When it comes to condiments, mustard is pretty high up there, like in the top three. It’s a staple in our house, like most homes.
There is a surprisingly low amount of people who actually make their own from scratch. The recipes for making this homemade classic aren’t very complicated, and the ingredient list is pretty short.
However, you do have to wait at least 12 hours before digging into your finished product, and the recipes online can be a little finicky. I think that might be the thing that stops most people from making their own.
But don’t let it stop you. The two recipes listed below are both delicious and customizable. A little warning though if you do make them, you may never be able to switch back to the store-bought variety.
What you will need
Like I mentioned above, this condiment is very easy to make. It’s simply grinding some mustard seeds with mustard powder (or you can use just all powder), and combining it with vinegar and water.
The fun thing about making your own is the endless variations you can create.
If you want a mellow bright yellow version (the classic ballpark style) then you’ll want to allow your recipe to sit longer before adding the vinegar, and add a little turmeric.
If you want a really spicy variety, then you’ll add more powder, and maybe even some dried chilies or horseradish.
Or, add some honey for a sweet variation.
I also recommend using a spice grinder to grind the seeds, or you can use a mortar and pestle if you have that. And lastly,you’ll also need something to store the finished product in; a glass bowl or jar with a lid works well.
Recipes
The first of these is the easiest. It involves no cooking.
- 6 tablespoons mustard seeds
- 1/2 cup mustard powder
- 1/2 cup water
- 3 tablespoons vinegar cider, white wine or sherry
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 1 teaspoon dried chili peppers
- 1 teaspoon turmeric powder
- 1 teaspoon horseradish
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 1 teaspoon dried chili peppers
- 1 teaspoon turmeric powder
- 1 teaspoon horseradish
- Grind the whole seeds in a coffee grinder, or by hand using a mortar and pestle. You only want to grind them a little bit as you’ll be using powder as well.
- In a bowl, mix together the ground seeds and the powder. Stir well. Next, add the salt and water, as well as any optional ingredients. Allow flavors to blend for at least 15 minutes before adding the vinegar. For a really mellow version, wait even longer before adding the vinegar.
- Add the vinegar and stir well. Pour into a container and place in the refrigerator for at least 12 hours. After that 12 hour period, it will continue to thicken up. Makes around 1 cup.
This second recipe is the more traditional version.
- 1 cup cold water
- 3/4 cup yellow mustard powder
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- 1 dash turmeric for color
- 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 cup white vinegar
- Place the water, mustard powder, salt, turmeric and garlic in a small sauce pan and whisk until well blended.
- Cook over medium to low heat, stirring often, until it turns into a thick paste. This is the part that takessome time, about 30-40 minutes. Make sure all of your windows are open, as the mustard might start to burn your eyes a little.
- Add the vinegar to the mustard mixture, and continue to cook until it’s reached your desired consistency; about 5-15 more minutes.
- Next, remove the pan from the heat and allow it to cool. Store in an air-tight container in the refrigerator, and wait at least a few days before digging in. The flavor gets better and mellower as time goes on.
Troubleshooting
The biggest problem faced when making this kitchen staple from scratch, is not waiting long enough for the perfect end result.
When it comes to the Stove-Top Variety, it’s a lengthy process. You’re stirring for almost 45 minutes, and then you’ll want to wait before using the condiment in order to allow the flavors to mellow; otherwise it will be very tangy.
When it comes to the No-Cook Variety, it’s also a waiting game. The finished product will be a little runny when you first put in into the refrigerator, but like I mentioned above, if you follow the directions it will come together (thicken up) overnight.
After you make this once, it gets a lot easier and you can play with the spices and intensity of the condiment. My best advice is to just get in the kitchen and get started.
Storage
Both of these recipes (and most homemade recipes) can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 1 year. As time goes on, the flavor will mellow out, but this is a condiment that lasts a very long time.
Conclusion
Making this from scratch does take time, and might seem a little daunting at first glance. However, once you taste it you’ll realize it was worth it.
This is a fun weekend project, and it’s the perfect complement to a weekend BBQ. That being said, you might want to make a double batch as it makes a wonderful hostess gift.
