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    Home » Desserts

    Published Jul 12, 2023 (Updated Jul 29, 2024) 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

    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.

    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.

    Reader Review

    ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

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

    - Charlotte

    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.
    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 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star

    5 from 1 review

    • Author: Heather Bilyeu
    • Total Time: 5 minutes
    • Yield: 1 cup
    Print Recipe
    Save Recipe Recipe Saved

    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

    Did you make this recipe?

    Tag @fuelingasouthernsoul on Instagram and hashtag it #fuelingasouthernsoul

    Please rate and review below!

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    Filed Under: Appetizers, Bread, Desserts, How To's, Southern Tagged With: Buttermilk

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

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      Thank you so much for making this recipe and taking time out of your day to leave a star rating and comment review. I do not take it for granted and I appreciate you being here and sharing your thoughts on the recipe with me!

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    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

      (*review left by a family member related to Heather Bilyeu, owner of Fueling a Southern Soul*)

      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!

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