• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
Sift & Simmer
Matcha, tea-infused baking recipes & modern Asian favourites
  • About
  • Recipes
  • Pantry
    • Matcha 101: A Beginner's Guide
    • Hojicha 101: A Beginner's Guide
  • Subscribe
  • Navigation Menu: Social Icons

    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • RSS
    • YouTube
menu icon
go to homepage
subscribe
search icon
Homepage link
  • Home
  • About
  • Recipes
  • Contact
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • RSS
    • YouTube
  • ×

    Home » Recipes » Desserts

    Mom's Black Sesame Paste

    Published: Feb 5, 2020 by Michelle · 9 Comments

    Share this recipe!

    • Facebook
    • Email
    • Twitter
    Jump to Recipe - Print Recipe

    This recipe for my Mom's Black Sesame Paste/Soup is a healthy and nourishing Chinese dessert made with black sesame seeds. It's creamy, thick, and lightly sweetened.

    Black sesame soup with a spoon in a white bowl on cheesecloth and marble trivet, black sesame seeds scattered around.

    I find that as the older I get, I am more drawn to the foods that my parents like to eat.

    Am I catching up with the older generation? Most likely.

    For instance, as a kid, I didn't really care for Chinese ingredients such as lotus paste, salted egg yolk, or even black sesame.

    But now that I have kids, and the strands of hair on my head are turning grey (!!), I'm thinking about how I can help slow the inevitable...

    And of course, I think to my Mom's Black Sesame Paste/Soup.

    What is black sesame?

    Black sesame has been often touted by the Chinese as a healthy food to consume in order to retain black hair colour.

    It is high in minerals and has a host of other health benefits.

    What does it taste like?

    The seeds have a rich, nutty flavour and is very aromatic, similar to its cousin, tahini, which is made of white sesame seeds. 

    Where to find black sesame paste?

    In Asian supermarkets, you can find instant black sesame soup in powdered form.

    However, it's just as easy to make black sesame paste from scratch, without the chemicals and preservatives commonly found in the packaged form.

    The consistency can be thick (like a pudding), or thin (watered down) depending on preference.

    Sometimes, during Chinese New Year, "tang yuan" or glutinous rice balls are added to the soup.

    Ingredients you'll need

    Similar to red bean, black sesame paste (or soup) is a sweet, Chinese dessert made with:

    • black sesame seeds: ground up into a powder
    • sweetener: such as honey or granulated sugar
    • rice flour/glutinous rice flour: acts as a thickener
    • water

    Rice flour vs. glutinous rice flour

    This recipe calls for both rice flour and glutinous rice flour.

    These flours are commonly available in Asian grocery stores. There's a difference between the two flours.

    • Rice flour is made from long grain rice, and glutinous rice flour is made long or short-grained sweet rice.
    • Glutinous rice flour gives a stickier texture that is commonly associated with food like tang yuan or mochi.

    If you're not able to find the rice flours, you can omit it. The soup will be lighter in texture.

    Black sesame soup with a spoon in a white bowl on cheesecloth and marble trivet, black sesame seeds scattered around.
    How to make black sesame powder

    All-natural (not instant) black sesame powder may be hard to find.

    If you have it, you can easily make this soup with the powder. If not, it's very easy to make black sesame powder.

    All you'll need are black sesame seeds and a spice grinder.

    • Pulse the black sesame seeds until powdery, but just shy of releasing their natural oils, and voila, you've got black sesame powder.
    • Dump the black sesame powder into a bowl and set aside.

    How to make the paste/soup

    Dump all the ingredients into a small saucepot.

    Stir over medium heat, until thickened to your desired consistency.

    How to serve & store

    Black sesame paste/soup is sometimes served as a dessert at the end of the meal in a Chinese restaurant.

    You can serve it warm or piping hot. I don't recommend it cold.

    Store the paste in a clean airtight container in the fridge for up to 1 week.

    Gently reheat the paste on the stovetop before serving.

    Other recipes you may like

    Hodugwaja-Inspired Chestnut Black Sesame Waffles

    Black Sesame Brochi (Brownie Mochi)

    Matcha Black Sesame Rolls

    Hojicha Black Sesame Oat Latte

    Korean Matcha Mochi Bread

    This black sesame paste is not only healthy, but is tasty and nutritious. It's nutty, fragrant, and not too sweet -- the perfect ending to any meal. It'll be sure to warm your body and delight your taste buds.

    Try this recipe out and find out why this soup is on constant rotation in my home.

    Let me know if you try out this recipe -- tag me on Instagram @siftandsimmer or leave me a comment/rating below!

    Close up of black sesame soup with a spoon in a white bowl on cheesecloth and marble trivet, black sesame seeds scattered around.Black sesame soup with a spoon in a white bowl on cheesecloth and martble trivet, black sesame seeds scattered around with text overlay.

