Using toasted black sesame seeds and a small food processor, you can make my homemade Black Sesame Paste recipe in just 10 minutes. Add either honey or sesame oil to create a sweet or savory flavoring to use in many Japanese and Asian dishes.
In Japan and other East Asian and Southeast Asian cuisines, black sesame seeds are used extensively in cooking, baking, and desserts. We use the black sesame seeds in their original form, and in powder and paste forms. It is one of my favorite flavorings for making pastries and sweets. When summer comes around, I would make a jar of homemade black sesame paste and store it in the fridge so I can always whip up black sesame ice cream and other treats.
How Does Black Sesame Paste Taste Like?
To make black sesame paste, the unhulled sesame seeds are first toasted and then ground into a thick puree before being sweetened with honey.
With a glossy, jet-black color and uniquely rich nutty flavor, black sesame paste can change the dynamic of a dessert completely. I would also describe the flavor as slightly earthy with a mildly bitter undertone, which provides a nice counterbalance to any sweets.
You can find many popular Japanese sweets and pastries such as macarons, purin (Japanese pudding), chiffon cake, mochi, bread, ice cream flavored with black sesame.
Black sesame paste (黒練りごま) is typically sold in a small jar at Japanese (or Chinese) grocery stores or on Amazon, but you can easily make it at home.
How to Make Black Sesame Paste – 2 Simple Ingredients!
It’s so easy to make homemade black sesame paste! You’ll need only black sesame seeds and honey (for sweets) or sesame oil (for savory).
Using a food processor makes the process faster than grinding with Suribachi and Surikogi (Japanese mortar and pestle). You need at least 1/4 cup sesame seeds to get it running.
As you grind the sesame seeds will start releasing natural oil, so there’s no need to add any liquid if you use a commercial-grade machine. If you’re using a smaller processor, you may need to add a little honey or sesame oil to get the grinding going to reach the pasty texture. Allow the processor to take breaks in between before you run it again.
Once you make the paste, you can store it in the refrigerator for up to 1 month!
Recipes Ideas
In addition to black sesame ice cream and black sesame dan dan noodles, you can also use black sesame paste to make filling for mochi, or include it in your smoothie, to make creme brulee and pudding or as a dipping sauce for fruits like banana and apples. Black sesame is known to be an excellent source of calcium, magnesium, iron, and healthy fat, so that’s a double win!
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Homemade Black Sesame Paste (Kuro Neri Goma)
Ingredients
For Black Sesame Paste for Sweets
- 1 cup toasted black sesame seeds
- ½–1 tsp honey (optional)
For Black Sesame Paste for Savory Dishes
- 1 cup toasted black sesame seeds
- ½–1 tsp toasted sesame oil (optional)
Instructions
- Gather all the ingredients. Please note: I used ½ cup (60 g) of black sesame seeds in the step-by-step photos; however, I noticed it was much easier to make a paste when I used 1 cup in a 3-cup food processor. If you use less, or use a bigger food processor, the blades will spin without engaging the sesame seeds and you won‘t be able to make a paste. Therefore, I updated the ingredient list with 1 cup of sesame seeds [revised March 2023].
- In a non-greased pan, toast 1 cup toasted black sesame seeds to enhance the aroma.
- Put the toasted sesame seeds in the food processor and start processing. You can also grind the black sesame seeds by mortar and pestle (but it will take some time).
- It will take some time for the sesame seeds to release their oil, so be patient.
- Scrape the sesame seeds from the sides as needed and run again. Depending on the machine, you may need to take a break to avoid overheating the motor.
- [Optional] Add ½–1 tsp honey or ½–1 tsp toasted sesame oil, but only if your food processor is struggling. Sesame seeds themselves contain oil that naturally releases during toasting and grinding, so it’s usually enough to create a thick sesame paste. However, if your food processor is struggling to crush and grind, you can drizzle a little bit of sesame oil onto the seeds to add volume, help bind them, and thin out the paste.
- The sesame seeds will start to look pastier. Continue processing.
- Once the sesame seeds are ground, liquidy, and pasty, transfer to a sterilized mason jar.
To Serve
- You can use the black sesame paste to make sweets like Black Sesame Ice Cream. This Kuro Neri Goma is also a key ingredient in savory dishes like Black Sesame Dan Dan Noodles.
To Store
- You can store the homemade sesame paste in the refrigerator for up to 1 month and in the freezer for half a year. Bring the paste back to room temperature before using it.
Hi, can i use this for bao bun filling? tq
Hi Apple!
That sounds yummy!
We have not tried it yet before, but we think it will work.
Let us know how it goes!😉
Hi!
Do you know how they make black sesame Croissants? I had one once and it was incredibly tasty. Maybe adding it to some croissant dough to make it black?
