Horseradish Substitutes: Wasabi, Hot Mustard, Radish and Ginger Compared

Out of horseradish? If you have a tube of wasabi, look at the label: many tubes and packets are made from horseradish anyway, which makes wasabi paste the easiest swap. Your other best bets come from horseradish’s own family. Hot mustard gets its heat the same way and swaps one for one in a sauce, a little fresh root goes a long way, and grated radish gives you the texture with a milder bite. Ginger works if you just want some warmth.

Quick answer

How the ratios on this page are labeled

Every ratio carries one of four labels.

• Computed: based on a measurable physical relationship.
• Attributed: a named source publishes this ratio. We quote it as theirs.
• Disputed: named sources give different answers to the same swap. You get each one, side by side.
• Method: our starting point, based on how the two compare. Taste and adjust.

Most of the published ratios here come from one Tasting Table article on cocktail sauce. They’re a food writer’s rules of thumb for that sauce, not pungency measurements.

If horseradish is bringing sharp heat

That’s horseradish’s main job in cocktail sauce, horseradish cream and on roast beef.

1. Wasabi paste

True wasabi is another member of the mustard family, and its chief pungent compound is the same as horseradish’s.

In practice, the wasabi in tubes and packets is often horseradish anyway. The wasabi paste of Western restaurants is commonly made from horseradish,¹ and imitation wasabi is often horseradish paste with green food coloring.² So the swap is close. Just expect a green sauce.

Ratio (Attributed): Tasting Table’s Deb Kavis uses 1/2 teaspoon wasabi paste per teaspoon of horseradish, calling wasabi similar but more intense.² Check the label. A paste made from real wasabi will taste different from one made from horseradish.

2. Hot mustard

Brown mustard gets its heat the same way horseradish does: when the seed is ground and mixed with water, an enzyme makes the same pungent compound.³ Tasting Table notes that Chinese hot mustard gets its kick when its brown mustard seeds are crushed and mixed with water.²

Ratio (Attributed): Tasting Table uses a 1:1 swap of hot mustard for horseradish, noting that hot mustard is thinner than prepared horseradish but packs a similar punch.² So it’s better mixed into sauces and marinades than served on its own.

Making your own from dry mustard? Mix it with cool water. Popular Science warns that water that’s too hot deactivates the enzyme, and that vinegar inhibits it,³ so add any vinegar after the heat has developed. Katzer notes that heating destroys the pungent compounds once they’ve formed,⁴ so stir mustard into a hot dish off the heat. Prepared yellow or brown mustard usually lists vinegar on the label, and it adds more flavor than heat.

3. Fresh horseradish root

If the recipe calls for prepared horseradish and you have the root, you’ve got the real thing.

Ratio (Attributed): NDSU Extension equates 1 tablespoon of fresh horseradish with 2 tablespoons of bottled.⁵ Grate it just before you use it. America’s Test Kitchen notes that grated horseradish turns milder the longer it sits, and that vinegar preserves the root’s heat by slowing the enzyme down.⁶

4. Ground horseradish

Dried, ground horseradish is the same plant in another form. A German spice merchant notes that a pronounced pungency develops as soon as the powder meets water and that the powder can taste quite bitter. It suggests mixing it with a little water and cream for a sauce.⁷

Ratio (Method): Start with about 1 teaspoon of powder stirred into 1 tablespoon of cool water, let it stand a few minutes, then add vinegar and salt to taste.

If horseradish is adding grated texture

Winter or black radish

Radish is in the mustard family too, and the large, slow-growing summer and winter types have pungent, firm flesh. Black radish is usually sold as a winter type. Radish gets its pungency from a related but different compound.

Ratio (Method): Grate the radish finely, start with an equal amount, and taste. Expect less bite than horseradish. You’ll sometimes hear that leaving the skin on keeps more heat. We didn’t find a source for that.

If horseradish is adding gentle warmth

Ginger

Ginger isn’t related to horseradish. You get warmth, not horseradish’s sinus-clearing burn.

Ratio (Attributed): Tasting Table says to start with a 1:1 swap of ginger paste for horseradish in cocktail sauce. It notes that ginger paste keeps the sauce’s texture close to the original and that its subtle sweetness suits fried foods and seafood.²

What isn’t known

• You’ll sometimes read that wasabi paste is milder than horseradish. We didn’t find a source for that, and Tasting Table calls it more intense.² Strength varies by product.

Related

• Horseradish, horseradish powder and cooking with horseradish
• Wasabi, wasabi vs. horseradish, wasabi substitutes and fresh wasabi vs. wasabi paste
• Mustard powder, mustard powder vs. prepared mustard and brown mustard seeds
• Ginger and too much wasabi? how to fix the dish