3-Ingredient Sesame Seed Crunch Candy (Gluten-Free)

Name: 3-Ingredient Sesame Seed Crunch Candy (Gluten-Free)
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 15 min
Yield: Varies
Cuisine: Asian
Ingredients: 1 Cup Raw White Sesame Seeds (or pre-toasted); 1 Cup Honey (or Bee-Free Honey); 1/2 Cup Erythritol

December 20, 2017 by Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine 53 Comments

A popular candy recipe with many variations throughout Middle Eastern, Mediterranean, Indian, and Asian cuisines. This 3-Ingredient Sesame Seed Crunch Candy is perfectly sweet, nutty, gluten-free, paleo, optionally vegan, and top-8 allergy-free! Just toasted sesame seeds, honey, and sugar! Easy to gift or munch!

I know there’s going to be a few of you out there who still need to pick-up some Christmas gifts and with just a few days left, you’re sweatin’, aren’t you? Have to fear! I have a super simple, last minute, edible gift idea that will be just perfect for you! You know I’d never leave you hanging and one can never have too many edible gift ideas to choose from! Since you may have already overdosed on cookies, Christmas candy is the next best thing and this sesame seed crunch candy is good ALL year-round!

You may have heard of sesame candy before. The most well known is the Greek version, Pasteli, which is just sesame seeds and honey cut into chewy bars. Other versions around Asia and the Middle East come in crunchy forms, similar to brittle. My version is the crunchy kind. Still just sesame seeds and honey (or bee-free honey for the vegans), and some sugar (or my favorite). The sugar is what makes it crunchy and no longer chewy; so it’s like a nutty hard candy!

It’s super easy to make (I made it in my dorm last year as the edible gift I gave to my dad for Christmas). He told me how obsessed he was with this sesame candy he had gotten from an Asian market and wanted to me somehow make it myself. I did some Googling research and then just kind of winged it myself, without ever actually tasting the candy. Surprisingly, not difficult, but o so addicting!

Obviously I love all things sesame. They “nuttiest” seed and glorious ingredient of tahini. By toasting the raw sesame seeds first for this candy recipe, you get a super deep and rich sesame flavor with that subtle sweetness of the honey. It’s a beautiful earthy combination of flavors that’s hard to describe. I’m so glad my dad introduced me to the combination as it is totally a winner! And don’t worry, since I lean toward all things vegan, we can whip this up with some vegan honey and it works just as well!

Homemade candy always sounds intimidating to people. Thinking they’ll need to get out some hefty candy thermometer or do some intricate calculations. Not here, not with this sesame seed candy! You’re just toasting some sesame seeds, boiling some honey on the stove, mixing them together, adding some sugar, and then pouring into a pan to cool off and harden. Then you get to go crazy and break (or cut) pieces off, just like the peppermint bark!

3-Ingredient Sesame Seed Crunch Candy