Homemade Buttermilk: Thick & Tangy, Cold & Creamy and You Made It Yourself!

Have you ever heard that store-bought buttermilk isn't what it used to be? Me too. But it's super-easy to make a DIY buttermilk with just three ingredients. Just take just milk, a little of that grocery store buttermilk as "starter", a sprinkle of salt and 24 hours later, what emerges is the thickest, creamiest and tangiest homemade buttermilk ever. Say hello to my latest obsession, making homemade buttermilk, the closest thing to old-fashioned buttermilk to emerge from a modern kitchen.

Fresh & Lovely. Great for Meal Prep. Just Three Ingredients.

~ Skip Straight to the Recipe ~

COMPLIMENTS!

• "This was so easy!" ~ Susan

BEST RECIPES!

• Homemade Buttermilk Made the List!
• Best Recipes of 2012

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Talk About a Christmas Gift That Keeps On Giving!

Let me explain.

At Christmas, I gifted myself with magazine subscriptions. For the first time in several years, I subscribed to Saveur, Bon Appetit and Vegetarian Times. I figured the subscriptions were not just for me but for the industry as a whole, paying for inspiring writing and recipes.

My favorite subscription so far, for everyday recipe inspiration, is Vegetarian Times.

But the Bon Appétit subscription paid for itself in the first issue. Buried in the verrrry back of January was a toss-off recipe for making buttermilk.

MAGAZINE RESOURCES

Does Vegetarian Times still publish? Sadly, no. For anyone who wonders what's happened to the Vegetarian Times we knew, the magazine published its last print magazine in November 2016. There is still a Vegetarian Times website but it seems like it's relying on old content. (An RSS Feed with only 1 article per month! No calendar dates on content!) Is it a actually a sign of the magazine's success that plant-based eating has gone so mainstream that a magazine focused on that topic is no longer relevant? Still, what a shame.

I still subscribe to Bon Appétit (affiliate link), it's not up to Gourmet magazine standards but every so often, there's a big win. Like Homemade Buttermilk!

Do yourself a favor! I also gave myself the “gift” of subscribing via Amazon's Magazine Subscription Manager (affiliate link). Now all my magazine subscriptions are in one easy-to-find Amazon-efficient place.

My Disclosure Promise

Why I Keep Buttermilk On Hand All the Time

Now for the record, I’ve always been keen on buttermilk. Why?

• I love its tang in smoothies and wherever you can really “taste” the buttermilk. Try this on for size! Cucumber Smoothies
• It’s also great for adding flavor and lightening a mayo-based dressing, a trick for reducing the calories in salads. My favorite? My Everyday Creamy Herb Salad Dressing
• Plus buttermilk has a tenderizing effect on baked goods so I always keep a quart of buttermilk on hand for impromptu pancakes, muffins and my favorite rustic country-style cakes. For pancakes? The best! My Mom's Pancake Recipe

Grocery-store buttermilk is not only inexpensive (under $2 for a quart) but also keeps for several weeks, even a couple of months.

Exactly how long does buttermilk keep? You can count on a good month, especially if you make sure to put the carton back in the fridge asap, rather than letting it sit out while, say, gorging on pancakes.

But listen to this! I once accidentally left an unopened carton in the basement fridge for seven months past its best-by date. It was still lovely and fresh!

And so once you realize that store-bought buttermilk is (1) cheap and (2) keeps for a long while and (3) easy to use up, it just makes sense to keep a carton on hand.

Remember, buttermilk makes wonderful creamy-tangy smoothies, just use it instead of your usual milk choice. It makes the best pancakes! It makes the best ranch-style salad dressing!

What About That Hack to Make a Buttermilk Substitute with Vinegar or Lemon Juice?

But when the fridge is buttermilk bare, like most of us, I have on occasion “made-do” by souring milk with vinegar or lemon juice as a substitute for buttermilk.

Sure, it's an easy buttermilk substitute. To make a cup of buttermilk substitute, start with a scant cup of milk, then stir in a tablespoon of either vinegar or lemon juice: those are the "acids" that change the milk's chemistry, causing it to thicken a bit to become a buttermilk substitute. Then let the mixture rest for about 15 minutes.

But honestly, that make-do buttermilk isn't that great.