About Sarah Hagstrom
Sarah is a health food advocate and loves to spend her time whipping up something healthy and delicious in the kitchen and then sharing either on Foodal or on her own blog "The Seasonal Diet" (www.theseasonaldiet.com). She lives in Sunny San Diego with her husband, where they enjoy running on the beach and weekend adventures.
I make my own honey mustard all the time. It’s very easy and I think it tastes so much better then the store brands.
It’s very simple:
Dijon mustard
Mayo
Honey
You can chance the quantities spending on how sweet or hot you like it. This has saved me so much over the years. I’m looking forward to trying some of the other recipes above!
Kimmy I love how simple that is, thanks for sharing! And please do give these recipes a try, & let me know what you think.
Hi Sarah
Thanks for the recipe. I like mustard but most of our Malaysians here are not fond of it.
How do I preserve my mustard without a fridge?
LOVE, HARLEM
Refrigeration helps to preserve the flavor of mustard, but if it is made properly, chilling is not required. Note that the shelf life of unrefrigerated mustard will be shorter, and you should throw it away if it develops any mold or off flavors. Store it in a dark, cool cabinet in a sealed jar.
You could also make smaller, fresh batches of mustard to order whenever you need some. 🙂
WOW! I never thought of making my own mustard!! Must try it!! Thank you for the recipes! 🙂
Heda it’s really fun, you can also make your own ketchup & Barbecue sauce.
This sounds like a good idea. I have never tried to make my own mustard before but I may have to do it. We love spicy, tangy variety so we’ll want to add in horseradish and maybe chili peppers. It sounds like there could be many different variations to try.
I love spicy as well, I recommend playing around with different variations. Horseradish is good, along with different chilies and even ginger.
I love mustard, so does my oldest son. I use it in a lot of salads, like chicken salad, tuna salad, etc. I would love to make my own, kind of like a family recipe. How do I make it coarse? Do I just use coarsely ground mustard seed?
Also, do you think if horseradish and chili were added it would stay fresh as long? I wouldn’t think it would.
Coarse mustard just means it has more texture, so you’ll use some of the whole seeds and not completely grind them. As for the horseradish and chili , they both last a very long time but I would toss it after 4-6 months. I hope that helps!
I feel extremely silly, because I never considered making my own mustard, even though shop-bought ones never did the trick to me. They always have this ‘fake’ taste, and are either too strong or too mild. I think that the hardest thing about making my own is waiting those long 12 hours! And whoa, since you can keep the home-made version for a year in a fridge I don’t see a reason for buying store bought again.
I’m so with you! I always feel like the store bought ones are lacking unless I buy a specialty version at the health food store. If you are into batch cooking, you can make a few varieties at once and then the time it takes isn’t so bad.
I’ve had a canning magazine with mustard recipes in it for a while now, but I’ve never actually made the attempt to do it myself. It always seems much easier to buy it in the store, especially since I do not eat it myself. However people in my house love the stuff, and thank you for the article explaining how easy it is to do. I think I’ll take these recipes along with my other ones and get to work!
Hi Nikole, Not a fan of mustard huh… Is it the vinegar? I know a few people who hate vinegar and because of that don’t like mustard. I’m glad you liked the recipe:)
I had no idea it was that easy to make, however, I reserve my thoughts until I’ve actually done it. It does seem to be a good way to save money, and also allows you to add a little more of what you like and to omit what you don’t.
I do like honey and wholegrain mustard, but I think I’d better try a simple version first.
I’m with you Bella, I love honey & whole grain. You can always make a base mustard and then add to it, I hope you give it a try!
I have played with the thought of making my own mustard for years. I make a lot of things homemade, even ketchup but I never got the nerve to make mustard. This post makes me want to give it a try. It seems like a weekend project since it takes time to make and needs to settle. But It is awesome to know it lasts for year so maybe we will do a big batch.
Yes give it a go Renee! I like doing these types of recipe projects on the weekends or even with friends on a Friday night.
