Short on Buttermilk? Here’s How to Make Your Own with Ingredients You Likely Already Have.

Dai Poole
Dai Poole
Dai Poole is a graduate of Virginia Tech with degrees in Psychology and Music. He is a self-proclaimed dessert connoisseur and a lover of all things seafood. When he is not thinking about food, Dai enjoys live music, engaging in political debates, and watching sci-fi movies. In…read more
published Apr 25, 2022
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Three glasses of cashew milk (white in color) in glassware of staggered sizes, against a blue background
Credit: Shilpa Uskokovic
Homemade Cashew Milk

Some of my favorite childhood memories are of the summers I spent with my great-grandmother in rural Virginia. The aroma of Southern classics like collard greens, black-eyed peas, cornbread, and — my favorite — buttermilk fried chicken, filled the home every Sunday. The tender and crispy chicken was better than anything I could get back home, and she told me the secret was the buttermilk.

In my opinion, buttermilk makes everything taste better. From pancakes to salad dressing, its unique properties enhance the flavor profile of many of my favorite dishes. While Grandma used store-bought buttermilk, I’m confident she wouldn’t have if she’d seen how easy baker and food blogger Sarah Crawford (@bromabaker on Instagram) showed us it is to make buttermilk at home. And the three-step process is so easy, anyone could do it.

First, start by pouring a cup of milk into a glass. It can be dairy or non-dairy milk — the process will still be the same. Next, remove one tablespoon of the milk from the cup and replace it with a tablespoon of fresh lemon juice. This step ensures the proper ratio of milk to lemon juice. Lastly, you’ll wait five minutes for the conversion to occur. And that’s it; it’s that simple. 

If you’re eager to give this a try, I recommend recreating this delicious buttermilk biscuit recipe, or — if you have a sweet tooth like me — Claire Ptak’s banana buttermilk bread always hits the spot.