Black Sesame and Soy Milk Pudding

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This delicious pudding combines two favorite ingredients: black sesame and soy milk! It's smooth, silky, and never too sweet. We make one layer of black sesame pudding and top it with a layer of soy milk pudding. We use agar agar (instead of gelatin) for the pudding to get the perfect texture. It's delicate and flavorful with the black sesame and soy milk balancing each other beautifully. Enjoy!

Two cups of black sesame and soy milk pudding. — *Black sesame and soy milk pudding, ready to eat!*

Why This Recipe Works

We love pudding, we love black sesame, and we love soy milk. This recipe combines all those elements into one elegant dessert! This dessert doesn't require any special equipment. Just detail to directions and a bit of patience (the pudding needs to set in the fridge for a few hours).

It is a very attractive dessert...might I even say showstopper? Heheh. That contrast between the dark black sesame layer and the light soy milk layer is beautiful!

Before we go into the specifics, let's take a look at a few key ingredients:

Agar Agar

Agar agar is a key ingredient in this recipe. It is what we use to set the pudding. You can also use gelatin powder but we prefer agar agar powde to get just the right texture.

We have everything you need to know about agar agar (and a whole bunch of wonderful dessert recipes) in this post.

Black Sesame

Black sesame is one of my favorite ingredients (and flavors) in the world! From using the whole roasted seeds to grinding them up to make a black sesame paste, there are so many things you can do with black sesame.

Here are a few favorite recipes using black sesame seeds:

Black Sesame Pudding - Basically the same pudding with just the black sesame layer.
Black Sesame Soy Milk - A VERY delicious drink.
Black Sesame Paste
Black Sesame Toast - So good for breakfast!
Black Sesame Sauce On Steamed Tofu
Black Sesame Soup - Classic Chinese dessert.

Note: this recipe calls for black sesame paste which you can buy or make.

Soy Milk

We love soy milk. In Hawaii we are lucky to be able to purchase fresh soy milk from several places. Our go-to spot is Aloha Tofu Factory. We also love making soy milk at home - this our favorite recipe. It's easy to do.

You can make a big batch of soy milk. Use some for this recipe and drink the rest (sweeten with a bit of honey and serve hot...ahh super onolicious!)

Ingredients

There are two main components to this dessert: the black sesame pudding layer and the soy milk pudding layer. Here's what you'll need to make both:

Black Sesame Pudding Layer

Whole milk (or soy milk)
Agar agar powder - Learn all about agar agar here.
Black sesame paste - Purchase at any Japanese market or you can make black sesame paste at home.
Sugar
Heavy whipping cream

Soy Milk Pudding Layer

Soy milk - Purchase soy milk (we like the kind of fresh soy milk found at Asian markets and local tofu shops in Hawaii) or you can make homemade soy milk...the best!
Agar agar powder - Learn about agar agar in this post.
Sugar
Heavy whipping cream

Two cups with a layer of black sesame pudding set at an angle. — *Setting the dessert cups at an angle (thank you egg carton!) so that we can get that neat angled look on the dessert layers.*

Step by Step Directions

Let's start cooking!

First prepare the black sesame pudding layer. Dissolve agar agar.
Mix the milk and agar agar powder together in a small pot. Turn the heat to medium. Stir constantly (to make sure the agar agar powder dissolves and to ensure that the milk doesn’t burn or stick to the bottom of the pot) and bring to a gentle boil.

Mix in black sesame paste and sugar.
Once boiling, stir in the black sesame paste and sugar. Mix to dissolve.

Cool and whip.
Remove from heat, let cool for 5 minutes. Pour in the heavy whipping cream and whip the mixture for 3 minutes.

Divide and briefly set.
Divide the mixture between 4-6 small dessert bowls/cups. Let set in the refrigerator while you prepare the soy milk pudding layer.

Pro Tip: To get the "angled" look like we have in the photos, find something to angle the dessert bowls/cups against so that the pudding layer will set at an angle. We used small dessert cups that fit into an egg carton holder. Feel free to use anything that will help hold the angle.

Next prepare the soy milk pudding layer. Dissolve agar agar.
Mix the milk and agar agar powder together in a small pot. Turn the heat to medium. Stir constantly (to make sure the agar agar powder dissolves and to ensure that the milk doesn’t burn or stick to the bottom of the pot) and bring to a gentle boil.

Mix in sugar.
Once boiling, stir in the sugar. Mix to dissolve.

Cool and whip.
Remove from heat, let cool for 5 minutes. Pour in the heavy whipping cream and whip the mixture for 3 minutes.

Divide and briefly set.
Remove the dessert bowls/cups from the refrigerator. Check to make sure the black sesame pudding layer is somewhat set. Pour the soy milk pudding layer on top.

Chill and enjoy!
Let chill in the fridge for 2 hours. Top with roasted black sesame seeds or whipped cream (optional) and enjoy! Serve chilled.

A bowl with black sesame pudding and heave whipping cream being whisked into the bowl. — *Adding the heavy whipping cream to the cooled black sesame mixture.*

FAQs and Tips

How long does this pudding keep?

It will keep for 2 days in the refrigerator (make sure to seal the top of the pudding cups, we use plastic wrap).

How to get the pudding to set at an angle?

Before pouring the black sesame pudding layer into the cups, find something where you can angle the cups against. We used an egg carton, you can also use muffin tins. Make sure whatever you use can be stored in the refrigerator - this is because the pudding need to set at that angle in the refrigerator. Pour the pudding (which will be liquid) into the cup and let it set.

Agar agar versus gelatin.

We prefer agar agar for this dessert but you can use gelatin instead of agar agar. The gelatin will set slightly differently (more wobbly/loose). This post details the difference between agar agar and gelatin.

Black sesame layer on the bottom

We put the black sesame layer on the bottom for a reason. The black sesame paste makes it "heavier" so it's better for that layer to set on the bottom of the dessert cup. That way the "lighter" soy milk layer can set on top.

Make sure to let the black sesame layer partially set before pouring the soy milk layer on top.

Let the black sesame layer set in the refrigerator for about 15 minutes before you pour the soy milk layer on top. Why?

Because if the black sesame layer is still too soft/liquid, the soy milk layer might sink into the black sesame layer and end up mixing together. If that happens, the pudding will still be tasty but you won't get the distinct visual contrast between the black and white layers.