    Print Recipe
    5 from 7 votes

    Mom's Black Sesame Soup

    A recipe for Chinese black sesame soup/paste, a rich and nourishing dessert made with black sesame seeds.
    Prep Time10 mins
    Cook Time10 mins
    Total Time20 mins
    Course: Dessert
    Cuisine: Asian, Chinese
    Servings: 4
    Calories: 167kcal
    Author: Michelle

    For accuracy and precision in baking recipes, use weight (metric) measurements when available.

    Ingredients

    • 1 ½ C water + more according to your preference
    • 2 tablespoon rice flour
    • 2 tablespoon glutinous rice flour
    • ¼ C black sesame powder OR
    • ½ C black sesame seeds
    • 2 tablespoon honey or granulated cane sugar
    Prevent your screen from going dark

    Instructions

    If making black sesame powder:

    • Place the black sesame seeds into a clean spice grinder. Pulse intermittently until a powder consistency is attained. Be sure not to overgrind or it will turn into a paste.

    Make the black sesame soup:

    • In a saucepan, add in the water, rice flour, glutinous rice flour and black sesame powder. Bring to a simmer over low heat. Stir continuously. The mixture will start to thicken.
    • Continue to stir for about 10 minutes and add in the honey/sugar. Stir until dissolved. Taste the black sesame soup and adjust for sweetness. If the black sesame soup is too thick for your liking, add in a little more water and stir until homogeneous.
    • Remove from heat and ladle into small bowls. Serve warm.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 167kcal | Carbohydrates: 19g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 9g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 2mg | Potassium: 99mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 9g | Vitamin A: 2IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 184mg | Iron: 3mg

    The nutritional information provided should be considered as approximate and is not guaranteed. Please use your best judgment to ensure food is safely prepared and/or a good fit for your diet.

    Did you try this recipe?Mention @siftandsimmer or tag #siftandsimmer!


    This article was originally published for Curious Cuisiniere.

    « Thai Mango Sticky Rice (Khao Niao Mamuang)
    Matcha Black Sesame Rolls »

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Gail Montero

      March 29, 2021 at 8:23 am

      5 stars
      That deep color is both so appetizing and intriguing plus I love sesame seeds so this yummy soup is right up my alley!

      Reply
      • Donna

        February 23, 2022 at 11:28 am

        5 stars
        Thank you for this recipe. It's decadently rich, and not too sweet!

      • Michelle

        February 23, 2022 at 6:19 pm

        Glad you enjoyed it, Donna! Thanks for writing!

    2. Marlynn

      March 29, 2021 at 8:23 am

      5 stars
      I'm the same way - definitely more and more drawn to foods I didn't necessarily love as a child but now it makes me feel like home. This is such an interesting soup, and I never would have thought to make something like this before but your recipe makes it so easy. Thanks!

      Reply
    3. Beth

      March 29, 2021 at 8:24 am

      5 stars
      This looks interesting, but so tasty! My daughter is going to love this recipe! Can’t wait to give this a try!

      Reply
    4. Jessica Formicola

      March 29, 2021 at 8:26 am

      5 stars
      Oh wow, I love the simple ingredients in this soup! The flavor definitely sounds intriguing and I will definitely be trying it soon!

      Reply
    5. Katherine

      March 29, 2021 at 8:27 am

      5 stars
      Oh wow! Such an intriguing color and I'm so excited to try the taste.

      Reply
    6. Petrina

      February 06, 2022 at 7:47 pm

      5 stars
      Just made this to satisfy my craving and while it says serving for 4, I had all of it to myself!

      I didnt have rice flour so I used 3 tbsp of glutinous rice flour instead and it seems to have worked out fine.

      Thanks for this super quick and easy recipe!

      Reply
      • Michelle

        February 07, 2022 at 8:19 am

        Thanks for trying the recipe and for sharing it with me on Instagram, Petrina! Glad you enjoyed it 🙂 My son can demolish most of the batch himself too 😉

    Leave a Reply Cancel reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    Recipe Rating




    This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

    Primary Sidebar

    About Me

    My name is Michelle and Sift & Simmer is a food recipe blog featuring easy, creative and delicious recipes. I believe that the best food is made from scratch. Read More…

    Subscribe for Latest recipes

    Follow Me

    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • RSS
    • YouTube

    Popular Recipes

    Matcha Latte

    Matcha 101: A Beginner's Guide

    Matcha Mochi Croissants

    Matcha Candy Cane Popcorn

    Footer

    ↑ back to top

    About

    About

    Privacy Policy

    Newsletter

    Subscribe for the latest recipes and updates directly to your inbox!

    Contact

    Contact

    Copyright © 2017-2023 Sift & Simmer

    All images and content are copyright protected. Do not use without prior permission.