Homemade Buttermilk Recipes (2024)

FAQs

How can I make my own buttermilk? ›

For every 1 cup of milk, stir in 1 tablespoon lemon juice or vinegar. Let the mixture stand for 10 minutes. You can scale the recipe up or down depending on how much you need.

Whichever you choose, this ingredient is the acid that will change your milk into buttermilk. Having trouble deciding between the two? Don't think too much about it–you really won't taste either ingredient in your end result, so just use whatever you have on hand!

The simplest way to substitute buttermilk is to pour 1 Tbs. of vinegar into a 1 cup measurer and then fill the rest of the measuring cup with milk. Then gently stir the mixture and let it sit for about 5 minutes. If you don't have vinegar, lemon juice and cream of tarter also work as great buttermilk substitutions.

Buttermilk is a fermented dairy drink. Traditionally, it was the liquid left behind after churning butter out of cultured cream. As most modern butter in western countries is not made with cultured cream but uncultured sweet cream, most modern buttermilk in western countries is cultured separately.

Cow's milk is a fresh dairy product. Buttermilk is a fermented liquid that's created by culturing and fermenting milk products or by straining off the liquid that results from churning butter.

Ingredients in homemade buttermilk

You'll just need: Lemon juice or white vinegar. And your milk of choice!

Store-bought buttermilk is thicker, tangier, and more acidic than traditional or homemade buttermilk. If you're preparing a recipe that calls for buttermilk, it's best to stick with store-bought, especially in baked goods that depend on precise leavening.

Yes, you can substitute sour cream! Thin it with milk or water to get the right consistency. For each cup of buttermilk needed, use 3/4 cup sour cream and 1/4 cup liquid. Editor's Tip: Sour cream has a higher fat content, so this will result in richer-tasting foods.

To add to what's already been said: The sour taste in buttermilk comes from lactic acid, while the sour taste of vinegar comes from acetic acid. The two acids taste and smell different. Adding vinegar to milk won't make it taste like buttermilk, even if you can prevent it from curdling.

When sodium bicarbonate comes into contact with an acidic liquid—think buttermilk, yogurt, sour cream, molasses, coffee, citrus juice, or vinegar—it produces carbon dioxide gas, and those bubbles produce the lift that you're looking for.

What can I use if I don't have buttermilk? ›

If your milk is too cold it might not curdle properly. If this happens then don't worry, it can be fixed. Just let it sit on the counter until room temperature and then add more lemon juice and let it curdle. Distilled white vinegar also works as an alternative to lemon juice.

Using too much starter can crowd the bacteria, creating a thin consistency and a bitter flavor. Overcultured buttermilk may also taste bitter. Check the culturing temperature to verify it is within the appropriate range.

Buttermilk is slightly acidic, so as the chicken marinates, the buttermilk breaks down the proteins in the chicken, tenderising it. Its thicker texture helps completely coat the chicken in the spiced flour mixture so it crisps up well when fried.

Stir 1 scant cup of milk or cream and 1 tablespoon of lemon juice or vinegar together in a measuring cup. Let stand 5 to 10 minutes. Let the mixture stand at room temperature for 5 to 10 minutes. When it is ready, the milk will be slightly thickened and you will see small curdled bits.

But if you don't have buttermilk on hand, you cannot substitute regular milk instead, because it doesn't have the same properties. Fortunately, there are a number of buttermilk substitutes you can create with just a few simple ingredients that you probably already have in your refrigerator.

Store-bought buttermilk is thicker, tangier, and more acidic than traditional or homemade buttermilk. If you're preparing a recipe that calls for buttermilk, it's best to stick with store-bought, especially in baked goods that depend on precise leavening.