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Home » Appetizers » How To Make Mustard Caviar

How To Make Mustard Caviar

Published: Sep 15, 2017 · Modified: Mar 4, 2021 by Genevieve Morrison · This post may contain affiliate links

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Mustard caviar, also known as “Cleveland caviar,” adds pops of flavor and such an exciting texture to your appetizers, and it couldn’t be easier to make yourself! Here’s how to make different kinds of mustard caviar for all of your appetizer recipes.

A bottle of balsamic vinegar, a small spoon and and a small bowl of balsamic mustard caviar on a white, marble table.
Contents hide
1 How to Make It
2 A Few Sauce Suggestions
3 How to Use It
4 How To Make Mustard Caviar

Perhaps you’ve noticed the delightful caviar on almost all of my deviled eggs. It’s, by far, my favorite deviled egg garnish.

You can use all kinds of sauces like soy sauce, chili sauce, BBQ Sauce, curry sauce, salad dressings, you name it! It’s only a matter of which “pop” you want to give your appetizers. They really absorb a lot of flavor, so you only need to add a tiny bit to really make an impression.

Mustard caviar lasts for at least a year in a sealed container, so feel free to make a nice batch. I like to keep 3 on hand to use throughout the year. A hot sauce (Sriracha) a pickle juice (McClure’s pickle juice) and balsamic vinegar.

3 kinds of mustard caviar on a marble table. Sriracha, pickle juice and balsamic vinegar.

How to Make It

It couldn’t be easier to make! You simply take 1 tbsp. dry mustard seeds, and soak them in 3 tbsp. of your desired sauce. Allow the mustard seeds to absorb the sauce or liquid for a full 5 days, giving it a stir from time to time to make sure it absorbs evenly.

Keep in mind, some liquids absorb better than others, and you may need to add a little extra sauce than 3 tbsp. For example, I notice sriracha absorbs quickly and deeply into the seeds, and I often need to add a little bit more than 3 tbsp. But for balsamic vinegar, 3 tbsp. seems to be just about right.

Also note, you can’t add too much liquid to your mustard seeds. They’ll simply absorb what they can, and remain a lovely texture, even if they are sitting in a puddle of your sauce.

A Few Sauce Suggestions

  • Pickle juice
  • Balsamic vinegar
  • Tabasco
  • Buffalo wing sauce
  • Sriracha
  • Cholula
  • Soy sauce
  • Chili sauce
  • BBQ sauce
  • Curry sauce (mix of curry paste and water)
  • Salad dressings (Italian, lemon vinaigrette, apple cider vinaigrette or honey mustard)

How to Use It

1. Deviled Eggs

It’s a wonderful topper for deviled eggs! I find pickle juice caviar to be best for most deviled eggs because the flavor complements the mustard in deviled egg filling. But if you’re making a spicy deviled egg, go for a tabasco or Sriracha flavor! It makes them so much more exciting! I used a chipotle hot sauce for this spicy Mexican deviled egg!

A deviled egg, garnished with sliced jalapeños, diced tomatoes, mustard caviar, shredded cheese and paprika.

2. Canapés

Mustard caviar is a fantastic way to spruce up simple canapés! I used a little bit of pickle juice caviar on this spring pea and goat cheese canapé. Now, this 3 ingredient appetizer has gone from basic to couture!

3 spring pea appetizers topped with mustard caviar on a slate.

3. Amuse Bouches

I love surprising guests with special amuse bouches before dinner. I used balsamic caviar on this pesto scallop amuse-bouche. Another simple recipe of just scallops, pesto and cream transformed into such a pretty work of art by those little balsamic pearls.

A small shell on a plate containing 3 small scallops, pesto cream and mustard caviar.

Have fun with your mustard caviar! And if you use them on appetizers or any way at all, please take a picture and tag me on Instagram! I love to see what YOU create!

Now, help yourself to more mustard caviar inspiration!

