DIY MUSTARD

Homemade mustard is easy, fun, requires just a few simple ingredients, and is infinitely better than store-bought. The best part of making mustard at home is that you can customize your own recipe to suit your flavour and texture preferences ranging from pungent to sweet and smooth to crunchy. The process of making mustard entails a few simple steps. No step takes more than 15 minutes, although keep in mind that you'll need to age your DIY mustard for a few weeks. This guide will get you started with your own DIY mustard and you will be shocked at how easy it is!

THIS KIT INCLUDES:
½ cup Yellow Mustard seeds
½ cup Brown Mustard seeds
1 TB White Sugar
1 TB Maple Sugar
1.5 tsp Dried Dill
1 tsp Turmeric Powder
1.5 tsp Sea Salt

FOR A BASIC RECIPE YOU WILL NEED:
Water
White Vinegar
A blender (or immersion blender)
A medium sized plastic or glass bowl
The jar this kit came in
A spoon and/or rubber spatula

BUT! There are so many other fun variation possibilities, so here’s some information for you to ponder in your quest to become the best homemade mustard maker.

LIQUID

Your homemade mustard will be based in some sort of liquid and this is where the fun really starts. Generally, a more acidic liquid will temper the heat/pungency of the mustard more effectively and liquids with a shorter shelf life or higher sugar content (ie: fruit juices) should be avoided as they cause the mustard to spoil faster.

Water yields a very assertive mustard (mostly nasal heat) with a simple flavor.
White wine yields a moderate mustard with subtle wine flavors. Classic Dijon mustard is typically made with white wine.
Dark beer yields a moderate mustard with malty flavors.
Light beer yields a mild mustard with hoppy flavors.
Hard Cider yields a pleasant sweetness.

VINEGAR
We tend to use white vinegar for our initial soak in a smooth mustard, then switch it up for the final blend based on what our intentions are. Another great way to get flavour into your mustard is to use flavoured vinegars.

White Vinegar yields a mild mustard with simple flavor and a big acidic punch.
Apple Cider Vinegar yields a mild mustard with subtle sweetness and an acidic fruity punch.
Red Wine Vinegar yields a sharp mustard that loves to be paired with white sugar and dried herbs like oregano.
Rice Vinegar or White Wine Vinegar yields a mild mustard with mild sweetness and nice brightness.
White Balsamic Vinegar yields a sweeter mustard with less acidity.

SWEETNERS
You can use any sweetener in your mustard, and if you want a no-sugar option Stevia or monkfruit do work. The most common sweeteners to use are:
White sugar
Brown sugar
Maple Syrup
Honey (liquid or powder)
Molasses
Agave syrup
Maple sugar
Honey powder

ADD-INS

There is no end to the possibilities of ingredients you can add to your mustard to make it your own! Turmeric is a common addition as the flavour isn’t very noticeable and it will give your mustard a more yellow hue.

We have included dill + turmeric but other suggestions include:
Any type of pepper powder (habanero, jalapeno, ghost pepper, etc)
Any spice (smoked or sweet paprika, sumac, onion, curry, coriander)
Any dried herb (oregano, basil, fennel, tarragon, caraway, cilantro, etc)
Fruit powders

Horseradish powders

SUGGESTED COMBOS

Classic Dijon mustard is made with white wine as the liquid and white wine and white vinegar, the addition of tarragon makes it even more traditional.
Pickle Juice is fun as well, but you have to taste as you go to see how best to modify the vinegar and sweeteners.
Whisky or Rum can be used as your liquid if you are wanting a pungent and sharp mustard that would be great on charcuterie boards.
Red Wine can be used as your liquid, it makes the mustard an unrecognizable deep red shade; but it’s impressive and unique for sure.
Horseradish is a great addition to mustard, but if you use fresh or liquid versions you’ll have to be aware that it may spoil faster.
Fruit jams or purees being added to your mustard can be fun (think mango or peach jam, or apple butter) but these should be used within a week or so of making them.

SMOOTH MUSTARD

1. Place ½ cup of mustard seeds in a jar or bowl (but not a metal or stainless steel option) and soak in ¾ cup of vinegar (we usually use white vinegar as it’s cheap and cheerful and it will be discarded.) Cover and place in fridge to soak overnight.

2. Strain mustard seed and discard soaking vinegar.

For a completely smooth mustard…

3. Place all mustard seeds in blender, then add 3 TB vinegar, 1 TB of sweetener, 1.5 TB of salt and ½ cup of liquid and blend thoroughly, stopping to scrape the sides of the blender to ensure all of the seeds get blended.

4. Once you reach your desired texture, taste and add more vinegar, sweetener, salt until you reach your desired flavour – but be warned that the bitterness/spice-level will mellow while it ages. At this point you can also add any herbs, pepper or other flavourings that you desire.

5. If you are still not satisfied with the overall smoothness, you can strain the mustard through a fine mesh sieve.

6. Transfer mustard into glass or plastic jar with a lid and allow to “age” in the fridge for at least 2 days before using. You can eat it now, but as it ages it will taste less sharp/bitter/spicy.

For a partially seeded mustard…

1. Set aside ¼ of the mustard seed and place remaining ¾ of the mustard seeds in blender then add 3 TB vinegar, 1 TB of sweetener, 1.5 TB of salt and ½ cup of liquid and blend thoroughly, stopping to scrape the sides of the blender to ensure all of the seeds get blended.

2. Once you reach your desired texture, taste and add more vinegar, sweetener, salt and give it another blend until you reach your desired flavour – but be warned that the bitterness/spice-level will mellow while it ages. At this point you can also stir in any herbs, spices, pepper, or other flavourings that you desire.

3. Stir in reserved mustard seeds until well combined.

4. Transfer mustard into glass or plastic jar with a lid and allow to “age” in the fridge for at least 2 days before using. You can eat it now, but as it ages it will taste less sharp/bitter/spicy.

TRIPLE CRUNCH MUSTARD

1. Place ½ cup of mustard seeds in a medium sized bowl (but not a metal or stainless steel option) and soak in ½ up of vinegar and ¼ cup liquid. (we usually use white vinegar and water as it’s cheap and cheerful and it will be discarded.) Cover and place in fridge to soak overnight.

2. Strain mustard seed and discard soaking liquid then place mustard seeds back into a medium sized glass or plastic bowl.

3. To the mustard seeds, add 2TB of sweetener, 1 TB of honey or maple syrup, ¼ tsp of salt and stir well to combine.