Easy 3 Ingredient Homemade Mustard

Easy 3 Ingredient Homemade Mustard 

Easy 3 Ingredient Homemade Mustard is the latest condiment that I’ve made from scratch. After doing so, I am simply blown away by how easy it is, and I will honestly never buy it from the grocery store again. It really is just that easy! I have no clue why everyone doesn’t make it themselves now. 

My favorite part about this recipe is that once you learn the basics and how to make it, you can start experimenting and changing it up! That opens up a whole world of possibilities and flavor combinations. 

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Have you tried making this Easy 3 Ingredient Homemade Mustard? Come on in and let me tell you about it! 

About Mustard 

Mustard, especially yellow mustard, is something we all remember as kids. It has always been a staple condiment for so many things from burgers and hotdogs to potato salad and so much more. My sister in-law puts mustard on her grilled cheese sandwiches. What is your favorite way to enjoy classic yellow mustard? 

Mustard has been described as pungent, spicy, hot, or even sharp. It is fairly similar to the flavor profiles of horseradish or wasabi. 

There are three different types of mustard seeds, yellow, brown, and black. You can make mustard from whole mustard seeds just as easily as you can ground powdered mustard. It just results in the texture being grainy instead of smooth. I use brown mustard seeds to make cranberry mustard every year during the holidays. 

The most basic mustard recipes start with mustard and a liquid. Simple, right? It is. 

Yellow mustard seeds are the most widely available and most popular of the mustard seeds. 

Brown mustard seeds are more pungent and amazing for grainy mustard blends. 

Black mustard seeds are a little bit harder to find. They are popular in Asian and Middle Eastern cooking, and more pungent and stronger in flavor than yellow or brown mustard seeds. 

I like buying whole mustard seeds as often as possible, because whole spices last much longer in the pantry than pre-ground versions. Why not start with the best possible ingredients? It is easy to grind mustard seeds into powder. 

Easy 3 Ingredient Homemade Mustard Ingredients 

Mustard Powder, ¾ cup 

White Vinegar, ½ cup 

Water, 1 cup 

Optional Additions 

Turmeric, 1 teaspoon 

Garlic Powder, 1 teaspoon 

Salt, ½ teaspoon 

Cayenne Pepper, ¼ teaspoon 

Paprika, ¼ – ½ teaspoon 

Easy 3 Ingredient Homemade Mustard Directions 

In a mixing bowl, combine all of the ingredients together and whisk until it is smooth and there are no lumps. 

Pour the mixture into a sauce pan and bring to a quick boil. Reduce the heat and simmer gently on a low heat, until you reach your desired thickness and consistency. 

This can take anywhere from 10-30 minutes, which is dependent on the size of your pan and how high you simmer it. A wider pan and higher heat will take less time. If you are brand new to this, I recommend going for a very low heat, like 1-2 and stirring often, so you can really pay attention to the consistency. 

Remove from the heat and allow it to cool. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator. This Easy 3 Ingredient Homemade Mustard will continue to thicken as it cools. 

It should be stored in the refrigerator for 1-2 months without issues. Just make sure to refrigerate it promptly once it is cooled completely. 

Recipe Notes 

From my own personal experience, I’ve noticed that I want to end cooking with a still semi-runny or thin consistency, because the mustard will continue to thicken as it cools. Cooking it to exactly where I wanted it produced a very thick paste because of this. If you’re new to making Easy 3 Ingredient Homemade Mustard, it may take some trial, error, and patience. But that is part of the fun! 

I love the fact that you really only need three ingredients, which are pantry staples. But you can certainly add and change things up. My favorite so far has been to add turmeric and garlic powder to my recipe. 

Adding in cayenne or paprika will give you a little heat, or change it up and go with smoked paprika for an added depth of flavor. 

The texture of this mustard is noticeably grainer than what we typically buy from the grocery store. That is because it isn’t overly processed or strained. You can certainly put it through a fine mesh strainer if you would like. I tried it and really didn’t notice much difference, and so I haven’t done it again. But I only passed it through once. It may take a couple of times to get that smooth texture. But I also prefer the slightly grainy texture, because that shows it is homemade and gives it character. 

Thickening Your Easy 3 Ingredient Homemade Mustard 

I’ve seen some recipes that call for flour to thicken the mustard. It isn’t necessary, and I do not recommend it. This mustard will thicken just fine with some simple time and patience. That’s it. 

Thickening time has to do with heat, as I noted earlier. The wider the pan or pot used and higher heat used, the faster it will go. I used a small sauce pot and went on a really low heat, and it took quite a bit of time. But that is what I wanted the first couple of times, because I wanted to see it and really pay attention and control how quickly it reduced. 

I also noticed that when I turned the heat up, the mustard would bubble and splatter the same way that spaghetti sauce does when the heat is too high. Which is another reason I recommend reducing it on a low heat. 

Experimenting 

Once you know how to make this basic recipe, you can start tweaking and playing with it. That opens up a whole world of possibilities and flavor combinations. Which can be a lot of fun to play with. 

Instead of water, try substituting it for wine or a light beer. There are many options for flavorful liquids, such as fruit juices, alcohol, and more, that will achieve the same results with different flavors. 

For vinegar, you can also use apple cider vinegar, or any other flavor of vinegar. There are a ton of options for flavored vinegars, so give it a try and change it up a bit!

Turmeric adds color and makes the mustard a much more vibrant yellow color, but you can add whatever spices that you want to it, to make it basic, spicy, or whatever you want. My favorite so far has been the combination of garlic powder and turmeric, but I plan on my next batch having paprika in it, and then I’ll try adding heat. You can certainly try adding a hotter chili powder, like habanero powder or ghost pepper powder. 

Why I Love This Recipe 

I’ve written about a ton of other options and ways to change up this recipe, but at the end of the day, it is a mere three ingredients, a little mixing, and then simply reducing it to thicken on the stove. It really can’t get much easier than that! I love limited ingredient recipes. 

Anybody of any skill level can make this mustard recipe! Even if you don’t think you can, trust me when I say, you absolutely can. Give it a try! Be patient as it reduces, but seriously, give it a try. This is one of those recipes that absolutely anyone can make, and should be making instead of buying it at the store. Right now I am kind of mad at myself for not trying this much sooner. It really is just that easy. 

I also love that everything needed for this recipe is already in my pantry, so I can make it whenever I want to, without an extra trip to the grocery store. Because I always have the ingredients necessary to make this Easy 3 Ingredient Homemade Mustard, it saves me money because I’m not buying a commercially made product from the grocery store. 

Making things from scratch and knowing exactly what is in the food I am eating makes both the homemaker and prepper in me very happy. 

It is Vegan!

This Easy 3 Ingredient Homemade Mustard is completely vegan! Our best friend is vegan, and I often find myself checking ingredients and looking to see if it is vegan, or what substitutions can be made to make it so. My husband also notes this and comments on it.

Discussion 

Have you tried making this Easy 3 Ingredient Homemade Mustard yourself yet? Did you make any changes to the recipe? Are you a fan? Let me know your thoughts in the comments! 

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