Skip to content
FriendsPantry
Toasted sesame oil

Oils & fats · Cooking oils

Toasted sesame oil

Dark amber oil from toasted sesame seeds, used by the spoonful to season East Asian dishes.

Also called: sesame oil, chamgireum

A kind of cooking oil

64 recipes with it

Photo: Dr. Satish Upalkar, via Wikimedia Commons (CC-BY-SA-4.0)

What it is

Toasted sesame oil is pressed from roasted sesame seeds, giving a dark brown oil with a strong nutty aroma. It is a seasoning oil, added at the end or in dressings, not a frying oil. Light, untoasted sesame oil (gingelly oil, used in South Indian cooking) is a different product: pale and mild, and used for cooking rather than seasoning.

Sesamum indicum

How it’s used

  • Finishing stir-fries, soups and noodles
  • Dressings and dipping sauces
  • Korean namul and bibimbap
  • Marinades for bulgogi

Characteristics

Taste
Rich, roasted, nutty.
Aroma
Strong toasted-sesame smell.
When cooked
Toasted oil burns and turns bitter over high heat; mix with a neutral oil if frying.
Sold as
liquid
Cooking uses
Mainly a seasoning, Usually eaten raw

Storage

Cool, dry and dark. Keep capped in a dark cupboard; refrigerate if used slowly. Rancid oil smells sharp and stale.

Diet, allergens and safety

Contains Sesame.

  • Vegetarian
  • Vegan
  • Dairy-free
  • Egg-free
  • Gluten-free
  • Nut-free
  • Soy-free
  • Caffeine-free
  • Contains sesame, a major allergen.

Nutrition per 100 g

Energy
884 kcal
Protein
0 g
Carbohydrate
0 g
Fat
100 g
Fibre
0 g
Sugars
0 g

USDA FoodData Central: Oil, sesame, salad or cooking.

Substitutes

Optional — what works if you don’t have it, and how it changes the dish.

  • Neutral oil plus toasted sesame seeds — Grind a few toasted seeds into neutral oil for a milder nutty note.

Related ingredients

Recipes with toasted sesame oil

See all 64

52 more

More cooking oils