In many parts of Asia, black sesame is an essential dessert flavor. The nutty, mildly bittersweet seed appears in ice-cream parlors and doughnut shops alongside matcha and ube – offerings as standard as chocolate, vanilla, and strawberry are stateside, says Sophie Hung, a California-based registered dietitian nutritionist who grew up in Hong Kong.

Now, black sesame’s popularity is growing in the US, with Yelp naming it a top food trend for 2026 based on user data (searches for “black sesame matcha” are up almost 150% since 2023). Yet, beyond its appealing flavor and striking color, what exactly are you getting nutritionally when you add black sesame to your diet?

What is the nutritional profile of black sesame?

“I love sesame seeds because they pack a nice nutritional punch without a lot of volume,” says New York-based registered dietitian nutritionist Robin Foroutan.

Black sesame is “really high in specific minerals, like calcium, magnesium, phosphorus, and potassium”, says Foroutan. “These are nutrients important for bone health specifically, but also for cardiovascular health and balanced blood pressure.”

A 2025 review analyzing data from 521 adults found that eating a tablespoon, or about 10 grams, of sesame products a day for eight weeks led to modest improvements in markers of heart and metabolic health, such as blood sugar and cholesterol levels, though the authors caution that these observed effects may not reliably “reflect true clinical benefits”, so, take them with a grain of salt.

A serving of sesame is roughly one tablespoon of whole seeds, with dietitians recommending between one and three servings per day. The particular nutritional profiles of sesame products differ depending on whether you’re consuming whole seeds or denser sesame products such as ground sesame or blended tahini paste, which comes in black or white varieties. For instance, a tablespoon of tahini is about 90 calories, while a less dense spoonful of whole sesame seeds is about 60 calories. Black, brown, and white varieties of sesame have similar macronutritional profiles – low in protein and carbohydrates, high in unsaturated fat – though black sesame contains more minerals, antioxidants, and slightly more fiber than paler counterparts. If you’re eating sesame for its mineral content, be sure you’re buying the seeds with the calcium-rich hull on, rather than just the translucent inner kernel often seen atop burger buns.

There is also a “decent amount of zinc in sesame seeds and sesame paste”, says Foroutan. “Zinc is really important to the immune system. It plays into how your body makes healthy white blood cells, and is also protective in an antiviral way,” she says. “Zinc blocks the replication of certain viruses so they don’t overwhelm your immune system.”

Is black sesame a beautifying ingredient?

“My grandma gave me one spoonful of black sesame powder every morning because in China, we believe it’s great for hair,” says Zoey Xinyi Gong, a Brooklyn-based chef and registered dietician who grew up in Shanghai and specializes in traditional Chinese medicine food therapy. Indeed, in parts of Asia, some claim that eating black sesame can even make gray hair go back to black. “That’s definitely more of a folktale,” says Gong; sesame is “not going to reverse gray hair or hair loss”. However, the seeds do contain the mineral copper, about 25% of your daily value per tablespoon. While copper biochemically supports the proteins collagen, elastin, and keratin, and the pigment melanin, in our bodies – all of which are involved in the maintenance of healthy skin, hair, and nails – no cause-and-effect studies on the beautification properties of dietary copper exist.

In traditional Chinese medicine practice, Gong explains that nutrient-dense sesame is considered a “moistening” ingredient, particularly beneficial to eat during the cold, dry winter season. “It ‘moistens’ the intestines, meaning if you tend to have things like constipation or dryness,” having some black sesame is thought to help. “And it’s consistent with western nutrition,” says Gong. Indeed, sesame’s healthy fats, similar to those found in olive oil and avocado, are widely known to support skin and gut health.

Should anyone not eat black sesame?

“Because sesame does lower blood pressure moderately,” people taking blood pressure medications or blood thinners should check with their doctors before significantly increasing their daily servings of sesame, advises Hung.

And because sesame is relatively high in fat and calories, “you don’t want to overdo it, especially if you are trying to manage your weight,” she says.

Sesame is also a fairly common food allergy in the US. According to the National Institutes of Health, 17% of children with any food allergies are also allergic to sesame.

While rare, some people may have stomach pain from eating sesame due to the seed’s oxalates and phytates, anti-nutrients which many seeds evolved to have to help them bypass digestion in animals and grow into new plants. Consider soaking your nuts and seeds, which will begin their sprouting process, to increase their digestibility and nutritional profile.

What does it mean that sesame contains phytoestrogens?

Some people “talk about sesame in terms of phytoestrogens”, because, like flaxseeds, sesame contains antioxidants called lignans, says Foroutan. Lignans are converted by gut bacteria into compounds that weakly mimic estrogen, but may bind to estrogen receptors and slightly ease menopausal hot flashes, though clinical effects are neither significant nor uniform across trials. Observational data suggests that higher lignan intake is associated with a slightly lower risk of developing postmenopausal breast cancer, but effect sizes are modest and not clearly protective for all patients. The takeaway? Including lignan-containing foods like sesame in a balanced diet is safe and healthy. But researchers worry supplements that contain higher doses of lignan may have negative effects on those with estrogen-sensitive conditions; talk to your doctor before taking any.

How can you incorporate black sesame into your diet?

In addition to sprouting, grinding black sesame is a way to improve your body’s ability to absorb maximum nutrients from the seeds. Hung likes to grind her sesame into a powder and keep it in a vacuum-sealed stainless steel jar to prevent oxidization, adding a spoon to her pre-workout shake or as an oatmeal topping, “for a little taste without having to add extra sugar”, she says.

Gong also prefers ground sesame, and recommends using toasted seeds for the best flavor. “Sprinkle it on salad, or on yogurt … or blend it with warm milk,” to make a black sesame latte at home, she suggests.

Sesame is versatile in both sweet and savory applications, as tasty in a dish of noodles as in a Japanese gomashio vegetable dressing or a white chocolate cookie. But consider it as just one part of the nutritional arsenal of nuts and seeds rather than a standalone superfood. It’s good to eat a variety of seeds, “because each different type of seed has a different profile of not just vitamins and minerals, but also antioxidants”, says Foroutan.