How to Make Toasted Sesame Seeds

Jump to Recipe Jump to Video Print Recipe

Add amazing roasty flavour to your dishes with a quick batch of Toasted Sesame Seeds. Grind them into a sauce or sprinkle whole over a dish, this is one easy condiment you want at your fingertips.

Toasted sesame seeds sprawled out on a blue plate.

Why We Love This

Ready in minutes, toasted sesame seeds are a great way to add a rich, nutty flavour and aroma to your cooking!

Use them as a garnish for sweet or savoury dishes, or to add more umami to your homemade sauces or marinades.

Freshly toasted sesame seeds in a small white dish.

What are Toasted Sesame Seeds?

Toasted sesame seeds are usually white sesame seeds (aka hulled sesame seeds) that have been dry toasted in a wide, flat frying pan over medium heat until golden brown.

Black sesame (unhulled sesame seeds) are considered to be more bitter when toasted, although it can still be done.

Toasting sesame seeds adds a depth of flavour that regular sesame seeds just don’t have on their own! You’ll usually find them in many of our Japanese dishes, and they’re super versatile in a range of sauces or garnishes.

What You’ll Need

Sesame Seeds – We use white sesame seeds, aka raw sesame seeds which have had the black hull removed.

White sesame seeds poured out onto a frying pan, ready to toast.

How to Toast Sesame Seeds:

Pouring white sesame seeds into a dry frying pan to toast. — 1.

Dry toasting white sesame seeds in a frying pan. — 1.

Toast the white sesame seeds in a medium frying pan over medium heat for 2-3 minutes until nice and golden.
Move the sesame seeds around the pan every 30 seconds or so to make sure they’re evenly toasted.
Remove from the pan and allow to cool (around 5-10 minutes).

Grinding toasted sesame seeds in a mortar and pestle. — Easy Tonkatsu Sauce – Restaurant Style

Bowl of homemade Japanese tonkatsu sauce with a garnish of white sesame seeds. — Easy Tonkatsu Sauce – Restaurant Style

Optional: Use as a topping on miso ramen or tantanmen, grind to add to tonkatsu sauce, or make a quick sesame oil.

Wandercook’s Tips

Heat – Toast slowly over low to medium heat to avoid the sesame seeds burning and becoming too bitter.
Watch Carefully – Keep an eye on the sesame seeds while toasting, and take the pan off the heat once they turn golden brown.
Storage – Store toasted sesame seeds in an airtight container or spice jar in a cool dark place (such as your pantry) for around 6 months. You can also freeze them to keep them for up to a year.

FAQs

What can I do with toasted sesame seeds?

Toasted sesame seeds are so versatile and can be used for both savoury and sweet dishes. They’re especially popular in Japanese cuisine. They taste great in sauces like roasted sesame dressing.

Use them whole in a batch of furikake rice seasoning, as a garnish over rice bowls or homemade sushi, or to add crunch to a batch of daifuku mochi rice cakes or fried tofu patties.

Or grind them up and add to homemade sesame oil or tonkatsu sauce. You can use a mortar and pestle or spice grinder to get them finely ground.

Can toasted sesame seeds go bad?

As long as you store your toasted sesame seeds in an airtight container and keep them in a cool dark place, they shouldn’t go bad. However, the oils in the seeds can go rancid if left for too long, giving them an unpleasant flavour and aroma. Use them up within 6 months (or up to a year if frozen). If in doubt, throw them out and make a fresh batch.

Golden roasted sesame seeds alongside a wooden spoon.

Fill up your kitchen with these Japanese basics and condiments next:

Homemade Kewpie Mayonnaise in a jar with spoon and small dish. — 1 Minute Kewpie Mayo – Japanese Mayonnaise [Bullet Blender]

Dashi stock in a Japanese style saucepan. — 1 Minute Kewpie Mayo – Japanese Mayonnaise [Bullet Blender]

★ Did you make this recipe? Please leave a comment and a star rating below!