Black sesame dessert soup is a classic Chinese dessert known for its deep nutty sesame flavor and silky smooth velvety texture. Made from toasted black sesame seeds, this famous dessert is both rich and comforting, and now you can learn how to make it at home with ease.

What Is Black Sesame Soup Dessert?

Black sesame dessert soup (芝麻糊) is a popular Chinese dessert known for its deep nutty sesame flavor and smooth creamy texture.

Black sesame soup is made from toasted black sesame seeds that are finely ground down before being slowly cooked until they reach a thick and creamy consistency. The black sesame dessert is rich and flavorful if done right, and you’ll typically be able to smell the black sesame aroma.

Chinese black sesame soup dessert is typically eaten hot or warm and is consumed year round.

My version of this simple & easy black sesame dessert soup recipe only requires a few simple ingredients to make.

My Kitchen Test and Backstory

Growing up in a Chinese household, black sesame dessert soup was something I’ve always had each year, along with other Chinese dessert soups (糖水).

This dessert, along with red bean dessert soup, white fungus papaya dessert soup, sweet potato ginger dessert soup, and rice ball black sesame dessert soup (tang yuan), made up the majority of dessert soups that I would consume at home.

I have many fond memories of my parents making me a bowl of hot black sesame dessert soup, so I thought it was about time I learned how to make the dish myself so that I could serve it to my parents.

Black sesame dessert soup is prized for its black sesame aroma and the smooth texture of the dessert, and I knew this would be the biggest challenge towards mastering this dessert.

During my first attempt at making Hong Kong black sesame soup, I forgot to soak my glutinous rice overnight and just gave it a quick rinse along with my black sesame seeds. While researching this dish, I saw a lot of recipes mention that your black sesame seeds should be popping up when they are done toasting; however, I did not find this to be the case for me.

Perhaps I still had a lot of excess water left from rinsing the black sesame seeds, and this was the reason why mine didn’t pop. I only saw slight movements in the pan while toasting the seeds. It could have also been due to the quality of my black sesame seeds. Living abroad, we don’t always get access to the best quality Asian ingredients.

Anyhow, it took me quite a while before all of my black sesame seeds arrived at this stage, and I could start to smell the black sesame aroma. I estimate it took me around 20 minutes using low heat. I didn’t want to risk over-toasting my black sesame seeds, so I removed them from the pan at this point.

I blended and strained out the black sesame and water mixture twice and then cooked it over medium low heat.

The final product was very average tasting. It lacked the aroma, and I didn’t find it sweet enough either. I was hesitant to add too much sugar for fear that it would be too sweet.

For my second attempt, I made some adjustments. I increased the amount of rock sugar that I used to make the dessert sweeter (I think I used around 100g), and I also decided to toast the black sesame seeds along with white sesame seeds to help tell me when they were done. I didn’t toast the glutinous rice this time, but did soak it overnight.

During the toasting process, I did notice a lot of excess water due to not giving the sesame seeds enough time to strain out the liquid. In order to speed up the toasting process, I decided to use medium heat instead of low heat.

What could go wrong, right? 😂

At around the 10-12 minute mark, I still didn’t see my sesame seeds jump, but now my white sesame seeds were getting darker and browner. I should have probably removed them at this point, but I decided to continue going just so I could see whether or not I could make my sesame seeds jump up. Between the 12-15 minute mark, I could hear some faint popping sounds and a tiny, barely noticeable jump on my sesame seeds, but it wasn’t anything like what I saw online. So I decided to continue going for a few more minutes. At around the 20-minute mark, I decided to remove the seeds as I didn’t see much action, and I didn’t want to continue wasting time cooking them.

After cooking the black sesame dessert soup, I noticed a strong, slightly sour, bitter taste to the dessert. It was a bit sweeter than I would have liked it to be too.

Oops 😅

During my third attempt, I used medium-low heat instead of low, as I found low to take way too long. Once I started to see all of my white sesame seeds change color to a light brown color, I removed all of my black sesame seeds. This occurred around the 15-minute mark (it might be different for you based on your stovetop). I also reduced the rock sugar amount to around 75g as well. This time, after tasting the dessert soup, there was no bitter-sour taste to it, and the sweetness level felt just right. I could also smell and taste more of the black sesame aroma as well.

My mother also ate a bowl and said she liked it.

Success at last! 🎉

My Chinese black sesame soup recipe was now ready.

Black Sesame Dessert Soup Ingredient Notes

Black sesame: I recommend using some high quality black sesame seeds to really get a nice aroma in your black sesame soup.

White sesame: These, in addition to adding in sesame flavor to our sesame soup, will also help tell us when the roasting process is done.

Comparison between raw and roasted white sesame seeds

Glutinous rice: Available at most Asian grocery stores. Glutinous rice acts as a natural thickener for the dessert soup and will also make the texture smoother.

