At last count, there were seven opened jars of mustard in my fridge (and that doesn’t include the bright yellow stuff my kids slather on hot dogs). And it’s not just because I forget I already have an opened jar—mustard has many faces. Sharp or sweet, subtle or super spicy, there’s a mustard out there to complement any type of food.
There was a time when I would scour specialty food markets for interesting mustards, and there was no limit on what I would spend on something that sounded appealing. That was until I discovered that I could buy a pound of mustard seeds at my local wholesale store for about five bucks. I soon found that making mustard is not as mysterious as I once thought.
A basic mustard simply involves soaking mustard seeds in vinegar (or other liquid) for a couple of days, and then processing it to the desired consistency. It’s that easy. But once you’ve mastered the basics, you can start adding sweeteners, herbs, spices, dried fruit—the possibilities are almost endless.
Homemade mustard will keep for a month, but if you are like me it will be gone in a couple of weeks. And don’t worry about filling up your refrigerator—there’s always room for one more of those little jars.
Step #1 GATHER IT
Step #2 ▼
My favorite basic mustard starts with four ingredients: yellow and brown mustard seeds, vinegar, and beer. Yellow (also called white) seeds have the mildest flavor. Brown mustard seeds are a little harder to find than yellow mustard seeds, but their hotter, more pungent flavor is (I think) crucial to a good mustard. For a mustard with a subtle bite, I like to use a 50/50 combination of yellow and brown seeds. But the ratio can be altered to suit your taste.
Step #2 BALANCE IT
Step #3 ▼
Cider vinegar, with about 5% acidity, stands up to the pungency of the mustard seeds. Generally, equal parts mustard seed and vinegar provides a nice balance. If using slightly less acidic vinegar, like wine vinegar, you might want to use a little more.
Step #3 POP A COLD ONE
Step #4 ▼
Next is my favorite part of making mustard: beer. A quarter cup adds a malty sweetness to the mustard—and also leaves a ½ cup left in bottle to drink! Don’t like beer? Wine, brandy, apple cider, or water are all good alternatives.
Step #4 SOAK IT
Step #5 ▼
Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let the seeds soften at room temperature for at least 8 hours. Word of warning: Heat activates an enzyme that kills the flavor of mustard, so don’t be tempted to hurry the soaking process by adding hot liquids.
Step #5 TRANSFER IT
Step #6 ▼
Once the seeds have soaked, transfer them to a food processor. Alternatively, you can use a blender if you are looking for a smoother, Dijon-like mustard. A little bit of brown sugar will help temper the mustard’s bite. If you like honey mustard on your turkey sandwich, try adding a ½ cup of honey at this point.
Step #6 PROCESS IT
Step #7 ▼
Process the mustard to the desired consistency. A minute will get you mustard that is spreadable, but still has plenty of whole seeds that pop with flavor as you eat it.
Step #7 JAR IT
Step #8 ▼
Transfer the mustard to a glass container. Why glass? I’ve had mustards that have picked up off-flavors from metal and plastic containers; plus, it looks cooler.
Step #8 RIPEN IT
That’s it. You’re done—well, not quite. You’ll have to wait for the mustard to “ripen” for a few days. Tasted right after mixing, the mustard might taste a little bitter; however, this will dissipate with age. Also, for spicier mustard, leave the mixture at room temperature (provided it has no perishable ingredients) to age. Refrigeration will halt the formation of the spicy compounds, so once the mustard is at your optimum heat level, transfer it to the fridge.
About the Author: Keith Dresser
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When you say to use equal parts mustard seed and vinegar in step 2, is that by weight or volume?
Hey Dennis – It should be equal parts by volume. Most of the time I use 1/2 cup cider vinegar and a 1/4 cup each of yellow and brown mustard seeds.
Did you invade my dreams? My husband and I are mustard fanatics. I think I will be making this soon…very soon.
You mention that a basic mustard involves soaking seeds in vinegar (or other liquid). My question is: what other liquids might work for a spicy mustard lover who would prefer vinegar and alcohol-free mustard?
