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Home » Cooking Basics

How to Make Buttermilk

Published: Feb 27, 2012 Last Updated: Dec 18, 2020 by Marye 791 words. | About 4 minutes to read this article.

Collage of buttermilk and food with text overlay for Pinterest.

When you know how to make buttermilk you'll never worry about running out again. There's several ways to do it - and I'm sharing all of them!

You'll find over 50 ways to use this in the Best Buttermilk Recipes category!

buttermilk
Jump to:
  • The magic ingredient
  • What is it?
  • How to make cultured buttermilk
  • Recultured
  • Buttermilk substitutions
  • Other substitutions
  • Rich buttermilk
  • Recipes
  • 💬 Comments

The magic ingredient

Somewhere in my adult life, once I learned to cook, buttermilk became  a staple ingredient.

It makes pancakes fluffier, chicken more tender, cakes rise higher, and frosting takes on a tang.

It's also really  healthy stuff. Buttermilk is one of those cultured dairy products, like yogurt, that contains probiotics. It's the secret sauce for millions of prizewinning recipes!

It's magic.

What is it?

In the past buttermilk was what was leftover in the churn after mama had finished making butter. At some point she started buying butter at the grocery store and the world had to come up with another way to get it.

The answer was culturing milk with friendly bacteria, similar to the way yogurt is made.

How to make cultured buttermilk

Making homemade real buttermilk, the cultured kind, is really easy.

Once you have cultured your own buttermilk you just save a cup of it to start the next batch. Eventually the culture may weaken and you will need to get a new packet of culture or container of buttermilk from the store and begin the process again.

Safety

Whenever you are working with cultures you have to make sure that you only introduce the bacteria (culture) that you want.

This means that you have to sterilize the equipment you are going to use.

One more time. Always sterilize your equipment. Here's how -

  1. Heat a big pot of water just to boiling.
  2. Put the jar and lids in it for a few minutes.
  3. Lift it out, put it upside down on a freshly washed tea towel and let it come to room temperature.
  4. While that isn't sterile enough for surgery it will be fine for our purposes.

Ingredients

  • Buttermilk starter culture
  • Quart jar with lid
  • 1 quart milk, 85 degrees - Any kind of milk is fine including soy, oat, almond, goat, etc...

Instructions

  1. Sterilize a quart jar in hot water. It needs to be completely submerged for 10 minutes.
  2. Add the 85F milk to the jar.
  3. Add the starter culture.
  4. Don't stir but let it sit for 10 minutes.
  5. Stir to dissolve and cover.
  6. Let sit at room temperature (about 72F) for 12 to 24 hours, or until thick.
  7. Refrigerate.

Recultured

Another way to make homemade buttermilk is to reculture it by adding some cultured buttermilk to regular milk. This way you can create your own from what's leftover after you bake.

You can reculture your homemade buttermilk up to 4 or 5 times before you'll need a fresh starter (either the powder above or buttermilk from the store.)

Ingredients

  • 1 quart milk, 85F
  • ¼ cup buttermilk from the store

Instructions

  1. Sterilize a 1 quart jar as above.
  2. Add the milk and buttermilk to the jar and cover.
  3. Shake to blend.
  4. Let stand at room temperature as above.
  5. Refrigerate.

Buttermilk substitutions

Homemade cultured buttermilk is the best and no matter what you substitute for it your results will be a little different.

Vinegar and milk

This is the most common buttermilk substitute.

  1. Add 1 tablespoon vinegar to a measuring cup.
  2. Fill to the 1 cup mark with milk.
  3. Let stand for 5 to 10 minutes.
  4. It will look a little curdled - that's ok.

Lemon juice and milk

  1. Add 1 tablespoon lemon juice to a measuring cup.
  2. Fill to the 1 cup mark with milk.
  3. Let stand for 5 to 10 minutes.
  4. It will look a little curdled - that's ok.

Other substitutions

Cream of tartar

  1. Add 2 teaspoons cream of tartar to 1 cup of warm milk.
  2. Stir well.
  3. Let stand 5 to 10 minutes.

Sour cream

  1. Mix ⅔ cups sour cream with ⅓ cup of milk or water.
  2. Whisk until smooth.
  3. Let stand for 5 to 10 minutes.

Kefir

  1. Add milk or water to kefir until it's the consistency of buttermilk.
  2. Mix well.

Yogurt

  1. Mix ¾ cup unflavored yogurt with ¼ cup milk or water.
  2. Stir to blend.

Rich buttermilk

This is my favorite! When I make buttermilk I like to add a little cream to the mix to make it more rich.

buttermilk
  1. Measure 2 ¾ cups of milk into the jar.
  2. Add ¼ cup heavy cream
  3. Add 1 cup of buttermilk
  4. Screw on the lid tightly
  5. Shake vigorously
  6. Put it in a warm place for 24 hours

After 24 hours (less if your house is warm, more if it is very cold) you should have a tangy, thick buttermilk. Use it in any recipe that calls for buttermilk but save one cup to make your next batch. Keep it tightly covered in the fridge.

Recipes

  • Buttermilk Bread
  • Southern Biscuits
  • What Can I Make with Leftover Buttermilk?

First published 2/27/12. Last updated 12/18/20 for better readability and more in depth information.

