Homemade Cultured Buttermilk is going to be a game changer for you. It’s literally as easy as mixing two things in a jar.
And whoa are you going to love having all that fresh homemade cultured buttermilk around. Read or scroll through to the end for great ideas on how to use up your real buttermilk.
I use a lot of homemade buttermilk. And by ‘a lot’ I mean a ton.
Many of my baked goods contain buttermilk. Much of my salad dressing uses buttermilk.
And my beloved, The Evil Genius? He drinks buttermilk.
Now before any of you out there yawp with a resounding, “EW!” let me just mention that millions of Southerners and displaced Southerners are right now saying, “Mmmmmmmm! A nice tall glass of buttermilk with salt and pepper sounds mighty fine right now.”
A reminder: never yuck another person’s yum. Unless we’re talking durian, then all bets are off… (You may want to read about my family vs. Durian.)
We go through a lot of the stuff. And I may have mentioned that I live in the middle of nowhere in Amish country before (or a million times before, but who’s counting?) so frequent last minute trips to the store are not convenient.
How to Make Real Buttermilk
There are probably quite a few of you out there saying, “Oh please. All you have to do is add a little vinegar or lemon juice to milk and you get the same thing. Why buy buttermilk?”
See? I just knew someone out there was saying it. Not so fast! It’s not the same thing. To prove my point, I have to talk science for a moment.
While the acidified milk might give you the same tang of buttermilk, it lacks woefully in the texture and viscosity department.
Buttermilk is used in recipes for several important reasons. First, it is acidic, so it helps invigorate leavening agents -such as baking powder, baking soda and yeast- when added to baked goods.
The acid also helps combat discoloration in baked goods and promotes deep, beautiful browning. Buttermilk contains natural emulsifiers; this improves texture and aroma, and extends shelf life after baking.
The acidity of your homemade cultured buttermilk makes it a wonderful addition to marinades for chicken and pork. The acid helps tenderize the meat and gives it a tangy flavor.
Cultured Buttermilk
You know the ‘cultured’ part of cultured buttermilk? It’s good for you.
It contains many active cultures similar to those found in yogurt. Most of the cultures generally found in buttermilk are form the Lactococcus Lactis family and many of their subspecies.
Those cultures are what make homemade cultured buttermilk so thick and creamy. And what? Good for you!
Now that you know more than you probably ever wanted to know about buttermilk let’s get onto the ‘Why make my own?’ thing. Because you can.
Seriously. You need more than that?
Okay. Also make it because it’s dirt cheap, it’s super simple, it’s really fun and you’ll never run out of buttermilk again.
Hang on one second. Someone out there just said, “I never use a whole thing of buttermilk. What do I do with all that buttermilk?” I’m so glad you asked. How about a few of these ideas:
Perfect, flaky, Homemade Buttermilk Biscuit Take it from me, these buttermilk biscuits would do my Arkansas Grandma proud… They’re lofty, flaky, tender, and utterly divine.
Bacon and Swiss Rye Muffins These are every bit as good as they sound and as easy as pie. No wait! They’re easier than pie. Pie can be hard.
Grandma’s Buttermilk Cornbread This is my Grandma’s buttermilk cornbread recipe and it is ridiculously delicious and the ultimate comfort food.
Buttermilk Cornbread Rounds Based on my Grandma’s Buttermilk Cornbread recipe, these perfectly portioned cornbread rounds fit neatly in the hand and go anywhere cornbread goes, but look cuter doing it! This one’s going a little way back in the FWF archives.
Buttermilk Pancakes Nothing beats beautiful, light, airy buttermilk pancakes smothered in real maple syrup. Nothing. This one’s also reaching way back.
Garam Masala Depression Cake from Val. Nothin’ depressing about THAT cake, I’ll tell you. We’re talking about a decadent, Garam Masala flavored chocolate cake with orange buttercream and toasted coconut.
Oh my. I only take issue with the number of servings Val specified in it. It looks like a one-person cake to me.
I would be remiss if I didn’t mention these others…
- Chocolate Chip Breakfast Cookies (Drop scones)
- Extra Crispy Fried Chicken Fingers (The Evil Genius can cook!)
- Cornbread Salad
Are you good and hungry yet? Excellent. Let’s make some buttermilk. I promise it doesn’t take but two shakes.
Homemade Cultured Buttermilk
Scroll to the bottom for an easy-print version of this recipe!
