Homemade Chocolate Sunflower Seed Butter aka Nut-Free ‘Nutella’
Silky smooth chocolatey goodness, this chocolate sunflower seed butter has NO refined sugar, making it perfect for breakfast or a snack, but it’s still sweet enough as dessert. Plus, it’s free of the top 8 food allergens, making it a great nut-free* Nutella alternative!
I have so much I want to tell you right now I don’t know where to start!!
1. School’s. Out. For. Suuuummmmmerrr!!!!!
(until my one summer class starts, but we’ll ignore that!)
2. BBQ season is almost here!!!! weeeee!
3. CHOCOLATE.
4. Seriouslyyyy CHOCOLATE!
5. It’s Recipe Redux time!!!
This is only my third month participating in Recipe Redux, but I have to say it inspires me!
If you haven’t seen my past Recipe Redux posts (here and here), you should totally check ‘em out!
Here’s how it works: Every month there’s a theme and group of health-minded bloggers share recipes reflecting that theme. This months theme is one of my favorites: DIY Kitchen Essentials…
“What favorite kitchen staples do you now make from scratch – but in the past you purchased? Show us your best DIY recipe for keeping cupboards, fridge or freezer stocked with healthy basics.”
If you’ve been a long-time reader, ((hiiii mom!)), you may remember my New Year’s resolution brief stint at wanting to make more basics at home instead of spending a pretty penny at the store.
1. I made my homemade sunflower seed butter that has become a staple in my fridge and is the base for this chocolatey heaven of a recipe that’s below. It has NO added sugar or preservatives, which tops my list of importance when I’m looking at packaged food products to purchase.
2. I made Italian breadcrumbs…another great staple that I think everyone should have in their pantry (so you’ll have extra money in your pocket!). I use these in my 4-ingredient eggplant balls, to bind together some veggie burgers, and sometimes just sprinkled into a salad for a whole grain crunch!
3. I make these nut-free lara bar copycats, because, well, snack bars are expensive and a little “made in a factory that uses tree nuts, peanuts…blah blah blah…” that those of us with food allergies know too well!
4. I try to always have a batch of my seed crackers on hand for a protein-packed alternative to a store-bought crunch!
Well, my back to the 1800s make everything from scratch thaaang may have been short lived (#gradschoolproblems), now I’m on break again, and the stars have aligned!
If you’re nut-free (and peanut-free) like me, the whole DIY thing is kind of necessary. Food allergies do that, #annoying, but it also provides for some creativity. If I actually knew what nutella “chocolate hazelnut spread” tasted like I’d probably never want to make my own (from what I’m told)!
My version is actually GOOD for you — I’m talking protein, healthy fats, antioxidants — so you can feel good about feeding it to your kids for breakfast…because even though the nutella commercials say you can give it to your kids for breakfast…c’mon…wayyyy too much sugar!
Not only can you now have chocolate for breakfast — heeaaaavennnn — but my chocolate sunflower seed butter is 100% food allergy friendly…which is perfect because it’s still Food Allergy Action Month!
This recipe is…
- Tree nut free*
- Peanut free
- Dairy free
- Egg free
- Grain free
- Gluten free
- Refined sugar free
- Vegan
- Paleo
…and TOTALLY delicious!
And it’s super simple to make…but does require a littttle bit of patience! After gently toasting your sunflower seeds, you’re going to process them to your desired consistency.
This time I added coconut oil instead of sunflower seed oil, but you can use whatever bland plant-based oil you have on hand. I chose coconut oil because it contains different types of fats from sunflower seeds, expanding the nutrient palate for this recipe, and I promise if you dislike coconut it doesn’t add ANY coconut flavor! If you realllly don’t like coconut, or have an intolerance to coconut (the FDA does consider coconut a tree nut, so it may not be safe for all people with tree nut allergies), feel free to sub sunflower oil.
Although I claim this recipe to be refined sugar-free because it is largely sweetened with dates, I did decide to use dark chocolate chips to really bump up the chocolatey flavor. You could sub cacao nibs for even less sugar added and a more raw feeling, or simply bump up the cocoa powder used, but there’s such a minimal amount added I think it’s really worth it. Plus, antioxidants, right? Another note — be sure to use unsweetneed cocoa powder.
I added ingredients sequentially, but you can simply throw everything into a larger food processor and let it whirl. I use my mini 4-cup processor to make seed butters so I don’t like to overwhelm the engine!
Now that I’ve talked your head off about this recipe…I thinkkkk I may have a new favorite blog recipe!…it’s time to get cookin’ processin’…because snack time will be here before you know it!
- 1 cup sunflower seeds
- 3 medjool dates, chopped (soaked in water for 10 minutes if not soft)
- 1 ½ tablespoons coconut oil*, divided
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract or ½ of the inside of a vanilla bean
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- 1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 ½ tablespoons dark chocolate chips (I used Enjoy Life)
- *The FDA considers coconut a tree nut. If you are allergic, please substitute sunflower oil. Thanks!
- Dry roast sunflower seeds for 4 minutes at 325ºF.
- As soon as you remove the seeds from the oven, add them to food processor and process for about 3 minutes. A gritty texture should form.
- Then add dates, half of the coconut oil, vanilla and salt. Continue to process until creamy texture begins to form. Stop to scrape down the sides and add more coconut oil to thin out mixture as you continue to process.
