Eating Gluten Free - Is Mustard Ok?

Is mustard gluten free? In its raw seed form, yes, but when it is mixed into ready mustard paste, flour, beer, or malt vinegar is sometimes added. This is a "read the label every time" products but if the ingredient list doesn't consist of flour, beer or malt vinegar, go ahead an enjoy it.

Commercial mustard comes in many forms from raw seeds to powdered mustard flour to rich creamy or oily spreads that go well with roasted meat and in sandwiches.

Newell

Mustard seeds are tiny round seeds - about 2mm or less than one eighth of an inch in diameter. The seed color ranges from approximately white to black. These seeds are simply gluten free and are vastly separate in size from any gluten containing grain. When the seeds are separated from the pods and stems, a sieve with very small holes will also separate out any volunteer gluten-containing seeds. Most commercially exported mustard seed comes from Canada, the Russian Federation and Ukraine.

Mustard seeds are mixed with water, vinegar, oils, and other spices and flavourings to make the spreadable ready mustard pastes. Depending on the type of seed and the processing traditions, the final stock ranges from white to consuming yellow to black. The seeds may be crushed into a fine powder or left whole. ready mustards may be thick or quite thin.

Dry mustard, mustard flour or mustard powder is very finely ground mustard seeds. It has a flour-like texture but it does not consist of wheat flour. Mustard powder is often added as an ingredient in other commercially ready foods as a flavoring agent.

Wheat flour is sometimes added to ready mustards to adjust the texture, taste, and cost of the product. If wheat flour is added, it must be listed on the ingredient list. Beer is occasionally added to specialty mustard, manufacture the stock not gluten free it must also be included on the label. Malt vinegar does not seem to be used in industrial ready mustards, but it often appears in recipes for home made mustards. If so, the mustard will not be gluten free.

As a summary, mustard has a very low risk for cross contamination at planting and harvesting. A few industrial ready mustards use flour or beer as an ingredient. Homemade ready mustard may use beer or malt vinegar. Don't worry about mustard powder or seeds used as an ingredient in other condiments like mayonnaise or salad dressing.

Eating Gluten Free - Is Mustard Ok?