Can I eat sesame oil if I'm allergic to sesame?

Sesame Allergy is a common food allergy and is infrequently outgrown.

Many patients mention that, before reacting to a paste, e.g., tahini or hummus, they had tolerated a few loose seeds and sesame oil.

In our clinic, we recommend avoiding loose sesame seeds and the oil.

However, most patients will tolerate sesame oil and a few loose seeds, as commercial cooking sesame oil does not contain significant amounts of sesame protein.

The process of oil extraction, especially chemical refining or expeller pressing, removes the vast majority of protein from the oil, with the protein fraction remaining in the press cake or meal rather than in the oil itself. Analytical studies confirm that the protein content in refined sesame oil is extremely low, often below the threshold required to trigger allergic reactions in most sesame-allergic individuals.

However, trace amounts of protein can occasionally be present, particularly in cold-pressed or unrefined sesame oils. Still, these levels are generally considered negligible compared to whole seeds or sesame meal. Clinical reports have documented rare cases of allergic reactions to sesame oil, but these are typically associated with less-refined oils that may contain residual protein contaminants.

For highly sensitive individuals, even trace contamination may be clinically relevant, but for the general population, commercial cooking sesame oil is not a significant source of sesame protein but still safest to avoid.