The Best Mustard Seeds Substitutes

Are you looking to add a zesty kick to your dishes but find yourself out of mustard seeds? We have compiled a comprehensive list of the best mustard seed substitutes that will surely elevate your culinary creations. If you simply need a quick alternative, these mustard seed substitutes offer a range of flavors and textures to suit your recipe.

From common pantry staples to unique spices, we’ll explore the top alternatives that can easily replace mustard seeds in your favorite recipes. So, what are the best seeds to substitute when you run out of mustard seeds? Scroll on down to find out!

6 Delicious Ingredients To Use As Mustard Seeds Substitute

1. Horseradish – For Hot or Spicy Dishes

Horseradish comes from the same botanical family as mustard seeds so they are similar in that way.

Although these two spices look different and taste different, they can substitute each other in several dishes.

For example, in recipes that require fresh mustard seeds, let say braised zucchini, you can use horseradish to replace mustard seeds with the same portion.

The flavor of horseradish can be adjusted best when you grind it beforehand. On the other hand, dishes that need the appearance of horseradish, mustard cream, or seeds can come to the rescue as well with the appropriate modification.

Horseradish is available anywhere in your market or local store, but if it is too difficult to find fresh horseradish, another preferable choice for you is prepared horseradish.

Prepared horseradish is a compound of fresh horseradish and vinegar that is mainly used to add spice. In dishes where mustard seeds are lacking, try replacing that flavor with the complexity of prepared horseradish.

One more note before you substitute this for mustard seeds is that horseradish is spicier than mustard, so it would be better if you start with half as much and test.

2. Wasabi

If you love sushi, you are probably familiar with the beautiful spices that the wasabi offers. Besides celery seeds, wasabi – a green spicy-flavor spice – is mainly used as the primary flavor enhancer in sushi and other Asian dishes.

Wasabi powder’s taste does an excellent job in replacing mustard seeds due to its natural spiciness and heat.

Like horseradish, wasabi is spicier than mustard seeds, so it is recommended to start with half of the usual portion when replacing mustard seeds with wasabi.

Wasabi is best used in replacing mustard seeds in dishes that need some extra spice and heat. For more flavor-boosting, try combining wasabi and horseradish to give your container a nice spicy yet flavorful seasoning.

3. Caraway Seeds – Similar Flavor

If you are looking for a harmonization and consistency between mustard seeds and their replacement, think of caraway seeds.

These seeds can offer a genuinely similar flavor to mustard, warm, heated, and slightly spicy.

The amount of mustard seeds in your recipe will ask for the same portion of caraway seeds as a substitute for mustard seed. Using caraway seeds ensures your recipe’s flavor lock-in.

If caraway seeds do not bring enough of the flavor you want, try to add more cumin to spice and heat the flavor.

4. Turmeric – Best Choice

Turmeric is a frequently used spice in Asian cuisine, but its popularity in flavor and health nutrition has made it well known in other continents.

With the bright yellow color and same peppery, refreshing flavor note with mustard seeds, turmeric can be an excellent mustard seed substitution.

And different from horseradish or wasabi, which has a quite tense, spicy flavor; turmeric, on the other hand, is relatively mild when it comes to taste, so you don’t have to worry much about the flavor difference when substituting mustard with this spice.

Turmeric shows its best mustard seeds substituting function in soups or dry dishes under the ratio of 1:1. Moreover, turmeric also has remarkable medical properties that help reduce inflammation and boosts immunity.

5. Prepared Mustard – Homemade One

Look nowhere far. A bottle of prepared mustard or Dijon mustard is all you need to replace mustard seeds in pretty much formula. It works consummately as a replacement for mustard seed in marinades, sauces, and stews.

Most mustards, especially the yellow, are milder than ground mustard, so a little change is expected to accomplish the planned flavor. It could be adding some more turmeric, horseradish, wasabi, etc.

You can substitute one spoon of mustard seeds with one scoop of prepared mustard. Or else, if you want to push the density of the mustard, giving it 2-3 more teaspoons.

Yellow mustard will be your smartest choice in substituting mustard seeds. However, most plans will be fine and dandy with other normal mustards like dijon or fiery earthy colored.

If you have a genuinely wild mustard entire grain tarragon with shallots, for instance, make sure to consider how the flavor will function with different fixings in the formula.

Before utilizing, ensure your mustard is still new and usable.

6. Other-Color Mustard Seeds

There are three well-known kinds of mustard seeds: yellow, black, and brown. They all come from the mustard family, so if you need one color of mustard seeds, the other two can still be replaced without affecting the flavor.

How to substitute the mustard seeds to each other?

• Substitute white seeds with half a portion of brown or black mustard seeds: Since brown or black mustard seeds taste spicier and more potent than white, substituting white mustard seeds only requires half the use of the other two seeds.
• Substituting brown seeds with more white, less black: brown mustard seeds are more flavorful than white seeds but milder than black seeds. So, the substituting portions need more white seeds or fewer black seeds to balance the brown seeds’ flavor.
• Substitute black mustard seeds with four-times white or brown mustard seeds: Black mustard seeds’ spice strike most among them all, so if black mustard seeds are not available, do not hesitate to use four times white and double brown seeds to replace black mustard seeds.

Frequently Asked Questions

Are Black Mustard Seeds The Same As Yellow?

Black and yellow mustard seeds both come from the mustard family. However, black mustard seeds’ flavor is so much bolder and spicier compared to yellow mustard seeds.

You can still substitute these two together, but make sure to adjust the portion appropriately so as the flavor does not get conflicted.

What Are Black Mustard Seeds Used For?

Black mustard seeds can be made into several forms to deliver spices, for example, black mustard paste,  black mustard oil, etc.’

Black mustard seeds alone are used to temporarily cure vomiting, relieving water retention and increased appetite in many dishes.

Black mustard oil is used not only in cuisine, but also in health practices. It is used in people to ease the common cold, painful muscles and joints.

What Flavor Does Mustard Seed Add?

Mustard flavor can be described as crunchy, spicy, peppery, and hot.

Originally from Indiana cuisine, mustard seeds are often used to boost signature dishes such as soup, curries, and sauces. But over time, its diverse use has been practiced and spread all over the world.