What Are Mustard seeds and How Can I Use Them?

If mustard seeds have turned up in a recipe or caught your eye at the store, here's what you need to use them with confidence and how to choose them, cook them, store them, what to substitute, and 258 recipes to try them in.

What are mustard seeds?

Mustard seeds may be colored from yellowish white to black.

They are important spices in many regional cuisines. The seeds can come from three different plants: black mustard, brown Indian mustard, and white mustard.

Mustard seeds generally take three to ten days to germinate if placed under the proper conditions, which include a cold atmosphere and relatively moist soil. Mature mustard plants grow into shrubs.

Mustard grows well in temperate regions. Major producers of mustard seeds include Canada (90%), Hungary, Great Britain, India, Pakistan and the United States.

Brown and black mustard seeds return higher yields than their yellow counterparts.

Nutrition

Nutrition Facts

Serving Size 1 tbsp (11g)

Amount per Serving

Calories 51Calories from Fat 28

% Daily Value *

Total Fat 3.2g 5%

Saturated Fat 0.2g 1%

Trans Fat ~

Cholesterol 0mg 0%

Sodium 0mg 0%

Total Carbohydrate 3.8g 1%

Dietary Fiber 2g 6%

Sugars 0.7

Protein 2.7g

Vitamin A 0% Vitamin C 1%

Calcium 6% • Iron 6%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your caloric needs.

recipeland.com/nutrition

Quick facts

Where to find mustard seeds: Mustard seeds are usually found in the condiments section or aisle of the grocery store or supermarket.

Food group: Mustard seeds are a member of the Spices and Herbs US Department of Agriculture nutritional food group.

In Chinese: 芥菜籽
British (UK) term: Mustard seeds
en français: graines de moutarde
en español: semillas de mostaza

How much do mustard seeds weigh?

Amount	Weight
1 tbsp	11 grams
1 teaspoon	3 grams

Spices and Herbs

Allspice 904 Allspice berries 37 Star anise 178 Aniseed 23 Bay leaves 2049 Caraway seeds 321 Cardamom pods 100 Cardamom seeds 317 Celery seeds 283 Chervil 65

Recipes using mustard seeds

There are 258 recipes that contain this ingredient.

Stuffed Rava/Sooji idli

Here's a delicious, quite filling idli recipe that can be enjoyed as a snack or the main dish. Learn how to make stuffed idli. So here's a colourful idli recipe that's packed with the goodness of vegetables.

Malabar Chicken Curry Recipe

Malabar chicken curry is a spicy and aromatic dish that hails from the Malabar region of India. This curry is made with a unique blend of spices that include cinnamon, cardamom, cloves, and fennel, which gives it a distinctive taste and aroma. The tender chicken pieces are simmered in a rich and flavorful coconut milk-based gravy, making it a perfect dish for any occasion. The curry can be adjusted to your preferred level of spiciness, making it versatile for all tastes. Whether you're looking to explore new flavors or simply want to add a bit of spice to your meals, Malabar chicken curry is a must-try recipe for any home cook.

Mustard Seed & Papaya Chutney

A sweet and savory chutney perfect for veggie burgers or on the side along with curries.

Instant Idli Dhokla

Here's a delicious, tempting dhokla recipe that can be made within no time and served to your guests. Learn how to make instant dhokla.

Favourite Pot Luck Sweet & Sour Slaw

A great little salad is perfect to be aside with grilled sausages.

Betty Carter's Refrigerator Pickles

Betty Carter's refrigerator pickles use a no-cook cold brine of vinegar, sugar, salt, celery seed, mustard seed, and turmeric. Five days in the fridge and they're ready. Last a year in the jar.

Chunky Pickles

Chunky pickles brine cucumbers overnight, cook in vinegar, then steep in a brown sugar pickling syrup with cinnamon, allspice, mustard, and celery seeds. Sweet old-fashioned bread-and-butter style.

