Sesame Seed Substitutes, Ranked by the Job Sesame Is Doing

The best sesame seed substitute depends on what you need: the look, the crunch, the toasted nutty flavor, or a sesame-free option for someone with an allergy. Poppy seeds are the easy swap on buns and bagels, and toasted, chopped sunflower kernels cover the crunch on a salad or rice bowl. Nothing else will taste quite like sesame, though. Much of the flavor you think of as sesame only shows up after toasting. Raw, the seeds taste mild.

Quick answer

How the ratios on this page are labeled

• Computed: based on a measurable physical relationship.
• Attributed: a named source publishes this ratio. We quote it as theirs.
• Disputed: named sources give different answers to the same swap. You get each one, side by side.
• Method: our starting point, based on how the two compare. Taste and adjust.

The one thing you can measure 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 nuttiness develops when they’re baked on breads and pastries.¹ The big difference is color. Poppy seeds are grayish blue to dark blue,² while hulled sesame is pale. Katzer notes a white type of poppy seed associated with India,¹ but it’s harder to find, and 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,² but Katzer notes that morphine can show up in urine after you eat a lot of poppy seed.¹ See poppy seeds for the safety details.

Ratio (Computed, weight only): USDA gives 9 g for a tablespoon of whole dried sesame seeds³ and 8.8 g for a tablespoon of poppy seeds.⁴ So a 1:1 swap by volume uses almost the same weight of seed. That says nothing about flavor strength.

2. Sunflower seed kernels, chopped

Hulled sunflower kernels are much bigger than sesame seeds, so chop them for an even coating. They brown well on top of a loaf.

Ratio (Method): 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 brings crunch and a roasted, nutty smell. Any seed or nut you toast will develop roasted notes of its own, but none will taste like 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 typical of the seeds.⁵ That’s the closest general match to sesame we could find a source for. 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 to sesame in size than sunflower kernels are. We found no source comparing their flavor with sesame’s.

Ratio (Method): Start 1:1 by volume.

3. Chopped peanuts

Peanuts bring a stronger nutty flavor and more crunch, but they change the dish more than seeds do. Peanuts are one of the major food allergens in the US,⁶ so they won’t work for every table.

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

4. Ground flaxseed

Once ground, flax gives you little crunch. If you’re eating it partly for nutrition, use it ground: Mayo Clinic says whole flaxseed may pass through the intestine undigested.⁷ Flax works best mixed into a bread dough or granola, not as a visible topping.

Ratio (Method): 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, 2023.⁶ 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 deliberately added sesame to products that didn’t use to contain it, and advises checking the label every time you buy a food product.⁸ That goes for your substitute too, like 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.⁹

If you have sesame oil but no seeds

Dark sesame oil gets its flavor from the same compounds that form when the seeds are toasted. Katzer notes it’s not suitable for frying unless you dilute it with another oil,⁹ so treat it as a seasoning, not a cooking fat.

Ratio (Method): Add a few drops to a dressing or sauce at the end, taste, and add more. You get flavor only, no crunch. It’s not an option for anyone allergic to sesame.

What isn’t known

• No source compares the flavor of white and dark poppy seeds.
• You’ll often hear that poppy seeds have little or no flavor until baked or toasted. The sources here describe poppy seed as nutty, with the flavor developing further in baking.¹

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

9. Sesame, Gernot Katzer’s Spice Pages. gernot-katzers-spice-pages.com · Reference work ↩ ↩²