Homemade Mustard Beans are incredibly creamy with a nice blend of sweet and tangy flavors, a great addition to any dinner table. Your guests will thank you when you serve these mustard beans, they are a welcome change from dill pickles or bread and butter pickles. When you have extra beans in your garden and you possibly can't preserve any more, make these easy-to-make mustard beans - no water bath or pressure cooker is required!
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This is a recipe that my mother-in-law shared with me. She has made these mustard beans every summer for the last 50 years. We have adjusted the ingredients and tweaked it many times over the years until we came up with the perfect recipe.
Mustard Beans go perfect with any meal, and we always serve them at Thanksgiving and Christmas dinner. They are the perfect accompaniment with roast or ham.
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Why We Love Mustard Beans
- We use our own homegrown yellow wax beans, which are one of the easiest vegetables to grow
- They are full of flavor
- Use mustard beans in place of relish on smokies, hot dogs, or hamburgers
- We like these pickles better than dill pickles
- No pressure canner required
Ingredients
Only a few basic ingredients are required to make this recipe.
- Yellow wax beans
- All-purpose flour
- Dry mustard powder
- Turmeric
- Salt
- White sugar
- Celery seed
- White vinegar
- Water
See the recipe card for quantities.
How to make Mustard Beans
These are so easy to make, essentially boil some yellow wax beans, add a few ingredients to a saucepan and heat it up, add cooked beans, and spoon into clean jars. Easy peasy!
Ready to get started?
Start off by cutting the ends off the yellow wax beans, then cut the beans into 1-inch pieces. Wash the beans with clean, cold water.
Fill a large pot with water and bring it to a boil. When the water is boiling, add yellow beans. Reduce heat to medium and boil until just tender, about 20 minutes. Pierce the beans with a fork; if the fork enters easily the beans are done; if not, boil a few minutes longer. When the beans are cooked, drain in a colander and set aside.
Next, heat clean jars in a pan in about 1-inch of water. Heat snap lids in hot water in a small saucepan but do not boil.
In the same large pot the beans were cooked in, add the rest of the ingredients. Stir with a whisk until smooth, and heat over medium heat until it starts to come to a boil.
The sauce will thicken up as soon as it comes to a boil. Immediately add cooked beans to the sauce and stir gently to mix.
Carefully pick up a heated jar and place a funnel in it. Spoon hot beans and sauce into the jar, leaving ¼" (6 mm) headspace. Remove the funnel and remove air bubbles by pushing a plastic knife down around the beans on the outside of the jar.
Wipe the rim of the jar with a damp cloth. Place a heated lid on the jar and place a screw cap. Tighten the screw cap until it is hand-tight. Place a dishtowel on the counter and place the jar on a towel. Repeat with the remaining 4 jars.
That's all there is to it! Enjoy!
Hint: Use a magnet to easily grab the snap lids out of the hot water.
Variations
Add ½-1 cup of diced red pepper to the sauce. It tastes great and adds fantastic color to the mustard beans.
Equipment
To make these mustard beans, you will need:
- Canning jars
- Snap lids
- Canning kit
- Large pot
- Whisk
Storage
- Store the sealed jars in a dark, cool area. A cold room is a perfect place.
- Store opened jar in the fridge for up to 2 months.
These ingredients don't stand up well to freezing.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Yes! Use almond flour instead of all-purpose flour.
Mustard beans will last in the fridge in a covered container for up to 1 year.
A jar of unopened mustard bean pickles will keep, if stored properly, in a cool, dry place, such as a cold room, for up to 2 years.
You can eat these mustard beans right away. However, they will have optimal flavor after they have been canned for two weeks. (I usually eat them while they are cooking in the sauce just before I spoon them into jars because I can't wait...and they are delicious).
Top tips
- Do not overcook the beans, they should just be fork-tender
- Prepare jars and lids before you make the sauce. That will give them enough time to heat up thoroughly.
- Put an old towel underneath your jars when you are filling them. The turmeric in the sauce may cause staining.
- Label your jars with the date you made them
- If any jars do not seal after 24 hours (when you press down on the lid with your finger and it bounces back), immediately place the jar in the fridge.
Related Preserving Recipes
If you’ve tried this Mustard Beans Recipe or any other recipe, please take a moment to rate the recipe and leave a comment letting me know how you liked it. I love hearing from you!
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📋 Recipe
How To Make Mustard Beans
Equipment
- Large pot
- Canning jars
- Snap lids
- Canning equipment, funnel, tongs, magnet
Ingredients
- 10 cups yellow wax beans cut in 1-inch lengths
- 6 cups water to cover beans
Yellow sauce
- ¾ cup all-purpose flour
- 2 tablespoon dry mustard powder
- 2 teaspoon turmeric
- 1½ teaspoon salt
- 3¼ cup granulated sugar
- 1½ tablespoon celery seed
- 2 cups white vinegar
- 1 cup water
- ½-1 cup red pepper optional
Instructions
Cook yellow wax beans
- Cook yellow beans in boiling water until just tender, about 20 minutes. Pierce the beans with a fork; if the fork enters easily, the beans are done; if not, boil a few minutes longer. When the beans are cooked, drain in a colander and set aside.
Make the yellow sauce
- Prepare canning jars by heating clean, sterilized jars in a pan in about 1-inch of water. Heat snap lids in hot water in a small saucepan but do not boil.
- In the same large pot that you cooked the beans in, add the ingredients for the sauce. Stir with a whisk until smooth, and heat over medium heat until it comes to a boil. The sauce will thicken up as soon as it comes to a boil. Immediately add cooked beans to sauce and stir gently to mix.
- Carefully pick up a heated jar and place a funnel in it. Spoon hot beans and sauce into the jar, leaving ¼" (6 mm) headspace. Remove the funnel and wipe the rim of the jar with a damp cloth. Remove air bubbles with a plastic knife. Place a heated lid on the jar and place a screw cap. Tighten the screw cap until it is hand-tight. Place a dishtowel on the counter and place the jar on a towel. Repeat with the remaining 4 jars.
- Store the sealed jars in a dark, cold place. A cold room is a perfect place.Store opened jars in the fridge for up to 2 months.
Notes
Nutrition
Food safety
- Don't leave food sitting out at room temperature for extended periods
- Never leave cooking food unattended
- Always have good ventilation when using a gas stove
Helen Vaillancourt
the mustard bean recipe from Winding ranch looks great but where is the listing of the ingredients and amounts
Jeri
Hi, Helen. The ingredients and directions for the mustard beans are in the recipe card at the bottom of the post.
Marysa
This sounds delicious. I've never had something like this before, and it sounds like a great recipe. It is always nice to make recipes that are handed down through the family.
Jeri
It is delicious, and recipes handed down are usually the best ones! 🙂
Kayla DiMaggio
These mustard beans were so tangy and delicious! I will be honest that I had never heard of mustard beans before reading your post but I got lucky and found some at our farmer's market!
Linda
I've always enjoyed mustard and this recipe can't get any better. So creamy and delicious
Agnieszka
I have so many beans in my garden right now and we love mustard! So glad I found this recipe. Sounds amazing!
Jeannie
The instructions are super clear and easy to follow I want to make my own too to add to my homemade lentils patties
Marilyn Henderson
How long before they are ready to eat
Jeri
Hi Marilyn. Thanks for reaching out! These mustard beans are best enjoyed after at least 2 weeks. However, you can eat them as soon as they are ready; they just won't have the optimal flavor profile. (I usually eat them while they are cooking in the sauce just before I spoon them into jars because I can't wait). 🙂 Hope that helps!