How to Harvest and Roast Homegrown Sunflower Seeds

Crunchy, salty, and oh-so-satisfying roasted sunflower seeds are a perfect snack food, and they can also be used as a garnish for salads, soups, and other dishes, too. But if you want to savor the freshest and most flavorful sunflower seeds around, you need to try growing your own sunflowers!

All sunflower varieties are edible, but sunflower types with large, striped seeds typically produce the largest and most intensely flavored seed kernels. However, if you want to get the best-tasting sunflower seeds around, it pays to know when and how to harvest sunflowers for peak flavor. And, of course, you’ll need some tips on roasting sunflower seeds as well!

Jump to:

• When to harvest sunflower seeds
• 2 easy ways to harvest sunflower seeds
• Method 1: Drying sunflower seeds outdoors
• Method 2: Drying sunflower seeds indoors
• How to make roasted and salted sunflower seeds in 5 quick steps
• The process:
• Step 1: Separate your sunflower seeds from the sunflower blooms.
• Step 2: Cook your sunflower seeds.
• Step 3: Drain away the cooking water.
• Step 4: Bake the seeds until they’re crunchy.
• Step 5: Enjoy!
• Frequently asked questions
• Do you have to dry sunflower seeds before roasting?
• Do you have to soak sunflower seeds before roasting?
• How do you shell sunflower seeds in bulk?
• What sunflowers are best for sunflower seeds?
• Can you roast and eat black oil sunflower seeds?
• Which birds like sunflower seeds the most?
• Summary
• Roasted Sunflower Seeds Recipe

When to harvest sunflower seeds

When it comes to deciding when to harvest most garden vegetables, all you need to do is look at your seed packet for information about “days to maturity.” However, the “days to maturity” details on sunflower seed packets are less useful as this date range typically refers to how long it will take sunflowers to bloom. Seed packets rarely contain information about when edible sunflower seeds will be ready to pick.

Most sunflowers take about 2 to 3 months to flower, but it takes roughly one month longer for sunflower blooms to ripen into edible sunflower seeds. As a general rule of thumb, sunflower seeds are typically harvested in late summer to fall, or approximately 80 to 140 days after your sunflower seeds were first planted in your garden. Because there’s so much wiggle room when it comes to sunflower harvesting dates, you may want to forget about the “days to maturity” information altogether and harvest sunflower seeds based on the appearance of the plants themselves.

When sunflower seeds are mature, you’ll notice that the sunflower blooms will start to droop and drop their petals, and sunflower leaves will turn yellow. But the clearest way to know if sunflower seeds are ready is to inspect the back of the sunflower head. When the sunflower head turns from green to yellowish-brown, you’ll know that your sunflower seeds are ripe!

2 easy ways to harvest sunflower seeds

Once you’ve determined that your sunflower seeds are ripe, all that’s left to do is harvest and process your crop. But you have a couple of options when it comes to harvesting. You can either allow sunflower seeds to completely dry outdoors, or you can bring sunflower seedheads inside and dry them in your home.

Whatever option you choose is up to you, but if you’re worried about birds eating your sunflower seeds before you get a chance to, you may want to dry your seeds indoors!

Method 1: Drying sunflower seeds outdoors

Drying sunflower seeds outdoors takes less effort, but there’s a greater chance that you may lose some of your seeds to hungry birds and other wildlife.

To dry your seeds outdoors, cover your sunflower heads up with cheesecloth, a bit of floating row cover, or paper bags as soon as you notice the sunflower heads begin to wilt. Then, allow the sunflower heads to fully ripen outdoors until the back of the sunflower heads turn brown. At this point, all you need to do is cut the sunflower heads off and bring them indoors for further processing.

Method 2: Drying sunflower seeds indoors

Drying sunflower seeds indoors can take up some kitchen space, and it may be a bit messier, but if you have a lot of birds in your garden, processing seeds indoors may be the best option for you!

To dry sunflower seeds inside, wait until your sunflower heads start to droop and then cut the flower heads free from the plant, leaving about 12” of stem attached to each of your sunflower blooms. Bring the sunflower heads indoors and then loosely bundle a few sunflower stems together with twine. After that, simply hang the sunflower bundles up in a cool, dry place for a few weeks until the seeds feel loose and the back of the sunflower blooms have turned brown.

How to make roasted and salted sunflower seeds in 5 quick steps

Once you’ve harvested and dried your sunflower heads, you’ll still need to take a few steps to process your sunflower seeds into edible snacks. While sunflower seeds can be eaten raw, you’ll enhance the flavor of your seeds and make them irresistibly tasty by salting and roasting them. Below, you’ll find the steps you need to take to make homemade salted sunflower seeds, which you can eat just like a healthy version of potato chips!