- While processing, microwave chocolate chips for 30 seconds so they can easily become incorporated into your seed butter.
- Add unsweetened cocoa powder and chocolate chips to your food processor and continue to process until desired consistency forms. Patience is important…your desired creamy texture will form as you continue to process the seed butter! Be wary of adding more oil than listed to speed up the process.
- Store in a covered glass jar or airtight container at room temperature or in the refrigerator. If stored in the refrigerator, let warm to room temperature before eating. Enjoy!
Now seriously tell me you don’t want a bite of that?!
What DIY kitchen essential do you always like to have on hand?
XO
What did I do wrong? I processed and scraped for about an hour long and it just wouldn’t become ‘runny’. It was still sticky and lumpy, not like your pictures at all. Do you think it’s my processor? I have a Hamilton and it’s not the cheapest… or was it my patience?
Hi Sophie…sorry to hear you had some trouble. Everyone’s food processors are different, so that could be it (it takes A LOT of patience sometimes), but maybe you just needed to add a little bit more liquid (water or oil) to help everything smooth out. If you still have what you made, add a little liquid and let me know if that helps!
Hi Chelsey, thank you for the advice! I did add some water to the mixture but that only made it worse. The water all gathered on the bottom of the container. I do think you have a great recipe so I will try it once more. I’ve been craving chocolate spread, luckily so far I’ve been succesfully avoiding the Nutella aisles!
I’m sorry it did not work out for you! If you try again and it doesn’t work, please let me know and I will have to re-test the recipe to make some adjustments! Good luck!
So I tried again, yesterday… the whole day long! Haha, those nuts just don’t want to release their oils! I got the same sticky lumpy mess, and after doing some research I think it might be because I am not roasting the nuts long enough prior to processing them, even though 4 minutes is what your recipe says to do. Maybe I’ll try it a third time in a long long time from now 😉
So your difficulty with the recipe was really troubling me, so I went back to the recipe, re-made it, and was going to tell you the same thing! You want to be careful not to burn the seeds, but make sure when you remove them from the oven that you see some of the oils released. This way they grind to a smoother paste with less added oil (that will just separate and rise to the top). Also, I find this recipe MUCH easier to make in a larger food processor (10-12 cup versus 4-cup). I have NO idea why, but I always get creamier results that way! I hope all of this helps…good luck!!! 🙂
I plan on trying out this recipe for myself (a newly developed tree nut allergy makes Nutella a no-no, which I guess finally forced me to kick that addiction). However, I’m thinking of mixing up a batch to ship to my nephew, too! Any idea how long this might last after it’s made? I’d hate for it to go rancid on them shortly after receiving it, and I’m sure they’d also appreciate me being able to slap an expiration date on it for them. 🙂
Thanks for the recipe! Yours contains the fewest processed ingredients I’ve seen, so it’ll be the one I go with.
Hi Erin! The jar only lasted about a week in my house, so unfortunately, I can’t give you a straight answer, but at least a week? However, there’s nothing in the recipe that I think would spoil before 2 weeks, if refrigerated upon arrival. Sorry I couldn’t be more help! Enjoy!! 🙂
just wanted to say thank you for sharing your recipe. I’m vegan and my 8 week old son has had a hell of a time with digestive issues via breast milk so I have had to eliminate gluten, soy, and all nuts including coconut from my diet. eating out or eating processed food is no longer an option. little things like nut butters boy do I miss and have discovered sunflower butter. this recipe will satisfy some cravings for sure.
Thanks for your kind words Kelly…you just made my day 🙂 I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as I do! Just an FYI…Definitely swap out coconut oil and use sunflower/safflower oil instead if you’re worried about coconut allergies too! Good luck…I know how tough living with food allergies can be!
nutella= heaven! I have a healthy recipe for nutella too and LOVE IT
xoxo Sarah Grace, Fresh Fit N Healthy.
This is so what I needed- thank you!
This recipe looks amazing and all of these photos are stunning! Those strawberries and pieces of toast with this butter…OMG- so good!
Thanks so much Sonali! Have a great weekend! 🙂
Well, I’d pretty much put this on everything. I have a big old bag of sunflower seeds in the pantry so this recipe is clearly calling my name.
Oh yes! I highly recommend it on a banana…maybe with a few extra chocolate chips for dessert!
I love love Nutella and I don’t have any nut allergies but you have so made me want to try this.
You’ll have to let me know what you think Corina! I’ve never had nutella so no promises on identical flavor, but it’s gotten rave reviews!! Have a great weekend!
This looks so good and your pictures are beautiful
Thanks so much Allie!
I have to stop myself from buying Nutella because I will eat it by the spoonful- this nut free version is definitely one I need to try asap!
You’ll have to let me know what you think, Jess! As I’ve never had Nutella I’m sure they’re quite different, but still delicious!
Wow, chocolate sunbutter sounds amazing! Love this!
Thanks Kelly!
So many things I like about this post: All the pics! All the other staples you’ve made from scratch. That i learned you can use cocoa nibs in recipes for flavor (beyond just the whole nib!) The recipe: YUM!
Aww thanks Serena, such sweet words! 🙂
I have some sunflower seeds I got on sale and then couldn’t decide what to do with them. Now I know exactly what I’m going to make!! This sounds amazing and such a great alternative to pb or nutella, yummmm 🙂
Yes! Perfect use of them! You’ll have to let me know what you think!