After trying store-bought black sesame milk, we wanted to try our hand at this gorgeous dairy-free milk! Especially after learning that black sesame seeds are naturally rich in iron, calcium, and magnesium.
This nutty and refreshing drink is also easy to make, requiring just 3 ingredients! Let’s do this!
Origins of Black Sesame Seeds
Black sesame seeds have been a popular ingredient in Asian cooking for centuries. You’ll find them sprinkled on rice (so beautiful!), in Korean rice cakes, and in Chinese rice balls called tang yuan (source). They’re also used in a Cantonese dessert soup made with rice, sugar, and water (source). These seedy black beauties are becoming even more popular and we’re seeing them in everything from gelato, to ice cream, to (our favorite): milk!
How to Make Sesame Milk
The first step is to soak the black sesame seeds in a bowl of warm water for about 30 minutes. This helps soften them and improve digestibility.
The soaked seeds are then strained through a fine mesh strainer and added to a blender.
Water, sea salt, and a pitted date are added to the sesame seeds and blended on high for about 1 minute.
The salt adds flavor and trace minerals, while the date adds a slight sweetness.
Vanilla and maple syrup (both optional) can also be added to further enhance the flavor and sweetness.
The mixture is then squeezed through a nut milk bag into a bowl.
The result: dreamy nutrient-rich sesame milk!
We hope you LOVE this milk! It’s:
Creamy
Nutty
Vanilla-scented
Naturally sweetened
Refreshing
& So delicious!
We enjoy it served cold over ice, or served hot with a little maple syrup and cinnamon. We tried testing it with matcha, golden milk mix, and adaptogens, but found it wasn’t the best flavor match due to its natural bitterness.
More DIY Dairy-Free Milk Ideas:
- Cashew Coconut Oat Milk (Our Oil-Free Take on Oatly Barista Milk)
- Homemade Macadamia Milk
- How to Make Almond Milk
If you try this recipe, let us know! Leave a comment, rate it, and don’t forget to tag a photo #minimalistbaker on Instagram. Cheers, friends!
Creamy Black Sesame Milk
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup black sesame seeds (soaked in warm water for 30 minutes)
- 2 pinches sea salt or pink Himalayan salt, divided
- 4 cups filtered water
- 1 medjool date, pitted
- 1 tsp vanilla extract (optional)
- 1-2 tsp maple syrup for sweetness (optional)
Instructions
- To a medium mixing bowl, add black sesame seeds and a pinch of salt, then cover with warm water and allow to sit for 30 minutes.
- Drain and rinse sesame seeds through a fine mesh strainer, then add to a high-speed blender along with filtered water, a pinch of salt, date, vanilla (optional), and maple syrup (optional). Blend on high for about 1-2 minutes.
- Strain contents of the blender through a nut milk bag into a bowl.
- Enjoy immediately or transfer to a sealed glass jar. Will keep in the refrigerator 3-4 days or in the freezer for 1 month.
- The leftover pulp can be frozen and added to smoothies, dehydrated and added to baked goods, or composted.
D. says
Hi,
may you please explain how you calculate the nutritional information? I understand that they are rough estimates. However, I don’t understand how these calculations are done. Is there any guide that I can look into? Thank you a lot.
Hi, we input the ingredients into Cronometer to calculate the nutrition. We estimated that about half of the nutrition would be lost in the “pulp”. That’s very much just a guess though as we have no way of knowing precisely how much is lost!
D. says
Thank you. I thought that there is some information about how much is extracted during blending but I wasn’t able to find.
ls says
Excellent
Thank you for the lovely review!
Christina says
Super yummy! Thank you for sharing the recipe!
Any suggestions on what to make with the remaining pulp?
We’re so glad you enjoyed it, Christina! Perhaps crackers or cookies? We have a round-up of almond pulp recipes that could be further inspiration!
Jose says
Delicious! A favorite non-dairy milk.
Yay! So glad you enjoy this recipe, Jose!
Naglaa Hegazi says
I read all good comments and decided to make it. Unfortunately, I didn’t love it at all. There’s a strong after taste like black pepper in my throat that stuck in my mouth for very long time. I won’t recommend this drink.
Hi Naglaa, sorry to hear you didn’t enjoy it. It is a unique flavor that might not be for everyone, but we also wonder if maybe your sesame seeds weren’t fresh? If they’re rancid and smell off, that could lead to an unpleasant flavor.