I recently bought a big jar of mustard seeds with the very purpose of making my own, so I am very glad I ran into this article!
I used a recipe I found somewhere online, and I was happy with the results, but I’ll give the stove-top variety another chance. The recipe I used followed a similar procedure, but it used only mustard seeds, so I didn’t want to risk wasting seeds on a bad batch just because the recipe didn’t mention anything about grinding the seeds before placing them on the stove.
I think I will try adding lemon juice instead of vinegar and see how that goes. It might not be a huge departure from the original recipe but it’s worth a shot.
Hey Jamie, It’s funny but I’ve done the same thing in the past. I bought a bunch of seeds and then the recipe I used called for ground powder. Let me know how you like the lemon juice variety!
I will definitely have this in mind when making my favorite salad dressings during the holidays. I wonder if I can mix the mustard with mayonnaise, that would help a lot in making my favorite chicken salad.
Hey Astdua, mustard and mayonnaise seem like a good combo to me. In fact, in one of the first comments someone mentioned making mustard with mayo. Let me know how it goes if you try it!
This is a lovely recipe. I love making homemade condiments and I have tried mustard before, but I would like to try this recipe. I will try making it soon. Mustard is also on the very top of my list.
Please do give this recipe a try, I think you’ll be surprised by how delicious it is.
Wow! I can’t believe I found this, I’m like a mustard addict and learning how to make my own sounds just awesome! I woukd have never believed it’s so easy, it sounds so simple that I just keep believing there’s a catch in all this. As you mentioned maybe not waiting enough time is the problem. I will try the first recipe today and let you all know how it went. I was just wondering if I could use only powder because I’ve tried mustard seeds for other recipes and didn’t like the taste all that much. Do you think is the quality of the seeds or will they taste different in this recipe?
Hey Gabby, If you don’t like the seeds I would skip them and use a little more powder. They have a stronger taste and they give the mustard a bit more texture. I hope it turns out to your liking.
I have never even thought of making my on mustard. According to the recipes it’s not even that hard to do. I do enjoy plain yellow mustard on hot dogs, and hamburgers. I also like the fancy kind as well just don’t use it as much except for cooking like adding to potato salad. I love mustard I just have to watch myself when eating it because it stains so easily.
I hope you give this recipe a try and watch out for your shirt;) I’m famous for getting condiments (and chocolate on my shirts!),
I tried making mustard at home the other day and it was a complete fail. Well, not really a complete fail but it was too liquidy to be used properly. I guess I’ll try this recipe.
Oh man, sorry to hear that. Did you allow it to cook for a good amount of time? it thickens up a lot on the stove and even in the refrigerator. You could always use it in salad dressing recipes, as it won’t need to be as thick? Hope that helps.
Homemade mustard is so much better than the store-bought version, the latter is loaded with preservatives and food coloring – it looks unnaturally yellow! I was surprised how much of a darker yellow shade my first batch of homemade mustard turned out.
Personally I prefer my mustard sweet, and putting in real honey instead of the artificially flavored honey mustard makes a world of difference in flavor.
I could not have said it better myself, I’m all for the real stuff:)
My grandmother made homemade mustard when I was young and I loved it.
Then I forgot about that, pretty much didn’t eat mustard for years because the store bought stuff wasn’t good to me.
I wish I could get her recipe but it’s long gone, but I remember it being close to your stove top one.
I’m going to give it a try!
Grandmothers have the best recipes, I hope this one is close to the one you remember. And maybe with a little tweaking you can get it there. Good luck:)
When saw the picture of that creamy yellow goodness, I was immediately drawn to it! Then I read the title. Make my own mustard! Are you kidding?! That never occurred to me. I am a closet mustard junkie! I thought I was the only one! I put mustard on almost everything. My family makes fun of me because I put it on my pizza!
I read the article and thought, “Wow, this seems like a lot of work, and a lot of time to have to wait before I can dive into the creamy yellow yumminess!” But then I read the conclusion where the author acknowledged my concerns and reassured me that it would be worth the work and the wait once I finally tasted the finished product. I’m sold! I’m going to try to make my first batch this weekend. Is anyone else going to try it? Can anyone think of any other creative ingredients to add to it besides the ones the author mentioned?
