Substitute For Sesame Oil

The best substitute for sesame oil depends on what you're making, but toasted sesame seeds blended into a neutral oil comes closest to the real thing. If you need something faster, perilla oil or a tahini-and-grapeseed oil mix will get you surprisingly close. Whether you ran out mid-cook or need an allergy-friendly swap, you have more options than you might think. For a broader look at how different cooking oils compare, visit the cooking oils guide on BuyKitchenStuff.

Sesame oil comes in two main forms: toasted (dark) sesame oil and light (untoasted) sesame oil. Most recipes mean the toasted variety — that deep amber oil with a bold, nutty aroma that gets drizzled over finished stir-fries, cold noodles, and marinades. Light sesame oil has a higher smoke point and a more subtle flavor, making it better for high-heat cooking. Knowing which type your recipe calls for will help you pick the right replacement.

The options below range from pantry staples to more specialty finds. Some mimic sesame oil's flavor closely; others simply replace the fat without the nuttiness. Either way, you'll find something that fits what you're cooking.

The Best Sesame Oil Substitutes

Not all substitutes work equally well in every situation. Before you grab the first bottle in your cabinet, it helps to understand what sesame oil actually contributes to a dish — flavor, fat, or both. Toasted sesame oil is used almost entirely for flavor, while light sesame oil is used for cooking fat. That distinction shapes which replacement makes sense.

Toasted Sesame Seeds and Neutral Oil

This DIY substitute is the closest you can get to the real thing without buying another bottle. Toast a tablespoon of sesame seeds in a dry skillet over medium heat until they turn golden and fragrant, then blend or shake them into two tablespoons of a neutral oil like grapeseed or canola oil. The flavor won't be perfectly identical to pressed sesame oil, but the toasted nuttiness carries through noticeably well. Use it as a 1:1 replacement for toasted sesame oil in finishing applications.

Perilla Oil

Perilla oil is pressed from the seeds of the perilla plant and is widely used in Korean cuisine. Its flavor is slightly herbal and nutty — not identical to sesame oil, but similar enough in character to work in many of the same applications. You can usually find it at Korean or Asian grocery stores. It works especially well in cold dressings, dipping sauces, and cold noodle dishes where a light nutty oil is needed.

Olive Oil and Other Neutral Oils

When you need to replace the fat rather than the flavor, olive oil, grapeseed oil, or avocado oil all work as a base. None of these replicate the taste of sesame oil on their own, but they carry other flavors in the dish without dominating them. Avocado oil has a mild, buttery taste and a high smoke point, making it particularly good for high-heat cooking. Grapeseed oil is almost entirely flavor-neutral, which makes it a clean canvas for adding flavor through other means.

How to Use Each Substitute in Your Cooking

The right substitute also depends on how sesame oil is being used in the specific dish. Context matters. An oil that works perfectly as a finishing drizzle might be a poor choice for a high-temperature wok.

Finishing Oils vs. High-Heat Cooking

Toasted sesame oil is almost always a finishing oil — added at the very end of cooking or drizzled over a completed dish just before serving. Its delicate compounds break down under sustained heat, so adding it too early destroys the flavor. Light sesame oil behaves differently, tolerating moderate heat well. When substituting, match the role: use flavorful options like perilla oil or the sesame seed blend as finishing oils, and reach for avocado or grapeseed oil for high-heat applications.

In Asian Dishes and Marinades

Sesame oil shows up regularly in stir-fries, noodle dishes, marinades, and short rib braises. For a soy-ginger marinade, grapeseed oil mixed with a small amount of soy sauce and grated ginger approximates the depth that sesame oil would normally contribute. For noodle dishes, tahini thinned with warm water and a few drops of soy sauce does a convincing job. If you make your own noodles at home, the Traditional Homemade Noodles Recipe on this site pairs beautifully with a sesame-forward sauce — and any of the substitutes here will work in that context.

In Dressings and Dipping Sauces

Cold applications are where flavor matters most. In a sesame noodle salad or a dipping sauce, the substitute needs to carry real flavor — fat alone won't cut it. Perilla oil is your best bet here because it has genuine nuttiness. A tahini-based mixture also works well: whisk one teaspoon of tahini with a tablespoon of grapeseed oil and a splash of rice vinegar, and you'll have a dressing that reads as sesame-forward even without sesame oil.

Getting the Most Flavor from Your Substitute

Even the best substitute benefits from a few techniques that help it punch above its weight. Small adjustments in how you build the dish can make a noticeable difference.

Adjusting Quantities

Most substitutes are less intensely flavored than toasted sesame oil, so your first instinct might be to use more. Resist that urge with plain neutral oils — adding more grapeseed oil won't add sesame flavor, it will just add fat. Instead, keep the quantity the same and boost flavor through other ingredients: more ginger, a dash of soy sauce, or a sprinkle of toasted seeds.

If your substitute tastes flat, stir in half a teaspoon of tahini — it adds body and nuttiness without overwhelming the dish.

