Gomasio (Japanese Sesame Salt)
Nutty, salty and packed with umami deliciousness, Gomasio is a seriously flavorful Japanese sesame salt that can jazz up your favorite veggie dishes.
Sesame seeds are lightly roasted and teamed up with some sea salt to make a simple and versatile condiment that you can make and store for months, and use to season a TON of recipes- just like my homemade lemon pepper seasoning.

If there's one thing I love doing more than meal prepping and batch-making condiments, it is experimenting with foods from around the world.
My Middle Eastern Schug sauce was a huge hit, and I've started making batches of my Sichuan chili oil every month. Recently, I also tried my hands at Furikake - a delicious Japanese seasoning blend and it turned out incredible. And that kind of inspired me to try yet another unique seasoning with Japanese flavors.
Quick Look
- 🔪Prep time: 5 minutes
- ⏲️Cook time: 0 minutes
- 👪 Servings: 8
- 📋Main ingredients: Sesame seeds, sea salt.
- ♨️Cooking method: Lightly toast sesame seeds 🡢 cool and combine with sea salt 🡢 crush coarsely.
- ⭐Difficulty: Very easy.
- 🥣Serving ideas: Top over your bowl of Ramen along with a sprinkle of homemade Ramen seasoning.
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What's So Great About the Recipe?
- The best part about this recipe is its simplicity. All you'll need is 2 simple ingredients and 5 minutes of kitchen time to make it.
- Just like my homemade garlic bread seasoning and jalapeno salt, this is one seasoning you'll find yourself reaching for again and again- it's a promise!
Recipe Ingredients

- Sesame seeds: You'll need a mix of black and white sesame seeds. Use good quality, raw, natural sesame seeds.
- Sea salt: Coarse sea salt is great to use. Don't use refined table salt. I realized this when I made my celery infused salt.
See recipe card for quantities.
Substitutions & Variations
- For some extra flavor and texture, you can add some seaweed into the mix too. Finely cut some seaweed sheets and add them in after the seeds have cooled down completely.
- To create more complex, savory flavors, you can also use an infused salt like citrus salt or mixed herb salt instead of coarse sea salt.
How to Make Gomasio Seasoning

Step 1: Add the sesame seeds to a large pan and lightly toast them over medium heat until they're fragrant.

Step 2: Allow them to cool down completely. Add the sea salt and coarsely crush them using a mortar and pestle.

Step 3: Make sure you don't crush them too much.

Step 4: Transfer to a glass jar or an airtight container and store at room temperature.
💭Top Tip
Keep stirring the seeds while they're in the pan to ensure they don't end up burning.

Tips & Tricks to Nail the Recipe
- Depending on your personal taste preference, you can follow a 1:10 to 1:20 ratio for the salt and sesame seeds. I like to keep it slightly salty.
- For a spicy kick, add some red pepper flakes or jalapeno flakes into the mix. Remember to add them in after the seeds have cooled down!
- For a deeper, savory flavor, you can also add a pinch of onion powder or garlic powder into the mix. I always do this when I make my rice seasoning mix.
How to Use Japanese Sesame Salt
Gomasio is great to use as a seasoning for almost any savory dish. It is typically sprinkled over rice dishes and salads, adding a nice bit of texture.
You can also use this Japanese sesame salt as a topping over your avocado toast or breakfast eggs. I love sprinkling it over my avocado egg boats and my chili crisp fried eggs to jazz them up!

Troubleshooting & FAQs
Absolutely! You can also make Gomashio with just white sesame seeds if you can't find the black ones.
Store the leftover Gomasio in an airtight container at room temperature, ideally in a cool and dark place away from direct sunlight. It should stay fresh for months. Just make sure no moisture gets into the jar, and you'll be good.
More Homemade Seasoning Recipes
Looking for other recipes like this? Try these:
If you tried this Gomasio recipe or any other recipe on my website, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it went in the 📝 comments below. Thanks for visiting!

Gomasio (Japanese Sesame Salt)
Ingredients
- 8 tablespoon white sesame seeds
- 4 tablespoon black sesame seeds
- 1 tablespoon sea salt
Instructions
- Add the sesame seeds to a large pan and lightly toast them over medium heat until they're fragrant.
- Allow them to cool down completely. Add the sea salt and coarsely crush them using a mortar and pestle.
- Make sure you don't crush them too much.
- Transfer to a glass jar or an airtight container and store at room temperature.
Notes
- Depending on your personal taste preference, you can follow a 1:10 to 1:20 ratio for the salt and sesame seeds. I like to keep it slightly salty.
- For a spicy kick, add some red pepper flakes or jalapeno flakes into the mix. Remember to add them in after the seeds have cooled down!









