DIY Buttermilk

Do you know you can make your DIY Buttermilk at home? Most people like using buttermilk in their pancake recipes because it produces the fluffiest pancakes. Whether you are making pies or pancakes, adding buttermilk produces the best results. Sometimes, you may be baking and suddenly discover that you are out of buttermilk. Not to worry, this article has got you covered.

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Although buttermilk is similar to milk, it is thicker, contains more acid, and tastes like plain yoghurt. It can be a good substitute for milk when you are baking. You can use it for your pancakes, waffles, doughnuts, croissants, muffins, tarts, and pies.

Buttermilk is often used to add more flavour to salad dressings, chicken recipes, and mashed potatoes. Why buy buttermilk when you can make yours? If you want to make your buttermilk, you can try out this recipe.

DIY Buttermilk Recipe

Making buttermilk at home is very easy. You’ll just need some lemon juice (or white vinegar), some milk, and an acid (any kind). Don’t know how to make DIY buttermilk? All you have to do is:

Pour 1 teaspoon of freshly squeezed lemon or white vinegar into a liquid measuring cup.
Add a teaspoon of acid into the measuring cup.
Pour in milk until it reaches the 1 cup line.
Stir the mixture and leave it to rest for 5-10 minutes.

Note that when the buttermilk is ready, it will look curdled. So, next time you run out of buttermilk, prepare yours instead of going to the grocery store.

Substitute for Buttermilk

Cooking and baking are fun but it can be quite frustrating when you find out that you don’t have some ingredients. However, if you don’t have buttermilk, there are DIY buttermilk substitutes you can use instead. You can mix:

1 tablespoon of white vinegar and milk to add up to 1 cup line of your measuring cup.
1 tablespoon of lemon juice and milk to add up to 1 cup line of your measuring cup.
1 cup of plain yoghurt
1 ¾ teaspoon of “Cream of tarter” and 1 cup of milk.
¼ cup of buttermilk powder and 1 cup of water.

So, if you ever run out of buttermilk, you can use any one of these substitutes.

How to Make DIY Buttermilk with Vinegar

If you do not have lemon juice, you can make DIY buttermilk with vinegar. Simply,

Mix 1 teaspoon of white vinegar and a teaspoon of acid in a liquid measuring cup and stir.
Pour in milk until it reaches the 1 cup line.
Stir the mixture and leave it to rest for 5-10 minutes.

Add your DIY buttermilk with vinegar to your mashed potatoes or pastry.

How to Make Buttermilk with Lemon Juice

If you don’t have vinegar at home, you can just use lemon juice to make buttermilk. Asides, white vinegar has a pungent odour that most people can’t bear. So, if you can’t bear to use vinegar, you can use lemon juice instead. To make DIY buttermilk with lemon juice:

Mix 1 teaspoon of freshly squeezed lemon juice and a teaspoon of acid in a liquid measuring cup and stir.
Pour in milk until it reaches the 1 cup line.
Stir the mixture and leave it to rest for 5-10 minutes.

You can now use it to cook or bake.

How to Make Buttermilk from Yoghurt

Making buttermilk from yoghurt is an easy task. Just mix ¼ cup of milk with ¾ a cup of plain yogurt and mix until smooth. You can use this mixture as you would your buttermilk. It is an amazing substitute for buttermilk.

How to Make Buttermilk from Heavy Cream

When you are making DIY buttermilk at home, you can use heavy cream in place of milk. It produces a thicker and creamier result than butter. Just prepare 1 cup of heavy cream and 1½ tablespoons of white distilled vinegar (or lemon juice). Mix the vinegar and heavy cream together in a bowl and leave for 10 minutes. When it curdles, just know that it is ready.

Best Buttermilk Recipes

Most of the best pancake and chicken recipes contain buttermilk. There are lots of recipes you can make with buttermilk ranging from cakes to fried chicken to coleslaw. If you have some buttermilk at home, try whipping up these recipes:

Strawberry shakes.
Fluffy waffles.
Sugar-glazed doughnuts.
Biscuits
Creamy coleslaw.
Oatmeal muffins.
Crispy chicken.
Onion rings.
Sugar cookies.
Crunchy onion rings.
Crunchy onion rings
Blueberry ice cream.
Cornbread
Chess pie.
Buttermilk cupcakes.

DIY Buttermilk Ranch

Green salads, chips and crackers taste better with DIY buttermilk ranch dressing. Ranch dressing is also an excellent appetizer. If you want to make yours, you’ll need:

Sour cream (½ cup).
Buttermilk (½ cup).
Mayonnaise (¼ cup).
2 garlic cloves (minced).
1 teaspoon of salt.
¼ teaspoon of pepper.
1½ teaspoons of dried dill
¼ cup of chopped fresh chives.
2 teaspoons of freshly squeezed lemon juice.
A little Tabasco sauce (optional).

Mix all the ingredients in a bowl and taste. If you are not satisfied, add extra ingredients till it suits your taste. You can use it as a dip for your fries and chips.

DIY Buttermilk Pancake Mix

Most people just love having pancakes for breakfast, especially on weekends. Pancakes made with buttermilk and other dry ingredients are especially fluffy and tasty. If you are a pancake lover, I bet you’ll love this recipe:

All-purpose flour (2 cups).
Sugar (3 tablespoons)
Baking soda (1½ teaspoons).
Baking powder (1½ teaspoons).
Buttermilk (3 cups)
3 large eggs.
Melted butter (3 tablespoons).

Whisk all the ingredients together in a bowl. Heat a skillet over low heat for about 5 minutes. Pour a tablespoon of oil into the skillet and turn up the heat to medium-low. Next, cook the pancakes till they are golden-brown on both sides. Serve and enjoy with some maple syrup.

DIY Buttermilk Biscuits

Whether they are baked with sugar, jam, chocolate, cinnamon or ginger, buttermilk biscuits are really tasty snacks. Do you know that you can make biscuits at home that would taste even better than the ones you buy? You can try making some with this recipe:

All-purpose flour.
Baking powder.
Baking soda.
Honey
Salt
Cold butter.
Buttermilk (preferably cold).

Mix the dry ingredients together in a bowl. Then, add a cold butter cube to the mixture. Pour in the cold buttermilk and whisk. Next, work the dough together with your hands. Fold the dough into a rectangle, fold one side to the middle and then the other side. Flatten the dough and repeat the process two more times.

Now, cut out the biscuits and lay them out on a baking sheet. Rub some buttermilk on the biscuits and bake them in an oven until golden brown. Enjoy warm with cold juice.

Frequently Asked Questions

If you are not quite clear about the topic, you can go ahead and read through these questions and answers:

What is Buttermilk?

Buttermilk is fermented milk and is similar to plain yoghurt. It is the liquid left after churning butter out of cultured cream.

How Long Can Homemade Buttermilk Last?

Buttermilk from the store can last a couple of weeks in the refrigerator. However, homemade buttermilk won’t last more than a day or two.

Can I Freeze Buttermilk?

You can freeze buttermilk in an airtight container for up to one month. Freezing is a good way to preserve buttermilk.