I’m sharing with you how to easily make black sesame paste and black sesame powder that you can use in many of Asian cooking, desserts, and baking.
WHAT ARE BLACK SESAME SEEDS ?
Sesame seeds are one of the oldest oily seeds and they are originated in India. Black sesame seeds are ,well…, black in color, which is their original color. Once they are hulled, they become white sesame seeds. In Asia, black sesame seeds are used extensively in cooking, baking, and desserts. Black sesame seeds are regarded to be more “heaty” and more nutrient-dense compared to the hulled white sesame seeds. Black sesame seeds have slightly more intense flavor compared to white sesame seeds, but they can be used interchangeably in a recipe. The most noticeable difference would only be the visual appearance of course.
WHAT IS BLACK SESAME POWDER ?
Black sesame powder is simply black sesame seeds that are grind into a powder form. The grinding process is not as long as in the case of making black sesame paste. We don’t want the oil to release that it turns clumpy instead of powdery.
WHAT IS BLACK SESAME PASTE ?
Black sesame paste is also made from ground black sesame seeds and then sweetened with honey for sweet version or mixed with sesame oil and a bit of salt sometimes if going to be used in savory recipes. They are ground into paste-like consistency. The oil is usually released, making the mixture clumps together.
HOW TO MAKE BLACK SESAME POWDER
1. Toast the black sesame seeds on the stove
Put the black sesame seeds on a dry pan and toast them over low-medium heat. Toast them until you smell a nice nutty aroma. Control the heat to make sure you don’t burn them. This may take about 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and let them cool down completely before you blend in a blender or spice grinder
2. Once the toasted black sesame seeds have cooled down completely, pour them into a blender (if you make a large amount) or spice grinder (if you make a small amount).
3. Pulse it for about 5 seconds and then stop and scrape the bottom and sides of the blender and repeat the process again as needed. Don’t blend continuously or they will turn into a paste instead of powder
4. Store in a clean and air-tight jar and store in a fridge for up to 6 months
HOW TO MAKE BLACK SESAME PASTE
1. The first two steps will be similar to making black sesame powder mentioned above. You will need a blender to make a paste
2. Start from a low speed and gradually increase to high speed. Stop and scrape the bottom and sides of the blender and repeat the process again for 1-2 more times until they turn into a paste. The oil has released from the seeds
3. Once you have reached this stage, you can add honey (or skip the honey to keep it neutral-tasting if you want to use it in recipe). You can add honey as you blend again or remove the black sesame paste from the blender and mix in honey and stir until you get a thick paste
If you prefer it thinner, simply add honey to reach the consistency that you like
4. Store black sesame paste in a clean and air-tight jars and store in a fridge for up to 6 months
HOW TO USE BLACK SESAME POWDER
Black sesame powder can be used in pretty much anything you want to cook or bake.
Here are a few ideas:
1. Blend with other ingredients to make smoothies
2. To add flavor and color to bread, cakes, cookies, ice cream, mochi, chiffon cake, sponge cake,etc
3. As a topping for salad or any of your favorite food
4. As a base to make black sesame porridge
5. As a base to make black sesame soup dessert
6. As a base to make black sesame paste by blending them further until they turn pasty
HOW TO USE BLACK SESAME PASTE
1. To add flavor and color to bread, cakes, cookies, ice cream, mochi, chiffon cake, sponge cake, etc
2. As a spread on a toast
3. As a filling for tang yuan, steamed buns, or baked buns
DID YOU MAKE BLACK SESAME POWDER OR BLACK SESAME PASTE RECIPE?
I love it when you guys snap a photo and tag to show me what you’ve made 🙂 Simply tag me @WhatToCookToday #WhatToCookToday on Instagram and I’ll be sure to stop by and take a peek for real!
