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Black Sesame Ice Cream is an easy, no-churn ice cream recipe that’s as delicious as it is unique. This Asian-inspired ice cream recipe is slightly savory, slightly sweet, nutty, bold, and completely scrumptious.
Black sesame anything is my favorite thing in the world. The flavor is incredible and I wish there was a better way to describe it other than deep roasted nuttiness. It’s such a unique flavor that I think everyone has to try at some point. Black sesame is so much more prevalent in dishes and desserts in Asian countries than in the United States. When I visit Taiwan, it’s EVERYWHERE and their Costco sells so many black sesame related items, including black sesame PASTE. In this recipe, you are essentially making black sesame paste from scratch, but gosh, if I had access to black sesame paste on the regular, the amount of yummy desserts and pastries I’d be making with it!
The black color of the ice cream makes it stand out amongst other traditional ice cream flavors, and the nutty, almost savory yet sweet flavor of it really makes an impression.
Toasting the seeds really enhances the fragrance, crunchy texture, and nuttiness of the seeds, which gives the ice cream an extra boost of sesame flavor. I hate when I order black sesame ice cream and I can barely taste the sesame, so I made sure that wouldn’t be a complaint here.
How to Make Black Sesame Ice Cream
- Toast the sesame seeds. Toast black sesame seeds until hot throughout and fragrant. This will take about 10-12 minutes on low heat. Stir with spatula every so often so they do not burn. When they start to smell like hot oil and are hot to the touch, immediately take the pan off the heat. Transfer seeds to a bowl or plate and let cool completely.
- Make the ice cream base. In the meantime while the black sesame seeds are cooling, whip the heavy cream for 3-4 minutes in a large bowl with an electric hand mixer or in the bowl of a stand mixer. When the cream starts to form very soft peaks (not enough to hold its shape), add salt and the vanilla extract, and continue whipping for another 3 minutes or until medium peaks form. Cover and chill the whipped cream in the fridge until ready to use.
- Make the black sesame paste. When the black sesame seeds are cooled, add them to a food processor or blender and and pulse, adding 1 tablespoon of cold water between pulsing until they release their oil and form a thick paste. The texture of the paste will be coarse and grainy. Finally, add the condensed milk to the paste and blend everything together.
- Combine everything together. Take the ice cream base out of the refrigerator and add the black sesame paste mixture to it and fold it in until evenly distributed and combined.
- Chill. Pour ice cream mixture into loaf pan and smooth the top with the spatula. Cover with plastic wrap and chill in freezer for at least 6 hours. For softer ice cream consistency chill for 6 hours, for harder ice cream consistency, chill overnight.
Storage Instructions
Ice cream will keep well in an airtight, freezer-safe container for up to 2 months.
Black Sesame Ice Cream
Ingredients
- 1 cup (150 g) black sesame seeds
- 2 cups (473 ml) heavy cream, chilled
- 2 tablespoons vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 300 ml sweetened condensed milk, chilled
Instructions
- In a medium frying pan over low heat, toast black sesame seeds until hot throughout and fragrant (approximately 10 – 12 minutes). Stir with spatula every so often so seeds do not burn. When they start to smell like hot oil and are hot to the touch, take the pan off the heat. Transfer seeds to a bowl / plate and let cool completely.
- In a large mixing bowl and using hand or stand mixer set to medium-high speed, whip the heavy cream for 3-4 minutes. When the cream starts to form very soft peaks (not enough to hold its shape), add salt and the vanilla extract, and continue whipping for another 3 minutes or until medium peaks form. The trails in the cream should be visible but with slightly softened peaks. Cover and chill the whipped cream in the fridge until ready to use.
- Place the cooled sesame seeds (should be more or less room temperature) into a blender or food processor and pulse, adding 1 tbsp of cold water between pulsing until they release their oil and form a thick paste (you will need roughly 3 tbsp of cold water). The texture of the paste will be coarse and grainy.
- Add chilled condensed milk into blender and pulse again until fully mixed.
- Take the bowl of whipped cream from refrigerator and gently fold in the black sesame mixture until thoroughly combined.
- Pour ice cream mixture into loaf pan and smooth the top with the spatula. Cover with plastic wrap and chill in freezer for at least 6 hours. For softer ice cream consistency chill for 6 hours, for harder ice cream consistency, chill overnight.
