Once I realized how easy it was to make homemade mayonnaise, I decided to give homemade mustard a try as well. I had no idea how easy it was to pull together.
Even seeing the jars of mustard seeds in the spice aisle, it never occurred to me that I could make my own homemade mustard.
Why Make Homemade Mustard?
There are plenty of mustard choices in the grocery store aisles, so why would you want to make your own? I have found more and more lately that people want to know what is in their food and how it was made.
Making your own homemade mustard from a few pantry staples means you’ll never have to wonder if there are added preservatives or artificial colors in it.
When making your own mustard you can control the spiciness, texture, and consistency of the finished product. The longer the mustard sets at room temperature before refrigeration, the spicier the end result will be.
Like it smooth and creamy? Blend it a little longer. Prefer a chunkier, whole grain version? Remove some of the seeds before blending and add them back at the end.
Another reason to make your own homemade mustard is the endless variations you can make. We will talk about those a little later in the post.
What Ingredients Are Needed?
There aren’t too many things you need to make homemade mustard, and you probably have most of them in your pantry already. Mustard seeds, vinegar, brown sugar, and salt.
- Mustard Seeds- You can use any mustard seeds you like, yellow or brown, or a combination of both. Not to be confused with dry mustard, which is used differently. If you like food science, you can read about some of those different uses here.
- Vinegar- it really is a personal preference but I tend to lean toward apple cider vinegar when making mustard. It adds more of a “flavor” to the mustard as opposed to just the tanginess you get from a distilled white vinegar. Either will work just fine for the recipe.
- Brown Sugar- When deciding between light brown and dark brown sugar, for this recipe you can use whichever you have on hand. The difference between the two is simply the amount of molasses in it. For a recipe that uses this small of an amount, they really are interchangeable.
- Salt- use a regular, fine grain, table salt. You want it to simply enhance the flavors of your other ingredients. You’re not looking to make the salt the star of the dish.
Variations On Basic Mustard
- Instead of water, you can substitute an equal amount of your favorite beer. This version is great to serve as a dip with soft pretzels.
- Stir in one to two tablespoons of honey into the recipe at the end to make a honey mustard perfect for dipping chicken nuggets into.
- Add turmeric and blend until smooth for a classic yellow mustard version.
How Long Does Homemade Mustard Last?
Because of the vinegar used in making homemade mustard, the chances of it going bad before you can use it up is probably very minimal. Making it in small batches is also helpful for its shelf life.
If you were to leave it out at room temperature you would have to use it within a day or so. Keeping it sealed in a glass jar in the refrigerator will make it last much longer.
This recipe makes about a cup so you will most likely use it before you would ever have to worry.
Worst case, you find it in the back of your fridge in a few months. It will still be good, however the flavor may have lost some of its kick.
Where To Serve Homemade Mustard
- Topped on hotdogs and chili dogs.
- Mixed with mayo for deviled egg filling.
- Smeared on ham and cheese sliders.
- Added to your potato salad.
- Drizzled on Italian Sausages and Brats.
- Use in your favorite vinaigrette recipe.
Homemade Mustard
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup Apple Cider Vinegar
- 1/2 cup Water
- 2/3 cup Yellow Mustard Seeds
- 1 tbsp Light Brown Sugar
- 1/4 tsp Table Salt
Instructions
- Combine vinegar, water and mustard seeds in a bowl.
- Cover and let sit overnight or up to 24 hours
- Add the brown sugar and salt, and blend with an immersion blender to desired consistency.
- Place in an airtight container and leave at room temperature for 1-2 days. The longer it sits, the spicier it will become.
- Refrigerate.
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