Ingredients:
- 1/4 to 1/2 cup cultured buttermilk (from the store or home cultured)
- 1 to 2 quarts skim,1%, 2%, or whole milk from the store or raw milk
Also needed:
- 1 clean, dry quart or half gallon jar with a tight fitting two piece lid.
Okay. Ready? If you blink you’ll miss how to do it.
Pour buttermilk (1/4 cup for a quart jar or 1/2 cup for a half gallon jar) into your clean jar. Top off the jar with your plain milk.
Tightly screw lid to the jar and shake vigorously for 1 minute. Place in a warm (but not hot) area out of direct sunlight.
Let it sit there for 12 to 24 hours, until thickened. Refrigerate when thick.
Use within two weeks. If you re-culture this regularly, you can carry on re-culturing indefinitely.
Now here’s a glimpse of my finished product. Note that mine is super thick. I used raw, whole milk to culture my buttermilk. If you use skim, it may end up a little thinner than what you see here.
Homemade Cultured Buttermilk
Rate RecipeIngredients
- 1/4 to 1/2 cup cultured buttermilk from the store or home cultured
- 1 to 2 quarts skim 1%, 2%, or whole milk from the store or raw milk
- Also needed:
- 1 clean dry quart or half gallon jar with a tight fitting two piece lid.
Instructions
- Okay. Ready? If you blink you’ll miss how to do it.
- Pour buttermilk (1/4 cup for a quart jar or 1/2 cup for a half gallon jar) into your clean jar. Top off the jar with your plain milk. Tightly screw lid to the jar and shake vigorously for 1 minute. Place in a warm (but not hot) area out of direct sunlight. Let it sit there for 12 to 24 hours, until thickened. Refrigerate when thick. Use within two weeks.
Notes
Nutritional information is an estimate and provided to you as a courtesy. You should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe using your preferred nutrition calculator.
did you make this recipe?
Make sure to tag @foodiewithfam on Instagram and #hashtag it #foodiewithfamily so I can check it out!
This recipe was originally posted March 24, 2010, and was updated with photos, links, and improved notes March 2021.
Reader's Thoughts...
Nick says
My grandmother showed me this trick decades ago, but I had forgotten the ratio of cultured buttermilk to plain milk, so your blog was helpful, thank you. My grandma and I were the buttermilk drinkers in the family. Everyone else avoided the stuff, which made us extremely happy. My grandma would make cultured buttermilk this way when she was running low of the store-bought type. She started making it using instant milk powder she got when the department of agriculture began a program of feeding the elderly. Every month, they’d send around a huge box of milk powder, a big block of cheese, and dozens of eggs. Grandma had too much milk powder and didn’t like the taste of the reconstituted milk, so thought she’d try her hand at making cultured buttermilk. It worked and was fat-free, but tasted fine; it was free, after all.
Jeannette says
Yay! Yay! Yay! Yay!!!
I’ve been substituting with the vinegar/lemon juice to milk forever, not even knowing I could make my own at home. Thank you so much! My family is lactose intolerant, so making my own milk products at home has been a game changer for us. Our local stores just don’t carry lactose free yogurt, cream cheese, or buttermilk.
Rebecca says
You’re very welcome, Jeannette! Thanks so much for taking the time to rate the recipe and let me know you love it!
Ashawna says
Thank you .
I love buttermilk but it is so expensive to buy from the store so I can only afford it once in a while.
But with your simple recipe I can make it whenever I want !!!
Rebecca says
Thanks so much, Ashawna! I’m so glad you found me!
John garland says
Hell yes. Grew up on real buttermilk, missed it when I grew up . After all these years of not finding it in stores, this is fantastic! I have made over 2 gallons with less than a quart of starter and can control the thickness for cooking, baking or just drinking. I now drink at least 2 cups either season salt and cracked pepper every night before bed, no lie!
Rebecca says
Hooray, John! Thanks so much for letting me know you love it!
Nina says
I’m so excited to try this! I sometimes cannot find buttermilk (especially whole buttermilk) at the store and the vinegar/milk process is not the same to drink! My husband is the buttermilk drinker in the family, so he will be my judge, Lol! Wish me luck! 😊
Rebecca says
Oh hooray, Nina!!! I hope you love it, too!
