I've always wanted to try sunflower seed butter because I often see it on the shelves when I'm at Trader Joe's or those rare occasions I go to Whole Foods. I usually end up going with some kind of fancy peanut butter. My favorite is Peanut Butter and Co. Mighty Maple, but it's tough to find, so I usually end up with Justin's Honey Peanut Butter. Fun fact: Justin's is between $5-6 at Whole Foods. It's $13 at Safeway.
I'll let that settle in.
I never bought a jar of sunbutter because I don't want to not like it and have it go to waste. I'm not an almond butter person because I'll eat it with a spoon so I just don't buy it anymore. This sunflower seed butter reminds me of almond butter. I made it in the Vitamix because there was a "recipe" for it in the Vitamix cookbook. However, I've made peanut butter and almond butter in the food processor before and I would probably just use the food processor if I made this again. I love the Vitamix but because it's so vertical, I had to scrape down the sides a lot and that was time-consuming. With the food processor, you just turn it on and hope it doesn't overheat.
I added honey because I like the peanut butters that have a sweeter flavor, but I also drizzled some over the top the way you'd often do with hummus and olive oil.
This was tasty to eat with a spoon too.
Though, disclaimer alert...I didn't love it. I liked it. I would probably not eat it every day. I prefer Justin's Honey PB or that Mighty Maple crack stuff. However, if you're tempted to try sun butter and you don't want to spend x amount of dollars on a jar of pureed seeds, this is a good alternative. The bag of roasted, unsalted sunflower seeds cost me two dollars and I only used half of it in this recipe.
Honey Sunbutter
adapted from The Vitamix Cookbook
2 1/2 cups of roasted sunflower seeds (I used unsalted.)
1 T. honey, plus extra for drizzling
1/2 t. sea salt
2 T. coconut oil, melted
In a high-speed blend or food processor, mix all ingredients until smooth. Stop to scrape down the sides as needed. This took me about 20 minutes. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.