Seeds For A Reason: Which Seed Butter To Use When

It used to be that it was peanut butter or well, peanut butter if you wanted a protein-packed spread to slather on your toast. Then came a whole load of different types of nut butter, but even these have become old news. Seed butters are the way forward and whether you like the taste of sesame or the consistency of sunflower, there’s a seed butter out there for you.

If you’re new to this world, then it’s worth knowing when to use each of the different butters. Read on to find out about their benefits and the recipes to make use of their unique properties.

Sunflower seed butter is a popular alternative to peanut butter, as it has the same texture and a mild flavour. In households where someone suffers from a peanut allergy, you’ll often find sunflower seed butter instead. For a vitamin E-rich smoothie, make this thick and delicious concoction from Blissful Basil. It’s so tasty you’ll forget it’s good for you.

We might be relatively new to sesame seed butter in the UK, but tahini, as it’s also known, has been a staple of Middle Eastern cooking for centuries. If you’ve made your own hummus before and it doesn’t quite taste right, it’s probably because you didn’t add the tahini. To get that delicious authentic taste, follow this recipe by Deliciously Ella and be sure not to skimp on the sesame seed butter. It’s full of vital nutrients, like zinc, calcium and magnesium, so it’s pretty good if you’re trying to be a healthy vegan.

For people who love the taste of pumpkin seeds it won’t be a surprise that the resulting butter is also delicious. All the phosphorus, manganese and iron remains, making it a super healthy option too. If you don’t want to just scoop it up on a few sticks of celery, then you can use it to thicken soups, like this one from This Week in the Garden. It’s a great way to add a bit more flavour to veggies like cauliflower and cabbage.

If you’re on the hunt for the next superfood, then we think we might have found it. In just two tablespoons of watermelon seed butter you’ll get more than ten per cent of your daily iron requirement and a whopping eight grams of protein. Substitute the peanut butter for watermelon seed butter in these no bake energy bites from Gluten Free on a Shoestring to add it to your diet.

Of all the seed butters, hemp is probably the hardest sell, as it’s a bit gritty, but it’s chock full with essential fatty acids that lower heart disease risk. That makes it pretty good if you’re going for a really healthy lifestyle, then making a dressing out of hemp seed butter and putting it on your salad is a pretty smart move. The Spruce Eats shows you how to make a hemp vinaigrette, but if you use the butter, it’ll be a bit thicker.