What you’ll need:

• 1 cup of raw sunflower seeds*
• 2 to 4 tablespoons of salt,* depending on how salty you like sunflower seeds to be.
• 1 quart of water*
• Large mixing bowl
• Cooking pot
• Colander
• Baking sheet

* Tip: If you have lots of sunflower seeds, you can always double or even triple this recipe and process more seeds in bulk!

The process:

Step 1: Separate your sunflower seeds from the sunflower blooms.

Before you can roast your sunflower seeds, you’ll need to free them from the dried sunflower head. To do this, hold your sunflower head over a bowl or clean bucket and then rub the seeds free either with your fingers or a stiff brush. Ripe seeds should detach easily from the sunflower bloom.

If the sunflower seeds are difficult to dislodge, they may not be ripe just yet. If this occurs, hang your sunflower head back up to dry for a few more days, and then try again once the sunflower seeds have dried fully.

Step 2: Cook your sunflower seeds.

Once you’ve separated the sunflower seeds out, place 1 cup of sunflower seeds in a cooking pot with 1 quart of water and stir in 2 to 4 tablespoons of salt. Bring the water to a boil and then turn the heat down to a simmer. Allow the sunflower seeds to cook in the salted water for 15 minutes.

While your seeds are boiling away, preheat your oven to 400°F.

Step 3: Drain away the cooking water.

After the seeds have cooked for 15 minutes, carefully drain your pot into a colander and allow the cooking water to drip away.

Step 4: Bake the seeds until they’re crunchy.

Now that your seeds are cooked and drained, pour the seeds onto a baking sheet and spread them out into a single layer. Then, pop the baking sheet into your oven and allow the seeds to cook until they’re thoroughly dry. This should take about 10 to 15 minutes, but if your seeds aren’t dry at the end of this cooking process, continue to cook your seeds at 2-minute intervals until all of the moisture has evaporated.

Step 5: Enjoy!

When your sunflower seeds are cooked through, allow them to cool, and then start snacking. After roasting, sunflower seed shells should crack open and be easy to remove. Although sunflower seed shells are technically edible, they are full of indigestible fiber, and eating them is not recommended.

If you don’t want to eat your roasted sunflower seeds right away, you can store them in airtight containers in your pantry for 2 to 3 months or in your freezer for up to 1 year.

Frequently asked questions

Do you have to dry sunflower seeds before roasting?

No. If you roast sunflower seeds immediately after harvesting them, there’s no need to dry them fully. But if you boil sunflower seeds in a salty brine before you roast them, it’s a good idea to drain the seeds as well as possible so the excess moisture doesn’t create lots of steam in the oven.

Do you have to soak sunflower seeds before roasting?

No, you don’t need to soak sunflower seeds before roasting, and you can actually roast sunflower seeds even quicker if you don’t boil them in salty water first. If you want to roast sunflower seeds plain, simply pour raw sunflower seeds on a baking sheet, spread them out in a single layer, and cook them for 5 minutes. If the seeds aren’t fully dry after 5 minutes, continue cooking your seeds at 2-minute intervals until they’re nice and crunchy.

How do you shell sunflower seeds in bulk?

If you want to shell sunflower seeds in bulk, place raw or roasted sunflower seeds in a Ziploc bag and gently roll a rolling pin over the seeds to crack the shells. After that, you can pick the shells of the seeds by hand, or if you’re using raw sunflower seeds, place the raw seeds and shells in a bowl of water. When placed in water, sunflower seed shells should float to the top, while the seed kernels will sink, allowing you to easily scoop away the sunflower seed shells.

What sunflowers are best for sunflower seeds?

All sunflower seeds are technically edible, but you’ll get the best flavor from plants that produce large, striped sunflower seeds. If you’re interested in growing your own sunflowers for seeds, try out sunflower varieties like ‘Mammoth Grey Stripe.’

Can you roast and eat black oil sunflower seeds?

Yes, you can! While most gardeners grow black oil sunflower seeds for wild birds, these sunflower seeds can be roasted and eaten just like striped sunflower seeds. Black oil sunflower seeds may not have that intense, meaty flavor of striped sunflower seeds, but they’re still plenty tasty!

Which birds like sunflower seeds the most?

Many wild birds love sunflower seeds, so you may want to grow a few extra sunflower plants to attract wild birds to your garden. Some of the bird species that absolutely adore eating sunflower seeds include cardinals, finches, chickadees, blue jays, and blackbirds.

Summary

Many gardeners grow sunflowers purely for aesthetic purposes. But if you love the crunch and flavor of sunflower seed snacks, you can also grow sunflowers as edibles. Making roasted sunflowers is a quick and easy process, but if you want even more garden-cooking inspiration, you can also try roasting or grilling whole sunflower heads for something truly different!

For more garden-based recipes, learn how to roast pumpkin seeds with this quick and easy recipe!