41 Easy Buttermilk Recipes for Any Time of Day
Like a spritz of lime juice on a taco, buttermilk makes your favorite foods come alive. These buttermilk recipes have an acidic pop, with creaminess and moisture to boot. All that from the carton languishing in the back of your fridge. The acidity that gives buttermilk its signature tartness also activates leaveners like baking soda, producing a lighter, fluffier sheet cake or banana bread—or buttermilk pancakes and buttermilk biscuits.
If you’re looking to add that distinctive sourness and depth of flavor to your favorite dish but have no buttermilk on hand, simply combine one tablespoon of white vinegar or lemon juice and one cup milk and wait five minutes. If you have a bit more time and elbow grease, you can even make your own butter and buttermilk. Either way, these buttermilk recipes will add some effortless tang to your table.
Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Food Styling by Anna Stockwell3/41Buttermilk Waffles
This classic recipe from the Gourmet archives is just calling for butter and syrup. Or yogurt and berries. Or all of the above. Read on to learn how to make waffles that come out crispy every time.
Photo by Chelsie Craig, Prop Styling by Emily Eisen, Food Styling by Molly Baz4/41Orecchiette With Buttermilk, Peas, and Pistachios
Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Food Styling by Katherine Sacks6/41Vanilla-Buttermilk Layer Cake With Orange Frosting and Raspberries
Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Food Styling by Anna Stockwell11/41Chicken Salad With Apricots, Celery, and Blue Cheese
Photo by Laura Murray, Prop Styling by Sophie Strangio, Food Styling by Rebecca Jurkevich12/41Grains in Herby Buttermilk
Photo by Tara O'Brady13/41Spinach and Cheese Slab Biscuits
These pillowy biscuits from Epi contributor Tara O'Brady are stuffed with spinach and cheese, but they work equally well with any other vegetable you care to throw at them. Swap the spinach for up to a cup of roasted squash, charred poblanos, or other cooked vegetable, and sub the Gruyère with any other cheese you like.
Photo by Chelsie Craig, Food Styling by Molly Baz15/41Pan-Seared Scallops With Chorizo and Corn
This scallop recipe is basically summer on a plate. Searing scallops in the amber-hued fat rendered from cooking chorizo results in a gorgeously caramelized crust and gives the shellfish a wonderfully smoky flavor. The corn bathes in a rich buttermilk sauce.
donna hay magazine, photography by Chris Court16/41Chicken and Caraway Schnitzel With Buttermilk Spaetzle
Photo by Chelsea Kyle, food styling by Rhoda Boone18/41Buttermilk Pancakes with Roasted Strawberries
Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Food Styling by Kat Boytsova19/41Chilled Beet Soup With Buttermilk, Cucumbers, and Dill (Chlodnik)
Photo by Alex Lau, Food Styling by Sue Li, Prop Styling by Elizabeth Jaime21/41Hand Salad With Buttermilk, Grapefruit, and Mixed Seeds
Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Prop Styling by Alex Brannian, Food Styling by Grace Parisi22/41Buttermilk Biscuits With Honey Butter
Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Prop Styling by Alex Brannian, Food Styling by Katherine Sacks25/41Diner-Style Buttermilk Pancakes
Marcus Nilsson29/41Roasted Strawberry–Buttermilk Sherbet
This whimsical frozen delight is a breeze to make. You just need an ice cream maker. (Once you get started making homemade ice cream, you might find yourself eating it by the pint.)
Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Food Styling by Katherine Sacks34/41Vanilla-Buttermilk Sheet Cake With Raspberries and Orange Cream-Cheese Frosting
Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Prop Styling by Alex Brannian, Food Styling by Dawn Perry36/41Baked-Potato Buttermilk Biscuits
Charles Masters, food styling by Michelle Gatton, prop styling by Brian Heiser40/41Grilled Iceberg Wedges with Buttermilk-Basil Dressing