Aam Chutney (Pineapple-Chile Chutney)

Sweet, sour and spicy, this delicious pineapple-chile chutney is packed with flavors. Serve it as a side dish with any Indian main course.

Pickled Salmon as Appetizer (Gravad Lax style)

An easy way to create a tasteful appetizer, similar to the way it is done in Scandinavia or Northern Germany. Preferably you want to use wild caught salmon when it is available or catch-it yourself. The usual caveats when you deal with fresh fish apply. Process it immediately. I had good experience with wild Alaska sockeye salmon which is frozen for a while before it comes into the shop.

Hot Onion Chutney

Hot Vidalia onion chutney is a fiery, lemon-bright condiment with cumin, mustard seed, and chili heat. A small-batch canning recipe that yields four half-pint jars for cheese boards and curries.

Citrus Marinated Mushrooms

Juicy mushrooms marinated to perfection with tangy citrus, garlic, olive oil and just a hint of spice.

Aam Chutney (Mango-Chile Chutney)

This spicy and sweet mango chuntney goes very well with the corn flatbread, you can also use pineapple too.

Indian Style Lemon Rice (Nimakaya Pulihora)

Lemon Rice is one of the popular and simple dishes made during festivals in India.The Sour tangy taste makes this dish really mouth watering!!!!

Cranberry Orange Chutney

Cranberry orange chutney with bourbon, mustard seeds, and brown sugar simmers into a sweet-tart relish with a smoky kick. The perfect Thanksgiving condiment that runs circles around the canned jellied stuff.

Indian Rice Pilaf

Indian vegetable rice pilaf with potatoes, carrots, cauliflower, broccoli, peas, green beans, and cashews bloomed in mustard seeds, ginger, garlic, and curry powder. A one-pot oven-baked pilau ready in 35 minutes.

Upma (North Indian Style)

Yummy rawa upma is a delectable upma recipe with rawa or semolina as ingredient. The rawa or sooji are roasted and cooked with onion,tomatoes, mustard seeds, curry leaves, lime juice,curd,peanuts and chopped coriander leaves. An excellent breakfast item, yummy rawa upma upma is easy and delicious.

Indian Apple Chutney

Indian apple chutney: apples, onion, raisins, and warm spices simmered in malt vinegar with cumin, ginger, and mustard. A sweet-tangy condiment that improves with age in the jar.

Saagwalla Dhal

This is the other dhal we made yesterday, when the cooking was close to the end, added some spinach that was cooked with garlic, dried hot chili peppers and mustard seeds, which gave the dhal extra zing and tang, another delicious dhal recipe, of course another good recipe that you can serve with naan bread and raita :)

Sri Lanka Annasi (Pineapple Curry)

Annasi curry simmers fresh pineapple chunks in coconut milk with curry leaves, lemongrass, and green chilies for a sweet-tangy Sri Lankan side that pairs brilliantly with rice.

Mimi's Kosher Dill Pickles

Kosher dill pickles canned in a brine of vinegar, mustard seeds, peppercorns, garlic, and dill. Crunchy small-batch jars ready to crack open in 2 to 3 weeks.

Sri Lanka Sweet Mango Chutney

Sri Lankan sweet mango chutney cooks sliced mangoes with sugar, vinegar, mustard seeds, cardamom, and sultanas into a sticky, spiced preserve. Pairs with curries, grilled meats, and cheese boards.

Chicken & Shrimp Vindaloo

This spicy Indian dish is best served with basmati or jasmine rice, warm nan, and ready-made mint chutney. A mango sorbet would be a nice finish to this meal.

Mango & Tamarind Chutney

Mango and tamarind chutney: slow-simmered jammy preserve with mango, golden raisins, ginger, mustard seed, and sour tamarind. Water-bath canned for a year of shelf life.

Southern Coleslaw

Creamy Southern coleslaw with buttermilk ranch dressing, apple cider vinegar, celery seeds, and whole mustard seeds. Make it ahead and let it marinate overnight for the best flavor.