How To Make Black Sesame Paste and Black Sesame Powder
Ingredients
For black sesame powder:
- 150 gr black sesame seeds
For sweet black sesame paste version 1 (as shown in the video):
- 150 gr black sesame seeds
- 170 gr Honey or more as needed
For sweet black sesame paste version 2:
- 150 gr black sesame seeds
- 150 gr caster sugar
- 35 gr oil
For unsweetened black sesame paste:
- 150 gr black sesame seeds
- Sesame oil as needed. You can use regular cooking oil too
Instructions
Toast the black sesame seeds on the stove:
- Put the black sesame seeds on a dry pan and toast them over low-medium heat. Toast them until you smell a nice nutty aroma. Control the heat to make sure you don't burn them. This may take about 5 minutes or so.
- Tips: You can also add some white sesame seeds to the mixture so it can help to tell you whether you are done toasting when you see the white sesame seeds turning golden brown and they smell good
To make black sesame powder:
- Remove from the heat and let them cool down completely before you blend in a blender or spice grinder. Once the toasted black sesame seeds have cooled down completely, pour them into a blender (if you are making large amount) or spice grinder (for smaller amount)
- Pulse it for about 5 seconds and then stop and scrape the bottom and sides of the blender and repeat the process again as needed. Don't blend continuously or they will turn into a paste instead of powder
- Store in a clean and air-tight jar and store in a fridge for up to 6 months
To make sweet black sesame paste version 1:
- You need a blender to turn them into a paste. To make a paste, you can transfer the toasted black sesame paste into a blender while it's still warm. It helps to release the oil while they are still warm
- Start from a low speed and gradually increase to high speed. Stop and scrape the bottom and sides of the blender and repeat the process again for 1-2 more times until they turn into a paste. The oil has released from the seeds
- Once you have reached this stage, you can add honey, or if you prefer it to be neutral-tasting since you will use it in recipe, you can leave it as is without adding any honey or sweetener. You can add honey as you blend again or remove the black sesame paste from the blender and mix in honey and stir until you get a thick paste. If you prefer it thinner, simply add honey to reach the consistency that you like
To make sweet black sesame paste version 2:
- Transfer the toasted black sesame paste and sugar into a blender while it's still warm. It helps to release the oil while they are still warm. Blend into a paste then add the oil and mix until combined
To make unsweetened black sesame paste:
- Simply follow the same process for sweet black sesame paste but replace the honey with sesame oil. The amount is up to you to reach the consistency that you like
Storing:
- Store black sesame powder and black sesame paste separately in a clean and air-tight jars and store in a fridge for up to 6 months
12 comments
Hello! Can i check if it is a must to use a blender, or can i use a food processor instead? if either is fine, does a 750W machine work well?
Hi Cheryl, you can use a food processor if it works well for you blending things into fine powder or paste consistency. My food processor doesn’t work very well compared to my blender.
Can you make the Chinese black sesame soup dessert from store bought black sesame paste?
Hello, I’ve never tried it before using a paste, but I think it may work. You may need to adjust the amount of water to get it to the right consistency, creamy and gooey.
hello! Just wanted to check, how do I tell if the black sesame seeds are burnt? If it turns brown when i had blended into black sesame powder, does it mean it’s burnt? It doesn’t have the burnt smell though i’m not sure if it smells nutty…
Hi Cheryl, I know it’s kinda hard to tell whether it’s burnt or not because of the color, another trick my mom recently told me is to add some white sesame seeds to it. The white sesame seeds will turn golden brown and that helps to tell us that they are done roasted. As for the black sesame seeds alone, they will smell quite fragrant after being roasted. If it doesn’t smell burnt to you, then they aren’t, maybe you can roast a bit longer but watch the heat
Hi Marvellina! Thanks for this. I was wondering if I can use black sesame powder which I have and make a paste out of it by adding honey/olive oil?
Hi Ren, yes you certainly can. Either one should work too!
Hi, do or can you wash the seeds before use? If so, would you do it before toasting or after?
I didn’t wash the seeds before use. If you want to rinse them, do it before toasting so you can dry them as you toast them
Thank you for the excellent instructions. I am going to try in steamed buns using the sweet recipe, and will test unsweetened in salad dressing to add more nutrition and fullness. You rock!
I hope you like 🙂