Sesame Seed Substitutes, Ranked by the Job Sesame Is Doing

Sesame seeds do several jobs. PROSEA describes them as a garnish of breads and pastries and a major ingredient in sweets,¹ and Gernot Katzer notes that toasted sesame is often sprinkled over Japanese and Korean dishes.² Ground, they become tahini.² Much of the flavor people associate with sesame appears only after toasting: Katzer explains that many of toasted sesame’s flavor compounds form only during the toasting itself.² Raw, the seeds taste mild; that description is ours.

Which substitute works depends on whether you need the look, the crunch, the toasted nutty flavor, or a sesame-free option for someone with an allergy.

Quick answer

How the ratios on this page are labeled

• Computed: based on a measurable physical relationship, with the source named.
• Attributed: a named source publishes this ratio. We quote it as theirs.
• Disputed: named sources give different answers to the same swap. We show each and do not average them.
• Method: we found no published ratio. We give a direction and a cautious starting point, and say so.

We found no credible published ratio for any sesame seed substitute. The one measurable relationship is weight per spoonful, which tells you how much seed you’re using, not how much flavor.

If sesame is a topping on bread

1. Poppy seeds

Poppy seeds do the same job on rolls and pastries. Katzer describes their taste as nutty and pleasant, and says the nutty flavor develops when they are baked on breads and pastries.³ The main difference is color: poppy seeds are grayish blue to dark blue,⁴ while hulled sesame is pale. Katzer notes a white type of poppy seed associated with India,³ but it is harder to find; no source we checked compares its flavor with the dark type.

Poppy seeds come from the opium poppy. Britannica describes the seeds as edible and nonnarcotic,⁴ but Katzer notes that morphine can be detected in urine after eating a lot of poppy seed.³ See poppy seeds for the safety details.

Ratio (Computed, weight only): USDA gives 9 g for a tablespoon of whole dried sesame seeds⁵ and 8.8 g for a tablespoon of poppy seeds.⁶ A 1:1 swap by volume therefore uses almost the same weight of seed. This says nothing about flavor strength.

2. Sunflower seed kernels, chopped

Hulled sunflower kernels are much larger than sesame seeds, so chop them for an even coating. They brown well on top of a bread; that is kitchen judgment.

Ratio (Method): No published ratio was found. Start with the same volume of chopped kernels.

If sesame is toasted crunch and flavor

On a salad, a rice bowl or cold noodles, toasted sesame gives crunch and a roasted, nutty aroma. Katzer reports research finding that pyrazines dominate the flavor under mild toasting conditions.² Any seed or nut you toast will develop its own roasted notes; none will taste of sesame.

1. Toasted sunflower seed kernels

America’s Test Kitchen, testing sunflower seed butter as a peanut butter alternative, described a pleasantly vegetal, slightly nutty flavor characteristic of the seeds.⁷ That is the closest general match to sesame’s flavor we could source. Toast the kernels in a dry pan until they smell nutty, then chop them.

Ratio (Method): Start 1:1 by volume, then taste.

2. Shelled hemp seeds

Shelled hemp seeds are pale, soft and closer in size to sesame than sunflower kernels are; that description is ours. We found no source describing their flavor against sesame’s.

Ratio (Method): No published ratio was found. Start 1:1 by volume.

3. Chopped peanuts

Peanuts give a stronger nutty flavor and more crunch, but change the dish’s character more than seeds do. Peanuts are one of the major food allergens in the US,⁸ so they are not an option for every table.

Ratio (Method): Start with about half the sesame amount, then taste.

4. Ground flaxseed

Flax gives little crunch once ground. Use it ground if you’re eating it partly for nutrition: Mayo Clinic says whole flaxseed may pass through the intestine undigested.⁹ In our judgment, flax works best mixed into a bread dough or a granola rather than as a visible topping.

Ratio (Method): No published ratio was found. Start with half the sesame amount.

If you need it sesame-free

Sesame became the ninth major food allergen in the US on January 1, 2023.⁸ For an allergy, use the seeds above, never sesame oil: poppy seeds on breads, toasted sunflower kernels for crunch. The FDA warns that some manufacturers have intentionally added sesame to products that previously did not contain it, and advises checking the label every time you buy a food product.¹⁰ That applies to the substitute too, for example a seasoned sunflower kernel mix or a bread topping blend.

Blends such as gomasio, furikake, za’atar and dukkah usually contain sesame. Katzer describes gomashio as toasted sesame with about 10 percent salt.²

If you have sesame oil but no seeds

Dark sesame oil owes its flavor to the same compounds that form when the seeds are toasted.² Katzer notes it is not suitable as a frying medium unless diluted with another oil,² so it is a seasoning rather than a cooking fat.

Ratio (Method): No published ratio was found. Add a few drops to a dressing or sauce at the end, taste, and add more. It gives flavor only, with no crunch. It is not an option for anyone allergic to sesame.

What isn’t known

• No published ratio for any sesame seed substitute was found. Every amount above is a starting point.
• No sensory study compares sesame with poppy, sunflower, hemp, flax or peanuts.
• No source compares the flavor of white and dark poppy seeds.
• It is often said that poppy seeds have little or no flavor until baked or toasted. The sources reviewed here describe poppy seed as nutty, with the flavor developing further in baking.³

Related

• Sesame seeds, black sesame seeds and black vs white sesame seeds
• Hulled vs unhulled sesame seeds
• Poppy seeds and poppy seed substitutes
• Gomasio substitutes and furikake substitutes
• Za’atar substitutes and dukkah substitutes

Footnotes

1. Weiss and de la Cruz, Sesamum orientale, PROSEA. uses.plantnet-project.org · Reference work ↩

2. Sesame, Gernot Katzer’s Spice Pages. gernot-katzers-spice-pages.com · Reference work ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴ ↩⁵ ↩⁶ ↩⁷

3. Poppy, Gernot Katzer’s Spice Pages. gernot-katzers-spice-pages.com · Reference work ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴

4. Opium poppy, Encyclopaedia Britannica. britannica.com · Reference work ↩ ↩²

5. Seeds, sesame seeds, whole, dried (FDC ID 170150), USDA FoodData Central. fdc.nal.usda.gov · Regulator ↩

6. Spices, poppy seed (FDC ID 171330), USDA FoodData Central. fdc.nal.usda.gov · Regulator ↩

7. Nut Butter Alternatives, America’s Test Kitchen. americastestkitchen.com · Publication ↩

8. Food Allergies, U.S. Food and Drug Administration. fda.gov · Regulator ↩ ↩²

9. Mayo Clinic Staff, Does ground flaxseed have more health benefits than whole flaxseed?, Mayo Clinic, 2023. mayoclinic.org · Publication ↩

10. Califf, An Update on Sesame Allergen Labeling on Food Packages, FDA, 2023. fda.gov · Regulator ↩