Sunflower butter—this rich, delicious seed butter is often used by humans as an alternative to peanut butter or a topping that shines on its own. But can dogs eat sunflower butter too? Yes! Sunflower butter is a healthy treat for dogs as long as it is fed to your dog in moderation. A spoonful of sunflower butter every once in a while is a delicious treat that might even have health benefits for your dog.
Let’s dive deep into why you might want to include sunflower butter in your dog’s diet.
What Is Sunflower Butter?
Sunflower butter is a creamy paste made of ground sunflower seeds. Each sunflower head contains up to 2,000 seeds that can be harvested and eaten plain or turned into sunflower butter. It’s often used as an alternative to peanut butter, but it has a rich taste that is all its own. You can find sunflower butter in stores or make it yourself in a food processor.
Sunflower Butter Benefits
There are lots of great reasons to include sunflower butter in your dog’s diet. It is high in fatty acids that can improve your dog’s skin and coat health. Sunflower butter also contains lots of vitamin E—this vitamin helps improve cell function and fat processing. It’s also high in B vitamins, copper, selenium, and manganese—all essential vitamins and minerals.
If your dog has a nut allergy or you have a peanut-free home, sunflower butter is a great alternative. It has a similar texture and nutritional profile to peanut butter, making it the perfect replacement.
Risks & Drawbacks
The biggest drawback of sunflower butter is that it is very calorie dense and high in fat. That makes it easy to overfeed your dog. One tablespoon of butter contains about 100 calories and 9 grams of fat. Because of that, you shouldn’t give your pup too much at once—it’s better as an occasional treat.
If you buy store-bought sunflower butter, you’ll want to check the ingredients list before you feed it to your dog. Some nut butters contain additives that can be harmful to dogs. Be extra sure your butter doesn’t have xylitol in it—this sugar alternative that is sometimes used in peanut butter and other nut butters is highly toxic to dogs.
Sunflower Butter Recipe
If you want to make sunflower butter for your dogs, the recipe is easy! Put sunflower seeds in a single layer on a baking sheet and roast at 350 degrees for 8–10 minutes. Let them cool slightly, then put them in your food processor. Process, scraping down the walls of your machine as needed until they form a slightly crunchy paste. Optionally, you can add a drizzle of dog-safe oil like olive oil, sunflower oil, or canola oil to bring the paste to a more traditional “peanut butter” texture. You can also add salt to taste—this isn’t necessary if you’re just making it for your dog, but if you want some, too, salt will improve the flavor.
Final Thoughts
Sunflower butter is a safe, healthy treat for dogs of all types. A little spoonful of sunflower butter will give your dogs lots of vitamins and minerals as well as a delicious flavor that dogs go wild for! You can make it yourself or buy it from the store, depending on your needs. Just be sure not to overfeed your dog—a little bit of sunflower butter goes a long way.
Featured Image Credit: ulleo, Pixabay