Rock sugar: Generally used in a lot of Chinese dessert recipes due to it’s more milder sweetness that helps balance out all of the flavors in Chinese dessert recipes. Rock sugar can be found either in white or yellow color.

Peanut butter: I recommend using smooth peanut butter unless you want more of those tiny crunchy bits in crunchy peanut butter.

Substitutions

Peanut butter: You can substitute it with roasted peanuts. This would be the most optimal choice, followed by some roasted walnuts.
Rock sugar: You can substitute it with white sugar, however you will need to reduce the amount if using white sugar as rock sugar is generally less sweet than white sugar. I’d suggest you use rock sugar unless you absolutely cannot find rock sugar.
Glutinous rice: You can use cooked white jasmine rice as an alternative if you don’t have glutinous rice for this Chinese black sesame soup dessert recipe. You don’t need to soak it since the rice is already soft enough.

How to Make Black Sesame Soup

Soak glutinous rice for 4-12 hours in cold water. Then strain out the water and set aside.
Wash black and white sesame seeds with water and set aside.
Next, add the black and white sesame seeds to a wok or frying pan and toast until the sesame seeds are cooked and fragrant (roughly 10-15 minutes) on medium-low heat. Do not use high heat!

Now, add the toasted sesame seeds into a blender along with the glutinous rice, peanut butter, and 750ml of water, and blend until smooth. If you’re using a small blender, you might need to reduce the amount and blend everything 2-3 times.

Pour the mixture through a sieve and then add back the pulp to the blender with enough liquid (take from the black sesame liquid) to cover everything and blend again until smooth.

Sieve again and set the liquid aside.
Next, pour 250ml of water into a pot and add in the rock sugar and table salt.

Give everything a quick mix and melt the rock sugar over medium heat. Once all of the rock sugar has melted, add in your sesame liquid mixture.

Give it a quick mix and then cook over medium-low heat until it comes to a gentle boil and the black sesame soup becomes nice and thick. Make sure to constantly stir the pot to prevent it from sticking to the bottom and getting burned.

Black sesame dessert soup finished cooking

Once done, remove it from the stove and serve while hot.

Spoon scooping up black sesame dessert soup

A Few Helpful Tips

Use pre-roasted sesame seeds to save time: If you’re short on time, then you can opt to use pre-roasted sesame seeds; however, your black sesame dessert soup might not be as aromatic as roasting them at the time you’re making the black sesame soup as most of the aroma will be lost if you’re buying pre-roasted. You need to decide if you want convenience vs flavor and taste.
You should constantly stir the pot, especially the bottom, while cooking the black sesame soup: Failure to do so will lead to the black sesame dessert soup sticking to the bottom of your pot and burning.
Don’t over-roast the sesame seeds: Over-roasting the sesame seeds will lead to a bitter, slightly sour taste. Instead, pay attention to the color of the white sesame seeds and the aroma of all the sesame seeds. If you notice the white sesame seeds have changed color into a darker beige-like color, then the sesame seeds are done roasting. You should also smell a stronger aroma coming from the sesame seeds as well. In some cases, you might see the sesame seeds start to “pop” and jump around.
For a finer consistency, strain the sesame water mixture a few more times: Each time that you strain out the sesame seed liquid, you’ll reduce the amount of pulp that is left.

Common Mistakes Beginners Make

Roasting the sesame seeds for too long: This causes the sesame seeds to taste bitter and slightly sour. Check the white sesame seeds for color change and pay attention to the aroma. The sesame seeds will also start making “popping” sounds and might even jump up slightly when done.
Not straining the sesame water mixture enough: This leads to a thick, grainy texture in your black sesame dessert soup due to the excess pulp.
Not stirring the pot while cooking the black sesame dessert soup: This causes the bottom to stick to the pot and may burn, leading to a burnt taste.

Storage Tips

The black sesame dessert soup can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.

How to Reheat Black Sesame Dessert Soup

You can reheat the black sesame dessert soup by heating it over the stovetop or microwave. Make sure that you constantly stir the pot if using a stovetop. If you notice that the dessert soup is too thick, you can add a little bit of water until you reach the desired consistency that you prefer.

Other Similar Recipes

If you enjoy Chinese desserts or even Asian desserts in general, then check out these similar desserts, such as my Chinese steamed egg pudding dessert, Chinese taro sago (tapioca) with coconut milk dessert, and creamy Vietnamese corn pudding ( chè bắp).

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Can I Just Use White Sesame Seeds Instead of Black Sesame Seeds?

You can, but why?

It’s going to look white and taste different. 🤦‍♂️

I Don’t Have Glutinous Rice. What Can I Substitute It With?

Just use cooked regular white jasmine rice. There’s no need to soak the rice.

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