Ice says
Please acknowledge the long history Asian cultures had in creating this and other black sesame dishes.
Hi, Thanks so much for bringing this to our attention. This post was written before we began adding origin information to our posts and we certainly lacked the awareness and cultural sensitivity that our brand stands for today. We will definitely add this information. Sorry you found it before we did!
Taylor says
Can’t wait to try this! Do you think this could be an ice cream base?
We think it would be too icy. But perhaps if you reduce the water content and/or also add coconut cream to the ice cream. Let us know if you try it!
Joy says
Hi! Can I omit the Medjool date? Will it change the taste drastically? What can I substitute it with? Thank you!
You can omit and substitute a bit of maple syrup or agave to taste.
Pascale says
Hi! Would this recipe work with black sesame powder instead?
Hi Pascale, we aren’t familiar with that product, but think it could end up too chalky. Let us know if you try it!
Lesli says
Made this exactly as described using a fine-mesh strainer and spoon to press the milk out of seeds (couldn’t find my nut bag). SO DELISH! Smooth, subtly sweet, just lovely. Looking forward to making it again, especially in warm weather for a post-exercise snack/smoothie. Thanks!
Amazing! Thanks for sharing, Lesli!
JenL says
Roasted or unroasted black sesame seeds? Does it make a difference which one to use? Either results in same flavour?
Hi Jen, we use untoasted, but either should work. Let us know if you try with toasted!
JenL says
Thanks! Sure! :)
Anna says
Easy and delicious recipe. Living in East Asia for a while has made me a little obsessed with black sesame as a flavour. Black sesame ice cream, black sesame tahini smoothies, black sesame marshmallows, black sesame lattes, black sesame cupcakes, etc. I can’t get enough of the complex flavour. When I purchased a new high powered blender with a nut milk bag- this was first on the list of recipes I wanted to try. I have made it twice now. The colour is so gorgeous. Both times I used Maldon sea salt, a teaspoon of pure vanilla extract, and local honey instead of maple syrup. The first time I only used one teaspoon of honey and it was barely perceptible in the finished batch, very strong sesame taste. The second time I used about one teaspoon per cup of water, which resulted in a significantly sweeter, but not overpowering, seed milk. I think using about two to two and a half teaspoons of sweetener would be perfect for my taste. I found it difficult to properly clean all the traces of sesame pulp from the nut milk bag. Thanks for sharing this recipe! This and Amy Chaplin’s Rose Almond Milk are my two favourite make at home drinks right now.
Amazing, thanks so much for sharing, Anna! Oh, and anything Amy Chaplin is a total win! xoxo
Rachel says
This is a nice treat for when you don’t want something heavy or sweet. The body is on the lighter side and the flavor is subtle. Easy to make, now I just need to figure out what to do with the sesame pulp.
Thanks for sharing, Rachel!
R.W. says
Suggestions on how to use the leftover sesame pulp:
– Make a sesame cake – mix some in to batter
– Make sesame doughnuts – mix some in to dough
– Make sesame cookies or brittle
– Mix in to a glaze to top cookies or doughnuts
– Mix in to whipped cream to serve on fruits or on top of cupcakes/cake
– Make Korean or Chinese black sesame porridge
– Use as a topping for oatmeal or yogurt
– Sprinkle on top of a salad with a sesame oil based vinaigrette
– Make homemade granola
– Add to homemade hummus
Love it!
Kim says
Black sesame ice cream is my favorite so I’m excited to try this. Do you have a recommendation on where to find black sesame seeds in bulk? I’ve only been able to find it sold in my area in a small spice container.
I’m not sure! We bought ours from a local Asian foods market. But I’m sure you can find some online!
Lori says
I found a very large bag in the Indian grocery store
Nelly says
Amazon has a pretty good price for large bags of black sesame seeds, 2lb for around 10-12 bucks.
I’m soaking the seeds right now to make this recipe, I love black sesame icecream so my guess is that I’m going to enjoy this very much, can’t wait!
Crystal says
Made this and love it. I was wondering if you have any suggestions for what to do with the spent seeds?
Thanks so much for the lovely review, Crystal! We think you may be able to use it similar to almond pulp. Or perhaps a sesame cookie?
