Guide
Don’t use olive oil for frying: true or false?
by Anna Sandner
Sesame oil: truly good for you or just another culinary myth?
10.2.2026
Translation: Katherine Martin
Sesame oil doesn’t just add flavour to a dish – it also slightly benefits your heart and metabolism. Here are the differences between the light and dark versions, and why allergy sufferers should be careful with the oil.
Sesame oil’s image has recently undergone a mini overhaul. While it used to primarily feature as flavouring in Asian cuisines, it now crops up in healthy recipes, on food blogs and in an increasing number of ingredients lists. But is sesame oil genuinely as healthy as it’s often claimed to be? Or is this just another food-related myth?
Well, there really are indications that the oil has health benefits. That being said, its effects are fairly minor – not to mention the fact the evidence isn’t clear enough to sell sesame oil as a health hack. However, there’s one thing about sesame oil you do need to take more seriously. Namely, that it can trigger allergies.
What kinds of sesame oil are there?
At the supermarket, you’ll generally find two types of sesame oil. One is light sesame oil, which is often refined and has a mild flavour. It can be used as an everyday cooking oil. Dark sesame oil, on the other hand, smells and tastes much more intense, as it’s made from roasted sesame seeds. As a result of its strong flavour, it tends to be used as an oil-based seasoning. If you’re using it in a dish, don’t overdo it.
Source: rsooll/Shutterstock
How healthy is sesame oil?
In addition to unsaturated fatty acids (linoleic and oleic acid), sesame oil contains lignans such as sesamin, which have antioxidant properties. An umbrella review of various vegetable oils classified sesame as one of the few oils that could positively impact blood pressure. This is thanks to special antioxidants contained in it, such as sesamin.
A review of clinical trials involving participants who consumed sesame oil regularly over a certain period of time revealed slight improvements in fasting blood glucose, long-term blood glucose HbA1c, blood pressure, weight and BMI. That might sound good on the face of it, but there’s a crucial caveat: the results vary significantly from study to study. Sometimes sesame oil has an obvious impact, other times it’s barely measurable. Basically, data like this is too shaky to be used for reliable medical recommendations.
In other words, sesame oil has a good fatty acid profile. Plus, there are indications that it has slight positive effects on blood pressure and blood sugar. It serves well as a building block within a balanced diet and adds seasoning to your food – but don’t expect it to work miracles on your health.
What to bear in mind when cooking with sesame oil
There are distinct differences between light and dark sesame oils. In fact, they’re so different that you should treat them like two different products when you’re cooking.
Light, mild sesame oil can be used like a typical cooking oil. It’s suitable for sautéing vegetables, making stir-fries and cooking anything that’d go with a neutral oil and benefit from a slightly nutty note.
Dark, roasted sesame oil works better as a finishing touch. Add it to a finished dish to get that unusual sesame flavour. Just don’t go overboard. If you’ve ever poured a teaspoon too much dark sesame oil into a pan, you’ll know it makes your entire meal taste purely of sesame. Heating the oil to a high temperature makes some of the roasted flavours disappear, giving it a flatter character.
Storage: how to prevent sesame oil from going rancid
Although it might seem convenient to do so, you shouldn’t keep sesame oil (or any other kind of oil) next to your stove. This is because heat, light and air cause oils to go off more quickly. The best way to store sesame oil is in a cool, dark place, with the lid on tightly.
As with most foods, it’s best to rely on your senses. Fresh sesame oil tastes nutty and smooth. If the oil smells clearly rancid, you’ll have to throw it out. Unsure? Try a drop of it on its own. You’ll know right away whether you still want it in your food.
Why are we seeing more warnings about sesame these days?
Sesame seeds are used in cooking and ready-made products much more frequently today than they were a few years ago. As a result, this makes it more likely that someone will discover they have a sesame allergy. With more allergy cases subsequently being identified and reported, sesame’s now being labelled as an allergen more often. This is down to stricter legal requirements that make clear, visible labelling compulsory.
While all of this has made the problem more noticeable, it doesn’t mean sesame has suddenly become more dangerous.
Manufacturing process is the deciding factor with sesame oil allergies
If sesame triggers a reaction in you, doing your own taste tests definitely isn’t a good idea. Although the refining process filters out the majority of sesame oil’s allergenic proteins, there’s no guarantee that a refined oil will be free of allergens. So if you suspect you have an allergy, you should always get confirmation from a doctor, ideally an allergy specialist. And if you’re cooking for other people, consider sesame as just as serious an allergen as nuts. It only takes a little dash in a dressing to cause serious problems.
Header image: Shutterstock
Anna Sandner
Senior Editor
Anna.Sandner@galaxus.deScience editor and biologist. I love animals and am fascinated by plants, their abilities and everything you can do with them. That's why my favourite place is always the outdoors - somewhere in nature, preferably in my wild garden.
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