Sunbutter Cups Recipe – Peanut Free

Sun Butter Cups are a healthy, nut-free alternative to peanut butter cups made with sunflower butter. These no-bake treats are easy to make and super filling.

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a stack of sun butter cups.

Sunflower seed butter is made from sunflower seeds and is a fantastic option for those with tree nuts or nut allergies. Besides this no-bake sunbutter cups recipe other sunbutter recipes that we enjoy include these Sunbutter Granola Bars. Allergen friendly so great for kids!

Check out all of our Healthy Snack Recipes for more inspiration.

IN THIS POST: Everything you need to make Sun Butter Cups

Ingredients for this recipe

  • sunflower seed butter – you can use smooth but chunky gives it that extra zhoosh
  • coconut oil
  • maple syrup
  • sea salt
  • chocolate chips – choose dark chocolate for vegans
  • hemp seeds – my favorite plant-based protein!
a jar of sunbutter.

Instructions

Start by lining a muffin tin with parchment or silicone liners.

Next, open a fresh jar of sunbutter and give it a stir. The chunky variety has whole roasted seeds right in it.

Yum!

Measure out a cup and add it to a mixing bowl.

a fork stirring a bowl of sunflower seed butter.

Next, stir in the coconut oil and maple syrup and sprinkle in the sea salt. Spoon the mixture evenly into the lined muffin tin.

a muffin tin lined with parchment paper cups and filled with sun butter cups ingredients.

Then top the cups with the dark chocolate chips and sprinkle with hemp seeds. Finally, pop them into the freezer for about twenty minutes for them to firm up.

sun butter cups in a muffin tin ready for the fridge.

Enjoy cold. These will melt at room temp so they aren’t good for on-the-go snacks. Store them in a sealed container in the fridge or freezer.

a stack of sun butter cups.

FAQ’S, Tips, + Substitutions

  • Is sunflower butter healthy for you? Yes! Sunbutter has a ton of healthy fats, vitamin E, and magnesium.
  • Is SunButter healthier than peanut butter? While they have similar benefits, sunflower butter is more nutritious and has fewer unhealthy fats than peanut butter.
  • Be sure to check the product label of the dark chocolate to ensure this recipe is dairy-free.
  • Use a mini muffin pan for portion control convenience.
  • Add a teaspoon of vanilla extract to accent the chocolate.
  • Remember to keep these in the refrigerator or freezer as they quickly melt at room temperature. Store them in a sealed container for up to 2 weeks.
  • Melt the chocolate in the microwave and drizzle the melted chocolate on top of the sunbutter layer instead of leaving them whole to make a chocolate layer for a different variety.
a stack of sun butter cups.

More healthy no-bake treats

**This recipe was originally posted on September 12, 2014, and updated on April 10, 2019, and again on July 1, 2022, with recipe notes, writing, and new photos.**

If you’ve tried my sunflower butter cups, please rate the recipe and let me know how it turned out by leaving me a comment below. I’m always interested in feedback!

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a stack of sun butter cups.

Easy + Delicious Sun Butter Cups Recipe – Vegan + Peanut Free

Sharon Rhodes
Sun Butter Cups are a healthy, nut-free alternative to peanut butter cups made with sunflower butter. These no-bake treats are easy to make and super filling.
5 from 4 votes
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Chill 30 minutes
Total Time 45 minutes
Course Dessert, Snack
Cuisine American
Servings 8
Calories 309 kcal

Ingredients
  

Instructions
 

  • Mix sunflower seed butter, maple syrup, coconut oil, and salt together in a bowl.
  • Pour mixture evenly into a lined muffin tin – I make 8 sunbutter cups with this recipe.
  • Sprinkle chocolate chips and hemp seeds over top and pop into the freezer for about 30 minutes to set.
  • Store in the freezer in a sealed container for up to 2 weeks.

Video

Notes

  • Be sure to check the product label of the dark chocolate to ensure this recipe is dairy-free.
  • Use a mini muffin pan for portion control convenience.
  • Add a teaspoon of vanilla extract to accent the chocolate. 
  • Remember to keep these in the refrigerator or freezer as they quickly melt at room temperature. Store them in a sealed container for up to 2 weeks.
  • Melt the chocolate in the microwave and drizzle the melted chocolate on top of the sunbutter layer instead of leaving them whole to make a chocolate layer for a different variety.

Nutrition

Calories: 309kcalCarbohydrates: 14gProtein: 8gFat: 25gSaturated Fat: 9gSodium: 80mgPotassium: 67mgSugar: 4gVitamin A: 35IUVitamin C: 0.9mgCalcium: 66mgIron: 2.1mg
Keyword sun butter cups, sunbutter recipes
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

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51 Comments

  1. 5 stars
    I love sunbutter even though I don’t have a nut allergy. These sweet snacks look delightful, can’t wait to give this a try!

    1. I have a tree nut allergy yet consume coconut. Just thought I’d mention it in case your allergist didn’t specifically mention avoiding coconut:)

  2. These look absolutely delicious but is there an alternative to using coconut oil? I can’t use it seeing as my mom is allergic.

    1. Hey Katy! Coconut oil is so good for keeping these solid. If you aren’t worried about the recipe being vegan, a melted butter would work.

