Short answer: soak about 1 cup (150 to 250 g) of black oil sunflower seed for 4 to 8 hours. Spread it on moist soil or a grow mat in a 10 × 20 inch tray. Cover it with a second tray and a light weight for 2 to 3 days, then uncover it and give it light. Water daily from below and cut the shoots above the roots at 8 to 10 days, once the seed leaves open.
What are sunflower sprouts?
When people talk about sunflower sprouts, they usually mean sunflower shoots: young sunflower plants (Helianthus annuus) grown in a tray for about 8 to 10 days. They have a thick, juicy stem and two wide, bright green seed leaves. The taste is nutty and fresh, a bit like sunflower seeds crossed with fresh peas.
There are two ways to grow them:
- Shoots (8–10 days): the green, crunchy microgreen grown from whole black oil seed in a tray. This is the popular one.
- Short sprouts (1–2 days): raw hulled kernels soaked and rinsed until a tiny tail appears. They're soft and nutty, but they never turn green.
This page covers both, with the most detail on shoots. For more detail on tray growing, see our guide to sunflower microgreens.
Which sunflower seeds to use
The seed makes a big difference here.
| Seed | Use it for | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Black oil sunflower (hull on) | Shoots and microgreens | The best choice. Thin hulls, high germination |
| Raw hulled kernels | Short sprouts only | Won't grow into shoots. Check they're raw, not roasted |
| Striped (snack) sunflower | Not recommended | Thick hulls that won't let go of the leaves |
| Roasted or salted seeds | Nothing | Cooked seeds can't sprout |
We link to black oil sunflower seed from Sprouting.com, sold for growing shoots.
What you need for shoots
- About 1 cup (150 to 250 g) of black oil sunflower seed for a 10 × 20 inch tray
- Two 1020 trays: one with holes to grow in, one solid to catch water
- About 1 inch (2.5 cm) of moist potting mix, or a grow mat
- A third tray or a flat board to use as a cover, plus a weight such as a bag of rice
- A spray bottle and sharp scissors
How to grow sunflower shoots, day by day
- Day0
Rinse and soak for 4–8 hours
Rinse the seed, then soak it in cool water for 4 to 8 hours. Sprouting.com gives a range of 4 to 12 hours. Don't go much longer, or the seed starts to sour.
- Day1
Pre-sprout (optional)
Drain and leave the seed in a jar or colander for 12 to 24 hours, rinsing once or twice, until tiny tails appear. This gives a more even tray.
- Day1–2
Spread and cover
Spread the seed in one even layer over moist soil, touching but not piled. Mist well. Cover with another tray and put a light weight on top.
- Day2–4
Keep them dark and weighted
Leave the cover and weight on for 2 to 3 days, misting once a day. The weight helps the roots grip and the shoots push off their hulls.
- Day4–8
Uncover and give light
When the shoots lift the cover, take it off. Move the tray to a bright window or under a light. Water from below once a day.
- Day8–10
Brush off hulls and harvest
Brush off any hulls still stuck to the leaves. Cut the shoots just above the soil when the seed leaves are open and before true leaves appear.
Getting rid of the hulls. Hulls stuck on the leaves are the most common sunflower problem. Three things help: weight on the tray for the first few days, misting the tops before you uncover them, and running your hand lightly over the tray to knock loose hulls off. A few hulls are fine. Pick them off as you harvest.
Soil or no soil?
Soil gives the tallest, sturdiest shoots and is the most forgiving. Sprouting.com also describes a no-soil method: grow the soaked seed in a tray with drainage holes set inside a second tray holding about ¼ inch of water, changing the water daily.1 Hemp and jute mats work too. See how to grow microgreens without soil for the details.
Light and temperature
Sunflower shoots like 65 to 75°F (18 to 24°C). Once they're uncovered, give them bright light: a south-facing window or 12 to 16 hours under an LED. Weak light makes long, floppy, pale shoots.
How much you get
Sprouting.com gives a yield of about 3 cups of shoots from ¼ cup of seed.1 A full 10 × 20 inch tray seeded with about 1 cup of seed gives roughly 10 to 14 oz (300 to 400 g) of shoots, depending on how well it grows and how high you cut.
Seeding rates in published charts range widely, from about 150 g to 250 g of dry seed per 10 × 20 tray.2 Start at about 1 cup (roughly 150 to 175 g) and adjust. Too thick, and the bottom of the tray stays wet and moldy.
Short sunflower sprouts from hulled kernels
If you just want a quick, soft snack:
- Soak ½ cup of raw hulled sunflower kernels for 4 to 6 hours.
- Drain and rinse twice a day in a jar.
- Eat them after 1 to 2 days, when the tails are no longer than the seed.
Short sunflower sprouts go stale fast, so make small batches and refrigerate them. Many store kernels are roasted or old and won't sprout well. If nothing happens after a day, your kernels probably aren't viable.
Are sunflower sprouts good for you?
Sunflower shoots are fresh greens with a satisfying crunch. They add texture and a nutty flavour to salads, wraps and sandwiches, which makes it easy to eat more greens.
