Creamy, nutty, sweet, and somewhat savory, this homemade Black Sesame Ice Cream has got it all! Enjoy the unique flavor of Japanese ice cream at home with my easy recipe.
Have you tried Japanese flavored ice creams such as Green Tea Ice Cream and Red Bean Ice Cream? I have another Japanese-flavored ice cream for you today, and it’s Black Sesame Ice Cream (黒ゴマのアイスクリーム).
Sesame seeds might seem unusual ice cream flavor, but for Japanese and Asian cuisine, black sesame flavor is commonly used in desserts.
Black Sesame Flavored Desserts
Popular desserts include black sesame macarons, purin (pudding), chiffon cake, mochi, bread, ice cream, and more. Chinese cuisine has black sesame sweet soup and mochi dumpling with black sesame filling. Black sesame is unique in the way it changes the dynamic of a dessert completely. Ordinary-looking desserts are transformed into a peculiar dark gray color, and it surprises you with a unique nutty toasty flavor.
Black Sesame Paste
One of the key ingredients for this black sesame ice cream is the black sesame paste. A jar of black sesame paste is sold at Japanese grocery stores or on Amazon.
With toasted black sesame seeds, you can make the paste yourself easily using a food processor.
Japanese Black Sesame Paste vs. Black Tahini
The black tahini is a common ingredient used in Middle Eastern cuisine. It is also called the sesame paste or sesame butter, but the difference is black tahini doesn’t require toasting the sesame seeds. After being pulverized into a paste, it is mixed with sesame oil and a little bit of salt.
For making Japanese sweets, you should be able to substitute with black tahini but bear in mind that it is unsweetened and may have a more pronounced bitter flavor. It is also more liquid because of the sesame oil. So you will want to add some honey and make any necessary adjustments if needed.
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Black Sesame Ice Cream
Ingredients
- 2 Tbsp toasted black sesame seeds
- 1⅔ cups whole milk
- ⅓ cup sugar
- 3 large egg yolks
- 2 Tbsp honey
- 3 Tbsp black sesame paste (or learn How to Make Black Sesame Paste from scratch)
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 200 ml heavy (whipping) cream (¾ cup + 4 tsp)
- ⅛ tsp Diamond Crystal kosher salt
Instructions
- Gather all the ingredients.
- If the black sesame seeds are not roasted yet, put the sesame in a (nonstick) frying pan over medium heat and stir until they start popping. They will release a nutty aroma. Remove from the heat and cool.
- Grind 2 Tbsp toasted black sesame seeds very finely.
- Whisk ⅓ cup sugar and 3 large egg yolks together until pale yellow.
- Add in 2 Tbsp honey, the ground black sesame seeds, and 3 Tbsp black sesame paste. Whisk until well combined.
- Microwave 1⅔ cups whole milk until hot throughout (or bring it to simmer in a small pot) and add to the sesame mixture in a slow stream. Mix at low speed for 30 seconds.
- Transfer the mixture into the small pot. Heat the mixture over medium-low heat, stirring constantly, until the custard thickens and reaches around 176ºF (80ºC). Don’t exceed 181ºF (83ºC) since the egg yolk will cook. To avoid salmonella, the egg must be cooked for at least 1 minute over 167ºF (75ºC).
- Remove from heat and cool down the pot in a large bowl filled with iced water. Add 1 tsp pure vanilla extract.
- Clean the stand mixer bowl and now whisk together 200 ml heavy (whipping) cream (¾ cup + 4 tsp) and ⅛ tsp Diamond Crystal kosher salt until peaks form.
- Add the whipped cream into the cooled sesame mixture.
- Fold in but do not overmix it. Chill the mixture in the refrigerator for several hours (or overnight) until completely cold.
- Process the mixture in your ice cream maker according to manufacturer’s instructions (usually about 25 minutes). Transfer the ice cream to an airtight container and freeze it for several hours before serving.
- If you are not going to use an ice cream maker, then transfer the mixture to a container and put it in a freezer. Stir every few hours (3–4 times) to break up the ice crystals until it’s completely frozen.
Thank you for this recipe. I made it and it tastes fantastic.
Ps. I posted about this recipe on my blog, crediting you of course and linking back to your page. I hope you don’t mind. Thanks again!
Thank you MissC! I shared your link on my FB fan page. 🙂 I’m so glad you enjoyed this recipe!
I tried black sesame ice cream for the first time at a Japanese restaurant in the UK a few months ago. I was stuffed, but figured a small bit of ice cream wouldn’t hurt… Turned out to be the most amazing ice cream I’d ever tasted.
This recipe is exactly what I ate there. Really clear instructions – did the prep on Saturday morning, chilled overnight and froze it Sunday morning. 6pm and it’s nearly ready to eat. Superb recipe and incredibly tasty!
Thank you so much for the recipe!!
Hi Steve! I’m glad that your first taste of black sesame ice cream lead you to make your own at home. So happy to hear about my step-by-step pictures being helpful. I hope you will give it a try my green tea ice cream too, as it’s one of my favorite recipe on my blog. 🙂 Thank you for taking your time to giving me feedback!
Hi Nami,
I tried this recipe and it is the best idiot-proof Black Sesame Ice Cream recipe I’ve come across with your step-by-step pictures.
It taste so good, just like the stuff I buy at restaurants or Gelato cafes!
Am looking forward to trying out some more of your recipes!
Hi Julie! I’m glad to hear my step-by-step pictures were helpful. 🙂 I sometimes feel like giving up taking them because it’s time consuming, but thanks to readers’ feedback like yours, I haven’t given up. 😉 Thank you so much for trying this recipe and I’m glad you enjoyed this ice cream! Thanks for following my blog!
First of all – this ice cream looks so delicious. Sesame is one of my favorite flavors to cook with – but I have never tried it in dessert. Looking forward to it! Secondly, AWESOME website. It’s so appealing!! Your pictures are beautiful, and the whole site is so easy to navigate.
I would like to say that your recipe for Black Sesame Ice Cream is out of this world! I made up the black sesame paste first and then, the ice cream – better than our local Japanese restaurant. I have printed off the red bean, the green tea and strawberry frozen yogurt. I plan to get some different kinds made for this weekend’s retreat. Thanks so much for such fabulous eats!
Black sesame is one of my favourite flavours! Just bookmarked this – definitely must try it. Sounds like there is a strong robust black sesame flavour =)
I love black sesame ice cream! Thanks for the recipe!
I’m going to pin it for later reference. Need t get some items before I can start making it. 🙂
Thnks for the recipe. Hv bn wanting to make this for ages.
I love this!!! So fantastic.
This looks sensational! The styling is also fabulous Nami! How on earth did you get the ice cream to behave as well as it did?
This is so cool. I must try this asap.
Oh my! This got my attention. How cool is this. I can’t wait to try it. I have a ton of black sesame at the house just waiting to be made in to ice cream.
Black sesame is my all time favourite ice cream. There’s always room for dessert when its on the menu 😉 I can’t wait to see your black sesame paste recipe 🙂
Oh great another one to try. I actually made this one once a couple of years back after tasting this flavor in a Korean restaurant. So so good. Thanks for sharing.
Nami – Do you do special Fedex delivery? Black sesame is one of my favorite flavors when comes to Japanese style ice cream! Oh gosh, they look so good! I just adore the way you captured the scoops.