Should Sunflower Butter Be Refrigerated?

You have some sunflower butter in your pantry, or you just decided to try it for the first time. You probably want to make sure to use the butter before it goes bad, including proper storage of the product. We pulled together information from sunflower butter manufacturers to bring you guidance on whether or not it should be refrigerated.

Sunflower butter does not need to be refrigerated if purchased from the store. Homemade sunflower seed butter should be refrigerated. Store-bought seed butter contains hydrogenated oils and preservatives. Putting sunflower butter in the fridge will make it last longer and stay fresher.  

Do you still have more questions about refrigerating sunflower better? Not to worry, we'll discuss it in more detail below. We'll also cover other related questions when it comes to storing your sunflower butter, so be sure to keep reading.

How Do You Store Sunflower Seed Butter?

Store-bought sunflower butter should contain some preservatives and hydrogenated oils. According to the SunButter website, you can safely store their product at room temperature. The website does not suggest there is a benefit to refrigerating, but other sources indicate that the product will stay fresh for a longer time if refrigerated. Refrigerating will also keep the oil mixed in while storing at room temperature will cause the oil to rise to the top. There is no problem with this, but it will require stirring every time you use the sunflower seed butter.

Homemade sunflower seed butter can be made at home but should be stored in the refrigerator. In order to make sunflower seed butter, you should bake hulled sunflower seeds. Then you put them in a food processor with salt. You may add butter or oil to make the butter more creamy. You can also add some sugar to make the final product a little sweet, like store-bought peanut butter. Click here to check out a delicious recipe.

SunButter Sunflower Seed Spread 16 Oz.

Click here to buy SunButter Sunflower Seed Spread at Amazon. 

How Long Does Sunflower Butter Last?

Sunflower butter lasts 1 year after the date of manufacture according to the SunButter website. Homemade nut and seed butter can last up to one month in the refrigerator and should not be stored at room temperature. There isn't a way to tell if sunflower seed butter has expired by its appearance, but you should avoid eating the butter if there is a sour or rancid smell.

Click here to buy Once Again Organic Sunflower Seed Butter from Amazon. 

How To Tell If SunButter Is Bad?

SunButter has a longer shelf life than sunflower seeds. SunButter expires one year from the date it is manufactured. It contains preservatives and is very unlikely to go bad before the expiration date. You can tell sunflower seeds are bad from a rancid or sour smell.

The same smell would apply to bad SunButter or other brands of sunflower seed butter. If there is no off-smell, then you can taste a small amount. Make sure there isn't an off-flavor before you eat larger amounts of sunflower seed butter.

What To Do When The Butter Separates

You may be concerned that your sunflower butter has gone bad when you open the jar to find oil resting on top. This is a natural separation that occurs at room temperature. Stir the butter and the oil together thoroughly and store in the fridge to keep the separation from occurring.

Peanut butter is most often made with palm oil, which is a hydrogenated oil that does not separate when left out of the fridge. Sunflower seed butter is more often made with other kinds of oil, which contains less saturated fat.

Benefits of Sunflower Seed Butter

Sunflower seed butter is often compared to peanut butter and can be used in place of peanut butter in recipes. People who have nut allergies are unable to eat peanut butter, almond butter, and many other nut butters. Sunflower seed butter is typically processed in a different facility to avoid cross-contamination for those with nut allergies. If you are making food for large groups of people, using sunflower seed butter instead of peanut butter will prevent any allergic reactions.

Recipes With Sunflower Butter

Sunflower seed butter is a great alternative to peanut butter and other tree nut butters that may cause allergies. Sunflower seed butter also contains less saturated fats but contains about 30 more calories per serving. It can be used in more ways than peanut butter from sweet desserts to savory meals. Here are several tasty recipes for you to try with your sunflower seed butter.

Savory

Gluten-Free Thai-Style Asparagus - This recipe from SunButter uses 4 tablespoons of sunflower seed butter along with honey, tamari, and a few other ingredients to make this tasty asparagus dish.

Roasted Pumpkin Feta Salad - This recipe from SunButter uses 1 tablespoon of sunflower seed butter along with cubed pumpkin and feta cheese for this delicious, savory salad.

Spicy SunButter Noodles - This recipe from Oatmeal With a Fork uses 2 tablespoons of sunflower seed butter with noodles, fresh veggies, and ginger for a Thai food-inspired dish.

Sunflower Seed Butter Stir-Fry - This recipe from Chelsea Amer uses 1/4 cup and 2 tablespoons of sunflower seed butter to make a tasty sauce for covering vegetables in a stir-fry.

Sweet

Oatmeal Chocolate Chip SunButter Cookies - This recipe from Vegan Richa contains 1/4 cup of sunflower seed butter to make these sweet, delicious oatmeal cookies.

SunButter Brownies (Vegan and Paleo) - This recipe from Feasting on Fruit incorporates 1 cup of sunflower seed butter to make these chocolatey brownies with flax "eggs."

Healthy SunButter Cookies - This recipe from Delightful Mom Food uses 1 cup of SunButter to make these tasty cookies with a mix of maple and sunflower seed butter flavor.

Sunflower Seed Butter Recipes

Creamy Sunflower Seed Butter - This recipe from Simply Recipes uses brown sugar and a hint of vanilla extract with hulled sunflower seeds to make your own homemade sunflower seed butter.

Sunflower Seed Butter - This recipe from Alpha Foodie is the most basic version of sunflower seed butter that contains only one ingredient. This recipe will walk you through the steps of roasting the hulled seeds and processing the roasted seeds in your food processor.

Click here to buy Terrasoul Organic Hulled Sunflower Seeds from Amazon. 

In Closing

Sunflower seed butter lasts for 1 year from the date of manufacturing, according to SunButter's website. If you decide to get sunflower seeds and process them into butter, then the finished product should stay good for about one month in the refrigerator. SunButter and other store-bought brands do not need to be stored in the refrigerator, but it will maintain freshness longer when stored in a cool place.

For more information on food storage tips, check out these other articles from Kitchen Seer.

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