How To Make Homemade Buttermilk
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Have you ever found yourself in the middle of a recipe, only to realize you’re out of buttermilk? Skip that mad dash to the store and make your own! With this simple Homemade Buttermilk Recipe, you’ll always have a quick and easy substitute on hand.
Table of Contents
- Here’s Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Ingredients You’ll Need
- In Photos: How To Make Buttermilk At Home
- How to Store Homemade Buttermilk
- FAQ
- Recipes That Use Buttermilk
This is one of those handy kitchen tips that every home baker should have in their back pocket. If you’re making pancakes, biscuits, muffins, cakes, or preparing a marinade, you’ll achieve perfect results every time.
What is Buttermilk?
Buttermilk is essentially fermented milk. It’s a byproduct of making butter. The fat in the cream begins to separate and clump together during the churning process, eventually separating to form buttermilk. Once separated, the buttermilk is left out overnight to ferment. Today, lactic acid-producing bacteria are added to “culture” the final product.
As for taste and texture, buttermilk has a tangy flavor that is often compared to a “less tangy, runny Greek yogurt with a hint of butter flavor.” Store-bought buttermilk is typically thicker than homemade buttermilk, although both yield the same results.
Why Use Buttermilk in Baking?
Buttermilk is extremely popular in baking, as many recipes utilize it. But why?
It adds more flavor, a slightly tangy flavor, which helps balance the sweetness in baked goods.
It adds moisture while tenderizing baked goods, which will give you a moist crumb and a softer texture.
It assists with leavening as the lactic acid reacts with leaveners (such as baking soda and baking powder), producing carbon dioxide bubbles that help baked goods rise. It acts similarly when a recipe calls for sour cream or yogurt.
Here’s Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Three easy methods: Choose from lemon juice, vinegar, or sour cream, based on what you have available.
- No extra trip to the store: Make it in minutes with everyday ingredients.
- Fresh every time: Only make what you need, when you need it.
- Incredible results: Works in all baked goods just like the real thing.
Ingredients You’ll Need
The recipe card at the bottom of the post contains the full list with all of the amounts. Refer to that when you’re cooking.
Lemon Juice Buttermilk
- Whole milk: Room temperature helps it curdle faster.
- Fresh lemon juice: Adds the acidity needed to mimic real buttermilk.
Vinegar Buttermilk
- Whole milk: Again, room temperature is best.
- White vinegar: A clean, neutral acid. Apple cider or rice vinegar also works.
Sour Cream Buttermilk
- Whole milk: Slightly warmed to blend better.
- Sour cream: Use full-fat for the best texture and richness.
In Photos: How To Make Buttermilk At Home
In this DIY buttermilk recipe, there are 3 ways to make buttermilk are included in the recipe card below. Select the option that best suits your needs, considering what you already have on hand.
I’ll walk you through the most common method, which is the lemon juice (or vinegar) method.
Step 1: Bring your ingredients to room temperature
Before beginning, make sure the milk is at room temperature. If it’s straight from the refrigerator, it may take 15-20 minutes instead of 10 minutes to rest.
Step 2: Mix
Measure 1 cup of milk and 2 Tablespoons of lemon juice (or vinegar) into a glass measuring cup or bowl. Stir together until combined.
Step 3: Let it sit
Let the milk sit for 10 minutes. The milk should be curdled at this point.
Helpful Tips and Tricks
- Use fresh lemon juice: Bottled juice isn’t acidic enough to curdle the milk properly.
- Don’t skip the rest time: Letting it sit is key to developing that tangy buttermilk flavor.
- Warm your milk slightly if it’s straight from the fridge to speed up the process.
How to Store Homemade Buttermilk
Refrigerate: The buttermilk will last for about 1 week when stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
Freeze: You can freeze homemade buttermilk (store-bought too!) for up to 3 months. Place it in an airtight container, freezer-safe bag or place in portions (1-2 Tablespoons or 1/2 cup.) Remember there are 4 Tablespoons in 1/4 cup so freeze in portions that work well with most recipes you use.
FAQ
Homemade buttermilk will last for about 1 week when stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator. You can freeze homemade buttermilk for up to 3 months.
Swap the same amount of sour cream or unsweetened yogurt for buttermilk.
Either work well for DIY buttermilk. Lemons tend to have more acidity so you want to make sure you use a vinegar with similar acidity levels like white vinegar, apple cider vinegar or rice vinegar.
Store-bought buttermilk tends to be thicker than buttermilk substitute and it comes pretty close in the taste. Ignoring the thickness, homemade buttermilk will still produce just as good baked goods as store-bought.
Recipes That Use Buttermilk
How to Make Buttermilk
Ingredients
Lemon Juice Buttermilk
- 1 cup whole milk, room temperature
- 2 Tablespoons lemon juice, fresh
Vinegar Buttermilk
- 1 cup whole milk, room temperature
- 2 Tablespoons white vinegar, or apple cider vinegar or rice vinegar
Sour Cream Buttermilk
- 1/2 cup whole milk
- 1/2 cup sour cream
Instructions
Lemon Juice Buttermilk
- For every 1 cup of whole milk, stir in 2 Tablespoons fresh lemon juice until combined. Set aside for 10 minutes to rest.
- After 10 minutes the milk should be curdled as shown in the pictures above. Use the buttermilk as directed in the recipe.
Vinegar Buttermilk
- For every 1 cup of whole milk, stir in 2 Tablespoons white vinegar until combined. Set aside for 10 minutes to rest.
- After 10 minutes the milk should be curdled as shown in the pictures above. Use the buttermilk as directed in the recipe.
Sour Cream Buttermilk
- Before beginning, microwave the milk for 5-8 seconds until slightly warm. For every 1/2 cup of whole milk, whisk in 1/2 cup sour cream until combined. Set aside for 10 minutes to rest.
- After 10 minutes the milk should be curdled as shown in the pictures above. Use the buttermilk as directed in the recipe.
Notes
- Preferred Method: I find that I prefer the results from the lemon juice buttermilk (with vinegar buttermilk next), however I’ve used each in this homemade buttermilk recipe.
- Milk: For traditional buttermilk it’s recommended to use whole milk at room temperature. If the milk is very cold it may take 15-20 minutes vs. the 10 minutes. If needed, you can substitute with a dairy-free or nut-free milk.
- Lemon Juice: You want to use fresh lemon juice as store-bought lemon juice in a jar or can isn’t as acidic.
- Vinegar: You want to make sure you use a clear (or almost clear) vinegar like plain distilled vinegar, apple cider vinegar or rice vinegar. Each are similar in acidity levels.
- Sour Cream: Make sure you use full-fat sour cream for the best results.
