Ariana Losch
One brand, hands down, makes the best sunflower butter you can buy. Can you guess it? (Probably; it’s not that hard, given the context clues.) Still, we loved two other brands enough to show them a little love on this ranking, too.
How we found the sunflower seed butter for our taste test
I’m not going to launch into a big history lesson here, but it is worth noting that for many years, only one brand of sunflower butter existed—and that was SunButter, which only launched in 2003. Now, over 20 years later (as a millennial, that sentence hurts to write), there are a few more options out there from places like Trader Joe’s, Sprouts, and smaller retailers online. I bought up as many sunflower seed butters as I could find (around 12 jars) to pick out and recommend the very best.
What we looked for in the best sunflower seed butter
- Balanced, roasted flavor: Sunflower butter has an inherent bitterness that can be balanced with the right mix of added salt, sugar, etc.
- Thick, creamy base: Anything too runny (or too hard) won’t be recommended here!
- Bonus points for stirring ease: It’s true that you only have to stir a jar of sunflower butter once before popping it in the fridge, which should keep the creamy texture intact. But I’m still a little salty about how sore my arm got after this taste test. Stirring shouldn’t feel like a battle!
Here are the four best sunflower butters from our taste test!
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- Trader Joe’s Sunflower Seed Spread
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TJ’s calls this a “sunflower seed spread,” because she’s not like other girls. In reality, the ingredients are pretty much the same as other brands: sunflower seeds, powdered sugar, and salt. (If anything, it has a slightly more noticeable sweetness from the powdered sugar.) Compared to our #1, this doesn’t have the smoothest flavor balance—it hits a bit too bitter at the end—but that’s par for the course. If you shop at TJ’s and need a good allergen-friendly alternative to nut butters, you can feel good about picking this up!
Credit: Merc / Trader Joe’s
- Sprouts Creamy Sunflower Butter
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With 99mg of sodium and 3g of salt, Sprouts sunflower butter leans a little salty in the best way. I highly recommend this one with sweeter fruits or any recipes with chocolate. Plus, Sprouts’ sunflower butter is among the least bitter of the bunch—very on par with SunButter and much more balanced than Trader Joe’s. Also, can I be real with you guys? Most of the sunflower butters I’m recommending have a pretty similar consistency, especially if you stir with purpose (and grit) (and determination) (and like your life really, truly depends on it). Sprouts, TJ’s, and SunButter all have a nice, even creaminess that isn’t runny or stiff. What it all really comes down to is flavor—specifically, aftertaste. And that’s where our top two reach perfection.
Credit: Merc / Sprouts
- SunButter Crunchy
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Look, no one does sunflower seed butter quite like SunButter. As a crunchy peanut butter girl myself, this is the jar I would personally buy again. It’s basically everything we loved about the flavor of SunButter (hey, more on that below), with delightfully crunchy seed morsels mixed in to hold my interest. I almost put this product in first place, but I recognize my bias here.
Credit: Merc / Walmart
- SunButter Sunflower Creamy Butter
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This, ladies and gents, is what a smooth finish tastes like. I’m not sure if it’s the quality of the seeds they use, their specific roasting process, or just the mixture of added sugar and salt, but unlike other brands, SunButter manages to almost eliminate any bitter aftertaste. I liked the flavor of their OG jar just as much as this creamy version, but honestly, this one is much easier to stir. It’s the closest in texture to Jif and Skippy that you’re going to find. SunButter’s seniority pays off, guys. It’s still the best sunflower butter on the market, and that’s that.
Credit: Merc / Walmart
Best for TJ’s Shoppers
Best Salty
Best Crunchy
Best of the Best
Other sunflower butters we tried:
SunButter Natural SunButter, SunButter No Sugar Added SunButter, Sprouts Unsweetened Creamy Sunflower Butter, Sprouts Organic Unsalted & Unsweetened Creamy Sunflower Butter, SunButter Organic SunButter, Once Again Organic Creamy Sunflower Hemp Butter With Hemp Oil, Laurel’s Sunflower Butter, Full Circle Butter Sunflower Creamy
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Thoughts? Questions? Complete disagreement? Leave a comment!