One buttermilk substitute does work really well. To my taste, it's much superior to that milk and vinegar/lemon juice combination. What's that good substitute for buttermilk? Nothing more than plain yogurt. You could thin it a little bit with some milk, I'd start with a scant cup of yogurt (probably preferably plain yogurt, any percentage of fat) and a tablespoon of milk, then go from there to form something thick but pourable.

So Why Go to the Trouble of Making Homemade Buttermilk?

So yeah, I'm a buttermilk fan and keep it on hand all the time.

But over the years, I’ve also read that “store-bought buttermilk isn't what it used to be”. Would I be willing to put some effort into producing really good-tasting buttermilk? Heck yeah!

But this recipe for Homemade Buttermilk? It takes no effort at all. It is ever so easy! No yogurty heating and cooling contortions! No weird ingredients!

It takes no more than a little commercial buttermilk as the “starter” and then regular milk.

The Early Experiments Making Homemade Buttermilk

The first batch of Homemade Buttermilk sat on my counter to culture for a little over 24 hours and – not to overstate this or anything – IT WAS A REVELATION.

Tangy but with a touch of something akin to sweetness. Pillows of luxuriant creaminess. The first batch was made with whole milk and didn’t last long, I stirred it into soup and cereal and fruit and even took spoonfuls straight from the jar.

Since then I’ve made a new batch every week or so, often with whole milk, some times with skim milk. I use it for the typical buttermilk recipes but also as a substitute for yogurt and sour cream. I can’t get enough of this stuff!

In fact – for anyone who doesn’t have access to affordable Greek yogurt? (My regular grocery charges two arms and two legs for Greek yogurt.) Make the buttermilk with whole milk, then drain out the whey – it’s a very close cousin.

My favorite, by far, is making buttermilk with whole milk. This creamy stuff, it’s easy to imagine, is what old-timers so fondly remember about buttermilk.

For additional tang, I make buttermilk with goat milk too. I find goat's milk at Trader Joe’s, Whole Foods and even my regular Schnucks grocery here in St. Louis. Unfortunately, skim goat's milk is becoming harder to find.

BUTTERMILK RESOURCES

• To help readers (and myself!) use up ingredients, I maintain recipes lists by ingredient. So here's my list of recipes calling for buttermilk. See? So many ideas!
• This post from King Arthur Flour is excellent, exploring how various buttermilk substitutes work in actual recipes, see How to Substitute for Buttermilk: What Works Best?

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HOMEMADE PANTRY: HOMEMADE BUTTERMILK

DIY buttermilk, easy and luscious

Hands-on time: 5 minutes
Time to table: 24 hours
Keeps: 2 to 3 weeks

BY EASY MEASURE
• 1/2 cup commercial buttermilk (see TIPS)
• 2 cups milk – whole, skim, goat (see TIPS)
• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt (see TIPS)

FOR JUST ONE CUP (plus 1/4 cup starter for next time)
• 1/4 cup commercial buttermilk
• 1 cup milk
• 1/8 teaspoon kosher salt

FOR A QUART (4 cups)
• 3/4 cup commercial buttermilk
• 3-1/4 cups milk
• 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt

BY PROPORTION
• 1 part commercial buttermilk
• 4 parts milk
• 1/8 teaspoon kosher salt (per cup milk)

DAY ONE Combine buttermilk, milk and salt in a very clean glass container (see TIPS). Give it a good shake to combine. Cover and let rest at room temperature for about 24 hours or until thick and creamy.

DAY TWO Set aside and refrigerate enough homemade buttermilk to use as the "buttermilk starter" for the next batch. Refrigerate and use the remainder within a couple of weeks. If the whey (that's the clear liquid) separates, gently shake to re-combine.

ALANNA’s TIPS

• CONTAINERS A wide-mouth one-quart canning jar with measure marks on the side works especially well, no measuring cup required. But I’ve also ordered a brush bottle cleaner to make homemade buttermilk in an antique milk bottle from the Winnipeg Creamery with a narrow pour. A glass V-8 bottle works great too – though my recycled V-8 bottle is a few years old, V-8 maybe only comes in plastic now.
• COMMERCIAL BUTTERMILK This acts as the "starter" that converts the milk into buttermilk. It's nothing special, just store-bought buttermilk, organic if you like and available in one-cup, two-cup and quart-size cartons. Since you’ll only use a little, start with a small carton, especially if you intend to set aside some of your own for the next batch. By accident, I’ve used as little as 1/4 cup starter to 2 cups liquid. It still makes buttermilk, just a slightly thinner buttermilk. This means you needn’t be exact with the amounts, three cheers for that, eh?
• SALT The Bon Appetit recipe called for a touch of salt. I’m on-again off-again about adding salt, usually off.
• MILK CHOICES I’ve made buttermilk every week or two since January using different milks. Here’s how they’ve varied.

