Recipe for Homemade Finnish Mustard

How to make a homemade version of the famous mustard from Finland that comes in toothpaste-like tubes labeled "Turun Sinappia". Finns can't live without this mustard and neither can I! But you needn't be Finnish to fall in love with this simple mustard made from scratch with just a few pantry ingredients and a quick stir on the stove. It's a personal favorite from the year I lived in Finland as an exchange student and a staple in my kitchen.

Homemade Finnish Mustard ♥ KitchenParade.com, a creamy, spicy mustard just like the amazing mustards in Finland.

Finnish Mustard Copycat. Whole Food, Fresh & Fast. Year-Round Kitchen Staple. Budget Friendly. Great for Meal Prep & Food Gifts. Easy DIY. Naturally Gluten Free.

A World Apart: My First Real Finnish Sauna

Finnish sauna ♥ KitchenParade.com

In Finland, sauna is pronounced SOW-na, not SAW-na and its ritual is revered in the lives of Finnish families. If you picture an American girl just-turned 18 and a just-arrived exchange student, you’ll understand why my first Finnish sauna was, um, unnerving.

The setting was idyllic, a treeless stonecrop island in the Finnish archipelago on a golden September afternoon. As my Finnish "sister" Tove and I gathered driftwood along the shore to stoke the sauna fire, she explained the routine: men and women together, seated naked in a tiny hut heated to 180F, beating our backs with fresh birch branches, sweating until the heat was unbearable, diving straight into the cold sea.

Yikes, Rotary International hadn’t prepared me for this!

My Finnish hosts were kind. On this day, my sister and I went to sauna together, followed by her father and boyfriend. Twas exhilarating!

Equally memorable was the makkara – sausage – we cooked afterward on sticks over the sauna stove, then dabbed in a sweet-hot sinnapi – mustard. Ever since, I purchase a dozen tubes of Finnish mustard whenever possible; when my dear friend Pille from nearby Estonia and Nami-Nami visited, I even requested a special delivery.

Now that Finnish Mustard can be made at home? Bring on the makkara, bring on the sauna.

About This Recipe: Homemade Finnish Mustard

  • This recipe is a good copycat of the sharp mustard so renowned and beloved in Finland. It's easy to cook with just a handful of ingredients.
  • Distinctive Ingredients = hot dry mustard powder (such as Colman's) + sugar + heavy cream
  • Short Ingredient List = all the above + salt + olive oil + apple cider vinegar + lemon juice
  • It takes just 20 minutes to cook Finnish Homemade Mustard. In an hour, it's ready for serving.
  • This mustard has a beautiful, golden color. The texture is slightly thicker than many mustards.
  • Once you make this mustard once, you'll be sure to keep hot dry mustard on hand. Then, this is a pantry-friendly recipe.
  • This recipe makes about 1-1/2 cups of mustard. It keeps for several weeks in the refrigerator.
  • You might also like my Famous Mustard Sauce (Carolina BBQ Mustard Sauce), it's a tiny-bit spicy and a tiny-bit sweet and totally addictive. Just try it with pork!
  • Not quite what you're looking for? Check out some of my other condiment recipes, I think of them as Little Extras That Make All the Difference.

A Meal Prep Favorite

Much to even my own surprise, Homemade Finnish Mustard is one of the Kitchen Parade recipes I make most often! I keep a jar on hand all the time – and it's not difficult because it lasts for two and even three months when well-refrigerated.

  • It's a must when cooking a ham, especially our signature ham, the amazing Twice-Smoked Ham.
  • It's fabulous for making salad dressing.
  • It moves sandwiches from good to great.
  • I'll stir a tablespoon into a pound of steamed vegetables: perfect.

Intrigued? Want to Try the Real Thing?

You can buy a-n-y-thing online, right? Even Finnish mustard (affiliate link).

It's pricey but hey, cheaper than airfare, lol.

A Thing for Mustard?

I might just have one! Homemade Finnish Mustard was my first homemade mustard but it's not the last. Now there are two homemade mustards in my fridge door, Finnish Mustard and Famous Mustard Sauce (Carolina BBQ Mustard Sauce)!

Onnea!

I've timed this recipe especially. Today is the 54th wedding anniversary of my Finnish parents. Onnea, onnea, Vesa ja Liisa! Happy anniversary, I love you both!

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How do you save and share favorite recipes? recipes that fit your personal cooking style? a particular recipe your mom or daughter or best friend would just love? If this recipe for homemade mustard inspires you, please do save and share! I'd be honored ...

