06/06/2026
Sunflower seeds are a fantastic source of vitamin E, and they’re easy to add to your daily meals. Sprinkle them over salads, risottos, pasta, or soups for a simple nutritional boost.
Spiced Sunflower Seed Furikake
A crunchy seed-and-nori topping that adds savory flavor, texture, and a little heat.
Serves: about 1 cup / Prep Time: 10 minutes
Ingredients
½ cup sunflower seeds, raw and unsalted
¼ cup sesame seeds, white, black, or mixed
3 sheets nori
1 tsp nutritional yeast or ¼ tsp sea salt
¼ tsp garlic powder
¼ tsp onion powder
½ tsp smoked paprika
¼ tsp togarashi, or to taste
½ tsp date sugar
Method
Toast the sesame seeds and sunflower seeds in a dry pan over medium-low heat for 5–7 minutes, stirring often, until fragrant and lightly toasted. Let cool completely.
Toast the nori sheets in a hot sauté pan for about 15–30 seconds total, flipping once or twice, until crisp and fragrant. Alternatively, hold each sheet with tongs about 2 inches above an open flame for 3–5 seconds per side. Let cool.
Break the toasted nori sheets into small pieces. Add the nori to a narrow container and blend with a hand blender, or use a food processor, to create smaller flakes.
Add the cooled seeds, nutritional yeast or sea salt, garlic powder, onion powder, smoked paprika, togarashi, and date sugar. Blend or pulse until the mixture resembles coarse breadcrumbs, or slightly coarser, with small flecks of nori still visible.
Do not overblend, as the sunflower seeds can become creamy. The furikake mixture should stay dry, loose, and sprinkleable.
Martin’s Tips
The key to success is to use the spice blend your family likes best. Try seasoning the sunflower seeds with Cajun spice, BBQ seasoning, ranch seasoning, harissa, or curry powder; use what works for you.
You can use this technique with other nuts or seeds or check out my dukkha spice blend recipe on substack.
