What Do Sesame Seeds Taste Like? (With Recipes)

Sesame seeds are a healthy and nutritious pantry staple that are very easy to find in the store. But what do sesame seeds taste like?

In this post we talk about the taste and texture of sesame seeds, their health benefits and how we can use them to cook delicious recipes.

This post is for informational purposes only and does not constitute medical or dietetic advice in any way.

What are Sesame Seeds?

Sesame seeds are very small cream-colored seeds that grow in pods on the Sesamum indicum plant (Healthline). It is most typical to find hulled sesame seeds in supermarkets and health food stores in the baking or world foods aisle, but it is possible to buy unhulled sesame seeds also.

What Do Sesame Seeds Taste Like?

Sesame seeds have a mild, slightly buttery taste. They are slightly sweet and nutty in flavor, which makes them suitable for both sweet and savory cooking and baking.

In terms of texture, these tiny seeds are quite hard, with a good crunch.

What are the Health Benefits of Sesame Seeds?

While they note that you would need to eat larger quantities to gain health benefits, Healthline describes that sesame seeds have many nutritional benefits. For example, sesame seeds are a good source of fiber, plant compounds, plant protein, certain B vitamins, magnesium and calcium. They also may have anti-inflammatory properties.

Sesame seeds are vegan, gluten free and relatively low histamine. My low histamine readers may like to know that sesame seeds score 1 on the SIGHI list for histamine. You can find out more about nuts and seeds on a low histamine diet in my overview of this list!

It is important to note that sesame is one of the top 14 food allergies. It should only be consumed by those who tolerate it well. See Allergy UK for more information.

How Can We Use Sesame Seeds?

There are many ways to use sesame seeds in baking and for savory cooking. Here are just some recipes to enjoy making:

Making Tahini

While many of us buy a jar of tahini from the store, it's also fairly easy to make your own! As the homemade tahini recipe by Pick Up Limes sets out, you roast the sesame seeds, then blend until you achieve the correct texture.

Tahini is used to make halva, a traditional Middle Eastern snack.

Making Tahini Dressing

If you have tahini then you can easily make a tasty tahini dressing to drizzle over salads, buddha bowls or as a dip for crudites. If you like to add flavor you can blend with herbs or spices, such as my creamy tahini dill dressing.

Making Tahini Pasta Sauce

As well as enjoying tahini sauce on cold salads, you can also combine tahini with olive oil herbs and garlic to make a simple but very tasty tahini pasta sauce. It's perfect for a quick weeknight dinner!

Making Energy Balls

Sesame is a good swap for nuts if you are nut free and can be used to make cookies or sesame energy balls. They're a quick and healthy snack that are perfect for school or work lunch boxes!

Making Hummus

Tahini is a key ingredient of traditional hummus recipes alongside chickpeas. It can also be used to make variations of hummus such as cauliflower hummus or beet hummus, as well as baba ganoush.

Sprinkle on Stir-Fry and Salad Recipes

Sesame seeds are commonly used to sprinkle on stir-fry recipes, salads or buddha bowls.

Topping Baked Goods

You will often find baked goods topped with sesame seeds, such as breads, bagels, pretzels and crackers, or perhaps make your own baked goods!