Three scoops of black sesame ice cream in a gray bowl, garnished with a sprig of mint. The bowl sits on a patterned napkin with a wooden spoon and a small dish nearby, highlighting the deep, nutty tones of black sesame ice cream. Green mint leaves are visible in the corner.

Recipe Highlights

Black sesame ice cream is one of my favorite ways to introduce people to Japanese-style ice cream. The flavor may sound surprising at first, but it’s a classic in many Japanese and Chinese sweets. I love how it turns out smooth with a deep, toasted flavor every time.

Here’s why I keep coming back to this recipe:

  • Real black sesame paste for deep, toasty flavor
  • Lighter texture from folding in whipped cream
  • Versatile—use it to fill mochi ice cream or top anmitsu

If you love Japanese ice cream, try my Matcha Ice Cream, Yuzu Ice Cream, and Azuki Red Bean Ice Cream next!

A ceramic bowl with three scoops of rich black sesame ice cream, garnished with a small sprig of mint and sprinkled with black sesame seeds, sits beside a wooden spoon on a patterned cloth.

What is Black Sesame Ice Cream?

Black Sesame Ice Cream (黒ゴマのアイスクリーム) is a popular dessert flavor across Asia, made by swirling toasted black sesame paste into a rich, creamy base.

When the sesame seeds are toasted and ground into paste, they turn from grey to a deep, glossy black. That’s what gives the ice cream its dark, speckled color and rich nutty aroma.

Ingredients for Black Sesame Ice Cream

Find the printable recipe with measurements below.

Jump to Recipe

How to Make Black Sesame Ice Cream

Please note this recipe needs at least 8 hours of chilling, churning, and freezing.

  1. Toast and grind the seeds. If untoasted, toast in a dry frying pan over medium heat until they pop. Cool, then grind finely.
  1. Make the custard. In a large bowl or stand mixer, whisk egg yolks and sugar. Add honey, ground sesame, and black sesame paste. Whisk in milk, then cook over medium-low heat, stirring constantly, until it thickens.
  1. Cool and flavor. Set the custard over an ice bath to cool, then add the vanilla extract.
  1. Whip and fold the cream. Whip heavy cream and salt to soft peaks. Fold into the cooled custard with a spatula and chill completely.
  1. Churn, freeze, and serve.  Churn with an ice cream maker until thick and freeze until firm. Without a machine, freeze in an airtight container, stirring every few hours until ready to serve.
A brown ceramic bowl with ground black sesame seeds sits on a wooden surface next to a pestle, ready to be used for making rich and aromatic black sesame ice cream.
A stand mixer with a whisk attachment is mixing a thick, dark gray batter for black sesame ice cream in a stainless steel bowl.
Thick cream is being poured from a metal bowl into a fine mesh strainer over a dark liquid, with a wooden spoon resting on the strainer and a bowl of ice beneath—preparing the silky custard base for rich black sesame ice cream.
A close-up view of a container filled with creamy black sesame paste, showcasing its thick, smooth texture and specks of black sesame seeds—perfect for crafting decadent black sesame ice cream.
Three scoops of black sesame ice cream sit elegantly in a ceramic bowl, garnished with a sprig of mint and sprinkled with black sesame seeds. A wooden spoon rests nearby on a patterned surface, completing this inviting presentation.
Namiko Hirasawa Chen

Nami’s Recipe Tips

These simple tips will help you make my Black Sesame Ice Cream with ease every time.

  • Make your own black sesame paste – If you own a high-powered food processor, you can make your own Black Sesame Paste from scratch!
A close-up of a food processor blending water, with small bubbles and swirls forming inside the transparent container—a key step in How to Make Black Sesame Paste (Kuro Neri Goma).
Thick, black paste is being poured from a blender into a small glass jar on a wooden surface, showing how to make black sesame paste (kuro neri goma) at home.
  • Watch the custard temperature – Cook over low heat, stirring constantly, until it reaches 176°F (80°C) and thickens into a smooth base. Pull off the heat—residual heat keeps cooking the eggs. Don’t exceed 185°F (85°C) or boil, or they’ll scramble.
A traditional Japanese mortar and pestle set, with a textured ceramic bowl and a wooden pestle, placed on a white background—perfect for grinding ingredients like black sesame to create authentic flavors for treats such as black sesame ice cream.
A hand holds a thermometer over a pot of grey liquid on the stove, with a wooden spoon resting inside. The thermometer reads about 210°F, as the black sesame ice cream base is carefully heated to the perfect temperature.
  • Whip the cream to soft peaks – Look for a peak that droops gently when you lift the whisk. Soft peaks create a light, airy ice cream, while stiff peaks make it too dense.
  • Fold, don’t stir the whipped cream – This keeps the ice cream light and airy instead of dense.
A close-up of a metal mixer whisking cream in a stainless steel bowl, with the mixture starting to foam and thicken as rich black sesame ice cream begins to take shape.
A red spatula folds a black sesame mixture in a metal bowl set over ice cubes, likely to chill and thicken the black sesame ice cream mixture.
  • Chill before churning– Chill completely in the fridge for a velvety ice cream with smaller ice crystals.

