The short answer
100 g of sesame seeds (raw) has 21.7 g of protein and 520 kcal.1 That's about 44% of the 50 g of protein ICMR-NIN suggests a day for a 60 kg adult.2
Nutrition in 100 g of sesame seeds
| Per 100 g | Amount |
|---|---|
| Energy | 520 kcal (2174 kJ) |
| Protein | 21.7 g ± 0.4 |
| Fat | 43.1 g |
| Carbohydrate | 10.8 g |
| Fibre | 17 g |
| Water | 3.3 g |
These figures are for raw, shelled sesame seeds.
How much sesame seeds for your protein?
The amounts below are worked out from IFCT's figure of 21.7 g per 100 g. To see how sesame seeds fits into a whole day, add it in the day builder.
| To get | Eat about | Calories |
|---|---|---|
| 10 g of protein | 46 g (raw weight) | 239 kcal |
| 20 g of protein | 92 g (raw weight) | 478 kcal |
| 30 g of protein | 138 g (raw weight) | 718 kcal |
How sesame seeds compares
Sesame seeds has more protein per 100 g than 89% of the 542 foods in IFCT 2017. Here it is beside the other nuts and seeds we cover:
| Nuts and seeds | Protein / 100 g | kcal | From protein |
|---|---|---|---|
| Peanuts | 23.7 g | 520 | 18% |
| Sunflower seeds | 23.5 g | 586 | 16% |
| Halim seeds | 23.4 g | 445 | 21% |
| Pistachios | 23.4 g | 539 | 18% |
| Sesame seeds | 21.7 g | 520 | 17% |
| Cashews | 18.8 g | 583 | 13% |
| Flaxseeds | 18.6 g | 444 | 17% |
| Almonds | 18.4 g | 609 | 12% |
| Walnuts | 14.9 g | 671 | 9% |
| Dry coconut | 7.3 g | 624 | 5% |
Other vegetarian foods with similar protein: whole urad (22 g), horse gram (21.7 g), toor dal (21.7 g), chana dal (21.6 g), lobia (21.3 g). For more protein per 100 g, try soybean (37.8 g), masoor dal (24.4 g), moong dal (23.9 g). See every food on one protein chart.
Protein quality
Nuts and seeds add useful protein, but most of their calories come from fat. Per calorie they give less protein than dal, paneer or eggs, so they work best as an addition rather than the main source.
Sesame seeds in Indian languages
Names as listed in IFCT 2017, which records what the food is called in each region it was sampled from.1
- Assamese
- Boga til
- Bengali
- Til
- Gujarati
- Safed tal
- Hindi
- Til
- Kannada
- Acchellu
- Malayalam
- Ellu
- Marathi
- Til
- Odia
- Rasi
- Punjabi
- Til
- Tamil
- Ellu
- Telugu
- Nuvvulu
- Urdu
- Til
Common questions
How much protein is in 100 g of sesame seeds?
21.7 g, according to the Indian Food Composition Tables 2017 from ICMR-NIN. That's for raw sesame seeds, per 100 g of the edible part. 100 g also gives 520 kcal.
How much sesame seeds gives 20 g of protein?
About 92 g (raw weight). That's roughly 40% of the 50 g a day ICMR-NIN suggests for a 60 kg adult.
Is sesame seeds a good source of protein?
17% of its calories come from protein, and it has more protein per 100 g than 89% of the 542 foods in IFCT 2017. Nuts and seeds add useful protein, but most of their calories come from fat.
References
- Longvah T, Ananthan R, Bhaskarachary K, Venkaiah K. Indian Food Composition Tables 2017. National Institute of Nutrition (ICMR), Hyderabad. nin.res.in. Read through the open-data copy by Subhajit Sahu (ifct2017, MIT licence).
- ICMR-National Institute of Nutrition. Nutrient Requirements for Indians: Recommended Dietary Allowances and Estimated Average Requirements. 2020. nin.res.in