With just 2 ingredients and 10 minutes you can make your own homemade buttermilk that’s just perfect for baking the best scones and all sorts of other recipes too.
What is buttermilk?
Buttermilk is the liquid left over when you make your own butter. Check out my Homemade Butter recipe and you’ll see it draining off the butter there.
When you make butter youo are keeping all the fats to make the solid butter so this buttermilk is the non-fat liquid that is leftover.
Buttermilk is used in lots of baking recipes, especially scones, as it gives a really beautiful texture to your bakes.
What does it taste like?
Buttermilk is a little like yogurt in taste, it’s tangy and fresh.
Ingredients for homemade buttermilk
There are only 2 ingredients for this buttermilk recipe and you even have an option on this!
- Milk
- Lemon juice
Alternatives
Don’t have lemon to hand? Then you can use plain old vinegar instead.
What type of milk do you need?
You can use whole milk or low fat milk to make your buttermilk substitute. Heck, you can even use skimmed milk for this simple recipe.
How to make buttermilk
This is just SO easy it’s almost embarassing to list it here. But hey, buttermilk is a really useful ingredient to have on hand in the kitchen so I feel it really is worth sharing the recipe here.
Simply add the lemon juice to the milk and let it stand for at least 10 minutes. I usually leave it for 20 minutes if I have time.
As you can guess, this is a recipe I have to use when I have the yen to make something that calls for buttermilk and of course I don’t have any in the fridge.
The milk will thicken very slightly with the added acidity of the lemon juice. Or vinegar if that’s what you’re using instead.
Now pour the buttermilk into a sterilised jar and cover with cheesecloth if you want to be really authentic or just a lid and store it in the fridge.
How long does buttermilk keep?
Your homemade buttermilk will keep in the fridge for up to a week. And yes, you can freeze buttermilk too for up to 3 months.
Can you make this buttermilk vegan?
Yes, simply use almond milk or soy milk instead of cow’s milk for this buttermilk recipe.
How to use buttermilk
As I’ve said buttermilk is just great for baking, especially scones.
In lots of cake recipes.
For some sauces.
In batter.
For making the fluffiest pancakes.
In the bath – yes you rerad that right. Buttermilk is wonderful when added to your bath water to soften your skin!
Looking for more kitchen dairy basics that you can make easily at home? Then check out these recipes before you go;
How to make homemade butter (+Video!)
Homemade yogurt step-by-step(+Video!)
Easy labneh (yogurt cheese)+Video!
How to make Greek style yogurt
Homemade ricotta cheese(+Video!)
Finally, if you do try this recipe don’t forget to leave a comment/star rating below as I just love to hear from readers. Want more Larder Love? Then follow me on Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest and Twitter and sign up for my newsletter too of course.
How to make homemade buttermilk
Ingredients
- 500 ml milk
- 2 tbsp lemon juice
Instructions
- Pour the milk into a jug or jar and add the lemon juice, stir and wait 10 minutes for the milk to thicken just slightly
- store in the fridge for up to a week in a sterilised jar
Oh My! What incredibly useful recipes. Takes me back to when I was a child watching my mother and grandmother making butters, cheeses and breads. Sometimes Gran used to cut herbs out of her garden for the butter mix… Thanks for the trip down memory lane
Hi Radu
My pleasure, glad you enjoyed the trip down memory lane.
K