The word “versatile” is best described for buttermilk since you can use it to make different types of sweet or savoury recipes. Keep reading as we cover how to make your own buttermilk at home and 8 ways you can use them.
All You Need Is Just… Two Basic Ingredients
Making your own buttermilk is not rocket science. In fact, you can easily get these ingredients at your local grocery store or supermarket. Those ingredients in question include milk and lemon juice. For the former, it can be any kind of milk — full cream, low-fat or even non-dairy varieties like almond, depending on your taste preference.
As for the lemon juice, nothing beats the freshly squeezed variety. No lemon juice? Not a problem, though since you can substitute it with white vinegar.
Now that you have the ingredients ready, all you need to do is combine 1 tablespoon of lemon juice or white vinegar into a measuring cup. Then, pour 225 ml of milk (equivalent to 1 cup) into the lemon juice/white vinegar and give it a stir. Let it sit for 10-15 minutes until it becomes curdled. And there you have it, you can start using this mixture a.k.a. buttermilk in your recipe.
What You Can Do With Buttermilk
Be it sweet or savoury, here are the few simple recipes you can make at home using buttermilk.
Buttermilk Waffles
Got a waffle iron a.k.a. waffle maker sitting on your kitchen counter? Well, instead of making the usual milk-based waffles, why not try buttermilk for a change? You’ll need:
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 eggs
- 1 tablespoon baking soda
- 2 tablespoons baking powder
- 1 3/4 cups buttermilk
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup of melted unsalted butter
- 1/4 cup sugar
Preheat waffle iron as usual. Then, whisk dry and wet ingredients in two separate bowls. Once done, pour the dry batter into the wet ingredients and whisk them all together until well-combined. Remember not to overmix since doing so will result in tough and chewy waffles. Brush or grease waffle iron lightly with vegetable oil and cook waffles according to the manufacturer’s instructions.
You can serve with butter and honey or top your buttermilk waffles with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.
Buttermilk Pasta
Are you bored with the same old bolognese and carbonara? Try buttermilk pasta instead since the buttery aroma and acidic flavour of buttermilk makes it an ideal combo for pasta sauce.
Just cook your favourite pasta as usual. You can use any pasta you want such as spaghetti, fettuccine or fusilli. Now, for the buttermilk pasta sauce, you’ll need:
- 1/2 cup full cream buttermilk
- 1 1/2 cups full cream milk
- 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- Salt and pepper to taste
First, melt butter in a pan over medium heat. Then, whisk in flour until smooth and constantly for 1 minute. Gently pour in the milk and keep whisking as the mixture is cooking in the pan. You will find the mixture becoming thickened and bubbly around 3 to 4 minutes later.
Once done, remove the pan from heat and whisk in buttermilk into the mixture. Add salt and pepper and toss in the cooked pasta. Stir until everything is coated. You can finish off with some shredded parmesan or mozzarella cheese and serve immediately.
Of course, the above recipe just covers the basic. You can add in other ingredients like chicken, beef or pork as part of the recipe.
Buttermilk Pancakes
Love pancakes? Instead of the usual vanilla or chocolate pancakes, you can make the buttermilk version. The ingredients, of course, are pretty straightforward.
- 1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
- 3 tablespoons sugar
- 1 teaspoon baking soda, baking powder & salt each
- 2 large eggs
- 1 1/4 cups buttermilk
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter (melted)
Start by whisking all the dry ingredients in a mixing bowl. Then use another bowl and whisk in the wet ingredients. Next, stir the latter into the dry ingredients until everything combined. Coat the pan with oil (you could use vegetable oil) over medium heat and cook the pancake batter in batches. When you see the bubbles forming on top, that means it’s time to flip them and you will notice that the bottoms have become golden brown. Repeat the same on the other side. Finally, you can serve the buttermilk pancakes with say, butter and honey, whipped cream, fresh fruits (chopped berries would be great) or sliced bananas.
Buttermilk Shake
Since buttermilk happens to be milk-based, why not turn it into a milkshake? Now, that’s something different than the regular vanilla, chocolate, or strawberry varieties. Just place all the necessary ingredients — buttermilk, vanilla ice cream, 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla extract — in a blender and blend them until smooth. Pour into a glass and enjoy the creamy goodness! To level up your buttermilk shake, try adding mango or berries.