Layering with Aromatics

Garlic, fresh ginger, scallions, and toasted sesame seeds all reinforce the savory, nutty profile that sesame oil provides in Asian-inspired dishes. Adding these aromatics to a dish where you've used a neutral oil substitute can make the substitution nearly invisible. Think of it as rebuilding the flavor profile from the bottom up rather than trying to replicate a single ingredient perfectly.

Substitution Mistakes That Can Backfire

Knowing what not to do is just as useful as knowing what works. A few common errors show up repeatedly when people swap out sesame oil, and most of them are easy to avoid once you know what to look for.

Using Too Much

Toasted sesame oil is typically used in very small quantities — often just a teaspoon or two per dish. When the flavor doesn't come through with a substitute, the temptation is to add more. With neutral oils, this results in a greasy dish rather than a more flavorful one. Match the original quantity and use aromatics to compensate for the missing nuttiness.

Swapping at the Wrong Stage

Sesame oil is a finishing oil in most recipes. If you add your substitute at the beginning of cooking — especially a delicate oil like extra-virgin olive oil — you'll lose both the flavor and the intended texture of the dish. Add your substitute at the same point in the recipe where sesame oil would have gone. Timing matters almost as much as the oil itself.

Ignoring the Smoke Point

If you're using a substitute for high-heat cooking, the smoke point matters. Extra-virgin olive oil has a relatively low smoke point and produces bitter compounds when overheated. For wok cooking or high-temperature sautéing, grapeseed or avocado oil are better choices. Smoke points vary significantly across different oils, and using the wrong one at high heat can give your food an off taste that no amount of seasoning will fix.

Fixing a Dish When the Substitute Isn't Working

Sometimes you make the swap and something still feels off. The good news is that most of these problems have simple fixes that don't require starting over.

The Dish Tastes Flat

A flat dish usually means the substitute is contributing fat but no flavor. Fix it by adding toasted sesame seeds directly into the dish, stirring a small amount of tahini into the sauce, or finishing with a few drops of chili oil for warmth and depth. Sometimes a splash of toasted rice vinegar alongside your neutral oil substitute is enough to wake up all the other flavors and make the dish feel complete.

The Texture Is Off

Tahini-based substitutes can make a sauce noticeably thicker than intended. If your dressing or dipping sauce becomes too heavy, thin it gradually with warm water or rice vinegar until you reach the right consistency. A few drops at a time is the right approach — it's much easier to thin a sauce than to thicken it back up after over-diluting.

You Need an Allergy-Safe Option

Sesame allergies are increasingly recognized as a major allergen. If you're cooking for someone with a sesame allergy, avoid perilla oil (some cross-reactive responses have been reported) and skip sesame seeds entirely. Sunflower oil with a small amount of peanut oil can approximate the flavor profile — though peanut oil is off the table for anyone with a peanut allergy. For similar approaches to substituting flavors in other categories, the 9 Best Substitutes for Thyme guide uses the same framework and is worth reading if herb substitutions come up in your cooking.

Oils, Tools, and Storage Tips

Getting the most out of any cooking oil — including substitutes for sesame oil — comes down to how you store it and how precisely you use it. A few small investments in your kitchen setup make a real difference.

Storing Specialty Oils

Toasted sesame oil, perilla oil, and most nut-based oils go rancid faster than refined neutral oils because of their high unsaturated fat content. Store them in a cool, dark cabinet away from the stove, and aim to use them within three to six months of opening. Refrigerating them extends shelf life further, though they may turn cloudy or thick in the cold. They return to normal at room temperature within a few minutes — this cloudiness is harmless and does not indicate spoilage.

Dispensing and Measuring

Because sesame oil — and most substitutes — are used in small amounts, precision matters more than it does with everyday cooking oils. A set of small measuring spoons lets you portion accurately. For drizzling over finished dishes, a small squeeze bottle or an oil dispenser with a fine-pour spout gives you far more control than pouring from a large bottle. Overpour by even half a teaspoon and the flavor balance of a small dish can tip noticeably. If you find yourself using specialty oils regularly, dedicating a small pour-spout bottle to each one is a practical upgrade that pays off quickly. For other flavor-pairing ideas that take a similar precision-focused approach, the What to Eat With Peanut Butter guide explores nutty flavor combinations in a useful way.

Next Steps

1. Check your pantry right now for grapeseed oil and sesame seeds — if you have both, you already have everything you need for the closest substitute to toasted sesame oil.
2. Try the tahini-plus-grapeseed-oil combination in your next dressing or dipping sauce, starting with one teaspoon of tahini per tablespoon of oil and adjusting from there.
3. Move your specialty oils — sesame, perilla, or any substitute — away from the stove and into a cool, dark cabinet to extend their shelf life.
4. Pick up a small squeeze bottle or fine-pour oil dispenser so you can drizzle finishing oils with precision rather than free-pouring from a large bottle.
5. Read through the cooking oils guide to get a clearer picture of how different oils behave under heat, so you can make smarter substitution decisions across all your cooking.