Sunflower butter facts for kids
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| Alternative names | Sunflower seed butter, sunbutter |
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| Type | Spread |
| Main ingredients | Sunflower seeds |
Sunflower butter, also called sunflower seed butter, is a creamy food paste. It is made from sunflower seeds. People often use sunflower butter instead of peanut butter, especially if they have peanut or tree nut allergies.
What is Sunflower Butter?
Sunflower butter is a popular spread that looks and feels a lot like peanut butter. It is made by grinding roasted sunflower seeds into a smooth paste. This makes it a great choice for people who cannot eat peanuts or other nuts.
The Story of Sunflower Butter
The idea of making sunflower butter in the United States started in the early 1980s. People wanted an alternative to peanut butter, especially for those with allergies. However, these first tries were not very successful. The butter sometimes looked green, had a strange texture, or tasted bitter because the seeds were not roasted enough.
About 20 years later, around the year 2000, scientists at the Agricultural Research Service in the U.S. Department of Agriculture tried again. They worked with a company called Red River Commodities. Their goal was to make sunflower butter that tasted and felt like regular peanut butter.
They focused on how much to roast the seeds and how much sugar, salt, and stabilizer (like certain oils) to add. Their hard work paid off! A company called SunGold Foods, Inc., which is part of Red River Commodities, launched their new sunflower seed butter in 2002. They called it SunButter. By 2011, SunButter was available in many big grocery stores.
Today, you can find many different brands of sunflower butter. Even some grocery stores make their own versions.