Hi Terri – I’ve made mustard with apple cider before with okay results. As one would imagine it was quite sweet and I missed that acidic tang from the vinegar. If I were to try again I might add some lemon juice to brighten things up.
MUSTARD IS FACINATING! I never liked mustard when I was a kid, and to this day I still dislike yellow mustard! But a few years back I found this book simply titled “Mustard”, I decided to buy it so I could try some stuff out for my husband. I even posted some stuff about it on my website!
http://craftsandcooking.com/?p=92
I have yet to make any mustard, (just so busy with other stuff) and this post might have just given me the motivation to make it!
p.s. LOVE this ATK feed thing!
I bought a chipotle mustard the last time I went home to WI to visit my sisters. I’ve looked here in TX and haven’t found anything similar. Any suggestions on when to/how much chipotle pepper to add to the mustard in order to make my own?
Can the mustard be canned? Would I do it right away, or after the curing time?
Hi … I’m wondering why it only lasts a month. Is that true even when refrigerated? The ingredients don’t seem very perishable, so I’m curious. My hubby loves mustard (me, not so much) but I adore the process of making things like this. With only one mustard eater in the house, though, I’m afraid I’d be throwing a ton of it away if it wasn’t finished in a month. Thanks!
Meg – I’ve never tried adding chipotle to mustard, but it sounds great. I think I would wait to add the chipotle to the mustard after the mustard has ‘cured’ for a couple of days. As for the amount, maybe start with a tablespoon and add more if you want it spicier. If you make some let me know how it comes out.
Motts83 – I’m not sure the ph is low enough to safely can the mustard using a hot water method. Since I’ve never tried it, I can’t recommend canning it.
Phyllis – In reality the mustard will last over a month. I’ve just found that after a couple months the mustard losses some of its complexity. You can also scale down the recipe to make a smaller batch, it just might be hard to process in a food processor.
Hi-this looks like an awesome recipe. What kind of beer do you recommend? (or not recommend). thanks
songbird74 – Since I usually have an ale on hand that’s what I use, but you could use most anything type of beer (well, except for Bud Light Lime – that stuff is gross.)
Keith,
A few years ago I fell in love with a beer and black pepper mustard, but I can’t find it anymore. I’m soaking my mustard seeds tonight and making my own. This rocks! Thanks!
I can’t believe how easy this is. If I want to make it a bit sweeter can I add more brown sugar?
sdent2 – No reason why you can’t increase the brown sugar. You could also use apple juice/cider instead of beer to make a sweeter mustard. Or you could always add 1/4 cup honey to make Honey Mustard, which can’t be beat on sandwiches.
thank you for this! i have been making my own ketchup and salad dressings for a while now, but haven’t gotten around to making mustard. i’m not sure why, cuz i love whole grain mustard, and i even have the seeds sitting in my cupboard. oh and thank you for pointing out that bud light lime is gross. i couldn’t agree more!
I have so much yellow mustard powder at home. Is it possible to substitute yellow mustard seeds with powder? In that case how much (in volume) powder should I add to 1 cup of liquid? Thank you!
I tried this but could only find yellow & _red_ mustard seeds. Seems to have worked out anyway! Never used red mustard seeds before.
keith….do you include the liquid that you soaked the seeds in, in the processor?
I found the yellow mustard seeds but had to order the brown ones on Amazon. Can’t wait to try this. I’m going to soak mine in Modello dark. (Mexican beer) I’ll let you know how it goes.
kwenns – I’ve never heard of red mustard seeds before. I’ve seen red mustard greens (the leafy kind.) My guess is they are brown mustard seeds, which have a reddish hue.
