How to Eat Sunflower Seeds

Reviewed by Ashley Crawford

Last Updated: September 27, 2024 Approved

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To eat a sunflower seed, run your tongue along the salty outer shell, crack it between your teeth, and spit out the shell before chewing the seed. Repeat. This article instructs on how to become a master seeder: one who can consume sunflower seeds while performing other tasks.

Method 1

Method 1 of 2:

Getting the Technique Down

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You can get a bag of seeds that have already been removed from their shells, but it's more fun to eat the seeds you have to do a little work to extract. Choose from a variety of flavors, like chipotle, pickle or barbecue.^{[1]
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Start with just one, so you can get the hang of the technique.

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It's easier to crack the seed in the side of your mouth than the front.^{[2]
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Place the seed between your teeth. Use your tongue to get it in place. Position it either vertically or horizontally, depending on your preference. Either way, the outside edge of the shell should be making contact with your teeth.
- Use your molars (chewing teeth) to crack the shell. They have an indention in the middle to hold the seed.
- It's more difficult to use your two front teeth; you risk the seed slipping and scraping your gums.
The hull should give easily after a moment of intense pressure. Don't bite so hard you crush it, though.
Let it fall onto your tongue.
Use your tongue and your teeth to pull them apart.The texture is the key to this step. The inner, edible seed, will be smooth, while the shell will be rough.^{[3]
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After practice, the shell will usually break open like a clam, therefore making this step less messy.

Method 2

Method 2 of 2:

Eating a Greater Amount of Seeds

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Some baseball players pour half a bag in their mouth at once, and chew them over the course of an hour. The more seeds you can store in your cheek, the better.^{[4]
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You want them all to be in the same place, so you have control over them.
Use your tongue to move it over so it's inside the other cheek.^{[5]
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Use your tongue to position it between the molars, then bite down to crack the shell.
Move it over from the storage cheek to the other cheek, bite it between your molars, spit out the shell, and eat the seed.
This reduces the number of reloads per serving, and it's what the pros do.

Community Q&A

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Is it hygienically healthy to put shelled seeds in the mouth? We don't know how they were stored previously.

Community Answer

If you take the seeds out of an undamaged bag, they come from a factory, meaning they have to submit to food hygiene laws. If the seeds are open or from a bowl, your mileage may vary. If one is pedantic, the question of whether food is safe could be asked of any food that was not 100% created yourself from production to table.

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What is a normal serving size of sunflower seeds?

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According to the nutrition label on a bag of David's sunflower seeds, a serving is 1/4 cup, or 30 g of kernels (the edible interior bits).

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Question

What does eating sunflower seeds do?

Community Answer

It's just a healthy snack that some people like.

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Tips

To avoid annoying your coworkers, try to crack the seeds with your mouth closed to minimize the irritating "cracking" sound.

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Make sure you don't pinch your tongue when opening the seed in your mouth.

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Don't be discouraged if you don't get it the first time. Professional Sunflower Seed eaters have had years of practice and make it look easy. Keep at it, practice makes perfect.

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Tips from our Readers

The advice in this section is based on the lived experiences of wikiHow readers like you. If you have a helpful tip you’d like to share on wikiHow, please submit it in the field below.

Try not to eat the shells, to protect your digestive track. If you eat a few, it's not a big deal. But if you don't spit the shells out, then make sure you chew them up very well, because it could hurt going down and going out!
Young kids shouldn't eat sunflower seeds with shells, as they can easily choke on the shell or might not realize they're not supposed to eat the shells. Only give small children unshelled seeds.

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Warnings

Prolonged sessions of eating seeds will cause soreness to your tongue, because of the amount of salt.

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Excessive consumption can cause laxative effects due to fiber.

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Take heed when chewing lest you choke.

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Consult your health care provider to ensure that you can consume 110mg of sodium (amount in a typical serving of commercial Sunflower Seeds) with each meal. Check the Nutrition Facts label on your sunflower seeds package.^{[6]
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