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Best Substitutes for Sesame Oil

A small glass bottle of dark toasted sesame oil next to a pile of toasted sesame seeds and a ceramic spoon
Photo by ready made on Pexels

  1. #1

    Toasted walnut oil — 1:1

    Best for: Finishing stir-fries, noodle dishes, and dressings

    Shares sesame oil's deep nutty aroma and dark color, though it's milder and slightly sweeter. Add it off the heat, just like sesame oil, since high heat destroys its flavor.

  2. #2

    Tahini thinned with a neutral oil — Mix 1 part tahini with 1 part neutral oil (canola or sunflower), then use that blend 1:1 for sesame oil

    Best for: Dressings, sauces, and marinades

    Straight tahini is too thick to sub 1:1, but thinning it with a neutral oil restores a pourable texture while keeping the roasted sesame flavor.

  3. #3

    Perilla oil (kkaennip oil) — 1:1

    Best for: Korean dishes like bibimbap or japchae

    Common in Korean cooking as a companion or backup to sesame oil, with a similar toasted, slightly grassy edge.

  4. #4

    Peanut oil plus crushed toasted sesame seeds — 1:1 peanut oil, plus 1 teaspoon crushed toasted sesame seeds per tablespoon of oil

    Best for: Stir-fries and fried rice

    Peanut oil alone won't taste like sesame, but stirring in crushed toasted seeds near the end of cooking brings the nutty flavor back without burning it.

  5. #5

    Olive oil plus toasted sesame seeds — 1:1, plus 1 teaspoon toasted sesame seeds per tablespoon of oil

    Best for: Salad dressings and cold noodle dishes

    Olive oil's flavor is different (grassy and peppery rather than nutty) but works as a base when sesame seeds carry the aroma instead.

  6. #6

    Neutral oil (canola, vegetable, or sunflower) — 1:1

    Best for: High-heat frying or sautéing where sesame oil is only used as cooking fat

    Won't add any sesame flavor, but it's the right choice when a recipe uses light sesame oil purely for its high smoke point rather than its taste.

Sesame oil almost never appears in baking, so this comparison is really about toasted versus untoasted use. Toasted (dark) sesame oil is a finishing oil added at the end of cooking for flavor, and the nutty substitutes above (walnut oil, tahini blends, perilla oil) are meant to replace that role. Light or untoasted sesame oil is sometimes used earlier in a recipe as a higher-heat cooking fat, and for that job a plain neutral oil is the closer match since flavor isn't the point.

FAQ

What's the difference between toasted and regular sesame oil?

Toasted sesame oil is pressed from roasted seeds and has a dark amber color and strong nutty flavor, used mainly as a finishing oil. Light or untoasted sesame oil is paler, milder, and better suited to actual cooking at higher heat.

Can I just leave sesame oil out of a stir-fry recipe?

The dish will still cook fine, but it will taste noticeably flatter since sesame oil is usually the main aromatic finish rather than the cooking fat. A drizzle of any nutty substitute at the end helps close that gap.

Is tahini the same thing as sesame oil?

No. Tahini is a thick paste made from ground sesame seeds, while sesame oil is a liquid pressed from them. Thinning tahini with a neutral oil is what makes it usable as a pourable substitute.

Does toasted sesame oil go bad?

Yes, faster than most cooking oils. Its high unsaturated fat content means it turns rancid within a few months at room temperature, so it's best stored in the refrigerator once opened.