How to Make Salted Sunflower Seeds

Salted sunflower seeds are available in most grocery stores and are quite inexpensive, but there are still good reasons to make your own. If you grow your own sunflowers in your garden, roasted sunflower seeds can provide a budget-friendly snack for your family. Store-bought salted sunflower seeds may be too salty for your taste or not as flavorful as you'd like. By roasting your own salted sunflower seeds, you can adjust the salt level and roasting time to suit your tastes or add extra ingredients for an interesting twist on this popular snack.

Things You'll Need

• Raw in-shell sunflower seeds
• Water
• 1/4 cup salt
• Large bowl
• Colander or strainer
• Paper towels
• Baking pan or cookie sheet
• Additional seasonings (optional, see Tips)

Instructions

1. Sort the raw sunflower seeds, removing any that are unusually small or flat, or that have holes in the shell. Check carefully---tiny holes are often caused by insect larvae.

2. Combine 1 quart of water and 1/4 cup salt in a bowl and mix until salt is completely dissolved. Use less or more salt if desired. You will need additional salt water if you plan to roast more than one pound of sunflower seeds.

3. Soak the sunflower seeds in the salt water at room temperature for 8 hours or overnight.

4. Drain the sunflower seeds in a colander or strainer and pat with paper towels to remove excess moisture.

5. Spread the sunflower seeds evenly in a baking pan or cookie sheet. Don't add more than a single layer of seeds.

6. Roast in a preheated oven at 300 degrees F for 30 to 40 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the shells are lightly browned and the seeds are fragrant. You can roast the seeds a darker if you prefer, but take care not to burn the seeds.

Tips & Warnings

• Try mixing in one or more of these extra seasonings before roasting the seeds: 1/2 to 1 tsp. black pepper, 1 Tbsp. lime juice, 1 Tbsp. chili powder, 1 tsp. dried dill, 1 tsp. ground caraway seed, 1 Tbsp. honey.

• Keep a close eye on the sunflower seeds while they roast. Some varieties burn faster than others.