Storage Tips

To store: Keep it in an airtight container in the freezer for up to 2 weeks. Press a piece of plastic wrap directly onto the surface before sealing to help prevent ice crystals. Enjoy it sooner for the best flavor, color, and texture.

Three scoops of velvety black sesame ice cream in a ceramic bowl, garnished with a sprig of fresh mint and sprinkled with black sesame seeds, set on a patterned cloth.

Variations

This recipe is flexible—here are some ideas to get you started.

  • Swap in black tahini. If you can’t find black sesame paste, unsweetened black tahini works too. It’s thinner and slightly more bitter, so add a bit more honey and sugar to balance it out.
  • Make it dairy-free. Swap in full-fat coconut milk and coconut cream for the milk and heavy cream. I haven’t tested this combo yet, but it’s next on my listlet me know in the comments if you try it first!
  • Skip the ice cream maker. For a no-churn version, freeze the chilled base in a shallow pan, stirring every few hours until it’s fully frozen.

What to Serve Black Sesame Ice Cream

Black sesame ice cream is delicious on its own, but for a fuller dessert course, pair it with one of these:

  • Anmitsu – Serve a small scoop in this chilled traditional Japanese fruit dessert alongside mochi and kanten jelly.
  • Mochi Ice Cream – Wrap a scoop of the finished ice cream in mochi dough for a chewy, bite-size treat.
A bowl containing anmitsu, a traditional dessert with kanten jelly, fruits, mochi, green tea ice cream, and sweet red bean paste.
Vanilla, strawberry, and matcha mochi ice cream served on a glass plate.

FAQ

Why does the base need to chill for so long before churning?

The rest lets the fat in the cream stabilize for a smooth finish. It also gives the black sesame flavor more time to deepen, so don’t skip this step if you want a smooth, scoopable ice cream.

Can I reduce the sugar or honey in this recipe?

Yes, you can cut back slightly—up to a tablespoon or two. Sugar helps keep homemade ice cream soft and scoopable, so cutting out too much can leave it hard and icy.

What’s the difference between Japanese black sesame paste and unsweetened black tahini?

Japanese black sesame paste is made from toasted black sesame seeds, giving it a deeper, more complex, nutty flavor—closer to a rich nut butter with more roasted depth and a thicker consistency. The unsweetened black tahini, is typically made from raw untoasted black sesame seeds, giving it a lighter, more bitter flavor and a thinner, more pourable texture.

I’d love to hear how yours turned out! 💛 Please leave a star rating and comment below to share your experience. Your feedback not only supports Just One Cookbook but also helps other home cooks discover recipes they can trust.

Black Sesame Ice Cream

4.64 from 99 votes
by Namiko Hirasawa Chen
A ceramic bowl with three scoops of rich black sesame ice cream, garnished with a small sprig of mint and sprinkled with black sesame seeds, sits beside a wooden spoon on a patterned cloth.
This Black Sesame Ice Cream recipe mixes toasted black sesame paste with custard and whipped cream. The result is creamy, sweet, and gently nutty. Make it with or without an ice cream machine and top with sesame seeds and mint for a refreshing finish.
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Prep: 30 minutes
Cook: 15 minutes
Churning Time + Chilling/Freezing: 8 hours 30 minutes
Total: 45 minutes

Ingredients 
 

Servings: 1.5 QT (1.4 L)

Instructions

Before You Start

  • This recipe needs 8+ hours of chilling, churning, and freezing time.
    Gather all the ingredients.
    Several bowls on a wooden surface hold egg yolks, black sesame seeds, sugar, milk, cream, black sesame paste, vanilla extract, and a red measuring spoon—ingredients perfectly arranged for making rich and nutty black sesame ice cream.

To Prepare the Sesame Seeds

  • Toast 2 Tbsp toasted black sesame seeds in a dry frying pan over medium heat to bring out more fragrance. Shake until they start to pop and smell nutty, 3–5 minutes.
    Transfer to a Japanese mortar and pestle and grind them finely.
    Left: Black sesame seeds in a stainless steel pan on a stove. Right: Ground black sesame seeds in a ceramic bowl with a wooden pestle on a wooden surface—perfect for making rich, nutty black sesame ice cream.