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About Marye

With a 40 year focus on the importance of family and a passion for southern comfort food, Marye Audet-White is an expert in melding the two together effortlessly. Marye's a NY Times Bestselling author with 10 cookbooks under her belt and her recipes have been featured in Good Housekeeping, Country Living, Today, House Beautiful, Texas Living, Food & Wine, and many more.

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Kathleen Cordrey

    January 13, 2022 at 5:02 pm

    Do i have to use whole milk, 2%, or can i use skim milk.

    Reply
    • Marye

      January 14, 2022 at 11:59 am

      it's best with whole milk but you can use any kind.

  2. Carolyn

    October 25, 2019 at 1:10 pm

    How long does starter keep in frig? And can it be frozen if you don’t bake often?

    Reply
    • Marye

      October 31, 2019 at 9:25 am

      If you are using commercial buttermilk to start then it can be kept in the fridge for a couple of weeks. As far as a commercial starter powder you'd need to contact the manufacturer.

  3. Diane Fallon

    April 07, 2019 at 3:29 pm

    I want to try this and would also like to print it. I have gone over the entire article a few times and cannot find a PRINT button. There is nothing above the recipe. What am I doing wrong? Your bread recipes look amazing. Thank you.

    Reply
    • Marye

      April 11, 2019 at 6:09 pm

      Thanks Diane - hopefully you got my emaiL?

  4. Elizabeth

    October 26, 2016 at 10:40 am

    Twice it has curdled. What am I doing wrong? It is thick. When I shake it up it is curdled.

    Reply
    • Marye Audet

      October 28, 2016 at 9:02 pm

      You shake it when you first mix it. Don't shake it after that. Even if it looks curdled it's fine.

  5. Tina

    October 20, 2016 at 6:38 pm

    You said to save a cup of the buttermilk, and then do I start the complete recipe again

    Reply
    • Marye Audet

      October 20, 2016 at 10:47 pm

      Yes. 🙂 The saved buttermilk is the starter.

  6. David

    June 04, 2016 at 7:27 pm

    So for the first time I make it I will use store bought buttermilk for the 1 cup? Thanks

    Reply
    • Marye Audet

      June 06, 2016 at 7:40 am

      yes, or you can use the buttermilk starter powder referenced in the post. 🙂

  7. Karissa

    May 12, 2016 at 12:21 pm

    Hi Marye,

    I'm so excited to see how this turns out (it's sitting for another 12 hours as I write this)! I do have one question, though. I made sure to boil the mason jar and lids beforehand, but should I have sterilized the measuring cups as well?

    Thank you 🙂

    Reply
    • Marye Audet

      May 12, 2016 at 5:46 pm

      Hmmm ... good question. I never do... I never thought about it... but it is a good idea!

  8. Janine

    April 28, 2016 at 8:06 am

    When I make yogurt (also a process of culturing milk) the milk has to be heated first to prevent harmful bacteria from ruining the yogurt, this isn't necessary for buttermilk culturing? Thanks!

    Reply
    • Marye Audet

      May 01, 2016 at 6:54 pm

      No it isn't. 🙂 Do make sure your jars are sterile though.

  9. Kathi Bilkie

    April 15, 2016 at 5:19 pm

    Hi Marge,

    I am so excited to make this buttermilk, it is "warming" in the garage right this very minute! I love using whole fat buttermilk, and my husband makes his own crème fraiche which I am sure he will now be using my buttermilk instead of the one from the store. I have a white cake recipe that I LOVE to make, and I think this will only make it better. Your recipes look amazing, and I can't wait to make the Honey Buttermilk Bread tomorrow, it is very possible it will be my new go to bread... and I love my bread recipe that I currently have.

    Reply
    • Kathi Bilkie

      April 15, 2016 at 5:23 pm

      Marye,

      I am sorry about the auto correct misspelling of your name. Not sure how to edit the post.

      KB

    • Marye Audet

      April 18, 2016 at 9:05 am

      It is really no problem, thank you!

    • Marye Audet

      April 18, 2016 at 9:04 am

      I am so glad you like it!

  10. Debby Lovett

    April 10, 2016 at 4:06 pm

    I am totally confused. Several have asked about the additions to the 1 cup of leftover buttermilk. One person asked if she was to add the same amounts of milk and cream as the original recipe, your comment was yes. Then someone asked if they were to add the same amounts of milk, cream, and buttermilk from the original recipe, and you replied, yes. Then someone else asked if they what they were to add to the cup of buttermilk that was saved, you replied, milk or cream. Will you please republish the recipe with the amount of ingredients to add to the leftover buttermilk to keep the starter going, with complete instructions. I consider myself an experienced cook and baker, but I can't follow the directions for the starter of the buttermilk.
    Thank you

    Reply
    • Marye Audet

      April 12, 2016 at 9:13 am

      Sorry you're confused. It's quite simple. After you make the first batch you always save 1 cup of your homemade buttermilk. To that add milk+cream, milk, or cream to the same measure as the original recipe.
      Measure 2 3/4 cups of milk into the jar.
      Add 1/4 cup heavy cream
      Add 1 cup of buttermilk
      Screw on the lid tightly
      Shake vigorously
      Put it in a warm place for 24 hours

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