The best substitute for toasted sesame oil is perilla oil or walnut oil, swapped 1:1. If you have neither, stir toasted sesame seeds into a neutral oil for the aroma, or thin a spoonful of tahini for dressings. Whichever you use, add it at the end of cooking — heat kills that toasty fragrance.
Mid-recipe and the sesame oil bottle is empty? Take a breath, love. The right swap depends on which sesame oil your recipe means — and you almost certainly have a stand-in on the shelf already.
| Substitute | How much | Best for | The catch |
|---|---|---|---|
| Perilla oil | 1:1 | The closest match — nutty and toasty, at home in stir-fries, noodles and Korean dishes | Sold in Korean groceries; like sesame oil, add it at the end, off the heat |
| Walnut oil | 1:1 | Dressings, noodles, drizzling over finished dishes | Nutty, but it is not sesame — the flavour is its own; too delicate to fry with |
| Toasted sesame seeds in a neutral oil | Seeds to taste, stirred into a mild oil | Getting real sesame aroma into fried rice and stir-fries | Toast the seeds in a dry pan first; the oil itself stays neutral |
| Tahini, thinned | Thin a spoonful with water or a neutral oil until pourable | Dressings, sauces and marinades | It is ground sesame, so the flavour is right, but it is a paste — it adds body, and it will not work as a finishing drizzle |
| Any neutral oil (vegetable, sunflower) | 1:1 | Replacing plain, untoasted sesame oil as an everyday cooking oil | Gives none of the roasted aroma — not a stand-in for the dark, toasted bottle |
Toasted or Plain? Check Your Bottle First
This matters more than the swap itself. Most recipes — and most cooks searching mid-stir-fry — mean toasted sesame oil: the small dark bottle, deep amber-brown, smelling of roasted nuts. It is a finishing oil, there for aroma, not for frying. Plain (untoasted) sesame oil is a different thing entirely: pale, mild and neutral, an everyday cooking oil. Do not confuse the two. If your recipe says to drizzle it in at the end, it means toasted. If it says to fry the onions in it, it means plain — and any neutral oil will do the job.
The Best Substitutes for Toasted Sesame Oil
Swap by the job the oil was doing, not just oil for oil. Toasted sesame oil is there for its roasted, nutty aroma, so reach for something that brings aroma too. Perilla oil is the closest cousin — use it 1:1, and treat it just as gently. Walnut oil also works 1:1: it is nutty and lovely in dressings and over noodles, though the flavour is walnut, not sesame — do not expect a perfect match. No nut oils in the house? Add toasted sesame seeds to a neutral oil for the aroma — the trick below. And for dressings and sauces, thin a little tahini: it is ground sesame, so the flavour rings true.
The Toasted-Seeds Trick
This one earns its keep. Tip sesame seeds into a dry frying pan over medium heat and keep them moving until they turn golden and smell wonderful — a few minutes, no more, for they burn in a blink. Stir the warm seeds into a mild, neutral oil such as sunflower or vegetable oil, then use that where the recipe wanted toasted sesame oil. You can also simply scatter the toasted seeds straight over the finished dish. The oil stays neutral, mind — it is the seeds carrying the aroma — but in fried rice or a stir-fry, nobody will feel short-changed.
Add It at the End — Heat Kills the Aroma
Whatever you land on, remember the golden rule: toasted sesame oil is a finishing oil. Its fragrance is delicate, and hard heat drives it straight out of the pan. Stir it — or your perilla or walnut oil — through the dish right at the end, off the heat, and it will sing. Fry with it and you will wonder where the flavour went. Save the frying for a neutral oil and keep the good stuff for the last moment.
Substituting Plain (Untoasted) Sesame Oil
The easy one. Plain sesame oil is a neutral cooking oil, so any mild oil steps in 1:1 — vegetable, sunflower, canola (rapeseed) or a light olive oil. Your bake or fry-up will not know the difference. The one thing not to do is pour dark toasted sesame oil into the pan in its place: it will scorch, the aroma will vanish, and the flavour can turn bitter. Different bottles, different jobs.
Questions we get asked
Can I use olive oil instead of sesame oil?
If your recipe means plain (untoasted) sesame oil, yes — a light olive oil swaps in 1:1 as a neutral cooking oil. It is no substitute for toasted sesame oil, though: you get none of the roasted aroma. If it is all you have, stir some toasted sesame seeds into it.
Can I use vegetable oil instead of sesame oil?
For plain sesame oil, yes — 1:1, no fuss. For toasted sesame oil, vegetable oil on its own gives you nothing, because the whole point is the roasted aroma. Add toasted sesame seeds to the vegetable oil and you are most of the way there.
What can I use instead of sesame oil in fried rice?
Perilla oil or walnut oil, 1:1, stirred through at the very end, off the heat. Or skip the aromatic oil altogether and finish with a scatter of toasted sesame seeds — you keep the sesame flavour without the bottle.
Is tahini a good substitute for sesame oil?
In dressings, sauces and marinades, yes — tahini is ground sesame, so the flavour is right. Thin it with a little water or neutral oil until it pours. It is a paste, mind, so it adds body and will not work as a finishing drizzle over a hot dish.
Can I just leave sesame oil out?
You can. It is a finishing flavour, not a structural one — the dish will still cook up perfectly well, just without that toasty top note. A scatter of toasted sesame seeds over the plate brings most of it back.
Is toasted sesame oil the same as regular sesame oil?
No. Toasted sesame oil is dark, strongly aromatic and added at the end of cooking for flavour. Regular (plain, untoasted) sesame oil is pale and neutral — an everyday cooking oil. They do different jobs and do not swap for each other.