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Buttermilk is crucial in classic recipes like ranch dressing, fried chicken, and pancakes, but almost no one has it when they need it. Here’s how to make buttermilk at home with just two ingredients and 10 minutes.
Buttermilk lends all sorts of benefits in cooking: more tender, juicier meats, lighter, fluffier baked goods and breakfast foods, and sharp, flavorful sides and sauces.
The trouble is, I never have it on hand. And I’m reluctant to buy it because I just know I’ll never use it all up. Buying a carton of buttermilk at the store is an exercise in optimism, but deep down I fear some of it will get thrown away.
The solution is simple, budget-friendly, and waste-conscious: make your own buttermilk. If you have milk and an acid and just 10 minutes, you can make the buttermilk you need and move on with your life. What a relief.
Table of Contents
Recipe ingredients
At a Glance: Here is a quick snapshot of what ingredients are in this recipe.
Please see the recipe card below for specific quantities.
Ingredient notes
- Milk: To make dairy-free buttermilk, substitute an equal amount of almond milk, coconut milk, oat milk, or soy milk.
- Lemon juice: Or substitute lime juice, white vinegar, or apple cider vinegar.
Step-by-step instructions
- For every 1 cup of whole or 2% milk, stir in 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice or vinegar.
- Let stand for 10 minutes to thicken.
Recipe tips and variations
- Yield: This recipe makes about 1 cup of buttermilk.
- Storage: Store covered in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks. Stir or shake to recombine before using.
- Make buttermilk with yogurt: Combine ¾ cup plain yogurt with ¼ cup milk.
- Make buttermilk with cream of tartar: Stir together 1 cup of whole or 2% milk and 1 ¾ teaspoon cream of tartar. First, mix the cream of tartar with 2 tablespoons of milk to form a loose paste; this keeps the cream of tartar from forming lumps. Then, add the rest of the milk.
- Buttermilk batter: Fried chicken, chicken fried steak, and fried green tomatoes are all better with buttermilk.
- Salad dressing: Ranch dressing and blue cheese dressing get their delicious tang and creaminess from buttermilk.
- Irish soda bread: The acid in buttermilk mixed with baking soda makes this bread rise.
Buttermilk Biscuits
Tall and fluffy, light and airy, these Buttermilk Biscuits are peak brunch fare. Serve with with sausage gravy, with scrambled eggs and cheese, or with a slather of orange marmalade. There’s no wrong way to…
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Recipes with buttermilk
Chicken and Turkey Recipes
Fried Chicken
Mardi Gras Recipes
Fried Green Tomatoes with Remoulade
Salad Dressing Recipes
Ranch Dressing
Salad Dressing Recipes
Blue Cheese Dressing
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How to Make Buttermilk
Ingredients
- 1 cup whole milk or 2% (see note 1)
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice (see note 2)
Instructions
- For every 1 cup of whole or 2% milk, stir in 1 tablespoon lemon juice. Let the mixture stand for 10 minutes to thicken.
Notes
- Milk: To make dairy-free buttermilk, substitute an equal amount of almond milk, coconut milk, oat milk, or soy milk.
- Lemon juice: Or substitute lime juice, white vinegar, or apple cider vinegar.
- Yield: This recipe makes about 1 cup of buttermilk.
- Storage: Store covered in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks. Stir or shake to recombine before using.
Nutrition
Meggan Hill is a classically-trained chef and professional writer. Her meticulously-tested recipes and detailed tutorials bring confidence and success to home cooks everywhere. Meggan has been featured on NPR, HuffPost, FoxNews, LA Times, and more.
My grocery store was out of buttermilk… so easy to make! Thank you!