Is Mustard Gluten Free?

In my line of work, people ask me a lot of questions about what is and what is not gluten free, soy free, dairy free etc.  I do not claim to be an expert.  Although I have studied the products I use for my everyday baking needs.  I have gotten into a debate with one customer that is still convinced that eggs are dairy...even after I explained to her that they do not contain lactose.  The latest however is that mustard seeds contain gluten.  This surprised me because mustard plants and seeds are not part of the wheat (triticum, Poaceae) family which is an edible, non-flowering grain.  Mustard seed originates from rosids (Cruciferae) family of flowering plants.  When I was first diagnosed with Celiac Disease, I was told to stay away from it because it contained vinegar.  9 years ago, it was believed that vinegar was unsafe because it is distilled using wheat and there may be traces of wheat in the liquid.  I believe all of this has been proven safe now.  Where I can see the correllation between gluten and mustard is in the manufacturing of mustard sauces in factories.  After conducting my own research, I have concluded that most table mustard sauces do contain gluten as added to mustard seed paste.  Generally, mustard seed is ground into powder and is cut with wheat flour, thus named mustard flour.  Not to be confused with "mustard powder" on the label.  My next conclusion is not to trust labelling of mustard unless it states "gluten free" after the ingredients.  Because, some companies are just not up to par on their labeling and because it's not worth taking the chance.  I have included a list and link for more information.  So, next time anybody tells you something is or isn't G-free, take it from me, do your own research! 

  "All major commercial brands of mustard contain gluten; here is a list of gluten-free mustards:

* Bone Suckin' Mustard
* Mr. Spice Honey Mustard
* 365 Organic German Mustard and Dijon Mustard
* Annie's Organic Honey Mustard
* Atomic Horseradish Creamy White Mustard
* Natural Value Organic Dijon, Horseradish, Stoneground, and Yellow Gluten-Free Mustards.
* Whole Kids Organic Yellow Mustard"

(List credits are from answers.yahoo.com)

Some of my favorites can be found on Amazon.com:



Westbrae Mustard

Nance's Sharp and Creamy Mustard

Annie's Organic Honey Mustard

Annies Naturals 24169 Organic Horseradish Mustard (Google Affiliate Ad)