English Mustard substitute

Substitutes for English Mustard with ratios

1. 2Chinese hot mustard

   Close match

   Use the same amount

   The mustard served with dim sum and egg rolls, made from mustard powder and water in the same way.

   What changes

   Best for

   roast beef, ham, sausages, cheese sauce, sandwiches, dipping

   Prep. Stir before use, as it separates. Add at the end of cooking rather than the beginning.

   The best jar-to-jar swap there is, because it is built on exactly the same principle: mustard powder hydrated with water and almost nothing else, which gives that same volatile heat that rushes into the sinuses and then vanishes. It is usually a little thinner and often even hotter than English mustard, and it lacks the small amount of vinegar and the turmeric-tinged colour, so it tastes slightly less rounded and looks paler. In a cheese sauce or on a beef sandwich nobody would query it. Start with slightly less if the brand you have is very fierce.

2. 3Dijon mustard

   Different taste

   1.5:1 to 2:1, so use one and a half to two times as much

   Smooth French mustard made from brown mustard seed with white wine or verjuice instead of vinegar.

   What changes

   Best for

   vinaigrettes, cheese sauce, marinades, mayonnaise and dressings, glazes for ham, sauces for pork and rabbit

   Prep. Use the larger quantity in cold applications, the smaller in cooked ones. Add a pinch of mustard powder alongside if you want the heat back.

   The most common substitution and the one that most needs explaining, because it is not a like-for-like swap. Dijon is sharper and more acidic, with a distinct winey tang, and its heat is much lower and sits in the mouth rather than shooting up the nose. Used one for one on a roast beef sandwich the result is pleasant and completely lacks the point of English mustard. At one and a half to two times the quantity you get comparable presence, though the dish will taste noticeably more acidic and more savoury. In cooked applications such as a cheese sauce or a vinaigrette, where the volatile heat would burn off anyway, Dijon is genuinely close to interchangeable and often better, because it emulsifies beautifully.

3. 4Prepared horseradish

   Taste and texture differ

   Use the same amount

   Grated horseradish root in vinegar, sold as a bright white relish.

   What changes

   Best for

   roast beef, beef sandwiches, sausages, steak, potato salad, creamy sauces

   Prep. Add off the heat, as heat destroys its pungency just as it does with mustard. Drain off excess liquid if it is very wet.

   A very good substitute for the sensation rather than the flavour, and the two ingredients are chemically related, which is why horseradish delivers the same fleeting sinus rush that English mustard does. It is the classic partner for beef anyway, so on roast beef or a steak sandwich it works perfectly. The flavour is clearly different, earthier and greener with a raw radish note, and it has none of the faintly bitter, faintly sulphurous edge of mustard, so it is wrong in something like Welsh rarebit where mustard is meant to reinforce the cheese. Creamed horseradish is much milder and sweeter, so use half again as much of that.

4. 5American yellow mustard or wholegrain mustard

   Taste and texture differ

   2:1 to 3:1, so use two to three times as much

   Mild prepared mustards, the American made from yellow seed with turmeric and vinegar, the wholegrain from cracked seeds in vinegar.

   What changes

   Best for

   sandwiches, burgers, sausages, dressings, glazes, potato salad

   Prep. Where you need smoothness, use the yellow rather than the wholegrain, and boost with dry mustard powder for heat.

   The everywhere-available answer and the mildest of the options, so adjust your expectations along with the quantity. American yellow mustard is made from yellow seed only, which is much less pungent, and it is dominated by vinegar and turmeric, so it tastes tangy and slightly sweet with almost no heat; using three times as much of it in place of English mustard makes a dish taste sour rather than hot. Wholegrain is nuttier and more textured, with mild warmth and popping seeds, and it will not disappear into a smooth sauce. Both are fine on a sandwich. For anything where the heat is the point, add a quarter teaspoon of mustard powder alongside, which is a far more efficient fix than adding more of a mild mustard.

5. 6Wasabi paste (for heat only)

   Different taste

   About 1:4, so use a quarter as much

   Green paste of wasabi or, more usually, horseradish and mustard with colouring.

   What changes

   Best for

   beef, dipping sauces, mayonnaise, when you only need the burn

   Prep. Stir a very small amount into a spoonful of the sauce first, taste, then add more, since it is easy to overdo.

   Worth knowing about because most supermarket wasabi paste is largely horseradish and mustard anyway, which is why it produces the same nasal heat. It is far more concentrated than English mustard, so a quarter teaspoon does the work of a full teaspoon, and it brings an unmistakable green colour and a distinctly Japanese aroma that will look and taste out of place in a Welsh rarebit or a ham glaze. Use it when you are short of mustard and what you actually want is heat in a dressing, a mayonnaise or alongside beef, and keep the quantity small.