Homemade Finnish Mustard ♥ KitchenParade.com, homemade mustard Finnish-style, a creamy, spicy mustard just like the amazing mustards in Finland.



HOMEMADE FINNISH MUSTARD RECIPE

Hands-on time: 20 minutes
Time to table: 1 hour
Makes 1-1/2 cups
  • 5 tablespoons (38g) hot dry mustard powder (such as Colman's English dry mustard powder)
  • 1/2 cup (100g) sugar
  • 1 teaspoon table salt
  • 1 cup heavy cream
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
  • Juice of half a lemon (about 1 tablespoon)

In a bowl, smash together the mustard, sugar and salt with the back of a spoon, working out all the lumps and combining thoroughly. (If you have trouble working out all the lumps, press the mixture through a fine-mesh sieve. Do take time to eliminate all the lumps, unfortunately, they won't cook out.)

Transfer to a medium saucepan and set heat to medium low. A tablespoon at a time, add the cream, incorporating each spoonful before adding another. Stir in the remaining ingredients and bring to a boil, stirring nearly constantly. When it boils, adjust the heat to cook at a slow boil for 7 to 8 minutes, stirring often, until the mixture thickens and darkens a bit.

Let cool and transfer to a serving container or glass jar for the refrigerator. Will keep for several weeks.

ALANNA's TIPS For a sweet-hot, soft and smoothable mustard, make this an hour or two before serving. Once refrigerated, the mustard thickens and its heat moderates. It will soften again if left out but not as much as at first. Five tablespoons is a lot of dry mustard! Make sure you have enough on hand before starting. To lower the calories, I've tried making Homemade Finnish Mustard with half & half, that is, half cream and half whole milk. It works in a pinch but isn't as good and separates in the fridge quite soon versus lasting a long while.

HOW TO USE FINNISH MUSTARD Slather on ham for sandwiches. Stir into hot cooked vegetables such as broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cabbage. Just try to stop yourself from eating it off a spoon, straight from the jar!

NUTRITION INFORMATION Per Tablespoon: 55 Calories; 4g Tot Fat; 2g Sat Fat; 13mg Cholesterol; 100mg Sodium; 5g Carb; 0g Fiber; 4g Sugar; 0g Protein. WEIGHT WATCHERS POINTS Old Points 1.5 & PointsPlus 2 & SmartPoints 3 & Freestyle 3 & myWW green 3 & blue 3 & purple 3 & future WW points
Adapted from Falling Cloudberries: A World of Family Recipes (affiliate link) by Tessa Kiros, one of my two favorite new cookbooks this summer, more recipes to come! My Disclosure Promise

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Kitchen Parade is written by second-generation food columnist Alanna Kellogg and features fresh, seasonal dishes for every-day healthful eating and occasional indulgences. Quick Suppers are Kitchen Parade favorites and feature recipes easy on the budget, the clock, the waistline and the dishwasher. Do you have a favorite recipe that other Kitchen Parade readers might like? Just send me a quick e-mail, you'll find my current address in the FAQs. How to print a Kitchen Parade recipe. Never miss a recipe! If you like this recipe, sign up for a free e-mail subscription. If you like Kitchen Parade, for more scratch cooking recipes using whole, healthful ingredients, you're sure to like my food blog about vegetable recipes, too, A Veggie Venture. If you make this recipe, I'd love to know your results! Just leave a comment below.

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Alanna Kellogg
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A Veggie Venture is home of "veggie evangelist" Alanna Kellogg and the famous asparagus-to-zucchini Alphabet of Vegetables.

Comments

  1. Alanna,
    That sounds great! What kind of susage do you serve it with these days?

    ReplyDelete
  2. There's a local St. Louis sausage maker whose sausage I'm partial to, over the weekend we grilled sauerkraut sausages over a campfire in the country, the kids ate them up! I credit the mustard, others the sauerkraut, others -- the real story! -- a big day of fresh September air!

    ReplyDelete
  3. OMG! I did not know you could make mustard :-)

    My Dad always has Coleman's on hand, but mixes it with water to make mustard. You may have just saved me from any more of that watery junk!

    ReplyDelete
  4. You are right, other than the cream, I have all the other ingredients on hand. I've never thought to make my own mustard but I am going to give it a try. Thanks for posting.

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Thank you for taking a moment to write! I read each and every comment, for each and every recipe. If you have a specific question, it's nearly always answered quick-quick. But I also love hearing your reactions, your curiosity, even your concerns! When you've made a recipe, I especially love to know how it turned out, what variations you made, what you'll do differently the next time. ~ Alanna