah,
You could use a bit of liquid Stevia. I wouldn’t recommend using already roasted nuts as they are most likely roasted in canola or sunflower oil, you have no control over how much oil is on them, they nuts could be very dry and old. There are so many variables that will impact the texture and final taste.
Lisa says
THANK YOU! I love Sun Butter but hadn’t ever made it with Ghee or Maple syrup…..it turned out wonderful! I roasted my sunflower seeds on the stove constantly stirring for about 3 minutes and that process worked well to get the seeds nicely brown! Thanks for posting–love the pics too!
EverydayMaven says
So glad to hear it Lisa – thanks so much for stopping by to let me know 🙂