Sesame oil
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Every diet
Pressed from seeds.
Almost pure fat, so it barely moves blood sugar.
Fine for most people at normal amounts.
Rules by country
Sesame oil is sold as a food and has no E-number, so the regulators assess it as a food rather than as an additive. What they do regulate closely is the allergen: sesame is on the mandatory label list in the United States and in the EU, and it is one of the commonest reasons for a label check to go wrong.
What is it?
Pale sesame oil is pressed from raw seeds and tastes nutty. Toasted sesame oil is made from seeds roasted first, which gives it the darker color and the roasted note. It is roughly 14% saturated, 40% monounsaturated and 43% polyunsaturated, and that high polyunsaturated share makes it oxidize faster than most oils.
Where it comes from: Pressed from sesame seeds. Asian shops usually sell two products side by side: the pale oil pressed at low heat from raw seeds, and the dark toasted oil made from seeds roasted first.
Why it’s in food
- Seasoning tofu and noodles
- Dressings
- Marinating meat
- Finishing a dish
- Baking
Often found in
Also listed as: Sesame oil, Toasted sesame oil, Cold-pressed sesame oil, Gomashio, Sesame seed oil
Health & gut impact
Sesame oil is mostly unsaturated, and replacing butter with it lowers LDL cholesterol in controlled feeding trials.
Sacks and colleagues, American Heart Association presidential advisory on dietary fats (2017)
Sesame has had to be declared on labels in the United States since 2003 and in the EU since 2004. Reactions are uncommon but can be severe, and sesame is the allergen most often missed in spice blends and bakery products.
US FASTER Act (2021) and EU Regulation 1169/2011 allergen list
Refined sesame oil can retain sesamolin, which breaks down into aldehydes on heating. An oil that has been used repeatedly and smells scorched is one to throw away rather than keep.
FAO/WHO Codex standard for vegetable oils
What can I use instead?
Related
More fats & oils:
Common questions
Is sesame oil healthy?
It is a reasonable everyday oil, mostly unsaturated fat, and a tablespoon gives you a small amount of vitamin E and copper. As with any oil, the question that matters is what it replaces: next to butter it is an improvement, alongside an existing high-fat diet it adds calories.
Is toasted sesame oil safe to heat?
Toasted sesame oil is used to flavor food at the end of cooking, and it is usually added after the heat rather than fried in. The pale cold-pressed oil is the one meant for cooking, and both are fine in the amounts people actually use.
Why does my sesame oil smell bitter?
A bitter or harsh smell usually means the oil has gone off. Sesame oil is fragile: keep it in the fridge once opened, and replace it if it darkens or develops a stale smell.
Is Sesame oil safe?
Generally safe (89/100). Sesame oil is sold as a food and has no E-number, so the regulators assess it as a food rather than as an additive. What they do regulate closely is the allergen: sesame is on the mandatory label list in the United States and in the EU, and it is one of the commonest reasons for a label check to go wrong.
Is Sesame oil vegan?
Yes. Pressed from seeds.
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Scientific sources & regulatory citations
- Sacks and colleagues, American Heart Association presidential advisory on dietary fats (2017)
- US FASTER Act (2021) and EU Regulation 1169/2011 allergen list
- FAO/WHO Codex standard for vegetable oils
CAS 8008-00-6