Whole Milk – produces a luscious thick ‘n’ creamy mixture that makes you say, Wow, this is what they mean by “real” buttermilk. Amazing. Too thick to pour into a glass but instead soft and spoonable. Definitely my favorite.
Organic Skim Milk – produces a thick tangy liquid similar in texture to commercial low-fat buttermilk but with fresher, purer flavor. Can be strained through paper towels for something like soft yogurt.
Low-Fat Goat Milk – produces a tangy liquid, very pourable, very drinkable. This continues to thicken in the refrigerator, the texture is very similar to commercial buttermilk.
Full-Fat Goat Milk – produces a tangy liquid, not at all as rich and delicious as whole milk so I’d save the calories and stick with low-fat goat milk.
Mixed Milks – clean out the fridge and use up odd bits of dairy all at once.
Cream – culture cream and buttermilk together and you get, yes, crème fraiche!

NUTRITION INFORMATION Per Cup Made with Skim/Whole Milk: 96/144 Calories; 1/7g Tot Fat; 1/4g Sat Fat; 7/23mg Cholesterol; 261/237mg Sodium; 12/11g Carb; 0g Fiber; 13g Sugar; 9/8g Protein. WEIGHT WATCHERS Old Points 2/3 & PointsPlus 2/4 & SmartPoints 4/6 & Freestyle 4/6 & myWW green 4/6 & blue 4/6 & purple 4/6

FOR COMPARISON, Per Cup Commercial Cultured Lowfat Buttermilk: 110 Calories; 3g Tot Fat; 2g Sat Fat; 10mg Cholesterol; 380mg Sodium; 13g Carb; 0g Fiber; 12g Sugar; 8g Protein. WEIGHT WATCHERS Old Points 2 & PointsPlus 3 & SmartPoints 4 & Freestyle 4 & myWW green 4 & blue 4 & purple 4

Adapted from Bon Appetit

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Seasonal Cooking: This Same Week During Steamy-Hot Summers

Juicy Pork Chops Grated Vegetables: Beet Röesti & Shredded Zucchini with Thyme Blueberry Sour Cream Pie Ratatouille Omelettes Leek Sauce for Pasta Peach Festival: Fresh Peach Pie & Savory Peach Appetizer & Peach & Cantaloupe Soup & Roasted Peaches First-Prize Peach Pie Sweet-Corn Soup with Shrimp Homemade Buttermilk Stir-Fried Shrimp with Asparagus or Other Summer Vegetables Summer Corn Bread with Fresh Blueberries Blueberry Jam with Cinnamon

This Week, Elsewhere

~ Rich & Charlie's Chicken Spiedini ~
from Rich & Charlie's
~ more St. Louis Restaurant Recipes ~
My Weekly Column in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch

~ Farmers Market Quiche with Crispy Potato Crust ~
~ more Recent Recipes ~
A Veggie Venture

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More "Homemade Pantry" Recipes

(hover with a mouse for a description; otherwise click a photo to view the recipe)

~ more ideas for a Homemade Pantry ~

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Shop Your Pantry First

(helping home cooks save money on groceries)

~ buttermilk recipes ~
~ All Recipes, By Ingredient ~
~ How to Save Money on Groceries ~

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Kitchen Parade is written by second-generation food columnist Alanna Kellogg and features fresh, seasonal dishes for every-day healthful eating and occasional indulgences. Quick Suppers are Kitchen Parade favorites and feature recipes easy on the budget, the clock, the waistline and the dishwasher. Do you have a favorite recipe that other Kitchen Parade readers might like? Just send me a quick e-mail via recipes@kitchen-parade.com. How to print a Kitchen Parade recipe. Never miss a recipe! If you like this recipe, sign up for a free e-mail subscription. If you like Kitchen Parade, you're sure to like my food blog about vegetable recipes, too, A Veggie Venture. If you make this recipe, I'd love to know your results! Just leave a comment below.

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