All sauces, simple or complex, accomplish the same goal. They add visual appeal, moisture, and extra flavor to various dishes. A good example is a chocolate sauce, which is super basic with few ingredients, but boy-oh-boy, does it make vanilla ice cream sing! My Honey Mustard Sauce Recipe is the same. It features few ingredients but pairs well with a ton of dishes.
The recipe was born nearly a decade ago when I didn't know what to do with a baked chicken that had dried up in the oven. With its well-balanced flavor from the raw honey, Dijon and ballpark mustards, it saved my desiccated chicken from the trash! The mustard seeds really add texture and make the sauce stand out. Let's put together this easy recipe!
This recipe is:
Table of Contents
6 Reasons To Love This Recipe
My love for this homemade honey mustard recipe has remained solid for over a decade for many reasons including:
- Tastes better than store-bought honey-mustard sauces.
- It stores well in the fridge.
- It’s delicious as a dressing, marinade, or sauce for wings!
- Super-easy to make.
- Easily customizable to suit your tastes.
- Kids love the flavor!
Is Honey Mustard Sauce Low-Carb?
No, honey mustard sauce contains honey as a primary ingredient. Honey is a high-carb ingredient due to its natural sugars. The exact carb count for the sauce varies across brands and recipes. Some recipes use smaller portions of honey or low-carb sweeteners to reduce the carb count. You can also check a detailed nutrition breakdown here at Is Honey Keto explained by our nutritionists, Brenda Peralta.
This recipe does not fall within our definition of low carb, because it yields 9 g net carbs per tablespoon of honey mustard sauce. I created it back when the food blog's primary focus was on gluten-free recipes.
Honey Mustard Sauce Ingredients List
For this simple homemade honey mustard sauce, you need the following ingredients:
- 4 tablespoons raw honey
- 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
- 2 tablespoons ballpark mustard
- 1 teaspoon mustard seed
- 1 pinch kosher salt
- A couple of grinds of cracked black pepper
Ingredient Substitutes
While the ingredients listed above are the best for making a delicious honey mustard dipping sauce, you can swap the ones you are missing for these great alternatives:
- Raw honey: Use regular honey as long as it is not mixed with high fructose corn syrup or other sugars.
- Dijon mustard: The honey mustard seed sauce will still turn out fantastic if you omit the mustard seeds and use whole-grain mustard.
- Ballpark mustard: This is a brown-style mustard that you can easily replace with any brown mustard. The flavor of brown mustard is unique and makes this recipe delicious. Avoid yellow mustard unless it is a flavor you love.
- Mustard seed: Use whole-grain mustard and omit the Dijon if you can't find any mustard seeds.
Additional Ingredients
My honey and mustard sauce recipe features shelf-stable ingredients that guarantee a longer shelf life. You may use the following ingredients to boost its flavor, but expect the sauce's shelf life to fall to 1 week.
- Spice: Add some horseradish, prepared wasabi paste or red pepper flakes for a nice spicy flavor.
- Roasted garlic: Surprisingly, this is a perfect match. Add 3 cloves of finely chopped roasted garlic to the recipe. It adds a depth of flavor.
Note: The additional ingredients are optional and not part of the recipe. Use them only for boosting the honey mustard sauce flavors.
Preparation Tools
The honey and mustard sauce recipe requires a few simple tools:
- Mixing bowl
- Measuring cups and spoons
- Spoon for mixing
How To Make Honey Mustard Sauce: Step-by-Step Guide
Cooking Method
- No-cook recipe
Preparation Steps
- Add all ingredients to a bowl. Mix well.
- Serve over your favorite dish. That's it!
💡 My Pro Tip
Mustard seeds have different colors, ranging from almost white to almost black. I use light brown or regular brown mustard seeds for this recipe. What I have noticed over the years is that the light brown seeds tend to soften more quickly in the sauce than the dark brown seeds. While the difference in taste is hardly noticeable, the sauce's texture changes faster with the lighter seeds. Nonetheless, most grocery stores only stock one kind of mustard seed, so whatever you have will work!
⏲️ Time-Saving Tips
- Double the batch. It won’t go to waste!
- Make the recipe ahead of time so the mustard seeds can soften appropriately.
What To Eat With Honey Mustard Sauce?
This recipe makes a fantastic marinade, a dipping sauce for grilled meats, and a delicious honey mustard salad dressing. Some foods that taste great with it are:
- Grilled Chicken Wings: This is a classic choice. The wings are low in carbs and high in protein, making them a perfect match for the tangy sweetness of honey mustard dressing.
- Summer Carrot salad: Drizzle the tasty sauce over the spicy carrot salad for a nice contrast. The honey's sweetness and tangy flavor of the sauce complements the salad's spiciness.
- Sweet Potato Fries: You can also enjoy these delicious fries with this creamy dipping sauce for an addictive honey flavor!
- Roasted Brussels Sprouts: The crunchy brussels sprouts taste heavenly when dipped in the delicious sauce. Plus, they add fiber and essential nutrients to your meal.
- Oven-Baked Chicken Tenders: Serve the chicken tenders with the smooth sauce as an opening act to a feast.
Storage Instructions
Because we are using shelf-stable items for this recipe, the sauce has a longer-than-average shelf life. Store it in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a month. I recommend using a carafe designed for salad dressings (with a flip-top lid that can easily be refilled) for convenient pouring.
Conclusion
This quick Honey Mustard Sauce Recipe makes a wonderful, versatile condiment. Since it has a long shelf life, I make a large batch and keep it in the fridge, and we use it on just about everything, including Crispy Oven-Roasted Chicken, Easy Shredded Chicken Smoked Wings and Oven-Baked Wings.
The best thing about the recipe is that it only requires simple pantry staples. Use the simple ingredients list for a classic honey-mustard flavor, but if you want lots of flavor, play around with additional ingredients. Remember the additional ingredients can shorten the recipe's shelf-life as its original ingredients are all shelf-stable.
Try this perfect sauce on any of your favorite salads, roasted veggies, or grilled meats, and share your feedback in the comments below. Hopefully, you will enjoy it as much as we do at home!
Other Healthy Sauce Recipes
Are you looking to try more delicious homemade sauces? Check out these recipes:
FAQs
Yes, a low-carb version of honey mustard sauce uses low-carb sweeteners like erythritol in place of honey. Remember, honey is not a low-carb ingredient due to its natural sugars.
Yes, you can add mayonnaise to the recipe to make a creamy honey mustard sauce.
Since it contains shelf-stable ingredients, you don't have to store the honey mustard sauce in the fridge if you intend to use it quickly. Keep it at room temperature, away from direct sunlight and other heat sources.
Honey Mustard Sauce Recipe
Ingredients
- 4 tablespoons raw honey
- 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
- 2 tablespoons ballpark mustard
- 1 teaspoon mustard seed
- 1 pinch kosher salt
- A couple of grinds of cracked black pepper
Instructions
- Add all ingredients to a bowl. Mix well.
- Serve over your favorite dish. That's it!
Notes
Nutrition
“This website provides approximate nutrition data and information for convenience and as a courtesy only.”
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5 Responses
I know it is just honey mustard sauce, but this is the perfect balance of yummy and yummy.
Hi Dana:
So true. Thank you for sharing your thoughts.
Have a fantastic day in the kitchen!
Scott