When you run out of mustard seed while creating your favorite recipe, there are a few substitutes you may use.

A dinner with magnificent amounts of meats and veggies loses its value if it lacks mustard seed. That is why, if you run out of the spicy yellow or brownish-yellow sauce, you should be aware of the finest mustard seed replacements.

What Is Mustard Seed?

Mustard seed is a hot-tasting yellow or brown paste formed from the crushed seeds of some plants. It is often used in cooking and consumed with meat. Mustard seeds are classified into three types: yellow mustard seeds, black mustard seeds, and brown mustard seeds.

The beauty of using mustard seeds in cooking is how well they regulate taste. The issue is that these small seeds are frequently difficult to come by. As a result, you may need to replace mustard seed at times.

Recommended Mustard Seed Substitutes

Need a quick substitute for mustard seed in a recipe? Here are some of the most popular mustard seed substitutes:

1. Horseradish: When Making a Spicy or Hot Dish

When you run short of mustard seed, horseradish may come to your rescue. Horseradish and mustard seeds are quite similar since they are members of the same family. Although the two substances vary somewhat in look and flavor, they are ideal alternatives.

If you use horseradish instead of mustard, be sure you use the same amount. whether you don’t want your dinner to be hot, cut the quantity in half and test to see whether it has the required flavor.

Consider grinding horseradish ahead of time to add flavor to your meal. Horseradish can easily obtained at a market or a local shop. However, depending on where you live, fresh horseradish may be difficult to come by. In this case, homegrown horseradish is an excellent option. Horseradish is prepared by combining horseradish root, apple cider vinegar, and kosher salt.

2. Use Caraway Seeds to Attain Similar Flavor to Mustard Seeds

If you’re searching for a mustard seed substitute, caraway seeds are a good and simple solution. When heated, warmed, or used as a spice, the seeds rapidly produce a taste similar to mustard.

In this situation, you will replace the mustard seed with an equal number of caraway seeds. If caraway seeds aren’t spicy enough for you, you may add cumin to make your meal a bit spicier.

Related Article: Best Caraway Seed Substitutes

3. Prepared Mustard an Ultimate Homemade Solution

That bottle of prepared mustard in your fridge will do the same function as mustard seeds. Mustard seed, water, and vinegar make up prepared mustard. It will be an excellent alternative for wet dishes such as sauces, stews, and marinades.

Most prepared mustards lack the intensity of ground mustard. As a result, if you do not want a mild flavor, you will need to alter the amount to get the desired flavor.

For example, instead of a single teaspoon of ground mustard, use a complete tablespoon of prepared mustard. More significantly, consider lowering the quantity of liquid in the recipe to adjust for the excess fluid in prepared mustard.

Although prepared yellow mustard is the most effective, any prepared mustard, such as spicy brown or Dijon, may serve as an acceptable alternative for mustard seed. Darker mustards have a stronger flavor than yellow mustard, so add the Dijon gradually and taste the sauce as you go.

4. Use Wasabi Powder to Make Your Recipe Spicier

If you like Asian cuisine, such as sushi, you have most likely had a meal that included wasabi. It is a delicious spice that chiefs often use to improve the taste of Asian meals. Wasabi powder has a natural heat and spicy element, making it an excellent substitute for mustard seeds.

Nonetheless, the spice power of wasabi, like horseradish, exceeds the spice strength of mustard seeds. As a result, it is preferable to begin with half the amount you wanted to use in your recipe. You may always taste the recipe and add extra if necessary.

Overall, wasabi powder is an excellent substitute for mustard seed in dishes that call for more heat and spice. However, if you want to amp up the taste and spice, mix horseradish and wasabi. A distinct spicy and savory seasoning will result from the mixture of the two.

5. Turmeric to Enhance the Nutritional Value

Apart from being a common spice in Asian cuisine, turmeric is also famous worldwide owing to its taste and nutritional content. When you consider that it has the same spicy flavor and yellow hue as mustard seeds, it is an excellent alternative. Turmeric is an excellent choice if you want a softer flavor since it is not as hot as wasabi or horseradish.

Turmeric is recommended by doctors because of its exceptional medicinal benefits, such as immune boost and inflammation reduction. Furthermore, its flavor is comparable to mustard. For the greatest effects, replace mustard with turmeric in soups.

Related Article: How To Freeze Turmeric Root

Substitution for Mustard Seeds With Various Seed Colors

As previously said, mustard seeds are classified into three types. Despite belonging to the same family, they all have distinct tastes. What should you do if you need a certain sort of mustard seed but don’t have any?

A single mustard seed may be replaced by a different kind of mustard seed. Here are some suggestions.

• Use half of black or brown mustard seeds to replace white seeds: black and white mustard seeds are often more strong and spicy than white mustard seeds. As a result, if you want to replace white mustard seeds, use half the number of black and brown seeds.
• Brown seeds are replaced with fewer black and white mustard seeds. Although brown mustard seeds are stronger than white mustard seeds, they are gentler than black mustard seeds. To get the optimum brown seed taste, use fewer black seeds and more white seeds when replacing.
• To replace black seeds, use four times the number of white mustard seeds and twice the amount of black mustard seeds. Because black seeds are the spiciest, you must use twice the brown seeds and four times the white seeds to get their taste.

Mustard Seeds Substitution Ideas

Do you like cooking with mustard? There are several ways to use this delectable spice into your favorite dishes. Here are some simple mustard seed substitutes:

Swap the Desired Mustard With a Different One

You may not have the exact mustard called for in the recipe, but you do have some mustard in your refrigerator. You may make a substitution depending on what you’re cooking. Consider the flavor and taste of the mustard in the original recipe when making your selection. For example, if you don’t have yellow mustard, seek for a milder alternative, such as Dijon, which has a milder flavor.

Prepare Your Mustard at Home

You may want to use prepared mustard on occasion, but you have dried or ground mustard on hand. As a result, you may replace a teaspoon of vinegar, water, and dry mustard. After that, combine the two ingredients for around fifteen minutes to enable the taste to emerge. Once it’s set, use it in the same proportion as you would prepared mustard.

What if you don’t have any dry mustard? In this instance, mustard seeds may also be used. Grind the mustard seeds to get dried mustard, which you may use as a replacement in the recipe above.

Keep in mind that black mustard seeds have a strong taste. This implies they’ll work well in dishes with a spicy taste. Yellow or white mustards, on the other hand, are mild and may successfully replace yellow mustard.

Replace the Mustard With Something Else

You may not always have all of the materials needed to make mustard. In this scenario, you may substitute anything else for the mustard and keep the desired taste. Here are a few ideas.

• Mayonnaise may be used in lieu of yellow mustard. Even if you don’t get the mustard taste, you’ll still get the thickness.
• To substitute the spicy brown mustard, use prepared wasabi or horseradish. In this scenario, use tiny quantities unless you want the two extremely hot.
• Instead of mustard, use oil and vinegar as salad dressing. It will keep the pleasant flavor.

Final Thoughts

Mustard seed is an essential element that improves the tastes of many foods. When mustard seed is unavailable, you should not skip that step in your recipe; instead, substitute another spice or ingredient.

We’ve listed several options above, but you should also think about the best mustard seed alternative. Choose the quantity and kind of mustard seed substitution based on how spicy you want your cuisine to be.