Substitutes for Dijon Mustard in Recipes (Dressing, Marinade, Stroganoff…)
Dijon mustard enhances the overall taste and appeal of numerous recipes. It brightens up the flavors and balances out the richness of the food. Dijon works an impeccable job as a binding agent by stabilizing and bringing ingredients together. Moreover, it is an inevitable part of many meat-based meals due to its tenderizing properties. If you use it as much as I do, you may end up having an empty jar in the fridge. In that situation, you need to know what are the best substitutes for Dijon mustard.
Substitute Dijon mustard in stroganoff with white wine or Worcestershire sauce to have a melt-in-mouth texture. Regarding ham, the glossy effect is chief, so use pineapple juice or maple syrup instead. In salads and marinades, go for vinegar, feta, or avocado dressing.
Dijon has a specific, pungent taste and aroma, which can be overwhelming sometimes. I love to play with flavors and always try something new, so here are all the best substitutes for my favorite mustard-based dishes! Starting from marinades, over deviled eggs, to mayonnaise – I covered them all! So, don’t stress, and go check your kitchen cupboards.
Substitutes for Dijon Mustard
Dijon brings unique flavors to any dish, but you can still substitute it to achieve almost-the-same relish.
In Salad Dressing
Dressing boosts up the boring flavors of salads, whether it’s Dijon or something else, and the best Dijon substitutes in salad dressings are balsamic vinegar, avocado and feta cheese dressing.
Balsamic vinegar has a rich, zesty, and slightly sweet taste profile. It will wake up the same taste buds as mustard with its distinctive flavor but with less pungency. It is a fine base for a salad dressing, as it goes from mild to intensively sweet, depending on the aging process.
The avocado dressing has a buttery, rich, and velvety taste. Because of lemon or lime juice in its recipe, it has a tangy note, as well. It is my favorite dressing for Caesar salad due to its subtle nutty tones and garlicky relish.
Feta has a unique taste – tangy, sharp, and salty, with a hint of creaminess. I like to crumble it along with olive oil, fresh lemon juice, and garlic for an extra zing. The taste is fresher than mustard, though, but still as flavored and in perfect contrast to the crispy salad.
In Marinade
The marinade is there to tenderize the meat and skyrocket the flavors, so it’s understandable that it needs a kick. And you can get it with all of these!
Citrus juice is a superb ingredient to uplift your marinade. Its acidity will tenderize any meat, the same as mustard, just not as gently. Of course, the taste won’t be mustardy and pungent but zesty and more refreshing.
You can use any citrus fruit: lemon, orange, lime, or anything else. I like to include some garlic and onion powder, along with zest and a bunch of different herbs. This marinade will act similar to mustard, infusing the aroma and natural sweetness to the dish, adding depth and complexity.
Tangy Greek yogurt with turmeric makes a top-tier marinade with its gentle tenderizing components. Turmeric works as Dijon because of its earthy, peppery essence. When you mix up these two ingredients, you’ll get both taste and consistency similar to Dijon.
In Deviled Eggs
Mustard adds complexity and luscious relish to this classic – still, you can do the same without Dijon.
Spicy Brown Mustard tastes more intense than Dijon, spicier and hotter. The texture is coarse, slightly grainy, which makes a perfect contrast to smooth egg whites. You can pair it with the same ingredients as always, but it’s best with a splash of acidy liquid like pickle juice.
Sour cream offers a slight tang and creamy texture. The taste is pretty fresh, especially when you add a few drops of lemon juice. It pairs flawlessly with olives and bacon as additions, plus chives and paprika when it comes to spices.
Wasabi paste is extremely piquant, and you need just a tiny amount of it for spicy deviled egg filling. It has strong heat, sharp and horseradish-like spiciness, so it’s an ideal substitute for mustard in this dish. Plus, to achieve the perfect creamy consistency of filling, add some Greek yogurt or mayo.
In Stroganoff
Stroganoff requires an ingredient that will tenderize the meat and add more layers to a flavor profile. If you’re out of Dijon, substitute it with these!
White wine is obviously a different texture than Dijon mustard, but will perfectly mimic the acid component of it. It adds depth to the final flavor with a tanginess that is similar to mustard. I like to thicken it up with the addition of mushrooms, tomato puree, or flour and add pungency with spices.
