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Black Sesame Ice Cream
5 from 12 votes

Black Sesame Ice Cream

Black Sesame Ice Cream uses rich black sesame paste combined with egg yolks, whole milk, and heavy cream to create a smooth, mildly nutty frozen dessert. The recipe includes a step to roast and grind whole sesame seeds if paste is unavailable, enhancing the aroma. The custard base is gently heated and thickened before chilling and freezing, resulting in a creamy texture and deep sesame flavor. It pairs well with fresh berries or crisp sesame tuiles.

Prep Time
15 mins
Cook Time
10 mins
Additional Time
3 hrs
Total Time
3 hrs 25 mins
Servings: 8 people
Calories: 215 kcal
Course: Dessert, Snacks
Cuisine: Japanese, French

Ingredients

  • 75 g (3oz/ ½ cup) black sesame paste available from Japanese speciality stores, Japanese, or whole black sesame seeds
  • 500 ml (18 fl oz/ 2¼ cups) milk full-fat, whole
  • 5 egg organic, yolk
  • 110 g (4oz/ ½ cup) sugar
  • 100 ml (3.5 fl oz/ ½ cup) heavy cream 30% fat, aka whipping cream
  • pinch salt Fleur de sel, Celtic sea salt

Instructions

    Cup of Yum
  1. Open Sesame (sorry, couldn't resist). 
  2. If using whole seeds, dry roast black sesame seeds in a non-stick frying pan for 4-5 minutes then grind in a coffee grinder (optional step but recommend doing this to bring out extra flavour). Otherwise use pre-packaged black sesame paste found in Japanese speciality stores. 
  3. Gently heat the milk in a heavy-based saucepan (do not boil). Meanwhile, in a large bowl with a lid, whisk the egg yolks and sugar until creamy. Add the black sesame powder and salt, whisking until smooth.
  4. Pour about half of the hot milk on to the black sesame mixture, whisking until combined then transfer back to the saucepan.  Whisk constantly to keep the mixture smooth and heat over a medium heat just until thickened then remove from the heat to avoid curdling the eggs.  At this point, the mixture should smoothly coat a spoon to show that it's ready.
  5. Add the cold cream, set aside to cool, then cover and chill in the fridge for a couple of hours or overnight.
  6. Churn in an ice cream maker according to manufacturer's instructions, then freeze for at least an hour before serving.

Notes

  • Use pre-roasted black sesame paste from Japanese stores for convenience and best flavor.
  • If unavailable, dry roast black sesame seeds before grinding to enhance the aroma and taste.
  • Black tahini paste can substitute Japanese black sesame paste for a lighter flavor.
  • This ice cream pairs well with fresh berries like strawberries, raspberries, or redcurrants, or with crispy sesame tuiles to add texture contrast.
  • Consider using leftover egg whites from this recipe to make French sesame tuiles.