How to Make Buttermilk
Learn how to make buttermilk with just two ingredients. This simple method for making buttermilk substitute comes together in just five minutes and can be used in all of your favorite buttermilk recipes.
I love baking with buttermilk, but it’s not an ingredient that I always keep on hand in my refrigerator. So what do I do when I get a craving for Buttermilk Pancakes or Homemade Biscuits and I don’t have any buttermilk in the fridge? I make this easy buttermilk substitute!
What is Buttermilk?
Buttermilk is an ingredient that’s often used for flavor and/or tenderness in recipes for everything from pancakes to salad dressings and fried chicken. It has a tangy flavor and can be used to create light and fluffy baked goods, such as muffins, waffles and quick breads. Buttermilk reacts with baking soda to help baked goods rise. It’s also a great meat tenderizer, often used in marinades or for dredging when making battered chicken such as Air Fryer Fried Chicken.
Originally, buttermilk was the slightly sour liquid left behind after cream was churned into butter.
Today, the buttermilk that you buy at the grocery store is cultured buttermilk, made by adding live cultures to milk that transform it into buttermilk through a fermentation process.
How to Make Buttermilk
To make buttermilk you will need milk and an acid such as lemon juice, white vinegar or even plain yogurt. Lemon juice is my preference, but it’s convenient to have other options for those times when you don’t have lemons on hand.
You can use any type of milk to make homemade buttermilk, including whole milk, 2% milk, skim milk, almond milk, soy milk or coconut milk. I like to use whole milk because it makes a thicker buttermilk. Homemade buttermilk won’t be quite as thick as the buttermilk you buy at the store, but it will perform the same role in recipes.
How to make buttermilk with lemon juice or white vinegar:
- Pour 1 tablespoon of lemon juice or vinegar into a liquid measuring cup.
- Add milk until the total volume is 1 cup. Stir.
- Let the mixture sit for 5-10 minutes, until it curdles and slightly thickens.
To make buttermilk with plain yogurt:
- Add 1/2 cup of plain Greek yogurt or 3/4 cup of regular plain yogurt (unsweetened) to a liquid measuring cup.
- Add milk until the total volume is 1 cup. Whisk until smooth.
Then use the buttermilk substitute as an equal replacement for buttermilk in recipes.
Dairy-Free Buttermilk
To make a dairy-free buttermilk, use your non-dairy milk of choice in this recipe, such as almond milk, soy milk or coconut milk. Use the lemon juice or vinegar method, not the yogurt method.
Buttermilk Recipes
There are so many ways to use buttermilk! Here are some of my favorites:
- Pancakes and Waffles: Waffle Recipe, Blueberry Pancakes
- Muffins and Quick Breads: Zucchini Chocolate Chip Muffins, Cornbread Recipe
- Salad Dressings: Ranch Dressing, Blue Cheese Dressing
- To Bread or Marinate Chicken: Air Fryer Chicken Tenders
- Stir it into Mashed Potatoes for tangy flavor.
How to Make Buttermilk
Ingredients
To make buttermilk with lemon juice or vinegar:
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice or white vinegar
- 1 cup milk, whole, 2% or skim
To make buttermilk with yogurt:
- ½ cup plain Greek yogurt, or ¾ cup regular plain yogurt
- ¼-½ cup milk
Instructions
To make buttermilk with lemon juice or vinegar:
- Put 1 tablespoon lemon juice or white vinegar in a liquid measuring cup.
- Add milk to make 1 cup total. Stir.
- Let stand 5-10 minutes, until curdled and slightly thickened.
To make buttermilk with yogurt:
- Add plain Greek yogurt or regular plain yogurt to a liquid measuring cup.
- Add milk to make 1 cup total volume.
- Whisk until smooth.
Notes
- To make non-dairy buttermilk, use almond milk, soy milk or coconut milk in place of the milk. (Use the lemon juice/vinegar method.)
What should be the temperature of milk while making buttermilk?
I always use cold milk.
So you just dump the substance in you cake batter with lumps and all??
Yes, it’s ok if it’s a little lumpy.
mine didn’t curdle
Sometimes mine curdles more than others. You can try adding a little more lemon juice or vinegar. Even if it doesn’t curdle, you can still use it in your recipes.
Can you strain the buttermilk to get rid of curdles?
It is not necessary to do so.
Thank you so much kris