Tomato sunflower seed pâté - this easy vegan spread is made with blended sun dried tomatoes and sunflower seeds.

It is rich, tangy and utterly delicious. Serve with crusty bread, crackers or vegetable sticks, or use it in sandwiches.

A jar of tomato sunflower seed pate on a wooden board with a knife and slices of bread.

During Veganuary, Lidl sell a tomato and basil sunflower seed based spread that I really like. It isn't available for the rest of the year however so I decided to recreate my own version.

This homemade tomato sunflower seed pâté is utterly moreish and so easy to make! It has a rich, tangy flavour and creamy texture. It is fantastic served as a dip with warm crusty bread, crackers and vegetable sticks; but it is also really handy as a sandwich filling, and it even goes great on pasta!

Because it uses sunflower seeds as the base, it is nut-free as well as being vegan and gluten-free.

What Do I Need To Make Tomato Sunflower Seed Pâté?:

Sunflower seeds: These form the base of the pâté. They are soaked in boiling water to soften them before being blended.

Sun dried tomatoes: I use dry sun dried tomatoes rather than the kind that come packed in oil. If you can only get oil packed ones then you can still use them, just make sure that you drain them well and don't soak them with the sunflower seeds, just add them straight to the blender.

Tomato puree: Also known as tomato paste. This adds extra tomato flavour.

Olive oil: A bit of olive oil helps to give this pâté it's rich flavour and creamy texture.

Lemon juice: This helps to bring out the flavours.

Maple syrup: A touch of sweetness helps to balance the tang of the tomato.

Seasonings: Nutritional yeast, mixed dried herbs, garlic powder, onion powder, salt and pepper add lots of flavour. You can vary these as you like; some smoked paprika would work well.

How To Make Tomato Sunflower Seed Pâté:

(Full measurements and instructions can be found in the recipe card at the bottom of the page)

Place the sunflower seeds and sun dried tomatoes in a heat proof bowl. Cover with plenty of boiling water and set aside to soak for half an hour.

Step 1, soaking the sunflower seeds and sundried tomatoes.

Drain the seeds and tomatoes really well in a sieve then place them in a blender along with the olive oil, tomato puree, lemon juice, nutritional yeast, dried herbs, garlic powder, onion powder, maple syrup, salt, water and a good grinding of black pepper.

Blend until smooth, scraping down the sides of the blender as necessary.

Scrape into a container, cover and keep refrigerated.

Top Tips:

Use a high powered blender. Regular blenders and food processors will struggle to get the pâté completely smooth and will take a lot longer to blend it. A high powdered one such as a Froothie, Vitamix, Blendtec etc will result in a smooth, creamy pâté in a couple of minutes max. They are an investment, but are so incredibly useful, especially for vegan cooking and baking.

If your blender has a tamper tool I suggest using it.

Don't try and reduce the recipe, the blender will most likely struggle to make a smaller quantity.

The pâté will keep in a sealed container in the fridge for about five days.

Some separation may occur as the pâté sits; just give it a stir before serving.

A jar of tomato sunflower seed pate with bowls of sunflower seeds and sundried tomatoes.

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