Anna says
I really like using the pulp in smoothies (surprisingly good with a frozen banana, mint extract, and cacao nibs), oatmeal, and mixed into yoghurt.
Love that! Thanks for sharing, Anna!
Samantha says
I just made this but the milk turned out to be essentially black water, not creamy milk with a greyish colour like your photo. Just wondering if you have any ideas as to what I did wrong? I used Organic Traditions black sesame seeds. Thanks!
Hi Samantha, did you blend for a full minute on high? It sounds like it just needed to blend more.
James says
wonderful recipie. I try to practice ayurveda… and sesame seeds are vital, tridoshic, and virtually incomparable for a myriad of reasons. I love the idea of raw, germinated seeds rather than roasted as in tahini. I used to directly internally oleate with sesame oil and dairy milk, but now see more benefit in consuming the seed itself, as lecithin is what I’m convinced i need. Lecithin is what enable an oil to bind/bond/infuse. I will be drinking some sesame milk today. As for sesame oil… Try it in ears, eyes, nose (panchakarma) .. Any basti.
Thanks for sharing, James!
HyeMi Jung says
I just made it and I absolutely love this! its pretty common to drink Black sesame milk in korea! Its usually Black bean & Black sesame milk
I completely forgot about this , Thank you so much to remind me so I can make it,
Thank you :)
Interesting! Thanks so much for sharing!
Reyna and Jenna says
Yummy when mixed with dairy milk. I wasn’t sure how to get it to the light grey color that you had without mixing it. Delicious nonetheless.
Hmm, we wonder if maybe it needed additional blending?
Jen says
What kind of black sesame seeds do you use?
I believe ours were unhulled.
Jackie says
Wow I cannot wait to try this because I have searching for a milk alternative for so long. It is best to drink the unprocessed option. Random question. Where did you find the glassware in the picture because they look so unique.
Hi Jackie, we think this one was from Food52. Enjoy!
Jana says
I am obsessed with this recipe! I make it during the luteal phase of my cycle per seed cycling. It’s so good in chia pudding! Good enough to drink on its own as a treat, too. And I love the spooky color. Thank you!
Also, I bought bulk black sesame seeds on Amazon. Sadly Evil Corp is the only place I could find them.
We’re so glad you enjoyed it, Jana! P.s. if you have a Natural Grocers near you, we’ve had success finding black sesame seeds there. Hope that helps!
Sheila says
I’ve never had sesame milk before so I’m not quite sure what it was supposed to taste like. But this recipe is easy to follow and I’m enjoying it in some tea right now. I feel like the sesame flavor is more pronounced heated up a little.
To note:
I toasted black sesame in a dry pan over medium heat for 5-7 mins, then cooled completely, then soaked.
I used a Vitamix, and blended on high for 2 minutes. After squeezing through a nut milk bag, it left me with about 1/3 cup of pulp. I’ll try to incorporate it into some energy bites as recommended!
This will not really froth as it was on the lighter/watery side.
Thanks for sharing, Sheila!
Steph Rayner says
Hey, I love your recipes and the ethos behind the food you make!
Unrelated to this recipe, but have you thought about having a “random recipe” button somewhere to give inspiration and send us back through the archives to recipes not seen in a while? It would be great for having a quick browse to get inspiration and looking at recipes we might otherwise not have chosen :)
Oh what a fun idea! I hadn’t thought of that. In the meantime, you can always go to our All Recipes page and select a random page and see what comes up! There’s 60+ pages of recipes to choose from!
connie says
wow, actually I would love this option!
Jenn Cattaneo says
Hi there! So, I was so stoked to try this because I’m obsessed with black sesame everything. I was going to ask where you get your seeds. I planned on going to Uwajimaya to get them today but I was at Asian Supermarket in Beaverton earlier in the day and they had them so I grabbed a couple of packs. I maybe soaked them a little long but not even a full hour. other than that, all the same. And it came out SO amazing and creamy (which is a trip!) but also a horrible chemical bitterness! I had to dump it. It was the type of flavor that you know if you drink even 1 ounce, you’ll get horrible stomach pain. I’m wondering if they treated them with chemicals, or if the black is a dye or something? Anyway, let me know if you have any feedback or sources for seeds you can share :-)
Oh my gosh so strange! It must be something about the way your seeds were processed or treated! I’d say look for a more reputable source. Buy organic whenever possible. We got ours from a local Asian market but they tasted great. Must be something off with the brand.
