Dijon Mustard Sauce (2024)

Dijon Mustard Sauce is an easy, tangy, creamy sauce with just five simple ingredients. It’s the perfect sauce to serve with chicken, fish, pork chops, or roasted vegetables. Make it as a chilled or room temperature sauce to make ahead or adapt it as a warm pan sauce using the instructions below.

Adding a simple sauce is a great way to dress up a weeknight dinner, and this is the most beloved of sauces around my dinner table. Even my kids love it for dipping baked chicken tenders, dipping carrot sticks, or spreading on salmon burgers.

If you flip through the pages of this website, you’ll find that I make many variations of this sauce, and it’s so easy to customize. I’ll often use a yogurt-based version like the one listed with this Herb-Marinated Chicken or I’ll increase the lemon juice in the recipe below and use it as a dressing for my favorite salads. With its creamy texture and flavor similar to honey mustard dressing, this sauce is one of the most versatile sauces around (just like my vegan, extremely versatile Cashew Cream Sauce).

Here’s how to make it (pssst, it’s incredibly easy)!

How to Make Dijon Sauce

1. Whisk together mayonnaise, Dijon mustard, honey, lemon juice, and garlic.
2. Serve right away or refrigerate for up to a week.

How to make Creamy Dijon Pan Sauce

This recipe can be easily adapted as a creamy Dijon pan sauce that cooks right in the pan. Just substitute chicken stock for the mayonnaise and add some heavy cream at the end. Here’s how:

1. Whisk together the following ingredients:

• 1/2 cup chicken stock
• 3 tablespoons Dijon mustard
• 2 teaspoons honey
• 1 teaspoon lemon juice (see note)
• 1 clove garlic, grated or 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
• ½ teaspoon Black Pepper

2. Sear any protein in a skillet. Chicken breast or chicken thighs, pork chops, fish, or shrimp all work well.
3. Set proteins aside.
4. Leave the skillet over the heat and pour in the creamy Dijon sauce. Bring to a simmer, scraping up any browned bits on the bottom of the pan.
5. Move the pan off the heat and whisk in 3 tablespoons cold butter or ¼ cup heavy / whipping cream.
6. Serve creamy mustard sauce over the cooked protein or return the protein to the pan and stir it into sauce.
7. Enjoy!

Types of Mustard – Creamy vs. Whole Grain

Dijon mustard is a creamy mustard with a sharp, tangy flavor that ranges in color from pale to dark yellow. The style of mustard originates from Dijon, France but is now made around the world. Whole Grain Mustard is a mild mustard that is recognizable because it is made up mostly of whole grain mustard seeds. It is groundjust enough to form a paste to hold the seeds together and the flavor is more mild than creamy Dijon mustard which has been fully broken down.

When I make Dijon cream sauce , I love to use a 50/50 mix of creamy Dijon and whole grain mustard. This gives the finished sauce some texture in the form of small whole grain mustard seeds. But for a completely smooth sauce, just use creamy Dijon mustard.
For a deep dive on different varieties of mustard, I love this guide from Serious Eats.

Ingredients

• Mayonnaise – This gives the sauce a rich, creamy flavor and texture. Plain or Greek yogurt works well too – see below for details.
• Dijon Mustard – Be sure to use Dijon mustard which has a tangy bite that works so well with the balance of mayonnaise and honey.
• Honey – For just a hint of sweetness to balance the mustard.
• Lemon Juice – A squeeze of real lemon juice adds a fresh flavor to this sauce that I love, but vinegar worksjust fine as a substitute. Try red or white wine vinegar or plain white vinegar.
• Garlic – Use fresh garlic or garlic powder.
• Black Pepper – This is optional, but if you’re serving the sauce with proteins, a few cracks of black pepper add flavor.

Variations

• Add dried spices – Want to give this a flavorful twist? Add some chili powder and cumin for a Tex Mex flavor, add an Italian Seasoning Blend for more herb flavor, or add some Ranch Seasoning for a great creamy Ranch Sauce.
• Use yogurt – For a lighter version of the sauce, use plain or Greek yogurt in place of the mayonnaise.
• Add fresh herbs – This sauce is great either in the uncooked version or in the pan sauce version with finely chopped herbs added. Parsley or basil are great.