Nutty, deeply fragrant, and aromatic, a good quality toasted sesame oil can enhance all kinds of dishes with a delicious roasted flavor.
I LOVE toasted sesame oil. It’s my number one finishing and flavoring oil. I fell in love with it when I was just a little girl. My favorite pack of instant ramen, Nissan sesame noodles, came with a tiny little package of it that you add to the soup right before you eat. It was so amazing, that little packet of flavor started my life long affair with this stuff. It’s now is one of my top must have pantry items.
What is toasted sesame oil
Toasted sesame oil is a super nutty, aromatic finishing oil pressed from toasted sesame seeds. The aroma and nuttiness of the sesame is more intense and noticeable because of the toasted seeds.
What is the difference between regular sesame oil and toasted sesame oil?
There are two types of oil and they don’t taste the same at all!
- Untoasted: pressed from raw sesame seeds has a very light blonde color, no flavor, and no scent. It has a high smoke point, making it a good cooking oil.
- Toasted: pressed from toasted sesame seeds is a deep amber and intensely toasty with a nutty flavor and aroma. It has a low smoke point so it’s typically drizzled on at the end of cooking as a finishing and flavoring oil.
Where to buy
You’ll probably be able to find it in the Asian aisle at your local grocery store. Otherwise, it’s available at all Asian grocery stores and online. Our favorite brand is Kadoya, a Japanese brand that has been around forever.
How to use
It’s perfect for adding a toasted nutty flavor to:
- noodles: adding a little to your noodles will bring them to another level
- stir fries: finish your stir fries with a dash for extra flavor
- grains: add a drizzle to your rice, quinoa, farro, popcorn
- salad dressings: add 1-2 tsp to your favorite salad dressing recipes for a hit of nuttiness
- glazes: for meats, fish, or tofu. It’s an essential ingredient in our Korean fried chicken.
- sauces: for vegetables
Can I cook with toasted sesame oil?
Truthfully, it’s more of a finishing oil, but you can use it when you’re cooking too! Just like when you add a bit of oil when cooking with butter to prevent burning, you can add a bit of neutral oil (like canola or sunflower) with your toasted sesame oil, then you can easily use it with heat.
Homemade version
You can even make it at home! It won’t come out as dark or nutty as the commercial version but it’s still pretty sesame-y. All you need is:
- 1/2 cup toasted sesame seeds
- 1 cup neutral oil
- Add the seeds and oil to a pan and gently heat for 2-5 minutes, stirring or swirling constantly so that the seeds don’t burn.
- When the oil is aromatic, remove from the heat and strain out the seeds.
Toasted sesame oil substitute
It’s super easy to buy the real deal these days but if you’re looking for a substitute, you can try sesame paste – either Chinese or, in a pinch, tahini – are both good options.
Chinese sesame paste
Made from toasted sesame seeds, this basically has the exact same flavor. Chinese sesame paste is essentially toasted sesame seeds ground into a paste, much like tahini. You can scoop a bit out of the jar and thin it out with a neutral oil.
Recipes that use sesame oil
In case you end up with extra you don’t know what to do with:
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup toasted sesame seeds
- 1 cup neutral oil
Instructions
- Add the toasted sesame seeds and oil to a small pan and heat over very low heat, swirling and stirring, for 2-5 minutes.
- Remove from the heat and strain out the sesame seeds.
