Date Dec 17, 2025 Category Food + Wellness
For over a decade, matcha has been the darling of the wellness world. From lattes and desserts to skincare and supplements, the finely ground green tea leaf became shorthand for "healthy, modern, and Instagrammable." But food trends don't sit still forever. In 2025, a new ingredient has been stepping into the spotlight: black sesame.
Search interest tells a clear story. In 2025 alone, "black sesame" rose nearly 30%, reaching its highest level ever. Once a niche pantry staple largely associated with East Asian sweets, black sesame is now crossing into wellness, beauty, and everyday home cooking in a way that feels familiar to anyone who watched matcha's rise.
What's driving the surge?
Part of black sesame's appeal is its flexibility: it's easy to blend into drinks, desserts, and sauces without demanding you change your whole routine. That versatility shows up in the data-both "black sesame latte" and "black sesame recipe" reached all-time highs. When an ingredient moves from restaurants and cafes into home kitchens, it usually signals more than a fleeting trend.
The other driver is wellness curiosity. "Black sesame benefits" was searched more than ever before in 2025, and the strongest cluster of interest centers on hair: "black sesame for hair" was the top trending "black sesame for…" query, and hair loss was the top topic people searched alongside black sesame. The top "does black sesame…" query in 2025? "Does black sesame help grey hair."
That focus isn't accidental. Black sesame has a long history in East Asian food culture and traditional health beliefs, often framed as a nourishing ingredient. Modern consumers-already primed by collagen, adaptogens, and functional beverages-are naturally curious about whether a delicious ingredient can also "do something."
Why it feels like matcha's early days
Matcha didn't win because it was healthy alone-it won because it was usable: whisked into lattes, baked into cookies, and blended into smoothies. Black sesame follows the same formula, with a rich, nutty, slightly toasty flavor that works in both sweet and savory directions. It also brings a distinct aesthetic: moody, charcoal tones that pop on social feeds and cafe menus.
The best way to think about black sesame isn't as a replacement for matcha, but as the next ingredient that earns a permanent spot next to it. Matcha is bright and energizing; black sesame is deep and grounding. If matcha defined one era of wellness, black sesame may define the next.
Here are the top trending "black sesame" foods over the past year, excluding brands:
Top trending black sesame foods
Click to expand each dish and explore its background or recipe.