To Make the Custard

  • In a stand mixer bowl fitted with a whisk attachment, add ⅓ cup sugar and 3 large egg yolks. Whisk on medium-high speed until pale yellow, about 2–3 minutes.
    Two images show a stand mixer bowl: the left has egg yolks and sugar, a key step in preparing black sesame ice cream, while the right shows them whisked together into a creamy yellow mixture.
  • Add 2 Tbsp honey, 3 Tbsp black sesame paste, and the ground sesame seeds. Whisk on low speed until combined.
    Side-by-side images of a mixing bowl: left shows yellow batter with black sesame seeds and paste, reminiscent of the rich flavors found in black sesame ice cream; right shows the batter fully mixed into a thick gray-black dough.
  • Bring 1⅔ cups whole milk to simmer in a small pot (or microwave it until steaming, but not boiling).
    With the mixer on low speed, add the hot milk in a slow stream until combined, about 30 seconds.
    A split image shows milk heating in a saucepan on a stove (left) and milk being whipped for black sesame ice cream in a stand mixer with a wire whisk attachment (right).
  • Transfer the mixture to a small pot.
    Warm it over medium-low heat, stirring constantly, until the custard thickens and reaches 176ºF (80ºC). Remove the pot from the heat and set it in a large bowl of iced water to cool. Stir in 1 tsp pure vanilla extract.
    Nami's Tip: Do not exceed 181ºF (83ºC), since the eggs will scramble.
    A person checks the temperature of a gray liquid in a pot with a thermometer, carefully preparing the base for black sesame ice cream, then adds a teaspoon of brown liquid to the mixture while stirring with a wooden spoon.

To Add the Whipped Cream

  • Clean the stand mixer bowl thoroughly, making sure there's no trace of oil or fat, which can prevent the cream from whipping properly.
    Add ¾ cup heavy (whipping) cream and ⅛ tsp Diamond Crystal kosher salt. Whisk carefully to avoid overbeating, and stop as soon as soft peaks form.
    Transfer the whipped cream to the cooled custard using a spatula.
    Nami's Tip: Look for thick and billowy cream with light swirl marks and a peak that gently droops when you lift your whisk. Soft peaks create a light and aerated ice cream base, while stiff peaks will make it dense and heavy.
    Left: Electric mixer whisking a foamy liquid in a metal bowl. Right: Thick cream for black sesame ice cream being poured through a mesh strainer set over a bowl of ice, with a spatula and wooden spoon visible.
  • Fold the whipped cream into the custard until combined, but do not overmix.
    Chill it in the refrigerator for several hours (or overnight) until completely cold.
    Two side-by-side images show black sesame ice cream cream being mixed with a red spatula in a metal bowl over ice. Left: partially mixed; right: fully blended, pale gray mixture.

To Churn, Freeze, and Serve

  • Ice cream maker: Process the mixture in your ice cream maker according to the manufacturer’s instructions. Churn until it thickens dramatically and the motor begins to labor, about 25 minutes. Transfer the ice cream to an airtight container and freeze it until firm and completely frozen, at least 4 hours (or overnight). Scoop and serve.
    No-churn method (optional): Transfer the mixture to a shallow, airtight container and put it in a freezer. Stir every few hours (3–4 times) to break up the ice crystals until it’s firm and completely frozen.
    Before serving, Temper the ice cream container in the fridge for 15–20 minutes to soften evenly. Dip your metal scoop in hot water for 30 seconds, then wipe it dry. Drag the scoop in a shallow "S" shape to roll a perfect ball, then serve immediately.
    Left: Close-up of a container with gray black sesame ice cream. Right: Three scoops of gray black sesame ice cream in a bowl, garnished with a mint sprig, alongside a wooden spoon on a patterned cloth.

To Store

  • Keep it in an airtight container in the freezer for up to 2 weeks. Press a piece of plastic wrap directly onto the surface before sealing to help prevent ice crystals. Enjoy it sooner for the best flavor, color, and texture.

Notes

I adapted this recipe from the Japanese blog bonappetit.
Ingredients
  • Black sesame paste: Find 100% pure black sesame paste sold at Japanese grocery stores and on Amazon. You can also make my Black Sesame Paste recipe at home with a 3-cup food processor.
Variations
  • Swap in black tahini. If you can’t find black sesame paste, unsweetened black tahini works too. It’s liquidy and slightly bitter, so adjust the honey and sugar.
  • Make it dairy-free. Swap in full-fat coconut milk and coconut cream for the milk and heavy cream. I haven’t tried this combo yet, but it’s next on my list now that I’m more lactose intolerant myself.

Nutrition

Serving: 1QT, Calories: 1165kcal, Carbohydrates: 89g, Protein: 23g, Fat: 83g, Saturated Fat: 38g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 13g, Monounsaturated Fat: 27g, Cholesterol: 558mg, Sodium: 280mg, Potassium: 677mg, Fiber: 3g, Sugar: 77g, Vitamin A: 2682IU, Vitamin C: 2mg, Calcium: 564mg, Iron: 4mg

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Editor’s Note: This post was originally published on July 11, 2012, and republished with more helpful information on July 29, 2026.