Are sesame seeds high in oxalate?
Yes. Very high, 84 mg per 1 tbsp
Range 9 to 158 mg across 1 study, 9 g serving
Sesame seeds are high in oxalate: about 84 mg per 1 tbsp, which is 168% of the 50 mg a day many stone clinics aim for, or 84% of the 100 mg others allow.
If your doctor has put you on a low-oxalate diet, eat it with something high in calcium, like milk, yogurt or cheese. Calcium in the same meal binds oxalate in the gut, so less of it reaches your urine. How much calcium, and what if you don't eat dairy.
50 or 100 mg a day: which target is yours
Why sources disagree on sesame seeds
Almost all of the oxalate sits in the hull. Ishii and Takiyama (2000) measured 1,750 mg per 100 g in whole seed and 100 mg in hulled seed, so a tablespoon of hulled white sesame comes to 9 mg and whole or black sesame to 158 mg. This page grades the middle of the two until a second study measures sesame as it's sold. Tahini is usually made from hulled seed but wasn't measured here.
Where this number comes from
Each row is one published measurement, converted to a 9 g serving (1 tbsp). The grade and the range use the rows prepared the way the serving is eaten, and take the middle. How the grades work.
| Per serving | Per 100 g | Preparation | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| 9 mg | 100 mg | dehulled | Ishii and Takiyama, 2000 [1] |
| 158 mg | 1750 mg | whole, dried (unhulled) | Ishii and Takiyama, 2000 [1] |
By Oliver Silen · Data checked November 2, 2026 · Not medical advice