Hi Lucy! Oh that sounds really cool. Was that all black?! I’ve never tried it before… But I assume they must have added paste into the dough… 🙂
Hi,
Thanks for sharing this recipe. Now I know what to do with my extra toasted black sesame seeds!
Question: for savory black sesame paste, what kind of sesame oil do you use, toasted or non-toasted? Thanks
Hi Joyce! I use toasted sesame oil. But if you want to use less sesame taste, you can always use non-toasted. Both works just fine. 🙂
Hi, I would like to ask you for making Black Sesame Chiffon Cake, do I need to take out some flour and change to black sesame paste? By how much (let’s say for 22cm pan) ?
Thank you for creating such a yummy chiffon cake recipes!!
Love it!!
Hi Olivia! Glad to hear you enjoy my chiffon cake recipes. I tried making black sesame chiffon cakes and I think I’m done testing. It’s been on my list to share. Stay tuned. 🙂
Hi do you have black sesame chiffon cake recipe please ?
Hi Lean,
Sorr…We currently don’t have the recipe on the site. We’ll make sure to add the recipe to Nami’s list. Thanks for your request!
[…] 1½ T Black Sesame Paste […]
Hi Nami!
Loved your soup video! Wondering what the sauces were and if you have a recipe for them?
Thank you! Can’t wait to try it!
Hi Elizabeth! I assume you’re not talking about this Black Sesame Paste recipe… which video (recipe name) was in the video player or could you describe it a bit more so I can look into it? 🙂
WOW! I am so excited! I did this with my mortar and pestle and so impressed how much oil was in those dry sesame seeds! I’m making the black sesame ice cream to go with the green tea ice cream I made last night. It’s a combination of flavor I never thought I’d get to try again. I had it once on vacation, well multiple times on the same vacation in NYC. So excited to try this on my own!
Hi Bethy! It is amazing, isn’t it? That’s how sesame oil comes from by pressing! So happy to hear you got to try black sesame ice cream. Nutty and delicious! It’s one of the popular Japanese ice cream flavors. 🙂
Why does the first picture show 3 ingredients?
Hi Bethy! The one on the left is the black sesame paste from Japan. I’ll re-shoot the step by step pictures and final shot when I get a chance so it’ll be less confusing. 🙂
For sesame seeds which are not toasted, do I need to wash the sesame seeds first before toasting?
Hi Jovin! No, toast on the frying pan until you hear a few pop sound. 🙂
Hi Nami-san,
It’s such a great idea to make my own black sesame paste! (It can be quite pricy in the US!)
I made my black sesame paste, using your recipe and it’s so tasty on my toast but after I put in my fridge, it turned to be super hard. How can I make it soften? Add some water or oil and microwave?
Please let me know.
Thank you,
Akiko
Hi Akiko-san!
Yes, just like honey, you can’t put it in the fridge. Or if you do, you have to microwave or heat in the hot water (make sure you keep it in a mason jar or some glass jar). You just have to liquidify – no need to add water or oil in the paste. 🙂
Will love to learn from you, thanks!
Thank you so much! 🙂
Dear Nami, Konnichiwa!
Someone gave me two pouches of Neri Goma Kuro (Black Sesame Paste). Can I use them to make a salad dressing? Do you have a recipe for the salad dressing?
Arigato Go-zai-mas,
Hi Steve! Yeah, you can definitely make salad dressing with it. I don’t use the paste to make my sesame dressing, but you can add to make it more creamy. Maybe adapt this recipe?
https://www.justonecookbook.com/sesame-dressing/
If I want to make custard for choux using this black sesame paste how should I make it? Just make a regular custard cream + few spoon of black sesame paste ? Thx in advance in
Hi Linn, Thank you very much for trying Nami’s recipe.
We have never made the Black sesame custard cream before, but that should work. We recommend adding 1~2 Tbsp of Sesame Paste.
May I know if this 1 serving of black sesame paste is equivalent to 3tbsp sesame paste (as needed for the black sesame ice-cream)? Thanks.
Hi Melissa! This recipe makes 1 Tbsp, so you will need to triple the recipe. 🙂
Hi, can I use this recipe for the fillings for taiyaki? Thanks.
Hi Vivien! I think it’s usually mixed with shiro-an (paste made with a type of green bean) to have substantial “paste” as sesame paste is very thin and runny. You can mix with red been paste, too, but the color will not be as good as using shiro-an. 🙂
Hi Nami! Thanks for sharing this recipe. If I want to make white sesame paste for use in noodle dishes like tan tan men, what should I swap for the honey? Sesame oil? I can buy nerigoma at my local Japanese supermarket, but it’s really expensive, so I’d love a homemade alternative. The only ingredient listed on the nerigoma can is sesame.
Hi Grace! Yes, for savory dishes, add sesame oil little by little while you grind. You can use FP too to make it faster… you have to process it for a while to get the oil coming out from sesame seeds (so use good quality sesame seeds). 🙂