Wondering what to do with sunflower seeds? This guide covers how to pick them, cook them, store them, and swap them, plus 181 recipes to put them to work.

What are sunflower seeds?

Sunflower seeds are the small, mild, oil-rich kernels harvested from the sunflower's center. The gray-and-white striped shell is the snacking kind; the smooth gray kernel sold shelled is what goes into cooking and baking.

Their flavor is gentle and nutty, with a tender crunch that turns rich and toasty once you heat them.

They are also a genuine nutritional workhorse, high in vitamin E and healthy fats plus a useful dose of protein, which is why they show up in more than 170 recipes here.

Most of that range is salads, breads, granola, and vegetarian loaves, where the seeds add crunch and body without a strong flavor of their own.

How to Use Them

Toasting is the single best thing you can do with sunflower seeds. A few minutes in a dry skillet over medium heat, stirred until they smell nutty and turn golden, deepens their flavor and wakes up the crunch. The standalone Toasted Sunflower Seeds recipe is exactly this move.

Raw seeds work fine where they will cook anyway, as in the Good Granola that bakes them in, or kneaded into a loaf like Bread Machine Grain Bread.

For salads and slaws, add them at the very end so they stay crisp. They are the crunch in Chinese Coleslaw a la Poggi. Ground with a little oil they even blend into a spread, the idea behind Easy Sunflower Pate.

Pairing and a Common Pitfall

Sunflower seeds are mild enough to go almost anywhere: leafy greens, roasted vegetables, oats, honey, and dried fruit all welcome them. They are a reliable nut-free stand-in where allergies rule out almonds or walnuts.

One quirk to know: sunflower seeds can turn baked goods green. Their chlorogenic acid reacts with baking soda and heat to form a harmless blue-green tint. It is cosmetic only, but cut back on baking soda or add a little acid like lemon juice if it bothers you.

The other pitfall is salt. If you cook with salted snacking seeds, pull back on the salt elsewhere or the dish ends up too sharp. Use unsalted kernels for cooking when you can.

Substitutes

Pepitas (pumpkin seeds) are the closest swap, with a similar size and a comparable nutty crunch. Use them one-for-one.

Chopped almonds or walnuts work where allergies are not a concern, adding more distinct flavor. Hemp hearts or sesame seeds cover the seed-on-top role, though they are smaller and softer. For the nut-free crunch on a salad, toasted pepitas remain the best match.

Buying and Storing

Buy shelled kernels for cooking and in-shell seeds for snacking. Choose plump, uniform kernels and avoid any that look shriveled or smell sharp.

Because they are so high in oil, sunflower seeds go rancid faster than most pantry items. At room temperature shelled kernels stay fresh for a couple of months, but the oils oxidize from there.

A rancid seed smells like old paint or bitter oil. Trust your nose and toss the batch if it is off.

To keep them longer, store shelled seeds in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a year, or in the freezer beyond that. Toast only what you need, since toasted seeds turn rancid faster than raw ones.

Nutrition

Quick facts

Where to find sunflower seeds: Sunflower seeds are usually found in the snacks section or aisle of the grocery store or supermarket.

Food group: Sunflower seeds are a member of the Nut and Seed Products US Department of Agriculture nutritional food group.

In Chinese

葵花籽

British (UK) term

Sunflower seeds

en français

graines de tournesol

en español

semillas de girasol

How much do sunflower seeds weigh?

Amount	Weight
1 cup, with hulls, edible yield	46 grams
1 cup	144 grams

Related

Nut and Seed Products

Recipes using sunflower seeds

There are 181 recipes that contain this ingredient.

All 181 recipes

More sunflower seed recipes

• Apple Muffins 2
• Apple-Nut Cinnamon Streusel Cake
• Asian Cabbage Noodle Salad
• Asparagus Salad with Vinaigrette Chinoise
• Beet-Orange-Apple Salad
• Chinese Coleslaw a la Poggi
• Daily Bread
• Delicious Seed Bread
• Domates Dolmast
• Elizabeth's Broccoli Salad
• Four Dead in O-Hi-O Chili
• Hot Oatmeal
• Jasmine Rice with Dried Fruit
• Maple Glaxed Sweet Potatoes
• Maraschino Pecan Bread
• Multigrain Buns
• Nutty Oatmeal Bread
• Oil-Free Granola
• Ovo-Lacto: Spinach-Rice Casserole
• Power Bars
• Quick Wheat Bread
• Savoury Mashed Sweet Potato Patties
• Sesame Granola
• Simple Tofu Vegetables
• Spinach & Brown Rice Casserole
• Stir-Fried Vegetables with Tofu
• Sunflower Bread
• Sunflower Cookie Wedges
• Sunny Milk
• Veggie Sandwich Spread
• Vegiburgers in Pita Bread