Out of buttermilk? No need to run to the store anymore, when you can easily make your own with only two ingredients in less than ten minutes!
Heyaaaaa friends! Welcome back to my series of Kitchen How-To’s! We took a little hiatus from me forcing you to learn last week but we’re coming back strong today with one of my favorite things on earth….
*cue the curtains.* Enter buttermilk!
The only thing I need in life. ♥
It’s no secret that this baker looooooves her buttermilk. It’s easily one of my most-used, absolutely-gotta-have baking ingredients. I swear it’s a magic ingredient! It makes everything moister plus adds a subtle tang that contributes a nice punch of flavor.
Buttermilk > Regular milk. Always.
Oh, and in case you’re wondering, uh NO! I don’t go so far as to drink buttermilk straight. There is a line and that is definitely crossing it.
Come to think of it though, my mom once told me that HER grandma/my great-grandma used to drink buttermilk from a glass. By itself.
That is an excellent way for one to kill one’s love for buttermilk. Eeeek!
I clearly got MY love from buttermilk from my great-grandma, but thankfully not ALL of it.
So I’m pretty sure we all know that as awesome as buttermilk is, it’s kinda an inconvenient ingredient and definitely not one that everybody has on hand regularly, right?
I have the solution: Make ‘yer own! (you totally did not see that coming)
Here’s what you’ll need: Milk and lemon juice (you can also use white vinegar in place of the lemon!). Whisk it all in a bowl and then let ‘er sit for about 10 minutes. During this time, the acidity from the lemon juice will somewhat “curdle” the milk and make it slightly thick and give it that unmistakable tangy buttermilk flavor.
Then you can use it in anything and everything you desire! Not from a glass though, puhhhhhleeeeze. 😉
Just a feeeeeew of my favorite things to use buttermilk in…
- Fluffiest-Ever Buttermilk Pancakes —-> see more pancakes!
- These biscuits and THESE biscuits.
- Perfect Scrambled Eggs (secret ingredient alert!!)
- Glazed Lemon Poppyseed Bread —> and these other quick breads!
- Mashed potatoes (!!!)
- Family-Favorite Cornbread
- Bakery-Style Blueberry Almond Crumble Muffins
Okay that might have been more than a few, but that just goes to show that you can use buttermilk in such a HUGE variety of things! And it’s total game-changer in flavor + texture department.
Liquuuuuuuuuuid gold. It’s pretty much the only word that comes to mind.
I ♥ buttermilk.
You ♥ buttermilk.
We all ♥ buttermilk. The eeeeeeend, thanks for coming. 😉
How To Make Homemade Buttermilk (with just 2 ingredients!)
This recipe may included paid links. As an Amazon Associate, I earn a commission from qualifying purchases.
Ingredients
- 1 cup milk I used skim, but 2 percent or whole milk would work too
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice*
Instructions
- Place milk in a small bowl and pour lemon juice over top. Allow milk to stand 5 minutes or until milk is somewhat "curdled" and slightly thick. Store in refrigerator up to 1 week.
Notes
NOTE: White vinegar may be used instead of lemon juice.
See more recipes using buttermilk here! —–>
MARILYN says
I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE drinking buttermilk. If I feel hungy between meals, I drink a small glass and it takes away the hunger. It’s very similiar to unsweetened yogurt which I’ll also eat between meals. I sprinkle lots of black pepper on either one. My brother & I love it, but we love very spicy, hot food too, and we’re the ONLY ones in our family who love both foods. Most people love chocolate…..me, not so much. It’s So funny about food isn’t it!!
Sarah says
That’s so interesting to hear, Marilyn! People definitely have different perspectives of food!
Ledonna says
Every taste is an acquired one. I love buttermilk with plain dry toast if my tummy is upset…………..well, actually, my tummy doesn’t really need to be upset, I just really love buttermilk and plain toasted bread. It is like being a kid again and slamming my granny’s back door just to watch her cringe with the bang!! I used to drink Buttermilk to make my cousins sick! Wonderful child hood memories. And, to make it all real yucky, we got all of our milk, butter, cream, cheese, and cottage cheese from real milk from real cows!!! I love a gal that knows her own mind though and since this is your blog, you have a right to your own opinion…….which is my opinion is so totally not fair to a good cold glass of buttermilk along with a piece of plain toast. I give you only a 4 rating because you would have to have the real thing from the real cow to get a 5 star from me.
Sarah says
Hi Ledonna! Believe it or not, I actually make my buttermilk from real raw milk that my family buys locally in our city. It totally makes for the best buttermilk ever. 🙂 I loved hearing your story of buttermilk memories!
Ole says
Nice post! 🙂
Regarding drinking Buttermilk straight up, i am not a fan, i used to know a guy who loved it though… Anyways, i am from Denmark, and here we make something called: “Koldskål” directly translated: “Cold Bowl”, it is a Summer thing, and people put these Cookie things in it called: “Kammerjunker”, according to Google Translate, that would be: “Rusks”, but you can drink it straight up:
Recipe:
1 Liter (33 oz) Buttermilk
5 Tsp Vanilla Sugar
Stevia or Sugar to taste (start with 1 Tablespoon!)
*1 Egg Yolk
Directions:
Take a bowl, or what ever you want to Whisk / Store it in… Add the Egg Yolk, Stevia / Sugar, Vanilla, and Whisk to combine.
Add the Buttermilk while you Whisk, make sure it is all dissolved / combined.
Refridgerate, and serve Cold! 🙂
*NOTE: You don’t have to use Egg Yolk, it is not there to add taste, it is just to thicken it up a little bit!
*NOTE: A lot of people drink / eat it, with a little grated Lemon Zest, some use Strawberries, but i am sure there is a lot of other things that can be used! 🙂
Trust me, if you haven’t tried this, you’re gonna love it! 🙂
Cheers from Denmark
Catherine says
Having rasied milk cows, the buttermilk of old , was left over from making butter, it is sweet and rich,. Unlike the cultured buttermilk sold in the stores.
IAS says
I am tempted to add this buttermilk substitute to my pancake. It appears easy to make.