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Toasted sesame oil is a flavouring, not a cooking fat. Replace it with the wrong thing and the dish loses its finish.
The best sesame oil substitute
Use tahini thinned with a neutral oil, two parts oil to one part tahini, in place of toasted sesame oil. It carries the same roasted sesame flavour, which nothing else on a British shelf does. Use half the amount at first, since tahini is heavier.
Every substitute, ranked
- Tahini thinned with neutral oil. Two parts oil to one part tahini. Same sesame flavour, thicker body.
- Toasted sesame seeds crushed into oil. Toast a tablespoon of seeds, crush them, and stir into 2 tbsp of neutral oil. Closest homemade option.
- Perilla oil. Korean, nutty and aromatic. Different flavour but works in the same role.
- Walnut or hazelnut oil. Nutty and aromatic. Use half the amount and add off the heat.
- Peanut oil plus a spoon of peanut butter. Rough, but keeps the nutty finish in a stir fry sauce.
None of these are perfect, because toasted sesame is a distinctive flavour. If the recipe only uses half a teaspoon, leaving it out is often better than a poor swap.
Toasted or plain sesame oil?
Two different products. Toasted sesame oil is dark brown, strongly flavoured and used a teaspoon at a time as a finish. Plain sesame oil is pale, mild and can be cooked in like any neutral oil. A recipe for Chinese, Korean or Japanese food almost always means the toasted one.
| Toasted | Plain | |
|---|---|---|
| Colour | Dark amber brown | Pale gold |
| Flavour | Strong, roasted, nutty | Mild |
| Used for | Finishing and dressings | Frying |
| Amount | A teaspoon or two | Tablespoons |
If you need plain sesame oil for frying, any neutral oil swaps in one for one. Groundnut, rapeseed and sunflower all work.
What not to use
- Olive oil. The peppery, grassy flavour fights everything in an Asian dish.
- Chilli oil. Brings heat you did not ask for and no sesame character unless it has seeds in it.
- Coconut oil. Sweet and heavy, and it solidifies when it cools.
- Butter. Wrong flavour, and it burns at stir fry temperatures.
Swaps by dish
| Dish | Best swap |
|---|---|
| Stir fry, added at the end | Crushed toasted sesame seeds in neutral oil |
| Noodle dressing | Tahini thinned with neutral oil |
| Dipping sauce | Tahini, or leave it out and add sesame seeds |
| Korean dishes | Perilla oil |
| Deep frying | Any neutral oil. Toasted sesame is not for frying anyway |
Frequently asked questions
Can I use olive oil instead of sesame oil?
Only if the recipe uses plain sesame oil for frying, and even then a neutral oil is better. For toasted sesame oil the answer is no. Olive oil tastes of olives and will sit oddly in the dish.
Can I leave sesame oil out?
Often yes. If the recipe calls for a teaspoon at the end, the dish will still work, just with less aroma. Scatter toasted sesame seeds over instead to recover some of it.
Why should you not fry with toasted sesame oil?
It has a low smoke point and the flavour is destroyed by high heat, so you get bitterness instead of aroma. Fry in a neutral oil and add the sesame oil off the heat.
Is sesame oil a nut allergen?
Sesame is a seed rather than a nut, but it is a recognised allergen in its own right and must be declared on UK food labels. Treat a sesame allergy as seriously as a nut allergy.
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- Toasted sesame oil. The real thing, use a few drops at the end of cooking.
- Sunflower oil. A neutral swap when you are out of sesame oil.
