5 Ways to Use Leftover Buttermilk

published Mar 4, 2014
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(Image credit: Leela Cyd)

It happens every time: you buy a carton of buttermilk, use it in a specific recipe, and then spend a week feeling guilty every time you open up the fridge and see it sitting there unused. But not this time! Here are five ideas — and over 15 recipes — for using up your leftover buttermilk.

1. Bake with it.

Buttermilk makes tender cakes, quick breads and biscuits, and works with both sweet and savory flavors.

2. Make a batch of pancakes.

Tender and a little tangy, buttermilk pancakes are a classic for a reason.

(Image credit: Faith Durand)

3. Make a creamy salad dressing.

It’s easy to make a quick ranch dressing or blue cheese dressing if you have buttermilk on hand, and they taste so much better than the bottled stuff.

4. Use it in frozen treats.

The tartness of buttermilk makes ice cream, popsicles and milkshakes even more refreshing.

5. Make fried chicken and coleslaw for dinner.

It’s not an every day sort of meal, but this combo is hard to beat — and it’s a great way to use up extra buttermilk.

(Image credit: Emma Christensen)

More Buttermilk Tips & Tricks on The Kitchn

What do you do with leftover buttermilk?