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    Home » Desserts

    Published Jul 12, 2023 (Updated Aug 3, 2023) by Heather Bilyeu

    How to Make Buttermilk Quickly in 5 Minutes

    ★★★★★5 from 1 review
    2 Comments
    This post may contain affiliate links
    Jump to Recipe·Print Recipe

    Making buttermilk at home is easy, taking just 5 minutes and only two ingredients. Combine staple ingredients, whole milk, and white vinegar, in a bowl to make a quick homemade version for all your baking needs!

    I do a lot of baking around here. I love cooking - but I LOVE baking. It is therapeutic and a creative release for me. There are some baking recipes that I make quite often like Oven-Baked Cast Iron Skillet Biscuits that require buttermilk and to be honest with you, I rarely keep a jug of it in my fridge or buy it at the store. And just for the fact that I don't use it all that often. So I don't want to buy it and then just have it sitting in the fridge just to go bad. Plus I HATE wasting money and food - especially with how expensive food (and everything) is right now.

    Also, honestly the majority of the time I decide I want to bake something or am in the mood for a specific recipe, which right now in the heat of the summer is strawberry shortcake, and I want to make it right then and not have to go to the store for ingredients I don't have.

    So 99% of the time I just make my own - and it is so easy! Making a homemade buttermilk substitute at home just requires 2 ingredients (that you likely already have on hand) and 5 minutes. So no more going to the store for 1 thing - or worse - just not making the recipe at all because you don't have it anymore!

    homemade buttermilk in a mason jar with a stick of butter and plates behind it.
    Jump to:
    • Ingredients Needed
    • How to Make
    • What to Use Buttermilk In
    • Frequently Asked Questions
    • Recipe

    Ingredients Needed

    Originally buttermilk comes from the liquid leftover from making your own butter - hence the make BUTTER-MILK...it makes sense lol. But when you need a quick substitution for a recipe all you need is 2 things:

    1. whole milk
    2. white vinegar
    Half gallon of whole milk and 1 gallon of white vinegar on a white table.

    How to Make

    1. In a glass measuring cup, pour in 1 cup of whole milk.
    2. Add 1 tablespoon of white vinegar and let sit for 5 minutes.
    3. Use like you would buttermilk for any recipe.

    This is an easy 1-to-1 ratio. 1 cup of whole milk to 1 tablespoon of white vinegar. You can easily make more or less depending on your recipe and needs. Just convert accordingly (for example: if you need 2 ½ cups of buttermilk for a recipe - you would need 2 ½ cups of whole milk and 2 ½ tablespoons of vinegar).

    The acidity of the vinegar will react with the milk and curdle it slightly. This also will give it a slightly tangy taste that we need for recipes like Cheddar Chive Biscuits.

    1 cup of whole milk in a pyrex measuring cup.
    Add 1 cup of whole milk to a measuring glass.
    A hand pouring in 1 tablespoon of vinegar to a pyrex measuring cup of milk.
    Pour in 1 tablespoon of white vinegar.
    Milk curdling in a pyrex measuring container making homemade buttermilk.
    Let sit for 5 minutes to slightly curdle - then use as needed in any recipe calling for buttermilk.

    Besides the taste and tang of buttermilk, it's also used in baking recipes to create a light and fluffy texture, like pancakes. When the acidic buttermilk is combined with baking soda in a recipe, there is a chemical reaction that happens to create bubbles, which then results in a fluffy and airy baked good.

    What to Use Buttermilk In

    Buttermilk that is purchased at the grocery is very thick in texture and not a by-product of making butter. It is typically cultured buttermilk in which lactic acid is added to milk and fermented - making it easier to produce in large quantities. However, traditional buttermilk that is made from making butter is very watery and low in fat.

    You can use homemade buttermilk in a number of recipes such as:

    • tender southern biscuits
    • Scones
    • pancakes
    • dips and dressings like homemade ranch
    • used to marinate meats like chicken
    • quick breads
    • and cakes
    Mason jar full of buttermilk.

    Frequently Asked Questions

    How to Store

    Keep in an airtight container in the fridge.

    How Long Will Homemade Buttermilk Keep?

    Keep stored in the fridge, airtight, for up to 2 weeks.

    Print

    Recipe

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    Homemade buttermilk in a mason jar with a thing of butter in the background and some plates.

    How to Make Buttermilk at Home in 5 Minutes


    ★★★★★

    5 from 1 review

    • Author: Heather Bilyeu
    • Total Time: 5 minutes
    • Yield: 1 cup 1x
    Print Recipe
    Pin Recipe

    Description

    Making buttermilk at home is easy, taking just 5 minutes and only two ingredients. Combine staple ingredients, whole milk, and white vinegar, in a bowl to make a quick homemade version for all your baking needs!


    Ingredients

    Scale
    • 1 Cup Whole Milk 
    • 1 Tablespoon White Vinegar

    Instructions

    1. In a Pyrex measuring cup, pour in whole milk.
    2. Add 1 tablespoon of white vinegar.
    3. Let sit for 5 minutes to slightly curdled.
    4. Use as needed in whatever recipe you need buttermilk for.

    Notes

    • This recipe is easy to double, triple, etc. It is a 1-1 ratio (1 cup milk to 1 tablespoon vinegar) - make as much or as little as you need for whatever recipe you need it for.
    • Prep Time: 5 minutes
    • Cook Time: 0 minutes
    • Category: Condiments
    • Method: Cooking
    • Cuisine: American

    Nutrition

    • Serving Size: ¼ cup
    • Calories: 38
    • Sugar: 3.1 g
    • Sodium: 26.4 mg
    • Fat: 2 g
    • Carbohydrates: 2.9 g
    • Fiber: 0 g
    • Protein: 1.9 g
    • Cholesterol: 6.1 mg

    Keywords: How to Make Buttermilk at Home in 5 Minutes, homemade buttermilk, buttermilk substitute

    Did you make this recipe?

    Tag @fuelingasouthernsoul on Instagram and hashtag it #fuelingasouthernsoul

    Please rate and review below!

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    How Long Does Homemade Buttermilk Last?

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    Filed Under: Bread, Desserts, Dips & Spreads, How To's, Southern Tagged With: Buttermilk

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Charlotte says

      July 13, 2023 at 5:07 pm

      Excellent. Thank you. This will be a huge savings. You don't have to buy more than you will need.
      cj

      ★★★★★

      Reply
      • Heather Bilyeu says

        July 17, 2023 at 3:13 pm

        I am so glad you found this helpful! I hardly ever buy jugs of actual buttermilk.

        Reply

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    Hi, I'm Heather! Grab a glass of wine, a blanket, and a cozy seat on your back porch. I am so glad you are here! Born and raised in Kentucky and with proper southern roots, my love for entertaining and hospitality runs deep within my soul. There is nothing that I love more than having people around my table and loving them through food and drink!

    More about me →

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