Craving that spicy, clear the sinuses, flavor that only comes from a bite of fresh mustard? Mustard is surprisingly simple to make! Our recipe for fermented whole grain mustard is made from just whole mustard seeds, apple cider vinegar, and beer. It’s SO straightforward that you’ll never be able to go back to that bright yellow stuff again.
This mustard pairs well with so many foods. If you include this on an appetizer plate with cured meat, a good cheddar or comte cheese, and a good pickle, your dinner guests will sing mustard praises in savory-food-pairing heaven. Yes, this mustard comes with the beer as an ingredient, but I would also highly recommend pairing that cheese plate with a good beer.
Mustard seeds can be hard to find at normal grocery stores. You can find them online, or check at your local Indian grocery store, which usually stock spices in large quantities. This recipe can certainly be made with either all yellow or all brown mustard seeds, but you will miss the variety of colors and slight flavor differences. It will still be a delicious mustard if you can only find one type of mustard seed.
It’s ideal to use a cider vinegar that has a live culture with the active mother. This is pretty common in grocery stores these days. Since the mustard sits on the counter for several days, it’s important to have the active cultures in the vinegar. Side note: I’ve thought about making our own at some point in the future, and this is definitely on the fermentation projects to-do list.
Since the vinegar is so acidic, and is filled with the live vinegar cultures, it can sit at room temp on the counter for several days. However, as with all ferments, if you see mold growing on the top, best to throw it away and start over.
You can really use any type of beer here that you have in the fridge. I typically use a lighter unfiltered beer, but different beers will impart different flavors, so feel free to experiment and use what you have on hand. We had Allagash White in the fridge, the star of one of our favorite New England breweries, and this works really well to add a bright and yeasty flavor to the mustard. Since this only uses a small portion of a beer can/bottle, feel free to treat yourself to the rest of it as you finish making the recipe. Cheers to homemade whole grain mustard!
One final note: after spinning this in the food processor, the longer you leave this to sit at room temperature, the spicier it will get. Taste it every 8 hours or so (mustard in the morning, mustard in the evening, mustard at suppertime) until it is just right.
Spicy whole grain mustard made from yellow and brown mustard seeds, blended to desired thickness, and let sit at room temperature until desired spice level. Adapted from America’s Test Kitchen.
- ¼ cup yellow mustard seeds
- ¼ cup brown mustard seeds
- ½ cup apple cider vinegar
- ¼ cup beer
- 1 tsp honey optional
- ¾ tsp kosher salt optional
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Mix the seeds, vinegar, and beer in a glass or ceramic vessel. Cover and let soak at room temperature overnight, or up to 2 days. The seeds will bloom and grow in size.
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Add the salt and honey, if using.
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Blend until combined and thickened, about 1-3 minutes total. Keep pulsing until your desired consistency is achieved. It should be a continuous spread with some bits of whole grain mustard seeds intact.
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Scoop mustard into a glass or ceramic vessel and either serve or store in the fridge for a mild mustard. For a spicier mustard, let it sit at room temperature until your desired spice level, up to 2 days.
Store in an airtight vessel in the refrigerator for up to 3 months, if it lasts that long!