A Beekeeper’s Raw Honey Mustard Dressing (Gluten Free)

Our fall honey harvest season is coming up soon, and what better way to celebrate fresh raw honey than with a delicious, healthy, and simple raw honey mustard dressing?!  This dressing is dynamite on salads or grain bowls, and can turn raw vegetables into pure magic.

This is our third year beekeeping, and we have a few hives going strong this summer.  Last year, we maintianed 5  hives throughout the summer and we harvested honey 2-3 times from the stronger hives.  We had delicious light golden honey in June when the nectar flow was just getting going – it was floral and super sweet.

And as the year progressed we got a rich dark honey in October when the bees were foraging from sap.  This late honey has a herby, medicinal, almost spicy taste to it.  It’s so amazing that different tasting honey can come from the same hives, and any honey you have on hand would be great in this dressing!

What’s In This Simple Honey Mustard Dressing?

• Raw Honey: We use our own honey, straight out of the beehives for us!  As beekeepers, we have plenty of raw honey so I try to use it in all my recipes instead of sugar.  I’d recommend trying a local farmers market to find the best raw honey in your area. Or else, this raw organic honey online here is the next best thing.
• Garlic: I use fresh garlic when I have it, and this great jarred organic garlic when I don’t have fresh. It’s actually super convenient to have pre-chopped garlic on hand for quick and easy meal prep.
• Greek Yogurt: Makes the honey mustard creamy and tangy.  You can use any kind of Greek yogurt (fat free, full fat, etc.) just make sure the Greek yogurt is plain and unsweetened. You can also substitute mayonnaise instead, which would be delicious.
• Whole Grain or Dijon Mustard – for a really nice flavor and texture, you can use either whole grain mustard, stone ground, or dijon.
• Apple Cider Vinegar, which gives this dressing a little extra tang which is really fantastic! I love using this organic apple cider vinegar with the mother which has a great flavor.  I think it gives a nice extra sweetness and depth.
• Pink Himalayan Sea Salt: I like to use a pink Himalayan Sea Salt in my kitchen, which has more natural minerals than plain processed table salt.  It’s fairly inexpensive, so I’d recommend this salt if you’re looking for an easy way to level up your spice pantry.
• Tellicherry Black Pepper: Like the salt, it’s amazing the flavor difference you can get with really good tellicherry black pepper.  This pepper is the same price is buying pre-ground, and has a million times more flavor!  I use these really great tellicherry peppercorns, which I would definitely recommend. 

I love the double mustard in this raw honey mustard dressing. The normal yellow mustard gives the dressing a familiar kick, and the whole grain mustard provides a nice texture and and depth.  You can use one or the other for this dressing, but I’d definitely recommend adding both for the ultimate mustardy experience.  And you can even eat this dressing over fresh mustard greens if you are a mustard lover.

How Do I Make This Raw Honey Apple Cider Vinaigrette Dressing?

1. In a mason jar, add all ingredients together and stir well (or shake) to combine.
2. Seal with an airtight lid, refrigerate, and use within 1 week.

A Few Notes About Raw Honey

Raw honey is just honey that has not been pasteurized!  We take our honey straight from the hive, and don’t process or subject it to high heat.  Pasteurizing can kill bad (and beneficial) macrobiotics in the honey. You can use normal store-bought honey for this recipe… it doesn’t have to be raw.  That is just the way we like to keep our honey.  Babies under the age of 1 should not be given honey, and pregnant women should avoid unpasteurized foods.  Eat responsibly!

The best place to find raw honey is straight from your local beekeeper!  Check out a farmer’s market or farm stand near you – or reach out to your county or state beekeeping association to connect with beekeeper’s near by.  Support local bees, local keepers, and enjoy the sweet benefits.

Dietary Modifications

• This recipe is naturally gluten free!  Just make sure the musards or yogurt you are using in the dressing are also gluten free.
• Same goes for sugar.  This recipe is naturally refined sugar free, but just check the labels of the yogurt.
• While honey technically isn’t vegan since it’s an animal product… you can make this dairy free by using a soy or coconut yogurt for the dressing.  Its 100% vegetarian.

And here’s a little peak of our honey bees in the hive.  Thanks to these worker bees, we have delicious raw honey all year!

A few of our favorite salads to enjoy with this raw honey mustard dressing!

Pot Luck Greek Salad with Homemade Vinaigrette (Vegan, Gluten Free, Party Recipe)