Q&A for How to Roast Sunflower Seeds

Use pickle juice in place of the salted water to soak them in.

If all your seeds are "shriveled up," it indicates that either the flower wasn't pollinated (not likely) or the flower head was harvested before the seeds developed (most likely). Ensure that the back of the flower head is yellowish and that all of the green on the face of the flower head has dried to brown as the shells will develop ahead of the seeds inside.

No, as most birds are used to eating raw sunflower seeds.You can wash the sunflower seeds first, however.

Use aluminum foil or just spread them on a cookie sheet.

Yes, it does.

It they're not overcooked, you could rinse them with water and re-roast them. Or sometimes I just combined a salty batch with a bunch of plain roasted seeds.

Yes. You can grind them to make sunflower seed butter, which is a great alternative to store-bought peanut butter.

When I made this recipe, I thought it was a lot as well. I soaked them with the amount suggested and they were delicious! I don't know how it is when you boil them, though, you could probably use less.

Yes, they can.

Yes, but they won't absorb as much of the salt. Try re-heating them at the lowest temperature possible to get them good and warm. Dump them in a bowl and stir in some butter, then put them in a bag or container with a lid and add your salt. Shake violently. I find that fast food salt packets are much finer grain than standard store-bought salt, so it tends to stick better.

Yes, some varieties are grown specifically for seed so look out for those when growing and make sure the heads are 'ripe' before harvesting.

Place in a 400°F air fryer for 5 to 10 minutes. Be sure to check the seed to make sure it is roasted – if not, return to the air fryer for more time.