This alcohol-free Dijon-style mustard starts with whole brown and yellow seeds, cider vinegar and water. Shallot and white pepper give it a little more flavor than a plain seed mustard. After an overnight refrigerator soak, you blend everything together. Leave it coarse with visible seed pieces or keep blending for a finer, spoonable paste.
Our family began GAPS in July 2024. With homeschooling and second-shift work alongside feeding six kids, I want the little ingredients to be manageable too. Mustard is one of those ingredients you might only need by the teaspoon, but it still needs a place in the meal plan. Start this jar the evening before you need it so the soaking time happens while you are doing something else.
This is a Full GAPS condiment after mustard, cider vinegar, raw onion and the other ingredients have been introduced. It contains no added sweetener, eggs, dairy or nuts. Keep the finished jar refrigerated and measure prepared mustard from it when another recipe calls for a spoonful.
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons whole brown mustard seeds
- 3 tablespoons whole yellow mustard seeds
- ⅓ cup plain apple cider vinegar
- ⅓ cup filtered water
- 1 tablespoon finely minced shallot
- ¾ teaspoon natural salt
- ¼ teaspoon pure ground white pepper
The brown and yellow seeds are used in equal measures. Brown mustard seeds bring more heat, while yellow seeds are milder. Both stay in the finished mustard, including their coats. Whole seeds are important here because they soak before blending; mustard powder will not behave the same way in those tablespoon measures.
Choose plain apple cider vinegar without added sweeteners or flavorings. The vinegar and water together provide the soaking liquid. Keep all of it when you blend. There is no draining or rinsing step.
Mince the shallot finely, then measure the tablespoon. You can use the same amount of finely minced white or yellow onion instead. The white pepper belongs in this version too. A pure ground pepper keeps the seasoning simple without bringing in the other ingredients in a pepper blend.
Recommended Equipment
You will need a covered glass bowl or jar for soaking, measuring cups and spoons, a knife, a cutting board and a spatula. Have a clean lidded glass jar ready for the finished mustard.
My Ninja BN801 has a twenty-four-ounce single-serve cup with its matching Pro Extractor blade assembly. That is the configuration for the cold, wet mixture here. A blender or food processor suited to this small quantity is another reader option. Follow your own machine’s instructions and working capacity.
Keep the mixture below the cup’s marked maximum fill line. Stop the motor and remove the cup from the base before opening or scraping it, then reassemble correctly before continuing.
How To Make Alcohol-Free Dijon Mustard
- Mix the brown and yellow mustard seeds, salt and white pepper in a clean glass bowl or jar. Stir in the finely minced shallot.
- Add the measured apple cider vinegar, followed by the measured water. Stir through the bottom and around the sides so the entire seed mixture is wet.
- Cover and refrigerate for at least eight hours. Keep the seeds and all their liquid together.
- Transfer the entire cold soaked mixture to a suitable blender or food processor. With the Ninja BN801, use the twenty-four-ounce cup and its matching blade assembly below the marked fill line. Blend until you have the coarse or finer texture you prefer, stopping safely before opening or scraping.
- Scrape the mustard into a clean glass jar, cover and refrigerate. Use within two weeks, taking out portions with a clean spoon.
The seeds take up liquid during the soak. Stir before transferring, and scrape the sides of the soaking container into the blender too. Leaving some of the liquid behind can make the mixture harder to blend.
Begin with shorter blending and check a small spoonful. For a coarse mustard, you should see broken seeds held together in a spoonable mixture. For a finer paste, continue blending and scrape down safely as needed. The mixture should look combined rather than like separate whole seeds floating in liquid.
Brown seed flecks remain because this recipe keeps the seed coats. It will not have the completely smooth appearance of a strained commercial mustard. If the blades are struggling, stop and check that all the soaking liquid went in before adding anything else. Keep the written liquid amounts and work within your blender’s capacity.
Where It Fits On Full GAPS
The GAPS recommended-food list includes mustard seeds, plain cider vinegar, onions, white pepper and pure spices. Use this mustard on Full GAPS after those ingredients have been introduced, including raw onion. It is not an early Intro or No-Plant GAPS recipe. The GAPS food list and stage guide has more help with choosing ingredients for your stage.
This jar uses water and cider vinegar in place of wine and wine vinegar. It soaks cold and is blended cold, with no cooking stage. The soak is preparation for blending, not a fermentation method. The separate homemade Dijon mustard with dry white wine is still available if that is the version you are looking for.
Storage And Serving
Keep the mustard covered in the refrigerator and use it within two weeks. Label the jar with its preparation date. Take out the amount you need with a clean spoon, then put the jar back in the fridge while you finish the meal.
This is a refrigerated condiment, not a shelf-stable canning recipe. For a sweetened dressing, try the separate raw honey-Dijon vinaigrette. Use the finished mustard wherever a recipe calls for prepared Dijon; a teaspoon in a dressing means a teaspoon from this jar.
You can also serve a small spoonful beside cooked meat or vegetables. The mustard is concentrated, so start with the portion you want on your plate. Stir the jar before measuring if the texture has settled during storage.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I Use Onion Instead Of Shallot?
Yes. Use one tablespoon of finely minced white or yellow onion in place of the tablespoon of shallot. Measure after mincing, and keep the remaining ingredients the same.
How Long Should I Allow?
Plan for at least eight hours in the refrigerator, plus time to measure, mince, blend and transfer. The eight hours shown on the card is the minimum soaking time. Starting it the evening before is an easy way to allow for that rest.
Can I Double The Recipe?
The card’s 2× control doubles every ingredient. Keep the same minimum eight-hour soak. Stir the soaked mixture before dividing it into blending portions if needed, and respect the cup’s marked fill line. Combine the finished portions in a clean bowl before transferring them to the storage jar.
How Much Does One Batch Make?
The recipe makes one batch rather than a fixed cup yield. The finished volume varies with blending and transfer. For recipes that use it as an ingredient, measure the finished mustard from the jar.
More Homemade Sauces
For a simpler seed-and-cider preparation, see homemade cider-vinegar mustard. For a different sauce entirely, traditional garlic aioli has its own mortar-and-pestle method and ingredient list.
My planned Sauces, Dressings & Condiments Cookbook brings these smaller preparations together with practical ways to use them in family meals. Follow the WFLI cookbook catalog for its release.
Alcohol-Free Dijon Mustard Recipe
Alcohol-Free Dijon Mustard For Full GAPS
Ingredients
Equipment
Method
- Mix the brown and yellow mustard seeds, salt and white pepper in a clean glass bowl or jar. Stir in the minced shallot.
- Stir in the measured apple cider vinegar, followed by the measured filtered water. Mix through the bottom and edges to wet the entire seed mixture.
- Cover and refrigerate for at least eight hours. Keep all the liquid with the seeds; do not drain or rinse.
- Transfer the entire cold soaked mixture into the Ninja BN801 twenty-four-ounce single-serve cup with its matching Pro Extractor blade assembly, below its marked maximum fill line. Blend to a coarse or finer texture. Stop the motor and remove the cup from its base before opening or scraping; reassemble correctly before continuing. Stir before dividing a larger batch into blending portions if needed, then combine the finished portions. Retain all the measured soaking liquid.
- Scrape the mustard into a clean glass jar, cover and refrigerate. Use within two weeks, taking portions with a clean spoon. This is a refrigerated condiment, not a shelf-stable canning method.
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