Nigella sativa or commonly known as black seeds or habbatus sauda (Arabic origin) is a spice that is therapeutic against a myriad of ailments. However, common culinary practices of roasting or heating the seeds cause damage to its bioactive and volatile compounds. This could be thwarted by roasting it with superheated steam (SHS) in tandem with sugar; the latter known as torrefacto roasting. With three roasting temperatures (150, 200, and 250 oC), and three roasting time for each temperature (10, 15, and 20 minutes), convection, SHS and SHS torrefacto roasting were evaluated for proximate analysis and antioxidant assays, namely, 2,2-Diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical scavenging capacity (RSC) and total phenolic content (TPC). Moisture content significantly decreased from 9.08% (raw seeds) to a range of 1.04 to 4.18% (roasted seeds). Fat content increased to as high as 44.76% with increase in roasting temperature and time (from 32.87% in raw seeds). Protein content was markedly lower in torrefacto roasted samples (16.03 to 18.17%) than in convection or SHS roasted samples (19.19 to 23.58%) as a result of higher carbohydrate content. Roasting had minimal effect on ash content. DPPH RSC was highest in 150oC torrefacto samples (>92% inhibition) and decreased as roasting time and temperature increased for all three roasting methods. Conversely, TPC increased with increase in roasting time and temperature. Moisture loss and cell wall breakdown during roasting caused significant changes in proximate content. Concurrent increase of TPC and resistance to decrease in DPPH RSC indicate that SHS roasting with sugar positively affected black seeds.