Japanese Sesame Goma Sauce
A silky, nutty, lightly sweet and tangy Japanese sesame sauce made by toasting and grinding sesame seeds, then blending them with soy sauce, rice vinegar, mirin and sugar. Perfect over shabu-shabu, chilled noodles, blanched greens, salads and grilled chicken.
- Prep
- 10 min
- Cook
- 5 min
- Wait
- 10 min
- Total
- 25 min
- Makes
- About 1 cup (240 ml) sauce, serving 8 at 2 tablespoons each
Steps
Before you start
- Use already toasted sesame seeds if you have them; the recipe still re-toasts briefly to wake up the flavor.
- Have a blender or small food processor ready; a mini blender or spice grinder works well for the dry grind.
- Measure the water and have extra ready, since the sauce thickens as it sits and you may want to thin it.
- Allow 10 minutes for the sauce to rest so the sugar dissolves fully and flavors meld.
Toast the sesame seeds
- Add the sesame seeds to a dry 8-inch (20 cm) skillet over medium-low heat.
- Stir or shake the pan constantly for 2–3 minutes.
- Tip the seeds onto a plate right away so they stop cooking.
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Ready when: Seeds smell nutty and look a shade deeper golden; a few may pop. They should not turn dark brown.
Tip: Sesame seeds burn in seconds and turn bitter, so never walk away from the pan.
Cool the seeds
- Let the toasted seeds sit on the plate for 2 minutes so they are warm rather than hot.
- Hot seeds release oil unevenly and can make the grind gummy.
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Ready when: Seeds are warm to the touch, not hot.
Grind to a paste
- Add the seeds to the blender or food processor.
- Pulse in short 5-second bursts, scraping down the sides, for about 1–2 minutes.
- Stop when the seeds form a coarse, damp, sandy paste that clumps slightly.
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Ready when: Seeds are mostly broken down into a clumpy, oily paste with few whole seeds visible.
Tip: For a smoother, more restaurant-style sauce, grind longer until the paste looks almost like loose nut butter.
Add the seasonings
- Add the soy sauce, rice vinegar, sugar, mirin and sesame oil to the ground sesame.
- Add the grated garlic if using.
Blend with water
- Pour in ¼ cup (60 ml) water.
- Blend on high for 45–60 seconds, stopping once to scrape down the sides, until the sauce is creamy and pourable like heavy cream.
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Ready when: Sauce is smooth, thick but pourable, and coats the back of a spoon with no gritty clumps of paste.
Tip: Add water 1 tablespoon at a time if the blades spin without pulling the sauce down.
Rest the sauce
- Transfer the sauce to a jar and let it rest at room temperature for 10 minutes.
- This lets the sugar dissolve fully and the flavors blend.
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Ready when: No sugar granules are felt when you stir.
Taste and adjust
- Stir well and taste.
- Add 1–2 tablespoons water to thin if it has thickened.
- Add a pinch more sugar if too sharp, or a few drops of rice vinegar if too sweet.
- Serve at room temperature or chilled.
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Ready when: Sauce balances nutty, salty, sweet and tangy, and drizzles in a ribbon.
Tip: The sauce thickens in the fridge, so thin it with water before serving.
Good to know
Tips
- Grinding the seeds before adding liquid gives a much smoother sauce than blending everything at once.
- Use unseasoned rice vinegar; seasoned versions already contain sugar and salt and will throw off the balance.
- For shabu-shabu, thin the sauce slightly; for noodle salads, keep it thicker so it clings.
- Black sesame seeds work too, giving a grayer, earthier sauce with the same method.
Make ahead
"Make up to 4 days ahead and refrigerate in an airtight jar. Stir well and thin with a splash of water before serving."
Storage & reheating
"Room temperature: up to 2 hours. Refrigerator: up to 5 days in an airtight jar (up to 4 days if garlic is used). Freezer: up to 2 months in an ice cube tray, then transferred to a bag; thaw overnight in the fridge and whisk or blend with a little water to re-emulsify."
Substitutions
- mirin → dry sherry or sake plus ½ teaspoon extra sugar. Mimics mirin's mild sweetness; the sauce will be slightly less glossy.
- Japanese soy sauce (shoyu) → tamari. Makes the sauce gluten-free; use the same amount.
- toasted white sesame seeds → 3 tablespoons tahini (or Japanese neri goma). Skip toasting and grinding; whisk everything together, adding water gradually until smooth.
- unseasoned rice vinegar → apple cider vinegar or lemon juice. Use the same amount for a slightly fruitier tang.