Yes! Did you try it? Other ingredients I would recommend: rosemary, dill, honey, chilies, jalapeno… the options are endless.
This is so cool. I make a lot of my own condiments, sauces, and salad dressing and stuff, but I never even thought about making this one. I don’t know why not. It sounds pretty simple, and I love the idea of making all the variations.
This is something I really enjoy on a lot of different foods, but most of the people in my household don’t really eat it. I could make just enough for myself, or make a whole bunch of different flavored ones. I like it!
Hi Zyni,
You could make a plain batch for yourself and then add spices to portions of that switch up the flavor. That way if your the only one eating it you aren’t left with cups and cups of mustard:)
Is ground mustard the same as mustard powder? I’m just wondering, as I have the former at home, but not the latter. I’m considering trying the first recipe because I had some whole grain mustard for the first time last weekend and it was amazing. I loved how aggressive it was. It may not be others’ cup of tea, but I really enjoyed it.
Ground mustard is the same as powdered. The Seeds add the coarseness and a nice texture, personally I like a mixture of the two.
Wait why do we need mustard seeds and powder? I thought the powder was ground up seeds, am I missing something? The end result looks seriously good though. I wonder if I can sub in wasabi for the horseradish to give it that extra kick. They’re closely related anyway. Or maybe adding a flavored honey for some nice undertones. Have you tried this? Either way I know what I’m going to be doing for the next hour, and I don’t even need anymore mustard.
As a child, I am ashamed to say I was a pretty picky eater. At restaurants, I’d always have my mom order me the same thing- chicken fingers and honey mustard (Kids, right?)! If they didn’t have honey mustard, I would ask for honey and mustard separately, and mix them. The honey mustard was a necessity. As I grew older and more health conscious, however, I realized that a lot of the mustard you get at the store is full of unhealthy ingredients. I don’t only eat chicken fingers now, but I’d be happy for a reunion with a healthier honey mustard! Thanks for the recipes!
It is so funny that I stumble upon this today, we were at a friend’s house yesterday when she was adding mustard to the salad. My husband said that he would love to make his own, and now we have 2 recipes. I will try both versions, but we like a more spicy variety.
What a great idea, I never thought of mustard as something you can make at home! I guess I’ve always mentally classed it with ketchup as something I just buy. I love making condiments from scratch though, I’ve been learning to make my own mayonnaise, so a couple of these recipes will be next on the list 🙂
Yum!!! I love mustard. This looks like a great summer project. It would be great to make as a gift to bring along to summer barbecues. I can’t wait to experiment with honey and different spices to make different variations. Maybe I’ll try to add a little bit of horseradish to a batch!
The more I read this blog, the more I realize about how many things you can do in your own home, most of the times are actually better (and cheaper) than buying those things on the store, it’s amazing!
I’m not a really fan of mustard, but I really liked how varied it can actually be, it would be really interesting to make the first recipe with a little bit more of chili peppers, the mustard can become a sort of dressing, a perfect one for snacks, I’ll try it, let’s see how it works.
Thanks for sharing!
Thinking of making whole seed mustard with a mix of yellow and brown. I like to keep them whole, any suggestions or recipes for that?
The whole grain version is easy to make at home as well! Combine the seeds with white wine or beer and vinegar, and allow to soak overnight. Add your choice of sweetener and salt to taste, blend, and enjoy!
I was raised in a home where my Methodist mother made her Irish Catholic mother in law’s mustard that was a favorite of Mom’s Jewish Lithuanian father in law. We never had a ham dinner without this mustard on the table and we used it as kids for sandwiches once our taste buds grew used to the heat:
1 can, any size of Coleman’s mustard powder
Using the same can, add one can of white sugar, one can of vinegar [hotter with white, still pretty hot with cider], and one can of regular wheat flour.
Mix well, let sit out at room temp for 2 weeks before using, refrigerate after that.
Since I have made my own since I left home I have varied every part of this recipe.