Kristine – Yes, you should include the soaking liquid. If the mustard seeds have soak long enough there should be much liquid left.
thebabe – Modello is a good choice, should make for a good batch. I just made a new batch of mustard with all brown mustard seeds and hard cider. We’ll see how it comes out…
I’m so excited about this! I just began the soaking process with a nice hoppy beer and apple cider vinegar. I have great ideas for a mustard with chardonnay and roasted garlic next. Trying to imagine a red wine mustard and can’t figure it out- but this is cheap enough for a few bad batches.
I found the mustard seeds easily in the bulk section of Central Market (similar to Trader Joe’s and Whole Foods). They were crazy cheap too, which again makes it easy to play around!
You can find white and brown mustard seeds at Penzeys Spices. They are located around the country and online. http://www.penzeys.com. This is a wonderful spice store and their products are fresh. They also offer free spices when you get the catalogs by mail. Almost every catalog has a coupon for a free jar if you go into the store.
Wow!!! Found this sight…I’ve been making whole seed mustard from a recipe a man I knew, who at one time worked for a food company, and it goes for top dollars at ‘auctions’. Secret is a flat blender. I use my Braun Mult processor. Comes with two bowls (bread/mixing…processor/slicer attachments….and a blender with two different blades). Blend five minutes when I’m ready to crush, do small batches at a time, blended with a dark beer/salt/sugar, and a mixture of 9 spices. First I soak 1 LB yellow seeds, 1/4 LB dark seeds in apple cedar vinegar for five days, stirring and putting in more vinegar as needed.
i made it with gluten-free beer as well as cider vinegar (some celiacs ascribe to the idea that white/distilled vinegar is not good for them). anyhow, i can see why you might want to use lemon juice to brighten it up. if i used 1/4c of each brown and mustard seeds, 1/4 c of beer and 1/2 cup cider vinegar, how much lemon juice should i use? thanks for this wonderful recipe!
Can powdered mustard be used instead of full mustard seeds??
Hi Neelam. Using powdered mustard is a little different. Ground mustard is usually mixed with water in a 1:1 ratio and used immediately. It’s pretty strong stuff, so you can let it “age” or use some vinegar to cut the heat. For me, I prefer the more nuanced flavor of mustard made with seeds, but powdered mustard is a good quick fix.
This is all kinds of awesome! I am a mustard FANATIC…and whole grain is always best. I’m visualizing some delightful herb/mustard combinations. And as far as the beer goes: I’m going with Guinness.
Okay, so I made 3 versions of this:
1. The recipe as is (I call it “pub mustard”)
2. A version with some prepared horseradish
3. A version with the addition of chopped dill weed
….and every freaking one turned out AWESOME. I’m going to be making more and giving them out as Christmas gifts. Thank you for the inspiration and getting me going on trying something I’ve wanted to do for years.
This is great! I’ve wanted to try this for a long time and my Penzey’s yellow and brown mustard seeds just came today. From reading the recipe and the amounts, I’m coming away with 1/2 cup cider vinegar, and 1/4 cup each of yellow and brown mustard seeds. Just want to clarify the beer amount, because the way I figure it, a 1/2 cup (amount left over) plus a 1/4 cup (amount you use) = 6 ounces. Since I’ve never done this, I want to get the numbers right. So, I am adding 2 ounces of beer, correct?
Thanks!
I hadn’t seen the clickable link showing the directions in a recipe format when I sent that prior comment – got my answer.
Has anyone tried freezing the mustard? Does short-term freezing (say 2-3 months) change the flavour and/or texture?
I was thinking of making it with either white or blush wine – will the lack of acidity shorten the shelf life?
Hi golemhead – Since mustard has such a good shelf life, I’ve never tried freezing it. I can’t imagine that it would harm the texture, but like refrigeration, freezing will probably stop the ‘ripening’ process. Wine works great with mustard. Assuming you substitute wine for the beer, I would back off on the vinegar a little bit and add some water to adjust the consistency. The change in acidity shouldn’t have any bearing on shelf life.
I was actually thinking of replacing both the vinegar + beer with wine. Shelf life is important as I was hoping to make them now and let them ‘cure’ for 5 weeks.