The main note of Worcestershire sauce flavor profile is tanginess. It also has savory and sweet notes, just like mustard. Moreover, it is special because of the umami relish that skyrockets the taste of the dish with just a splash of the sauce.
A few droplets of any vinegar you have on your hands will do an amazing job of softening the meat. It will add a slightly acidic flavor, but nothing else. Here I love to add turmeric as the main spice, as it resembles mustard with an earthy, peppery essence.
In Coleslaw
When it comes to crunchy salads such as this one, it’s important to have a creamy and/or acidic component to wake up the nutrients.
I love to add a bit of creaminess to fresh and crispy salad, and mayonnaise is the most obvious ingredient to do so. It has a rich, delicate, and slightly sour taste, plus a velvety texture perfect to involve in the salad. Mayo will provide the balanced relish, milder than Dijon, but stronger than yogurt.
A dribble of apple cider vinegar will replace all of the acidity that mustard provides. It has tanginess and sweetness that comes from fruit nectar, as well. The smell is pungent, though, but it will hit all the right taste buds!
Ranch dressing is a classic – a mixture of mayo and sour cream with loads of spices. It gives the texture and the zing, plus deep flavor because of chives, dill, and parsley. Dill and garlic marry especially well with fresh cabbage, so it’s no wonder that ranch is on this list.
In Ham Glaze
When it comes to choosing the ideal ham glaze, I always go for three things – sugary note, glossiness, and crispiness. Here’s how to achieve these!
Honey won’t give you the savory relish, but will undoubtedly compensate with its strong sweet note. Mustard gives the ham a spectacular brownish color, but honey does the same, maybe even better. It will caramelize perfectly and complement the natural flavors of the ham.
Pineapple juice will bring a tropical twist to the table, but it tastes nothing like mustard. On the flip side, it will make the perfect golden glaze and add to the final crispiness of the ham. You will taste the natural sweetness, but a touch of tartness, nonetheless.
Maple syrup is all about vanilla and caramelly notes, so it provides zero tanginess. To change this, I usually add a splash of Worchester sauce, soy sauce, or citruses. It gives the best-looking glaze of all, so you should definitely consider it!
In Crab Cakes
Various ingredients can add both flavor and binding properties to the crab cake mixture.
Mayonnaise will add some tang and bind the ingredients together. If you fancy some heat, you will definitely have to rely on the additions, like sriracha or jalapeño, plus add some acidity with lemon juice or Worcestershire sauce. Mayo will copy the creaminess of mustard, so it’s a win-win situation.
Greek yogurt will do the same as mayo – add a slight tang and binding. But, it’s a fresh ingredient, without even a bit of pungency, so go all in with the seasoning – powdered mustard seeds are the chief option. Yogurt will create an ideal base and keep crab cakes moist, though.
In Hollandaise Sauce
In hollandaise sauce, mustard adds tanginess and depth of flavor, so here are the condiments you can replace it with to achieve a similar taste.
If you’re looking for a unique twist, tarragon vinegar is a special flavor to add. It has an anise relish which gives a herby and sweet note to it. Hollandaise sauce with tarragon and a pinch of pepper has a special name — French-born béarnaise sauce.
Sprinkling a few drops of citrus juice in the hollandaise sauce will provide the tartness and a pinch of bitterness. It pairs well with the rich and creamy consistency of the sauce. Also, lemon and cayenne pepper are a powerful detox duo!
In Mayonnaise
Dijon in mayo enhances the flavor and gives it a tangy kick. Let’s see what you can add instead to create a more complex dressing.
If you want to add some kick to your mayo, I would go for a pinch of prepared horseradish. It is a zesty ingredient with a strong and pungent smell, and distinctive and sharp flavor. The horseradish, in fact, has three base notes: heat, mustard-like spiciness, and a touch of sweetness.
A hint of hot sauce will add a missing zing to your mayo. Just use the one you fancy the most – sriracha, chili, jalapeño, habanero, the list is endless. Just keep in mind to add it gradually, so you can alter the heat to your taste.
What are you cooking today? Are you using any of these substitutes? I can’t wait to hear from you in the comments below!
