Black Sesame Oatmeal with Spiced Pears and Walnuts
This black sesame oatmeal is the perfect blend of warm, nutty, and sweet—the ultimate pear oatmeal recipe to kickstart cold-weather mornings.
I love to make myself a big pot of cozy oatmeal for a typical winter breakfast. This oatmeal recipe is not your average oatmeal recipe. It’s savory and sweet, full of antioxidants, looks and tastes complex but is so easy to make.
If you’re looking for more breakfast recipes, give the following recipes a try.
- Vegan friendly high protein oatmeal power bowls
- Oil-free zucchini bread with chocolate chips
- High protein and high fiber chia and flaxseed pudding
Why you’ll love this black sesame oatmeal
This black sesame oatmeal recipe is loosely inspired by traditional Korean porridge, Heugimja-juk, which is made of finely ground black sesame seeds and rice. While the original version is delicious, I decided to replace the rice with oatmeal so I can make this a high fiber black sesame oatmeal recipe. The toppings are a classic combination of pears and walnuts which adds an element of sweetness and crunchy texture to the dish. It is absolutely delicious when you mix everything all together!
How to make black sesame oatmeal with roasted pears
Step 1. Make the spice mixture
Step 2. Roast the pears in spices at 400℉
Step 3. Simmer rolled oats in water and ground black sesame
Step 4. Assemble the black sesame oatmeal together with the sliced pears and chopped walnuts
Key ingredients & substitutions
- Ground Black Sesame Seeds – black sesame seeds are high in antioxidants and are nutty in flavor. Ground black sesame seeds make it easy for the flavors to be absorbed by the grain.
- If you are unable to find ground black sesame you can either grind it using a pestle and mortar or I just blend it at high speed in a blender. You can also use black sesame paste but please be mindful of the additional sugar that may be included.
- Oats – I prefer rolled oats but you can use any type of oats. Changing the type of oats for the recipe will either shorten or lengthen your cook time and may require more or less water to cook.
- Pears – I love the flavors of pears in oatmeal. I typically use Anjou pears as it is the most accessible to me but you can use any variety! Make sure the pear is not overly ripe or the water content may be too high to get a good roast in the oven. The pear should be firm when you gently press.
- Walnuts – Substitute with any type of nuts you like but I recommend incorporating some sort of crunchy texture to keep each bite interesting! I also like to include a tiny bit of crushed pistachios and regular sesame seeds.
Black Sesame Oatmeal with Spiced Roasted Pears and Walnuts
Ingredients
Equipment
Method
- Roast the pears. Preheat the oven to 400℉. Wash the pears and slice in half vertical. Scoop out the center with the seeds using an ice cream scooper or a tablespoon measurement spoon In a small bowl, mix together the maple syrup, olive oil, brown sugar, ground cinnamon, and nutmeg. Coat the pears with the mixture evenly, top and bottom. Place the pears flesh side down on the baking tray and bake for 20 minutes. Flip and roast for another 5 minutes. Let the pears cool down a bit before slicing.Move on to the following steps while the pears are baking in the oven.
- Prep the walnuts. Roughly chop up the walnuts. I like to toss the walnuts in the remaining spice mixture after the pears are done cooking.
- Cook the black sesame oatmeal. Bring 3 cups of water to boil over high heat and add in the rolled oats. Add the ground black sesame and bring down to a simmer. Simmer uncovered for 7-8 minutes. Turn off the heat and stir in the soy milk. The soy milk creates a deliciously creamy texture.
- Serve. Serve the oatmeal and top with the sliced pears and chopped walnuts. I like to also a tiny bit of chopped pistachios and a few sprinkles of sesame on top.
