Servings: 11 servings
Black Sesame Paste
This delicious, spreadable black sesame paste has a lovely nutty aroma and just enough sweetness. It is perfect for spreading on toast or eating with oatmeal. You can even use it to make my orange and black sesame cookies! See notes below on how to make a crunchy version of the paste. This recipe yields about 1 1/3 cups black sesame paste.
Ingredients
- 2 cups (285g) raw black sesame seeds, (see note 1 if using pre-roasted seeds)
- 7 tablespoons (50g) powdered sugar
- 5 tablespoons toasted walnut oil, (see note 2)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/4 teaspoon Diamond Crystal kosher salt, or 1/8 teaspoon sea salt
Instructions
- Pour the sesame seeds into a large skillet or pan over medium heat. Toast the seeds for about 3 to 4 minutes, until you can start smelling the aroma of the seeds and see light wisps of smoke coming up from the pan. Turn off the heat.
- Carefully transfer the toasted sesame seeds to the bowl of a food processor. Don’t let the seeds cool off before blending. I find the seeds are easier to blend into a paste when they’re still warm. To prevent spilling the seeds everywhere, I recommend transferring the seeds into a bowl or a large Pyrex measuring cup first before pouring the seeds into the food processor. I’ve made too many messes trying to pour the seeds straight from the pan and into the food processor.
- Add the powdered sugar to the food processor and blend everything for about 30 seconds. The mixture will look sandy and gray. Next, add the walnut oil, vanilla, and salt. Blend everything again for another 3 minutes or so, scraping down the sides of the bowl about every 30 seconds. The black sesame paste should be similar to the consistency of natural peanut butter that’s been recently stirred–not too runny, and not too thick. If the paste is still very thick, feel free to add another tablespoon of oil and blend. Taste the paste and adjust the flavors to your liking, adding more sugar or salt, if necessary.
- Use the black sesame paste on toast (it’s great paired with a berry jam or strawberry cream cheese) or anything you can imagine. The black sesame paste will keep in the fridge for 2 to 3 weeks in a jar. You can also freeze the paste for 5 to 6 months.
Notes
- Pre-Roasted Sesame Seeds: I like using raw black sesame seeds that I purchase at Asian grocery stores because they tend to be less expensive than pre-roasted sesame seeds. If you are using pre-roasted seeds, you’ll still want to toast them in the pan for a minute or two to warm them up.
- Oil Substitutes: If you have a nut allergy, you can use virgin coconut oil or a neutral oil (such as canola oil) instead. This recipe uses a considerable amount of oil (5 tablespoons), so I don’t recommend using toasted sesame oil as a substitution. Toasted sesame oil has a very strong aroma, and adding 5 tablespoons of the oil to this paste will overpower all the other ingredients.
- Crunchy Version: If you want to add crunchy texture to the black sesame paste, toast a small handful of nuts (about 1/4 cup). Then, chop them finely before mixing into the black sesame paste. I like to toast hazelnuts in the oven at 325ºF (160ºC) for about 8 to 10 minutes before chopping them. Walnuts, pecans, or peanuts would work well, too.
Nutrition
Serving: 2tablespoons | Calories: 223kcal | Carbohydrates: 62g | Protein: 4.6g | Fat: 19.1g | Saturated Fat: 2.4g | Sodium: 29mg | Fiber: 3.1g | Sugar: 4.8g
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