Paula says
I have been to 4 different stores and can’t even find buttermilk. I live in texas in the city and I guess no one knows how to cook or they just don’t use buttermilk.
Rebecca says
That’s nuts, Paula!! I’m flabbergasted! You can always order dried buttermilk starter and make a super fresh batch than just go from there and reculture it according to these instructions. But how in the world is anyone gonna make proper biscuits in Texas without buttermilk? HAHA!
Gayle says
I just had the same experience in Louisiana, FIVE stores and then they only had three half gallon containers! This is why I looked up how to culture your own! Now I will be better prepared! I can not cook without buttermilk! (Well it would be yuck without buttermilk.)
Rebecca says
I’m with you both, Gayle and Paula!
Char says
You have me hooked! i cultured some cream several weeks ago and made some cultured butter. I used some of the resulting buttermilk to make some more. Ever since then, every 3-5 days I’ve been culturing up a new batch of buttermilk! I bake almost everyday so the buttermilk is always put to good use! Oh and i use whole milk, and my buttermilk looks about as thick and creamy as yours does. I love it! Thanks for a simple and easy to follow recipe!
Rebecca says
Thanks so much for taking the time to rate the recipe and let me know you love it, Char! I truly appreciate it! It sounds like you have a great system going there. And mercy yes, doesn’t whole milk make the most luscious buttermilk?
Natalie says
Can I freeze buttermilk to use later? We are drying up our cows currently and I would like to make buttermilk and freeze it for when we don’t have fresh milk each morning. We have froze our regular milk and used it later but never buttermilk. Thoughts?
Rebecca says
It’s my understanding that the cultures in buttermilk will survive a trip through the freezer. You’d want to thaw it overnight in the refrigerator before using, though. And I’m not sure how strong it would be for reculturing.
Jeannette says
I’ve had success making yogurt with cultures that had been frozen for two months by doubling the amount of yogurt I used as a starter. I was nervous that I was just wasting good milk while all the magic was happening, but thankfully, it worked just fine.
Forbes PERKINS says
I’m totally on board the buttermilk train. Not the the lemon or vinegar to milk kind. Ive been making it your way since about two years because our family fell in love with Irish Soda Bread. Since then Ive used it in many ways always to the enhancement of the recipe. I am trying to figure out why today the buttermilk to whole milk trick is not working. Its been about 8 hours now and its still not thickening up. Here is where I think I might have erred. Since I had mistakenly bought organic partially skimmed milk and a bottle of organic half and half I mixed them together before adding the cultured buttermilk and then closed the lid and shook well. I left the lid on so maybe thats the problem. Have now removed lid and I am keeping my fingers crossed as it rests in its dark warm place in the pantry.
Rebecca says
Hi there Forbes PERKINS! Thanks so much for taking the time to rate the recipe and let me know you love it! If your bacterial strain has gotten weak, that could be an issue. You could solve that by buying another batch of buttermilk at the store and reculturing that. On the other hand, I’ve not tried to do the mixture of skim and half and half, so I’m not sure how that would behave! Let me know if it turns out for you!
Ole says
I can’t see how this should be homemade cultured buttermilk, when it’s store bought?
Rebecca says
Hi Ole- You buy the buttermilk to use as a culture for more buttermilk. It’s the same as buying yogurt to culture at home. It’s still homemade cultured buttermilk. 🙂 You need a culture to make a culture. It’s kind of like you need yeast to make bread; whether you’re using a sourdough culture or active dry yeast.
William says
Hi rebecca Thank you so much for this post! Sorry, I swear I have re-read this about 8 times and I think i’m still not getting it. So this comment might be a little long but please try and help me understand.
So after making my first batch of buttermilk (from store bought buttermilk) by following your recipe, it turned out great! Made some cakes with it and pancakes. Absolutely loved it.
Now I have about 1/4 cup left from the first batch that I made. Here is where my real question comes in (there are 3 different scenarios:
1. I pour that 1/4 cup of leftover buttermilk and another quart of milk into my jar, shake it and let it sit for 12-24 hours and let that be my new batch of buttermilk?
2. Buy some live cultures, pour those into that 1/4 cup of leftover buttermilk, add another quart of milk into my jar then let that sit for 12-24 hours and this will be my new batch of buttermilk?
My apologies for the length and if this question seems obvious. I was just very confused about re-culturing and wanted to be sure I don’t accidentally drink rotten buttermilk by accident. Thank you so much and have a great day!
