Eating Gluten Free – Is Mustard OK?

Does mustard contain gluten? In its raw seed form, yes, but when mixed with prepared mustard paste, flour, beer, or malt vinegar is sometimes added. This is a “read the label every time” product, but if the ingredient list doesn’t include flour, beer, or malt vinegar, go ahead and enjoy it.

Commercial mustard comes in many forms, from raw seeds to dry mustard flour to creamy or oily spreads that go well with roast beef and in sandwiches.

Mustard seeds are small round seeds, about 2mm or less than an eighth of an inch in diameter. The seed color varies from almost white to black. These seeds are naturally gluten-free and are very different 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 remove any volunteer seeds that contain gluten. Most commercially exported mustard seeds come from Canada, the Russian Federation and Ukraine.

Mustard seeds are mixed with water, vinegar, oils, and other spices and flavorings to make ready-made mustard spreads. Depending on the type of seed and processing traditions, the final product ranges from white to bright yellow and black. The seeds can be ground into a fine powder or left whole. Prepared mustards can be thick or quite thin.

Dry mustard, mustard flour, or mustard powder is very finely ground mustard seeds. It has a texture similar to flour but does not contain wheat flour. Mustard powder is often added as an ingredient in other commercially prepared foods as a flavoring agent.

Wheat flour is sometimes added to prepared mustards to adjust the texture, flavor, and cost of the product. If wheat flour is added, it must be listed in the ingredients list. Beer is occasionally added to the specialty mustard, which makes the product non-gluten-free and must also be listed on the label. Malt vinegar does not appear to be used in commercially prepared mustards, but it often shows up in homemade mustard recipes. If so, the mustard will not be gluten free.

In short, mustard has a very low risk of cross-contamination at planting and harvesting. Some commercial prepared mustards use flour or beer as an ingredient. Homemade mustard can 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.