Buttermilk Mashed Potato
Give your mashed potato a tangy twist by adding buttermilk. All you need are:
- 4 medium potatoes (Russets work great for mashing purposes)
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 1/2 cup buttermilk
- 2 tablespoons of butter
Fill the pot with enough cold water to cover the potatoes (all peeled and cut into chunks, of course). Add salt, bring to a boil, and continue cooking until the potatoes become tender, checking by poking one of them with a fork or knife. Drain the water and transfer the cooked potatoes to a large bowl.
Now, it’s time to start mashing using a potato masher. Add buttermilk and butter, followed by seasoning them with salt and pepper. Continue mashing them until you get your preferred smooth texture. You can serve as it is or sprinkle some chives.
No-Churn Buttermilk Vanilla Ice Cream
No ice cream maker? Not a problem since you can actually make one at home without it. And the good news is, the process is easy and it only requires a few ingredients.
- 2 cups heavy whipping cream
- 1 cup buttermilk
- 1 can sweetened condensed milk
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
Prior to adding your ingredients, remember to chill a large container in the freezer for at least 1 hour. Using a medium bowl, start whisking the heavy whipping cream until stiff peaks form. Then use another bowl to combine the rest of the ingredients. Next, transfer the whipped cream into the buttermilk mixture and gently fold them all together. Once complete, pour the mixture into the pre-chilled container. Cover the lid and freeze for 4-6 hours.
Buttermilk Salad Dressing
Mayonnaise and Thousand Island are no doubt classic salad dressings. But buttermilk is no slouch either since the milky-tangy combo makes it a perfect combo for a salad dressing too. Ingredients? Here goes:
- 2 cups buttermilk
- 2 cups mayonnaise
- 1 tablespoon onion powder
- 1 1/2 teaspoons garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
- 1 tablespoon dried parsley flakes (or any herbs of your choice)
Whisk every ingredient until well-combined. Transfer the buttermilk salad dressing into a container. Cover the lid and refrigerate it until you are ready to serve in your salad bowl. Do keep in mind that homemade buttermilk dressing can only last around 2 weeks in the fridge.
Buttermilk Chicken
Craving for buttermilk or butter chicken? You can easily order them via delivery service or takeaway or… make your own easy buttermilk*¹ chicken at home.
For chicken, you’ll need:
- 250 g chicken breast (cut into cubes)
- 1 egg
- 1/2 tablespoon salt
- 1 tablespoon white pepper
- 1/4 cup corn flour
- 1/4 cup rice flour
- Cooking oil (vegetable, peanut or canola oil)
As for buttermilk gravy or sauce:
- 2-3 tablespoons butter
- 2 cloves garlic (minced)
- 2-3 sprigs of curry leaves
- 2-3 cili padi (bird’s eye chilli, thinly sliced)
- 1 cup evaporated milk
- 1/4 cup condensed milk
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 1 cup water
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch + 1 tablespoon water
Start by marinating the chicken in a bowl, mix in salt and white pepper until everything is well coated. Crack an egg and mix well into the chicken mixture. Then, using a separate bowl, combine corn flour and rice flour. Dip each piece of marinated chicken into the flour until evenly coated. Dust off any excess flour after you’re done with each of them.
Heat the pan with enough oil over high heat and fry the chicken for 3-4 minutes or until they become golden brown on all sides*². Once complete, transfer the fried chicken cubes onto a plate covered with a paper towel to help drain the excess oil.
Now, for the buttermilk gravy. Fry butter, minced garlic and cili padi for 1 minute. Add curry leaves and keep frying until they become fragrant. Pour in evaporated milk, condensed milk and water. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Mix well and allow everything to come to a simmer for 1 minute. Mix cornstarch and water in a cup to make a cornstarch slurry. Pour the slurry into the pan and stir well until the gravy thickens. Add in fried chicken cubes and toss them until evenly coated. Transfer the buttermilk chicken to a plate and serve with white rice.
*¹ Unlike the rest of the recipes above, it doesn’t use the existing buttermilk made from milk and lemon juice/vinegar mixture.
*² A friendly reminder, though: Do not try to overcrowd the pan, especially if you attempt to fry all the chicken in one batch. Doing so would cause the chicken to become soggy and you won’t get a nice crisp.
