Better Weight Loss: Maple Cinnamon Sunflower Seed Butter

This Maple Cinnamon Sunflower Seed Butter is nut-free, allergy-friendly and a fun way to change things up from traditional nut butter. Easy to make at home and perfect for nut-free schools and daycares.

*Originally published June 2015*

Hi Friends!

Back to school season is here and this Maple Cinnamon Sunflower Seed Butter is is must-try recipe. It’s an easy substitute for the peanut butter or almond butter you typically use toast or sandwiches with and it’s incredibly easy to make at home. Plus it’s perfect if your school or daycare is nut-free.

Although I typically prefer my nut butter to use just two ingredients, nuts and salt, I’ve decided that adding a couple extra ingredients to this version is worth it. Especially if your kiddos are used to eating peanut butter.

Sunflower seeds have a bit of a different taste and while they don’t taste bad, I’ve found that adding a little extra sweetness and flavor is helpful when introducing a new food like this. As they adjust to the taste, you can always decrease the amount of maple syrup you add.

Maple Cinnamon Sunflower Seed Butter

Maple Cinnamon Sunflower Seed Butter with toast and a clementine

For this seed butter, you need just a few simple ingredients:

Sunflower seeds – I made this with both roasted and raw sunflower seeds and prefer to use roasted. If you choose raw, you can toast the seeds in the oven for 10 minutes or so to help release their natural oils but for me, buying them roasted is easier because I can skip that step.
Cinnamon – Adds so much flavor.
Maple syrup – for sweetness. Start with a little and add more as needed.
Vanilla – Optional but another way to add flavor.
Salt – as much or as little as you’d like!

And that’s it! The maple, cinnamon and vanilla add a fun twist to classic, plain nut and seed butter. Use it on sandwiches, smoothies, or sauces or add to your morning oatmeal. And if you’ve never made nut or seed butter at home, consider this a kick in the pants, encouraging you to give it a try. And add some flavor to make things a little more exciting!

Here’s how you make it:

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Maple Cinnamon Sunflower Seed Butter

Scale
1x2x3x

Ingredients

2 cups sunflower seeds (I used roasted unsalted)
1–2 Tbsp maple syrup
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp vanilla extract, optional
pinch of salt

Instructions

Combine sunflower seeds, cinnamon and salt in a food processor and process 7-10 minutes until desired consistency is reached.
Add maple syrup and vanilla, if using. Pulse a few times to mix and transfer to storage container.

Notes

Don’t add the maple syrup or vanilla at the beginning as it may cause the seed butter to seize up.

If your sunflower seeds are raw, spread on a baking sheet at bake at 350 for 10 minutes prior to processing.

Did you make this recipe?

Tag @theleangreenbean on Instagram

Feel free to adjust the maple, cinnamon and vanilla to fit your flavor preference. Just know that if you add more liquid after you’ve already got it nice and creamy, it will probably seize up for a little while. Just let the processor continue to run and it will smooth back out! The batch in the pictures is made with raw sunflower seeds so it didn’t get quite as smooth as it does when you start with roasted sunflower seeds.