Natural form
Raw hulled sunflower seeds in a small heap, showing pale grey-green teardrop shape.
Shows the seed's characteristic shape, size, and natural color so readers can identify the ingredient at a glance.
Seeds
Sunflower Seed
Crunchy, mild seeds for snacking, salads, and baking
Mild and crunchy, sunflower seeds snack from the shell, scatter over salads, and add texture to breads and granola. A cheap, nut-free crunch. Keep them airtight and cool.
Sunflower seeds are the kernels harvested from the center of the sunflower — small, teardrop-shaped, and mild, with a nutty, slightly sweet flavor that turns rich and toasty when roasted. They're one of the most affordable and allergy-friendly seeds (a common nut-free swap), which makes sunflower seed butter the go-to peanut-butter substitute for nut-free schools and kitchens. Beyond snacking on the salted whole kernels, they add crunch to salads, bread, and granola, and their pressed oil is a workhorse cooking fat. They're nutritionally generous — especially high in vitamin E and healthy fats, plus protein and minerals. One quirk worth knowing: their natural compounds can turn baked goods a harmless blue-green when they react with baking soda, a cosmetic surprise that's perfectly safe to eat.
- Measured in
- g
- Storage
- Airtight
Find it in
Types & varieties
Shelled seeds for baking, toasting, and butter — the cooking form.
The classic snack you crack and eat (ballpark seeds).
Ground kernels — a nut-free peanut-butter substitute.
How to toast & use
Toasting transforms mild raw sunflower kernels into something rich and nutty. They're a cheap, allergy-friendly way to add crunch and nutrition almost anywhere.
- Toast hulled kernels in a dry pan or oven 5–8 min until golden
- Scatter over salads, soups, and roasted vegetables for crunch
- Fold into bread, granola, and energy bars
- Blend toasted kernels into a nut-free seed butter
Good to know (the green tint)
Sunflower seeds contain chlorogenic acid that reacts with alkaline baking soda to turn batters a harmless blue-green — a quirk, not a spoilage sign. A touch of acid prevents it if the color bothers you.
- The blue-green tint in baked goods is harmless and safe to eat
- Add a little lemon juice or vinegar to the batter to prevent the color
- It's purely cosmetic — flavor is unaffected
- Most common when sunflower seeds meet baking soda
Common uses
Tips & pitfalls
- Toast sunflower seeds before using — they go from bland to richly nutty.
- Reach for them as a cheap, nut-free crunch in nut-allergy kitchens.
- Blend into a nut-free seed butter as a peanut-butter alternative.
- Don't panic if your muffins turn greenish — it's a harmless reaction with baking soda.
- Refrigerate or freeze to keep their oils from going rancid.
Nutrition
Energy
2582 kJ · per 100 g
Where the calories come from
Protein
17.3g
35% DV
Carbs
23.3g
8% DV
Fat
55.2g
71% DV
Fiber
5.7g
20% DV
Sugars
10.5g
of which
Sodium
331mg
14% DV
Source · USDA FoodData Central · Seeds, sunflower seed butter, with salt added (Includes foods for USDA's Food Distribution Program)
View on FDC →In the shops
Matched grocery products
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CHURRUCA · kg · Bonpreu
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€1.24BONPREU Raw Peeled Sunflower Seeds
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€1.99Peeled Raw Organic Sunflower Seeds
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€0.83Giant Toasted Salted Sunflower Seeds
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Good to know
- Flavor & texture
- Mild, nutty, slightly sweet; tender crunch, toasty when roasted
- How to toast
- Dry pan or 350°F (175°C) oven 5–8 min, tossing, until golden and fragrant
- Soak?
- No — toast for flavor; soak only if making sunflower seed cream/butter smoother
- Nutrition
- ~584 kcal/100g; ~21g protein, ~8.6g fiber; very high in vitamin E
- How to store
- Airtight, cool, dark a few months; refrigerate or freeze to keep the oils fresh
Substitutes
- Pumpkin seeds — A similar size and crunch; another seed-based, nut-free option.
- Pine nuts — Softer and richer for pesto and toppings (pricier).
- Chopped almonds — A nuttier crunch where tree nuts are fine.
Also called
semilla de girasol
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