This Sunflower Pumpkin Seed Butter is nut-free, full of healthy fats, and the perfect addition to your pantry of butters.
Monday! You came too soon. I was having a rather productive bloggity blog weekend, with the perfect balance of finishing Season 6 of Dexter (OMGGGG) and cleaning up my messy kitchen from said blogging. Didn’t QUITE get around to all the laundry I had meant to do… or clean up the spare bedroom, which we call “my bedroom”. Essentially it is just another closet for my random belongings, and more clothing. Okay, looking back I wasn’t that productive for everything I had on my list of things to do. I need another day. For those of us that work a M-F, 9-5 gig I feel this is always the case. Can’t corporate America just let people have Friday’s off for goodness sake? I promise I’ll be more productive the rest of the week ?
Anyways, HI. How are you? Today’s post is rather random in that it’s not what I originally had planned today (AKA still working on that damn cookie), but it actually helped me prepare Wednesday’s post… I was running dangerously low on nut butters, and didn’t feel like running out to the store. Nor did I have enough nuts to even make my own. What I DID come across though, was two bags of sunflower seeds and some pumpkin seeds in my pantry. HOLLA ? nut-free butter here we come.
This Sunflower Pumpkin Seed Butter comes together pretty much just like my cashew butter. It takes approximately 30 minutes from start to finish. After you roast the raw seeds in the oven for about 10 minutes, you then just process and process away until smooth creamy butter forms.
Sunflower seeds can have a slightly bitter taste to some, so I recommend adding in vanilla or almond extract. You can also add in a sweetener, such as honey, brown rice syrup, or coconut sugar as well. Sunflower and pumpkin seeds aren’t naturally sweet like cashews, so if you plan on having this plain on toast, or looking for a nut-free snack to give to kids, I would definitely recommend adding a sweetener to appease the taste buds. I opted for the coconut sugar, but I’ve added honey in my cashew butter before and it worked out just fine.
Sunflower Pumpkin Seed Butter
- Prep Time: 10 mins
- Cook Time: 15 mins
- Total Time: 25 mins
- Yield: 16oz jar 1x
- Category: butter
Ingredients
- 2 cups sunflower seeds, raw unsalted
- 1 1/2 cups pumpkin seeds, raw unsalted
- 2 tsp coconut oil
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- optional:
- 3 TBS raw honey or brown rice syrup
- 4 TBS coconut sugar
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325F and place seeds on large baking sheet. Spread evenly in one layer and toast for 8-10, or until lightly golden. Let seeds cool in pan for 10 minutes.
- Place slightly cooled seeds in bowl of food processor and cover with lid. Process for about 10 minutes, scraping down the sides of the bowl periodically if necessary. Add sweeteners here if using and process until smooth.
- Once seeds have turned into a slightly creamy consistency, with the motor running, add 2 tsp of coconut oil and process the sunflower pumpkin seed butter for another 5 minutes, or until desired consistency.
- Transfer sunflower pumpkin seed butter to jar with lid. Butter can be stored in fridge or pantry.
Notes
-Refer to images in post for what butter should look like at various stages.
-I have a 12 cup Breville food processor, and 3.5 cups of total seeds allowed me just enough to have the blades work properly while grinding down the seeds. I wouldn’t recommend using less than 3.5 cups in a 12 cup bowl, or you may not achieve a creamy consistency in the end.
*prep time refers to oven time for toasting
*cook time refers to time in processor
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 tbsp
- Calories: 185
- Sugar: 1
- Sodium: 210mg
- Fat: 12
- Saturated Fat: 2
- Unsaturated Fat: 7
- Trans Fat: 0
- Carbohydrates: 14
- Fiber: 1
- Protein: 7
- Cholesterol: 0
TOOLS USED for this recipe
Standard 11×17 Baking Sheet
Is it weird to have a butter collection (of the nut and seed variety)? I think if I could be a nut & seed butter taste tester for a living, I would. Who’s with me?! ?
Have fan-freaking-tastic day, party people.
P.S. If you’re wondering where you can use this Sunflower Seed Pumpkin Butter, check out these recipes below :
No-Bake Gingerbread Protein Bars
Blueberry Coconut Oat Energy Balls
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Jess @hellotofit says
It’s offish. You are the nut/seed butter queen! I still need to get over myself and try making it at home….
Ashley says
YES DO IT! But I know what you mean, it took me FOREVER to officially get on it.
Sam @ PancakeWarriors says
I get so impatient when I make seed bitter I end up throwing in 1-2 the coconut oil within the first 2 minutes. It seems to speed the process up a lot. Dave has a tree nut allergy so I make him vanilla cinnamon sunbutter almost weekly and yes you definitely need something sweet in there. Hope your cookie recipe gets better lol.
Ashley says
Oh cinnamon sounds lovely! I’m sure I’ll have variations coming soon 😉 And THANKS. That freaking cookie better be worth it :-p
whitney says
this looks absolutely delicious!
Ashley says
Thanks Whitney!
Margaret @ youngandrungry says
My oh myyyyy this looks like heaven! I’m a huge fan of the taste of sunflower seed butter especially to bake with since it’s less sweet and brings a totally different different element to the taste! I’ve got to make my own soon especially with pumpkin seeds!
Ashley says
Totally agree Margaret! It does bring something different than almond or cashew butter when baking.
GiGi Eats says
Oh man! My fingers would never ever get out of that jar if it was near me! LOL!
★★★★★
Ashley says
lol, that was me while taking photos :-p
Les @ The Balanced Berry says
I LOVE SUNBUTTER. And have never thought to make my own! #duh…must try ASAP.
And I agree, a four day work week would be ideal. Especially for bloggers. Get on it Corporate America 😉
Ashley says
lol it’s funny sometimes the things “we” (food bloggers) miss 😉
Carly @ Fitliving blog says
Ummm…. yes please!! I love the pics of what it looks like at different stages. I often get discouraged when it’s not creamy enough… patience!
Ashley says
Thanks Carly! Pictures stages are definitely helpful for the first go around making nut butter.
Sarina says
Are you taking the shells off pumpkin seeds or leaving them on?
Ashley says
This recipe is made with pepitas, so shells off.