Rebecca says
Hi William! Please don’t apologize for the questions; that’s why I’m here! You can absolutely re-culture what you’ve already made with a couple of caveats. First, ideally, you’d re-culture it within 48-72 hours of being made. If you can’t do that, I’d say one re-culture cycle (Store bought to homemade to homemade again) would be the limit. If you buy new live cultures to make your buttermilk, you won’t have to use the 1/4 cup of leftover buttermilk.
If you’d like clarification on any point, please let me know!
Josephine Thomas says
Than you for making my life easier.
Rebecca says
You’re very welcome!
Tara says
Have you ever tried using buttermilk from making butter and adding the cultured buttermilk? I miss the tangy taste of cultured buttermilk. Also, I saw that you do re-culture buttermilk made from store bought but it is limited. In your experience, would that be any different if using raw milk? Thanks for the assistance!!
Rebecca says
Hi Tara- Great questions! I have not cultured butter making buttermilk, but I bet that’d be delicious!! And yes, in my experience, raw milk allows you to reculture more often than pasteurized/homogenized milk does. 🙂 I’d say about twice as many times!
Char says
so a couple of days ago i cultured a liter of cream( with store bought yogurt), to make some cultured butter, and 1 used some of the resulting buttermilk ( i drank the rest lol and used a bit for biscuits) to culture some more buttermilk. Actually its culturing right now. Not sure how it will work, but here’s to hoping! I’m having a blast with all this culturing business lately. The butter is delicious- and the buttermilk, to die for! I’m beginning to see what the hype is all about!
Rebecca says
Thanks so much, Char! I hope you love your buttermilk!
Ruth says
I’m thinking of making your Elvis sandwiches but can’t find your recipe for butter milk waffles. Can you supply it?
Rebecca says
Hi Ruth! You betcha! If you use the batter from my buttermilk pancakes recipe (put buttermilk pancakes in the search field near the top of the page), that is exactly what I put in my waffle maker!!
Kathy says
Hi. I’ve read in another post that making buttermilk from store-bought buttermilk has limited use. You must have buttermilk on hand to make more buttermilk. (Commercial buttermilk generally can’t be re-cultured multiple times?). This is what I’ve read.
So,…how many times have you made buttermilk from the original batch of store-bought buttermilk?
Rebecca says
Hi Kathy- Great question and great point. What I generally do is buy my commercial buttermilk and divide it into several batches worth of starter culture, then freeze. Ice cube trays are great for this. If freezer space is at a premium, you can also dehydrate the cultured buttermilk starter to rehydrate and use later.
As to your question of how many times I reculture from the original batch, I’ll re-culture a batch I made from commercial buttermilk 3 to 4 times but not much more than that.
Cloud says
Hi there. I love this recipt very much for its clear explanation. I’m living in the place lack of buttermilk and starter. I recently thinking of make cultured butter from fresh heavy cream and yogurt. Can I use the buttermilk left over from there as a starter to make new buttermilk? Thank you
Rebecca says
Hi Cloud! So to be blunt, the only way to make real cultured buttermilk is to have either a dried culture to reconstitute and use or to use cultured buttermilk to reculture it. You can do something similar in texture and flavour and acidity by thinning out some regular yogurt with milk. This is vastly preferable texturally to the usual vinegar or lemon juice + milk substitution. If it’s true cultured buttermilk you’re after, though, you’d be best off by mail ordering dried culture. New England Cheesemaking Company is a great resource for dried cultures!
Patty says
Hi there can I use Hoosier Farms Buttermilk powder and reconstitute that?
Its made with Buttermilk Solids and Whey Solids so it does contain the milk ingredients…
Rebecca says
Hi Patty- I am not sure whether the cultures in the dried buttermilk powder survive the dehydration/rehydration process! I am sorry I don’t have a more definite answer for you. It might be worth reaching out o Hoosier Farms and asking them!
TimOlaf says
Hi, I’m going to try it. But I’m wondering why I need a “two piece lid” for the jar. It looks like you close the lid tightly, shake and let sit until done. Does anyone know? Thanks.
Rebecca says
Hi TimOlaf! I specify using a new two piece lid because you know it’s free of food debris and any little weird thing on your lid or in your jar can throw off the culture. If you’d prefer to use another lid, feel free, but be sure it is scrupulously clean!