I Tried 9 Yellow Mustard Brands and the Winner Won by a Landslide

Mustard is my all-time favorite condiment. And it’s not just because, as a Chicagoan, it’s the only condiment allowed on a hot dog. I love it because it’s tangy, bright, salty and a bit sweet. There’s Dijon, honey, spicy brown, whole grain, Chinese, German and many other types, but yellow mustard is probably the most common mustard you’ll see in home fridges, especially during the summer.

According to Statista, nearly 290 million Americans used yellow mustard in 2020! The beauty of mustard, especially the traditional yellow variety, is its versatility. It’s great on sandwiches, hot dogs or burgers, and is a key ingredient in dishes like sloppy joe, potato salad, deviled eggs and Julia Child’s famous vinaigrette. 

To help you find the best yellow mustard when you’re standing in the condiment aisle, I did a blind taste test of nine popular yellow mustard brands. At first glance, it would appear that mustard is mustard, right? A closer look (and taste) revealed how the variation in ingredients really separates the best from the not-so-good. Read on to find the best yellow mustard to stock this summer (and beyond).

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What Is Yellow Mustard?

Yellow mustard is a condiment that gets its bright color from ground yellow mustard seeds. The seeds are combined with vinegar, water, salt and other ingredients, like turmeric, paprika and garlic. 

The grinding of mustard seeds dates back to Ancient Egypt, Rome and Greece and even China’s Zhou Dynasty (1046 to 256 BC). It was introduced commercially in the United States by brothers Robert and George French, who wanted to create a creamy salad mustard. Turmeric was added to their recipe for color. The finished product debuted at the 1904 St. Louis World’s Fair and was touted as a condiment for hot dogs. I guess their experimentation took off, eh?

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How I Tested These Mustards

I chose yellow mustard brands that could be purchased at Walmart, Kroger, Albertsons, Aldi, Trader Joe’s and Whole Foods. Luckily, most brands came in small bottles because who really needs a refrigerator full of 20-ounce mustard bottles? Like my Caesar salad dressing taste test, many brands cover their bottles and tops with so much branding that it’s hard to ignore the name. Nonetheless, we were able to conduct an unbiased tasting.

In our blind taste test, we (me, my husband and our two children) were looking for a few things: 

• Flavor balance
  There had to be a bit of tang from the vinegar but not a sour taste or a lingering bitterness.
• Mild heat
  Unlike Dijon or spicy brown mustard, we were looking for a mild warmth, but nothing overwhelming. 
• Color
  Yellow mustard should be vibrant and not some crazy neon color created by artificial dyes. 
• Consistency
  The mustard shouldn’t be watery or have too much texture.

My genius husband suggested grilling Polish sausages to pair with this tasting. So, we arranged plastic cups with bite-sized pieces of sausage and a squirt of mustard. We smelled and tasted each mustard before dunking the sausage in it. After nine cups, the winner was unanimous and abundantly clear.

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9 Yellow Mustards, Ranked From Worst to Best

9. 365 by Whole Foods Market Organic Yellow Mustard

The Whole Foods Organic Yellow Mustard was a unanimous “no” because of the off-putting smell and overpowering taste of vinegar. I observed a fruity aftertaste, which I would later discover was organic apple cider vinegar. The other brands relied on distilled white vinegar, so perhaps this type of vinegar didn’t pair well with the mustard seed, salt, turmeric and paprika.

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8. Plochman’s Classic Original Mild Yellow Mustard

This brand also ranked low because the level of vinegar was so strong that it came across as bitter. The taste was so powerful that my son said it felt like it was burning his throat. We gave the bottle another vigorous shake to make sure all of the ingredients were well-dispersed, but we had the same experience. 

7. Boar’s Head Yellow Mustard

Boar’s Head was definitely a step up from the previous two, but the level of vinegar was still too strong. It had the trademark yellow color and was thin enough to spread, but it smelled and tasted too much like vinegar. We wanted more mustard seed flavor, which would have given this option a more flavorful kick. 

6. Heinz Yellow Mustard

This one had real potential. My husband said that it reminded him of classic deli mustard. While it was thick (not watery like some others), the slightly grainy texture was a bit of a turnoff for me and my daughter. My husband wasn’t bothered by the texture, but he thought that Heinz’s mustard punch was subdued. 

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5. Burman’s Yellow Mustard

In previous taste tests (like my chicken noodle soup ranking), Aldi rivaled competitors, so I was surprised this mustard ranked so low. Burman’s strengths were its short ingredients list, its pleasant aroma and its decent flavor. We found it to be middle-of-the-road because it had a simple, but not a sharp, rounded flavor. My husband commented that it lacked the depth for a standalone condiment, but it would be great used as a recipe ingredient (e.g., in potato salad). 

4. Great Value Yellow Mustard

Walmart’s Great Value yellow mustard had a solid flavor, but it was watery compared to the other brands. It was also sweeter than the others, which would complement meat (like those delicious grilled sausages). This brand would be a good choice for salad dressing, potato salad or even as a spreadable sparerib tenderizer. 

3. Trader Joe’s Organic Yellow Mustard

Trader Joe’s organic mustard fared better than the organic option from Whole Foods. This was the first mustard we tasted, and it was a strong start. The color was bright and the mustard was tangy and smooth—and it delivered on a strong mustard flavor. My daughter felt that it was slightly bitter, which is why we didn’t rank it higher. 

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2. Kroger Yellow Mustard

If you’re looking for a brand with a very pronounced mustard taste and a thick texture, this is it. This would be great as a stand-alone condiment or combined with other ingredients. The only drawback was the level of tang. We observed more of a vinegar flavor than Trader Joe’s, but it was bearable. 

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1. French’s Yellow Mustard

Well, I guess the French brothers were on to something. French’s Yellow Mustard ranked a solid point-and-a-half above Kroger’s, making it the clear winner. It had the balance we were looking for and wasn’t too salty, too vinegary or too mustardy. It’s just a good, traditional yellow mustard. There’s a reason why it’s been around since 1904.

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