Dry mustard, also known as mustard powder, is a common ingredient that’s used to add a tangy, mustard flavor to dishes such as macaroni and cheese. This popular ingredient is also used in spice rubs, marinades, and salad dressings.
This ingredient shouldn’t be confused with yellow or Dijon mustard. Dry, yellow, and Dijon mustards are made using ground mustard seeds. However, yellow and Dijon mustards are mixed with liquid to create the mustard typically used on burgers and hot dogs.
The best dry mustard substitutes provide the same tangy, sharp flavor as mustard without excessively altering the dish’s flavor.
Best Dry Mustard Substitute: Mustard Seeds
The best substitute for dry mustard is mustard seeds. Dry mustard is made from mustard seeds, so you can use the mustard seeds themselves as a replacement for dry mustard by grinding them using a pestle and mortar or blender. This substitute works especially well in dry spice rubs.
Yellow mustard seeds have the same flavor as dry mustard, so you can use them as a dry mustard replacement at a 1:1 ratio. However, brown and black mustard seeds have a stronger, spicier flavor. If you opt for brown or black seeds as a dry mustard replacement, use around one-third less than the amount of dry mustard the recipe requires.
Other Dry Mustard Substitutes, Alternatives, and Replacements
Here’s a list of other ingredients you can use in place of dry mustard.
Dijon Mustard
Dijon mustard can be used as a replacement for dry mustard if the consistency of the mustard isn’t crucial to the recipe and you only require the mustard flavor. This sauce adds the same flavor as dry mustard to sauces, casseroles, and salad dressings. Dijon mustard can’t replace dry mustard in spice rubs because of its different consistency.
Use 1 tablespoon of Dijon mustard for every teaspoon of dry mustard.
Yellow Mustard
Yellow mustard can be used as a liquid replacement for dry mustard in recipes where the consistency is less important than the flavor, such as in recipes for casseroles and sauces.
Yellow mustard is a similar consistency to Dijon mustard, but it has a weaker flavor. Use 1 tablespoon of yellow mustard for every teaspoon of dry mustard.
Turmeric
Turmeric matches mustard’s bright yellow color and makes a good substitute for mustard if you don’t have dry or liquid mustard in your cupboard. Turmeric provides the same golden color as mustard, and a similarly rich flavor, to dishes such as casseroles and macaroni and cheese.
However, turmeric isn’t as tangy as dry mustard, so it won’t replicate the flavor notes exactly in dishes such as salad dressings.
Use finely-ground turmeric in a 1:1 ratio in place of dry mustard.
Horseradish Powder
Horseradish belongs to the same plant family as mustard, so the two have similar, tangy flavors. However, horseradish powder can be stronger than dry mustard, so use around one-third less horseradish powder than the amount of dry mustard in recipes such as spice blends.
Nutritional Yeast
Nutritional yeast is a deactivated yeast that contains an abundance of protein and B vitamins, and it adds a nutty, cheesy, umami flavor to sauces and other dishes.
Nutritional yeast adds the same golden color and savory flavor to dishes as dry mustard, but the flavor isn’t as tangy. Because it’s milder in flavor than mustard, you can use more nutritional yeast than dry mustard in your recipe. Nutritional yeast’s cheesy flavor makes it especially useful as a substitute in dishes such as macaroni and cheese.