  • A green deviled egg, garnished with mustard caviar, diced olives, a tiny sliced tomato and a small leaf of basil.
    Beautiful Pesto Deviled Eggs
  • 3 deviled eggs, garnished with tomato, clover, parsley and a dollop of mustard caviar on marble.
    St. Patrick’s Day Deviled Eggs
  • A picnic spread of fresh cut baguette, a plate of deviled eggs and sandwiches on a platter beside a picnic basket.
    The Prettiest Picnic in the Park
  • 12 deviled eggs on a marble plate garnished with daisies and mustard caviar.
    Two-Tone Curry Deviled Eggs

For more inspiration, subscribe to my newsletter, and follow me on Instagram, on Pinterest, tiktok, and Facebook! And if you ever make any of my tasty drinks or treats, take a picture and tag me. I want to see!

3 small bowls of different kinds of mustard caviar on a marble plate.

How To Make Mustard Caviar

Mustard caviar adds pops of flavor and such an exciting texture to your appetizers.
4 from 4 votes
Print Pin Rate
Course: Garnish
Cuisine: International
Diet: Gluten Free
Prep Time: 5 minutes minutes
Soaking time: 5 days days
Total Time: 5 days days
Servings: 3 Tablespoons
Calories: 25kcal
Author: Genevieve Morrison

Equipment

  • a sealable container

Ingredients

  • 1 tbsp. dry mustard seeds
  • 3 tbsp. any sauce of your choice
US Customary – Metric

Instructions

  • Pour 3 tbsp. of your chosen sauce or juice into a sealable jar with 1 tbsp. dry mustard seeds.
  • Refrigerate for 5 days before serving.

Notes

Rarely, some sauces may require more than 5 days to soak into mustard seeds, but I find no sauce should require more than 7-8 days to fully absorb.
A few sauce suggestions:
  • Pickle juice
  • Balsamic vinegar
  • Tabasco
  • Buffalo wing sauce
  • Sriracha
  • Soy sauce
  • Chili sauce
  • BBQ sauce
  • Curry sauce (mix of curry paste and water)
  • Salad dressings (like Italian, lemon vinaigrette, apple cider vinaigrette or honey mustard)
 
Nutrition information is an estimate.

Nutrition

Serving: 3tbsp. | Calories: 25kcal | Carbohydrates: 1g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 1g | Potassium: 36mg | Vitamin C: 0.3mg | Calcium: 13mg | Iron: 0.5mg
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Comments

  1. Brittany

    April 04, 2024 at 5:46 pm

    Unsuccessful experiment. I made 2 containers, one with pepperoncini brine and the other with Texas Pete. I put them in Mon PM and was going to use them for deviled eggs Sat PM and there was no change. By the following Mon (1 week later) still no change and when I threw them out Thurs (so 10 days later) it was pretty much the same as I started. Such a bummer. I was really excited for this to work.

    Reply
    • Genevieve Morrison

      April 11, 2024 at 7:03 pm

      Humm. When you say there was no change, do you mean that they hadn’t absorbed any liquid at all? They were still as hard as when you first added them to the brine?

      Reply
  2. Susan desJardins

    September 25, 2020 at 8:50 pm

    I am having the same problem. I thought it would be fine for Saturday if I put them into the liquid on Wednesday because it says three days. If it takes a week, it would be useful to update the recipe!

    Reply
    • Genevieve Morrison

      September 25, 2020 at 9:14 pm

      Actually, I’ve since soaked them for just 3 days and they were perfectly done. They are not quite ready if soaked for only 24 hours, though. 3-5 days is still correct. Some special mustard seeds are large and may require 5 days, but the average-size mustard seed really only needs 3 days.

      Reply
  3. Lorraine Whitford

    November 11, 2017 at 12:36 am

    Question on mustard seed caviar. I put mine in the juice yesterday (thurs am). And I need to use them tomorrow (sat pm). I’m not really seeing a huge change just yet (it’s now fri pm). I have them in the fridge, should I be keeping them room temp? I am using pickle juice and didn’t want the juice to go bad. Any suggestions?

    Reply
    • Genevieve Morrison

      November 11, 2017 at 12:47 am

      Hummmmm. I haven’t soaked them for less than a week, myself. I’m not exactly sure if keeping them at room temperature over night would make them soak faster, but it’s worth a try! Let me know how they turn out! I’d be interested to know if that technique speeds up the process!

      Reply
4 from 4 votes (3 ratings without comment)

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