I love cooking from scratch. The flavors of individual ingredients shine, the recipes are customizable to your liking, and you know exactly what is going into your favorite foods! One of my favorite categories of things to make completely from scratch is condiments- in this case? Whole grain mustard!

Before I started making it, I thought mustard was going to be incredibly complicated. When you look at the backs of jars in the grocery store there are so many ingredients and so many varieties. Turns out mustard seed does a TON all on its own- and depending on you use the seeds your mustard can be as spicy or mild as you’d like it to be.

Why These Ingredients?

Let’s talk ingredients. For a simple, whole grain mustard like this one you’ll need mustard seed, vinegar, water, and salt.

Mustard Seeds: I use a combination of brown mustard and yellow mustard– and that combination is not just aesthetic. Yellow mustard seeds are the mildest flavor-wise and then the ‘spicy’ factor goes up with the brown seeds, and finally to the spiciest variety, black seeds. I tend not to use the black variety because they can border on bitter.
Vinegar: The acidity in vinegar is what keeps your mustard bright and flavorful, but it also imparts flavor on its own. For a standard whole grain mustard I usually stick to a white vinegar or white wine vinegar, whichever I have on hand. But if you want to add a touch of sweetness apple cider vinegar is great!
Water: Normally I wouldn’t expand on water in a recipe, but the temperature of water matters in mustard! What gives mustard its spicy flavor is a chemical reaction of the enzyme myrosinase with cold water. The more cold water you use (versus warm water) the spicier the mustard will be. This is why some recipes swap some of the water for beer or white wine!

Whole Grain Mustard Variations

A question I get asked a lot is why I don’t use a ton of flavorings when I make basic recipes like this mustard. I like variety. So, when I make a batch of mustard I don’t want it to just be mustard. I want to be able to mix in minced cloves of garlic specifically for a pretzel, add a few tablespoons of honey to make honey mustard to coat shrimp in for a salad, add shallot and thyme for a salad dressing, and so much more. When you prep ingredients in their base (but delicious!) forms you’re giving yourself the opportunity to create more with it, and because of that we can reduce food waste and packaging! You no longer have to buy four or five jars to use mustard in different dishes!

Whole Grain Mustard Ingredients:

¼ Cup Brown Mustard Seeds
¼ Cup Yellow Mustard Seeds
½ Cup White Vinegar
¼ Cup Water
1 Tsp Salt

The Method

It makes me giggle calling some of these basic recipes ‘cooking.’ Because honestly, chucking a bunch of ingredients in a food processor is more ‘have to do dishes’ than cooking! A lot of creating mustard is just waiting with the exception of one blend!

Combine the mustard seeds and the liquid in a bowl, mix well, cover (I use a Meli Wrap,) and let soak overnight. I prefer a solid soak of at least 12 hours, but just 8 can work in a pinch!

After soaking add the (now waterlogged) seeds into a food processor (I have loved my Cusinart for a solid decade), add salt, and process until the mustard is your preferred consistency. I like to blend my mustard about 75 percent of the way smooth. This allows it to be used in a number of ways. But you can barely blend and have a true whole grain mustard, or blend until it is completely smooth like you’d see on a ballpark hotdog!

Here comes the waiting: leave the mustard covered at room temperature for 2-3 days before popping it in the fridge in an airtight container for up to four months. This initial aging period allows the mustard to mellow.

Now, I love a good spicy mustard, but those initial waiting days draws the last vestiges of bitterness out of the mustard, and then it will continue to mellow for weeks after it is refrigerated!

It’s as simple as that- a delicious whole grain mustard with only five minutes of actual work!