Creamy Vegan ‘Honey’ Mustard (Sweetened Dates)

This is a creamy vegan honey mustard recipe sweetened with Medjool dates and blended with cashews. Cashews give it a creamy texture, and a pinch of turmeric gives it a bright yellow color. Honey mustard is equal parts sweet and tart, and can be spread on sandwiches and burgers, or used as a dipping sauce.

If you’re looking for an incredibly delicious honey mustard recipe that’s not only vegan, but also made with whole food ingredients, this is it.

For me, this is not a new recipe. I made this a few years ago when I was just developing a recipe for tofu triangles sprinkled with pumpkin seeds.

I’ve baked a few of these triangles over the past few months. In doing so, I revisited the brightly colored and creamy vegan honey mustard that I had originally used as a side sauce in another recipe, something that was more of an afterthought.

But actually, I think this tangy-sweet concoction is noteworthy on its own.

Honey mustard is easy to buy, but store-bought ones are rarely vegan-friendly. Plus, as I’ve learned over and over again, it’s a lot of fun to make your own kitchen staples like dressings and sauces from scratch.

So here’s a quick guide on how to make a truly special homemade vegan “honey” mustard. You can probably also upgrade from a legacy version.

Why isn’t honey mustard vegan?

First, I must briefly mention why we need a vegan version of honey mustard.

Many people do not consider honey to be an animal food. And some plant-based consumers choose to incorporate honey into their diets.

I’ve always viewed my veganism as more of an ethos than a diet. This spirit guides me to avoid consuming animals and animal products.

It also prompts me to minimize my participation in the commodification of other living things.

This is where honey comes into play. Honey is produced by other living things, so I avoid buying and eating it as much as possible.

I’ve read sensible arguments about why beekeeping and honey production are beneficial to bee populations, but I don’t think these questions are clear-cut. The journey to becoming responsible food consumers is nuanced and complex for all of us.

I practice veganism as a way of life that best suits my efforts to walk this earth with kindness and compassion.

Avoiding honey is part of that. I think the most common non-vegan food I accidentally ingest is honey, and I live happily without it.

We are also happy to advocate for alternatives whenever possible. This vegan honey mustard is one of them.

creamy seasoning

One vegan alternative to honey mustard can take the form of simply mixing Dijon mustard with a non-honey sweetener such as agave or maple syrup.

I’ve made vegan honey mustard like this before, but I think the recipe I’m sharing today is more convincing.

Firstly, I love its subtly creamy texture. This is because it contains cashew nuts.

Cashews help you create a rich, authentic vegan cream sauce without any cream. They play a starring role in my versatile and versatile cashew cream , creamy vegan tzatziki , four-ingredient vegan sour cream , and homemade vegan mayonnaise .

This vegan honey mustard is not meant to be a cream sauce on its own. Rather, it has a subtle creaminess and a bit of richness. To achieve this effect, I use a small amount of cashews (1/4 cup).

My Favorite Nutritious Sweet Source

I include plenty of non-nutritive sweeteners in my diet. Balance is key and I love vegan desserts. Not everything you eat has to be nutritious. I make a lot of cakes, cookies, and pies using sugar and syrup.

That said, if I have the opportunity to naturally sweeten something with dates, I will.

Medjool dates are often described as “nature’s candy,” and I can’t think of a better way to describe them. There are other types of dates, such as Degret Noor dates, which I enjoy for their sweetness.

However, Medjool dates have a unique creamy texture and a magical flavor that is very similar to caramel.

I love snacking on them (especially if they include peanut butter or chocolate), stuffing them, and adding chopped dates to salads for both texture and sweetness/flavor. .

When it comes to desserts, Medjool dates help make the best vegan version of sticky toffee pudding I’ve ever tried.

Additionally, Medjool dates’ soft texture makes them perfect for soaking and blending. Blend dates into a versatile paste and use in place of syrupy sweeteners.

I also use them to make homemade barbecue sauce and delicious vegan and whole-food “caramel” sauces.

In all these cases, Medjool dates add nutritional value to the recipe. These are particularly high in fiber, which may help slightly offset the rate at which naturally occurring sugars are absorbed when we eat them.

Dates are also rich in minerals such as potassium, magnesium, and even small amounts of calcium and iron.

Medjool dates are the source of sweetness in this vegan honey mustard recipe. I think it tasted even better as a result. Needless to say, I feel healthier.

How to make creamy vegan honey mustard with dates

Making this tangy sweet but not too sweet vegan honey mustard is really as easy as 1, 2, 3. Here are the steps:

Step 1: Soak

Soaking the cashews in water beforehand makes them easier to mix and is the first step in making honey mustard.

We recommend soaking cashews in cold or room temperature water for at least 2 hours before blending. Alternatively, you can soak it in boiling water for about 30 minutes.

Be sure to drain the soaking water before proceeding.

If you have a high-speed blender like a Vitamix, Blendtec, Beast, or Breville SuperQ, you don’t need to pre-soak your dates.

However, if your blender is not strong enough, we recommend soaking the dates with the cashews and then draining them.

Step 2: Blend

Next, add the vegan honey mustard ingredients to the blender.

Their ingredients are:

Cashews Dijon mustard Medjool dates Salt Turmeric Apple cider vinegar Water Cayenne pepper (optional)

Salt, turmeric and vinegar are the keys to honey mustard success. Without these, the mixture will be too sweet.

These ingredients give you just the right balance of sweet, salty, and sour. Turmeric also adds a fun bright yellow hue.

You can also add a pinch of cayenne pepper to the recipe. I often leave out the mustard, as it adds a tangy flavor on its own. But when I want a spicier vegan honey mustard, I add that.

You will need to blend the vegan honey mustard for a few minutes until it is nice and smooth.

Step 3: Deliver

At this point, you have a new condiment that is sweet, savory, creamy, and all-around delicious. Please enjoy according to your taste.

I love adding this sauce to pickled vegetable and smoky tofu sandwiches. It also adds a nice touch to my miso tahini veggie sandwich.

Vegan honey mustard is the perfect accompaniment to burgers and sliders.

Best of all, I love eating it as a dipping sauce. Try it with tofu triangles sprinkled with pumpkin seeds, pan-fried broccoli florets, or oven-roasted vegan zucchini chips. All three are delicious!

Honey mustard also pairs well with traditional vegan soft pretzels.

meal preparation and storage

Like most of my cream sauce recipes, this one is perfect to make ahead or freeze. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days or freeze for up to 8 weeks.

Liquids expand when they freeze, so be sure to allow headspace at the top of the jar or container when freezing liquids.

Thaw honey mustard in the refrigerator overnight before serving.

As my plans for fall are starting to pick up, I’m looking forward to eating lots of easy and hearty sandwich lunches in between work.

I’m so glad I rediscovered this vegan honey mustard to add flavor to those meals. I hope you all like it too!

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