Honey Mustard (Low or No Salt)

It's quite easy to make your own honey mustard instead of buying one from the store. By making your own you control the sodium level as store bought usually has a huge amount of added salt.

Apple-Lovage Chutney

Apple-lovage chutney pairs autumn apples with fresh lovage, ginger, mustard seed, and golden raisins, then water-bath cans for shelf-stable jars. A garden-to-pantry preserve with a celery-bright herbal twist.

Ramsay's Roasted Butternut Squash Hummus

A fantastic healthy dip perfect for the holidays or anytime you might have company coming. Butternut squash is roasted with an Arabic Ras El Hanout spice mixture. Based on a recipe by Gordon Ramsay.

Peameal Bacon - Canadian Pickled Pork Bacon - Back bacon

This is an easy to make version of real homemade Canadian Bacon. Also known as peameal bacon in Canada. Works wonderfully for peameal on a bun.

Sweet Gherkins

Sweet gherkin pickles made the old-fashioned way with a four-day brine and gradual sugar buildup. Crisp, spiced cucumber pickles preserved with cinnamon, allspice, mustard, and clove for the pantry shelf.

Potato & Onion Koora

Potato and onion koora is a South Indian potato dish bloomed in mustard seeds, urad dal, ginger, and green chiles. Chunky, lemony, deeply spiced, and ready in 40 minutes.

Garlic Pickles

Old-world fermented garlic pickles with cucumbers, cabbage, carrots, cauliflower, and celery in a salt brine with mustard seed, peppercorns, and bay. Crunchy lacto-fermented crock pickles in 10 days.

Jane's Cucumber Pickle

Bread-and-butter cucumber pickles with garlic, turmeric, and mustard seed in a sweet vinegar brine. Salt-and-ice draws moisture out for crisp slices that hold up through canning and long pantry storage.

Spinach-Lentil Soup

Lentils and spinach simmered in chicken broth with popped mustard seeds, coriander, and lemon juice, topped with melted cheddar. A hearty, high-fiber soup with Indian-inspired spicing.

Pulikacchal

Pulikacchal: the tangy-sweet South Indian tamarind paste for puliyodharai rice. Mustard seeds, chilies, jaggery, and sesame cooked down into a shelf-stable rice mix.

Zucchini Curry Stew

Indian-style zucchini curry stew with tomato, ghee, coconut paste and toasted mustard seeds. Vegetarian curry that turns garden zucchini into a fragrant main.

Kosher Garlic Dills

Homemade kosher garlic dill pickles with a spiced vinegar brine, bay leaf, mustard seed, and fresh dill. A classic canning recipe that yields 7 pints of crunchy pickles.

Cabbage Curry

Spiced cabbage curry with mustard seeds, cumin, and turmeric cooked until tender and golden. This South Indian vegetarian dish is aromatic, healthy, and ready in 40 minutes.

Bonda with Instant Mashed Potato

Crispy, golden Indian potato bondas made with a genius shortcut: instant mashed potatoes! Spiced with mustard seeds, turmeric, ginger, and green chilies, then dipped in gram flour batter and fried until irresistibly crunchy.

Roasted Eggplant Tomato Relish (Biagan Bharta)

Baingan bharta, an Indian roasted eggplant relish with charred eggplant, tomatoes, mustard seeds, cumin, turmeric, and green chili. Smoky, spiced, and served warm or at room temperature.

Nimbu Rice

A delicious rice dish made with green and red lentils, cashew nuts and seedless raisins.

Pan-fried fillet of Seabass with Nobilo Regional Collection Sauvignon Blanc

Delicious Pan-fried fillet of seabass on grilled asparagus with mustard seed, mango and toasted coconut salad, served with a glass of Nobilo Regional Collection Sauvignon Blanc, 2008, £8.49 from Asda, Thresher, Morrison's, Sainsbury's, Somerfield, Tesco