  3. Hi, this recipe looks great! I can’t wait to try it out! I was wondering if I could use it on a blog post I am writing about healthy peanut-free snacks. I would only be using a photo and will link back to this post for the recipe.
    Thanks!

  4. oh my gosh! these look wayyy too good! sunflower butter!!!…what a great twist on the regular PB cup 😉 these look delicious! pinned!!!

    1. Thanks Michele! It’s so nice for nut allergy suffers to have an alternative. No one should live without some kind of cup in their life. 😉

    1. Hi Lisa! I use North Coast Naturals hemp seeds. To my understanding gluten containing foods are barley, wheat, rye and oats (except gluten free oats). I have read that in some very hyper sensitive Celiac disease suffers there may be a reaction but this is extremely rare. I haven’t read about any laws being changed though? I really wasn’t even aware that there were laws pertaining to gluten!

      1. Thanks for the quick reply, Sharon!

        North Coast Naturals hemp seeds contain no gluten by ingredients, but they cannot state they aren’t cross-contaminated with other things available in their product line.

        Just as an FYI, I am new to your blog so I am not sure you know this or if you have celiac disease, but there isn’t such thing as “very hyper sensitive”. All people with celiac disease, whether they feel the reaction or not, still do damage if they eat gluten-containing foods.

        I am not sure , also, what country you are in, but assuming Canada (“honour”, and North Coast Naturals), yes, in 2012 the CFIA came out with new laws for gluten, specifically. The US followed suit this past year.

        In any event, these look great and I can just nix the hemp seeds!

        1. Thanks for the info Lisa! It just goes to show how much misinformation is out there. Thankfully I do not suffer form Celiac but I always want to be sensitive to those who do. Would this be true for other seeds such as chia, sesame, etc. ?

          1. Hi, Sharon,

            It’s not the hemp seeds, chia, sesame, et cetera on their own. It’s the cross-contamination in the plant, so they have to be purchased from a reputable manufacturer. So, some brands are same, and some aren’t.

            If you were cooking for others you should double check. If you are just looking out for those who read your site (when you mention being sensitive to others, which is appreciated!), then I would just be sure to note to check labels/manufacturers.

            Most people with celiac disease would be privy to knowing the steps to take to eliminate cross-contamination, unless they are new to the diet.

            Either way, thank you for your response! I didn’t want you to think I was telling you that you did anything wrong. I used to use a brand of hemp seeds and then when the law came out, suddenly they weren’t labelled anymore. It was interesting to see so many manufacturers drop a “gluten-free” claim as soon as they had to show proof it was gluten-free. Just shows what guidelines can do to bring the truth out! (and how companies will use trends and buzz words as marketing.)

  5. Did the Sunbutter you used already have some sugar added?
    I make my own sunbutter, and I’d like to make this freezer fudge, but I’m wondering if I should add more maple syrup than the recipe calls for since my sunbutter doesn’t have any added sweeteners.

    Thanks! Looks delicious!

    1. Hi Heather! The brand I used contains 3 grams of sugar per 2 tablespoons. Evaporated cane syrup is the sweetener listed in the ingredients. I imagine that would deem it sweetened? I hope you enjoy them. 🙂

  6. These look delicious and love these photos! I introduced my mom to Sunbutter this summer who hasn’t had peanut butter in around 25 years – she was in heaven! 🙂 Passing this recipe onto her!

    1. I hope your mom loves them! And thanks for the props on the photos. These sunbutter cups were the best models ever. 😉 Thanks Ceara!

  7. Wow, these look amazing! I have never tried sunbutter before. Seems delicious. Totally craving this right now. Love the pics Sharon 🙂

    1. Thanks Melissa! Totally different from peanut butter but very good. It also photographs well. 😉 Have a great weekend!

  8. Holy Hell! Sharon these are totally all for me right? 😉 Coconut oil rocks all summer long, I totally agree with you there! I’ve never seen this sunbutter before, I must find it!!!!!!
    Oh and btw, LOVE your new header, it’s soo cute!

    1. Thanks Karen!! I’m glad you like the new header. I wanted to brighten/change things up a bit. 🙂 Do you have Goodness Me locations where you live??

  9. How delicious are these little cups! They definitely are a perfect sweet snack.. I must create the recipe, thanks for sharing it!

  10. My oldest daughter and I have been through just about every nut and seed you can think of, and we each only tolerate about four of them, between us. It’s such a shame because I love them all so much! These look so yummy, btw. I love the creamy deliciousness of nut/seed butter fudge! 🙂

    1. How awful! I wonder if that is something genetic. I’ve even heard of people developing food allergies later in life. At least there are still a few you can enjoy! Have a great weekend, Lauren. 🙂

    1. Thanks so much, Sondi!! It was my first jar and I can see a lot of sunbutter recipes in my future. 😉 Looking forward to seeing you in Vancouver next month for FBC2014!!!

      1. Yay! Can’t wait to meet you. I won’t complain if you bring me a few of these. I’m roasting some sunflower seeds right now so I can make Sun butter and have these!

  11. These look delicious! I love that Sunbutter always seems to be on sale at Goodness Me haha.

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