You'll often read that sunflower shoots are high in protein. Sunflower seeds are high in protein, but the shoots are mostly water like any fresh green, and there isn't reliable published nutrition data for home-grown sunflower shoots. We'd rather not quote numbers we can't stand behind. What we can say is that microgreens in general can be dense in some vitamins compared with mature leaves, though results vary a lot by crop.3 Our post on sunflower microgreens covers the nutrition question in more detail.
Safety
Sunflower shoots grown in a tray are cut above the soil, so they're closer to microgreens than to jar sprouts. Grow them in clean trays, cut above the roots and wash them before eating. Short sprouts from kernels are eaten whole like any sprout, so the usual advice applies: the FDA says higher-risk groups should not eat raw sprouts, and Health Canada advises everyone to cook them.45
Problems and fixes
| What you see | Likely cause | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Hulls stuck on leaves | No weight early on, or dry tops | Weight the tray for 2 to 3 days. Mist before uncovering. Brush hulls off |
| Patchy germination | Uneven seed, old seed or a cold room | Pre-sprout before planting. Keep the room above 65°F (18°C) |
| Mold at the base | Seed too thick, water pooling, still air | Use less seed, water from below, add a small fan |
| Long, pale, floppy shoots | Too little light | Move to brighter light as soon as they're uncovered |
| Bitter, tough shoots | Harvested late | Cut before the true leaves appear |
| Sour smell after soaking | Soaked too long or too warm | Keep soaks under about 12 hours in cool water |
How to store sunflower shoots
Cut only what you'll eat in the next few days. Uncut shoots keep growing slowly, but they pass their best within a day or two of peak. Cut shoots keep 5 to 7 days in the fridge in a container lined with a paper towel. Store them dry, and rinse just before eating.
How to eat sunflower shoots
Sunflower shoots are sturdy enough to eat by the handful.
- Salads: use them as the main green or mix them with lettuce.
- Sandwiches and wraps: they add crunch like lettuce but with more flavour.
- Stir-fries: toss them in for the last 30 seconds.
- Pesto: blend them with nuts, garlic, lemon and olive oil.
- Snacks: many people eat them straight from the tray.
Try these recipes:
- Sunflower sprout and beetroot salad
- Sunflower sprout zucchini noodle salad
- Pea shoot and sunflower shoot recipes
- Microgreen pesto three ways
Where to buy sunflower seed for sprouting
We link to Sprouting.com, a Canadian company that sells black oil sunflower seed for shoots, from small bags to bulk. Black oil seed is the standard for shoots because its hulls are thin and it grows evenly. Store it in a cool, dry place and use it within about a year for the best germination.
What to grow next
- Pea shoots: sweet, crunchy shoots grown the same way.
- Buckwheat: tender, lemony greens in about 10 days.
- Popcorn shoots: sweet yellow shoots grown in the dark.
- Radish: spicy microgreens in about 10 days.
Browse every seed in the Seed Library.
Recipes with sunflower
Zucchini Noodle Salad With Sunflower Shoots
Sunflower Sprouts and Beetroot Salad With Citrus Vinaigrette
Sprouted Pumpkin Seed Energy BitesSunflower FAQ
How long do sunflower sprouts take to grow?
Sunflower shoots take 8 to 10 days in a tray. Short sprouts from hulled kernels are ready in 1 to 2 days, but those are really just softened seeds with a tiny tail. Most people mean the green shoots when they talk about sunflower sprouts.
What sunflower seeds can I sprout?
Use black oil sunflower seed with the hull on for shoots. Striped snack seeds have thicker hulls and grow poorly. Roasted or salted seeds won't sprout at all. Raw hulled kernels can give short sprouts, but not shoots.
Why won't the hulls come off my sunflower shoots?
The shoots need weight and moisture early on to push the hulls off. Keep the tray covered with another tray and a light weight for 2 to 3 days. Mist the tops before you uncover them, and brush loose hulls off by hand.
When should I harvest sunflower shoots?
Harvest when the two seed leaves are fully open and before the first true leaves appear in the middle. That's usually day 8 to 10. After the true leaves come in, the shoots turn tougher and more bitter.
Are sunflower sprouts good for you?
Sunflower shoots are fresh, crunchy greens that add flavour and texture to salads and sandwiches. They're often described as high in protein, but published nutrition data for shoots is limited. Treat them as a tasty vegetable rather than a protein source.
Can you eat sunflower sprouts raw?
Sunflower shoots are usually eaten raw like salad greens and are cut above the soil, which lowers but doesn't remove the risk. For short sprouts eaten whole, follow sprout safety advice: higher-risk groups should eat sprouts cooked.
Written by Michael
A passionate sprouting professional sharing practical tips for growing sprouts and microgreens at home. More about Michael
Sources
- Sprouting.com (Mumm's Sprouting Seeds). Sunflower, Black Oil: days to sprout, soak time, yield and growing directions. Link
- CropKing. Microgreen Seed Density Charts (seeding rates per 10 × 20 inch tray). Link
- Xiao Z, Lester GE, Luo Y, Wang Q. Assessment of vitamin and carotenoid concentrations of emerging food products: edible microgreens. Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, 2012. Link
- U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Selecting and Serving Produce Safely. Link
- Health Canada. Food safety tips for sprouts. Link