Kaelyn says
Just made this! I am totally obsessed. It has the most interesting, subtle but delicious flavour. The colour is super cool too. Will definitely be making this a ton!
xoxo! Thanks, Kaelyn!
Hillary says
Where are the glasses from?? I love the shape of those. They also look thick, so a dishwasher-loading-clutz would have a chance on not breaking them!
They’re Moroccan style glasses! I don’t remember where from.
Emaleigh says
Seems so interesting! I love how simple it is but also out there and creative! You always inspire me to try new things! :) Most likely a silly question but I don’t have black sesame seeds but I do have regular ones. Would those have a similar taste?
Hi Emaleigh! Not a silly question. We haven’t tried it with regular sesame seeds but I’m guessing it would be similar! Let us know how it goes! You could also in that instance just blend tahini with water and call it good (no straining required).
Mary Anna says
Can you tell me please if this can be made with white
sesame seeds? Are white sesame seeds refined?
Thank you so much,
Mary Anna
Hi Mary Anna. We haven’t tried it with regular sesame seeds but I’m guessing it would be similar! Let us know how it goes! You could also in that instance just blend tahini with water and call it good (no straining required).
KK says
In addition to soy milk, we drink a lot of black sesame milk or use black sesame milk in desserts, however we do toast the sesame ahead of time to bring out a richer taste. Have you tried toasting the sesame before blending?
I love that idea! I’ve never tried toasting, only soaking! We’ll have to try that next time. Thanks for sharing!
Shanna says
Ordering black sesame seeds to make this. I see they offer whole or unhulled. Does it matter which I use?
So, hulled sesame seeds are slightly more bitter in flavor, but they do offer more nutrients as the shell contains a lot of the nutrition. We purchased unhulled but really either should work!
Agnes says
Any suggestions of what to use the remaining pulp/ paste for? Would love to not waste… Cookies, dumplings, ice cream? I can peruse the internet of course but maybe your expertise would be greatly appreciated…
I think all of those are great ideas! My preferred would be freezing and adding to smoothies, adding to energy bites, or drying and adding to crackers / quick breads. Use this almond pulp article for more inspo!
Rita says
Would regular sesame seeds work instead of black? I have lots of sesame seeds, which I buy in bulk. Never even seen black ones.
Hi Rita! We haven’t tried it with regular sesame seeds but I’m guessing it would be similar! Let us know how it goes! You could also in that instance just blend tahini with water and call it good (no straining required).
Fanny says
Hello,
I love Black Sesame and I have heard it is great for nursing. This seems like a great recipe, however, in order to save some time, do you think I could use black sesame paste instead? What would be the amount per this recipe quantities?
Hi Fanny, we haven’t tried that, but it works for other nut/seed milks, so we think it would work! Maybe 3-4 Tbsp paste to 3 cups water?
ellen says
Thanks for the recipe! Where to get the cute glass cup? Thank you!
Hi! It’s a Moroccan-style glass and I forget where it’s from!
Eva says
Make ice cream with the milk. One of my favorite ice cream. Also try making energy balls with black sesame seeds (1-2 spoon of ghee and palm sugar/jaggery). Childhood favorite.
So smart! Thanks for sharing, Eva!
Dee says
Where did you get that particular style of nut milk bag? I had one for years and it is falling apart and the newer kinds are more porous and they let the fiber through.
Also is there a distinct flavor between the white sesame seeds and the black sesame seeds?
They black sesame seeds are hard to come by in these neck of the farms.
The nut milk bag is linked in our shop! As for the white vs. black, there’s a subtle flavor difference. We haven’t tried it with regular sesame seeds but I’m guessing it would be similar! Let us know how it goes! You could also in that instance just blend tahini with water and call it good (no straining required).
Dharma says
Hi! Loved this recipe and the idea! Just wondering what would be a good way to use the pulp from the sesame seeds? Could it be used in some way?
Thanks!
Yes, I would recommend adding it to energy bites, or drying and using in crackers. Use this almond pulp article as a loose guide for inspiration!
Monica May says
what do you use for nut milk bags? ive tried cheesecloth with zucchini before and just ripped right through the cheesecloth. Thank you!
Good question! We like this one. Hope that helps!