Sesame Seeds substitute

Best substitute

Poppy seeds

Use the same amount as the sesame seeds you are replacing

Best for bread and bagel toppings

Different taste

Work out which job the seeds were doing first. For crunch and speckle on bread, bagels or koulouri, poppy seeds and nigella seeds swap in at 1:1, and chopped sunflower seeds are the closest on flavor. For the toasted nutty aroma inside a stir-fry or dressing, use about 1/4 teaspoon of toasted sesame oil per tablespoon of seeds. Nothing matches sesame exactly, because it is unusually nutty for a seed, so choose crunch or aroma and substitute for that.

Other sesame seeds substitutes

Ranked, with the exact amount to use

2Sunflower seeds, toasted and roughly chopped
Different texture
Use the same amount by volume, chopped and toasted first
Hulled sunflower kernels, chopped down to roughly sesame scale.
What changes
Best for
bread toppings, salads, granola, stir-fry garnish, sesame-free baking
The closest option on flavor, because toasted sunflower seeds are genuinely nutty in the same way sesame is. The difference is scale: they are larger and softer, so the crunch is chunky and audible rather than fine and sandy, and on a bread crust they sit on top rather than embedding. Toast them dry for 4 to 5 minutes or they taste raw and green.
3Toasted sesame oil, for flavor only
Different texture
Use ¼ tsp oil for every 1 Tbsp seeds, stirred in off the heat
The same aroma in liquid form, with none of the texture.
What changes
Best for
stir-fries, noodles, dressings, dipping sauces, marinades
Where the seeds were there for aroma rather than crunch, this is the best substitute on the page, because it is literally the same flavor compound set. It adds fat, so cut other oil slightly, and it gives you no visual speckle and no bite at all. Do not use it as a coating, and add it at the end, since heat destroys its aroma fast.
4Nigella seeds (kalonji, black seed)
Different taste
⅔ to 1:1, on breads and savory dishes only
Small matte-black seeds with a sharp, oniony, peppery bite.
What changes
Best for
flatbreads, savory bread toppings, cheese pastries, pickles
Right size, right crunch, completely different flavor: peppery and oniony with a hint of oregano. It will announce itself in a way sesame never does, so use about two-thirds the quantity if the recipe is not built around it. Visually black, so a pale loaf looks dramatically different. Never use it in a sweet recipe.
5Flaxseed
Different taste
Use the same amount on dry crusts only
Glossy brown or gold seeds, similar in size to sesame.
What changes
Best for
bread and cracker toppings, seeded loaves
Fine on a dry, well-baked crust where they crack pleasantly between the teeth. On anything wet they turn slippery and slightly gummy, because flax releases mucilage the moment it meets moisture. Flavor is faintly grassy and a little bitter, with none of sesame's toastiness, and whole flax passes through largely undigested so it is texture rather than nutrition.
6Finely chopped toasted almonds or hazelnuts
Different texture
Use 1 Tbsp finely chopped for every 1 Tbsp seeds
Nuts chopped small and used as the crunchy, roasted element.
What changes
Best for
salads, noodle bowls, vegetable sides, dessert garnish
Genuinely close on the roasted-nutty axis, which is the axis that matters in a garnish, and better than poppy seeds for it. The crunch is much bigger and the flavor sweeter and richer, and you are introducing a major tree-nut allergen. Chop finer than feels necessary so they scatter rather than clump.

What is Sesame Seeds?

Sesame Seeds is the collective name for the small, flat, oil-rich seeds of the sesame plant, sold raw and pale ivory, pre-toasted, hulled or unhulled, or as black sesame, and known in the American South as benne; in a recipe they are there for fine sandy crunch, for toasted nutty aroma, or for both, and almost never for structure.

Cooking tips

Raw and toasted sesame seeds are not interchangeable by flavor. Raw seeds are nearly neutral; toasted are deeply nutty. If a recipe expects a pronounced sesame taste and you only have raw seeds, toast them dry over medium heat for 2 to 4 minutes, shaking constantly, until they smell like toast and a few start to pop.
Sesame's oil content is high, which means the seeds go rancid faster than most. Keep them in the freezer if you use them slowly. A sharp, bitter, slightly paint-like taste in your hummus or dressing is almost always old seeds rather than a bad recipe.
To get seeds to stick to bread, wet the surface first. Greek koulouri is traditionally dipped in water or a thin grape-molasses or honey wash before it is rolled in sesame; dry dough sheds seeds all over the oven floor.
Black sesame is not white sesame with food coloring. It is unhulled, noticeably more bitter and mineral, and slightly firmer. You can swap either direction at 1:1, but the dish will look and taste clearly different, so decide on purpose rather than by what is in the cupboard.
Sesame is a declared major allergen in the United States and the European Union. If you are substituting because of an allergy, remember that tahini, sesame oil, halva, za'atar blends and many burger buns all contain it, and choose sunflower or poppy seeds rather than trusting an unread label.

Frequently asked questions

Can I just leave sesame seeds out?

Almost always yes when they are a topping or a garnish. They contribute crunch and toasted aroma but nothing structural, so nothing collapses. The exception is a recipe where sesame is the bulk ingredient, such as tahini, halva, pasteli or sesame brittle, where there is no dish left once you remove them.

Can I use sesame oil instead of sesame seeds?

For flavor, yes: about a quarter teaspoon of toasted sesame oil per tablespoon of seeds, stirred in off the heat. For a crust or a coating, no, because the oil gives you nothing to bite. In a stir-fry the oil is arguably the better ingredient anyway, since the seeds mostly toast into invisibility.

Are benne seeds the same as sesame seeds?

Yes. Benne is the older West African-derived name still used in Charleston and the Lowcountry, where heirloom benne varieties survive. They are the same species, though heirloom benne tends to taste earthier and a little more bitter than commodity sesame, which some bakers prefer.

Should I use hulled or unhulled sesame seeds?

Hulled seeds, which is most white sesame sold in the US, are milder, paler and toast quickly. Unhulled seeds are more bitter and mineral, hold their crunch better on bread, and brown less evenly. Either works in nearly every recipe; unhulled is the more traditional choice for bread crusts.

Can I make tahini from a sesame substitute?

Not really, because tahini is nothing but ground sesame. If you need the paste rather than the seeds, sunflower seed butter is the usable stand-in: similar texture and fat content, milder and sweeter, so add a little extra lemon and salt to whatever you are making.

Related substitutes

More seeds substitutes

Sesame Seeds substitute

Other sesame seeds substitutes

2Sunflower seeds, toasted and roughly chopped

3Toasted sesame oil, for flavor only

4Nigella seeds (kalonji, black seed)

5Flaxseed

6Finely chopped toasted almonds or hazelnuts