Is Mustard Always Considered Gluten Free?
Navigating the world of gluten-free food can be a minefield at the best of times. It's not just the fact that you have to skip the breadbasket or the latest Insta-famous pastry, but it's also that gluten seems to be in everything. Even seemingly safe foods like mustard.
As a quick primer, the mustard condiment we know and love is usually made of mustard seeds and/or powder, vinegar, salt, and spices. Now the mustard seeds themselves are naturally gluten free, so if you make your own mustard, you'll have no issues. But two problems can crop up with store-bought mustard. The first is that all kind of extra ingredients are often added to give mustard a consistent and desirable texture, one of which is wheat flour. The seconds problem, which might be more of a surprise, is that not all vinegars are gluten free. Malt vinegar, which is used in many gourmet mustards, is made with barley, which is a source of gluten.
Which mustards are gluten free?
As much as we'd like to tell you that certain styles of mustard are always gluten free, this is really determined by brand and by individual product. Thankfully, labelling laws in the U.S. have made it much easier for celiacs and people with a gluten intolerance to know exactly what they're eating. Any of the nine major allergens (one of which is gluten) must be declared on the list of ingredients (FDA). However, this doesn't account for any cross-contamination, so celiacs will need to look for mustards specifically labelled gluten free.
So how do some of the most popular mustards shape up? French's Classic Yellow Mustard is gluten-free, as are its Spicy Brown and Chardonnay Mustards. Our favorite yellow mustard from Heinz doesn't list any gluten-containing ingredients, but is not labelled as gluten free. The classic Grey Poupon falls into the same category, with no allergens listed, but not guaranteed gluten free. For fans of honey mustard, the popular Inglehoffer is sadly out, as it contains wheat flour as a thickener, but both Koops' and Silver Spring's honey mustard varieties are labeled gluten-free.