Kids love peanut butter sandwiches! This recipe shows kids how to begin to add a fruit or veggie to every snack or meal, a routine we encourage them to practice every day. We ask kids to make a small shift in this beloved recipe by adding fruit instead of jelly. Kids might balk at first, because change is scary. But once they follow the recipe to make the whole sandwich, most kids start wiggling in their seats, asking to eat what they’ve just made. 

In schools, we make these sandwiches using sunflower seed butter, or sun butter. Because it’s made with seeds, not nuts, kids with nut allergies can safely eat this healthy alternative to peanut butter. You can buy sun butter in the regular grocery store, or you can make it yourself with our recipe.

Optional toppings that taste great with these sandwiches year-round: unsweetened flaked coconut, raisins, edible flower petals, sunflower or pumpkin seeds, cinnamon, etc.

Full Curriculum with Lesson Plans, Videos & More

SPRING FRUIT #1: Sunbutter & Apple Sandwich 

Yield: 1 sandwich
Printable Recipe in English
Printable Recipe in Spanish
Printable Recipe in Hmong
Video of the Recipe

Ingredients

• 2 slices whole wheat bread
• 2 Tablespoons sunflower seed butter (Sunbutter Recipe)
• 4 apple slices

Instructions for Adults

Slice a apple into 1-inch thick slices. 

Instructions for Kids

Place one slice of bread on a plate. Measure the sunflower seed butter. Use a butter knife to spread the sunflower seed butter evenly over the slice of bread. Top the sunflower seed butter with apple slices by laying them in an even layer. Lay the second slice of bread on top of the apple slices. Eat and enjoy! 

SPRING FRUIT #2: Almond Butter & Strawberry Sandwich

Yield: 1 sandwich

Ingredients

• 2 slices whole grain bread
• 2 Tablespoons almond butter
• 2-3 large strawberries, cut into slices

Instructions for Adults

Slice the strawberries into 1-inch thick slices. 

Instructions for Kids

Place one slice of bread on a plate. Measure the almond butter. Use a butter knife to spread the almond butter evenly over the slice of bread. Top the almond butter with strawberry slices by laying them in a mostly even layer. Lay the second slice of bread on top of the strawberry slices. Eat and enjoy!

Strawberry Fun Facts:

• Strawberries are the only fruit with seeds on the outside. 
• Each strawberry can have 200 seeds. Botanists (plant scientists) say these aren’t actually seeds, but a type of dried fruit, that has its own seeds inside!
• Don’t rinse strawberries until you’re ready to eat them. The water will speed up spoiling. Strawberries also continue to ripen after they’re picked, so eat them quickly!

SUMMER FRUIT: Sunbutter & Peach Sandwich 

Yield: 1 sandwich

Ingredients

• 2 slices whole wheat bread
• 2 Tablespoons sunflower seed butter (Sunbutter Recipe)
• 4 peach slices

Instructions for Adults

Slice a peach into 1-inch thick slices. 

Instructions for Kids

Place one slice of bread on a plate. Measure the sunflower seed butter. Use a butter knife to spread the sunflower seed butter evenly over the slice of bread. Top the sunflower seed butter with peach slices by laying them in an even layer. Lay the second slice of bread on top of the peach slices. Eat and enjoy! 

Peach Fun Facts:

• Peaches have a fuzzy skin! The fuzz helps keep extra water away from its thin skin so they don’t rot as quickly. Some insects (but not all) don’t like the fuzz, so it keeps them away.
• Peaches come in lots of varieties, including one named Donut and another named Halloween.
• To find the best peaches in the store, use your nose! If it smells delicious, it probably is.

FALL FRUIT: Peanut Butter & Pear Sandwich 

Yield: 1 sandwich 

Ingredients

• 2 slices whole grain bread
• 2 Tablespoons peanut butter
• 4 pear slices

Instructions for Adults

Slice a pear into 1-inch thick slices. 

Instructions for Kids

Place one slice of bread on a plate. Measure the peanut butter. Use a butter knife to spread the peanut butter evenly over the slice of bread. Top the peanut butter with pear slices by laying them in an even layer. Lay the second slice of bread on top of the pear slices. Eat and enjoy!

Pear Fun Facts:

• Pears used to be called “butter fruit,” because they have such a soft texture. 
• Pears are shaped like a tear drop. 
• Pears ripen best off the tree, so when you find a hard pear at the store, keep it on your counter for a few days until it ripens fully. 

WINTER FRUIT: Sunbutter, Raisin & Pumpkin Seed Sandwich 

Yield: 1 sandwich 

Ingredients

• 2 slices rye bread
• 2 Tablespoons sunflower seed butter (Sun Butter Recipe)
• 1 Tablespoon raisins
• 1-2 teaspoons pumpkin seeds

Instructions for Adults

Assist if your child needs it, and have fun! 

Instructions for Kids

Place one slice of bread on a plate. Measure the sunflower seed butter. Use a butter knife to spread the sunflower seed butter evenly over the slice of bread. Top the sunflower seed butter with raisins and pumpkin seeds by sprinkling them in a mostly even layer. Lay the second slice of bread on top. Eat and enjoy!

Raisin Fun Facts:

• Half the world’s supply of raisins is grown in California.
• Raisins are dried grapes. 
• Raisins keep best when stored in the fridge. You can also freeze them.

Watch this great video of a child making a peanut butter and apple sandwich from Simply Recipes. 

Hello! We hope you made and enjoyed this recipe from our Your Sandwich Can Save the World! Food Literacy Curriculum! Please note that all photos and content are copyright protected. Please do not use our photos without prior written permission. If you wish to republish this recipe, please rewrite the recipe in your own unique words and link back to Sunflower Seed Butter & Apple Sandwich on Food Literacy Center’s website. Thank you!