A Drizzle Of This Oil Will Totally Transform Vanilla Ice Cream

Vanilla ice cream is the perfect backdrop for tons of creative toppings, whether you're a whipped cream kind of person or prefer sauces like hot fudge, caramel drizzle, or even maple syrup. But, beyond some of these more classic toppings, some people also like to drizzle oil on their vanilla ice cream. The classic choice is olive oil, but there's another type of oil that you might want to consider instead: sesame.

Sesame oil's flavor can range from noticeably earthy and nutty to quite neutral, depending on whether its toasted or not. Because of the subtle sweetness of plain vanilla ice cream, these notes can become more prominent, giving you unique flavor combinations. Taste isn't the only reason to add sesame oil drizzle to your ice cream. It also adds a velvety texture that makes your dessert even smoother and creamier on your tongue. Plus, you don't need much to start taking advantage of these upgrades to your treat.

Sesame oil, as with many types of oil, doesn't just come in one variety. For one thing, you'll find bottles labeled either toasted or untoasted. Toasted sesame oil has a nuttier flavor than untoasted, which tends to be more neutral. It also has a deeper amber color, which can stand out against your ice cream and give it a more decadent appearance.

Beyond the toasting, you'll also come across bottles of both light and dark sesame oil. Regular light sesame oil is made of white sesame seeds, and dark varieties are made from black sesame seeds. The latter has a richer, deeper flavor with nuttier flavor notes and a slightly bitter finish. Since vanilla is quite a delicate flavor, it may go better with the light variety. However, if you have a sweet French vanilla, black sesame oil could match up and be a better choice.

It's not just vanilla that can benefit from a dash of sesame oil. Other ice creams can also take advantage of this delicious topping. For instance, you could use an earthy matcha ice cream to bring out some of those same flavor notes in your chosen oil. A lighter variety might be a good choice here to avoid your dessert becoming too bitter. Another option could be to drizzle the oil over a caramel-forward hokey pokey ice cream. The crunchy butterscotch pieces add a burst of sweetness that can help balance out a dark, nutty sesame oil.

You can also play around with pairing the oil with additional ice cream toppings. For instance, ramp up the nuttiness by sprinkling on chopped peanuts or other nuts. Or, play up the sesame flavor by sprinkling on some of these seeds. You could also experiment with adding tangy notes and adding fresh fruit to the bowl. No matter whether you drizzle it on solo or add extra toppings and flavors, sesame oil is a game-changing ice cream topping.