If you’ve been around these parts long enough, you’ve probably noticed that I’m pretty fond of buttermilk.
Buttermilk brings the tang, brings a tender texture… and is all around awesome in baking.
But once you buy the carton for one recipe, what the heck are you supposed to do with the rest of the milk?
Not to worry. ย I’m looking out for you. ย Here are a few recipes that will help you use up that carton of buttermilk.
Click around. ย Maybe you think that ย Strawberry Buttermilk Ice Cream is swell.
While you’re busy with buttermilk, I’m going to go stuff my face with more Easter jelly beans. ย Good? ย Good.
Brown Sugar Bacon Waffles are a thing of beauty.
I love when a bag of frozen berries gets all fancypants. ย Warm Berries with Stovetop Dumplings.
This cake is all sorts of classy. ย It’s baked up in a sheet pan, covered in blackberry jam and Swiss meringue buttercream. ย It’s a beauty queen. ย I love it. ย Blackberry Jam Cake. ย
Red Velvet Cake with Fluffy White Frosting. ย This cake is like the cool kid on the playground. ย Everyone wants to be on their kickball team. ย Laaaadeeeedaaaa!
I like carrot cake in Spring, don’t you. ย Carrot Cake Cupcakes with Dulce de Leche Buttercream.
Mmmmm. ย Buttermilk Pie with Warm Blackberry Sauce. ย This recipe just warms my heart to bits.
Hop in the kitchen and use up that buttermilk. ย You’ll feel better. ย or… I’ll feel better. ย Someone will feel much better.
If you can’t find buttermilk, or buttermilk puzzles you, or you just want to make your own… I’ve got all sorts of tricks up my sleeve for you.
90 Responses
Hi Joy,
Just found your Web site today via rosiegirldreams.com and just LOVE your blog. I just paged through recipe after recipe with my baby sleeping in my arms. As soon as I could slip him into the crib I bookmarked a bunch of your recipes and wrote you! I also have leftover buttermilk all the time, and what I do with them is make Spotted Puppies. This recipe is adapted from one I got in Cooking Light magazine. I added more sugar and other good stuff. :) They’re fast, not too sweet, and great to heat up and eat for breakfast. AND to use up the buttermilk. I’ll visit your blog often!
Spotted Puppies
Yield: 12 servings (serving size: 1 roll)
3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (15 3/4 ounces)
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup golden raisins
2 tablespoons sugar
1 2/3 cups buttermilk
1 large egg, lightly beaten
2 tablespoons orange rind
1. Preheat oven to 425ยฐ.
2. Lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Sift together flour, baking soda, and salt into a large bowl; stir in raisins, rind and sugar. Combine buttermilk and egg; add to flour mixture, stirring until dough forms. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface; knead lightly 4 times with floured hands (do not over-mix; dough will be sticky). Divide dough into 12 equal portions, shaping each into a ball (cover remaining dough to prevent drying). Arrange rolls on a lightly floured baking sheet. Bake at 425ยฐ for 10 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 400ยฐ (do not remove rolls from oven); bake an additional 8 minutes or until rolls sound hollow when tapped.
Hey, Joy –
I LOVE to bake with buttermilk, too! My family especially enjoys fresh-baked sourdough bread, or I’ll use it in cakes. I usually use the dried, packaged stuff, though, because they absolutely will NOT drink it! Either that or I will only buy the smallest carton of fresh buttermilk that I can find, use what I need, and then FREEZE the rest in ice cube trays (later popping the cubes into a ziplock bag or container). I have successfully frozen and used the defrosted “cubes” for several years now, without any problems. I have even used cubes that were over a year old!
YUM. I just made Strawberry Buttermilk Ice Cream. Wow. YUM.
Going to make a few more batches for the neighborhood.
Brown Sugar Bacon Waffles were a huge hit at the brunch I hosted over the weekend. And when I say “huge” I don’t mean “Hey, those were good.” It was more like, “OMG, GENIUS!!! NOMNOMMOMNOM!”
Thanks for sharing!
Joy! I keep making your pepper cheddar biscuits to use up my buttermilk…not that it is a bad thing, but this is a super useful post!
You rock! Happy Monday!
bless you, bless you darling child!
we always have it on hand for baking and making salad dressings – but oh my! look what you have done –yum!
The buttermilk pie looks amazing!
I LOVE that fork in the berry dumpling shot. Do you know how one might find such forks?? :)
wow! all these amazing recipes are making me hungry! Growing up in India, we usually drank cold butter milk flavored with a little curry leaf, ginger and cumin :)
Hi Joy I’m Charlie the Baker from Brooklyn and I have a great tip for you. I read in your blog about gum on your favorite jeans, get the O2 spray cleaner you use to clean the keyboard of your laptop, turn it upside down and spray the gum until it freezes then simply scrape it off. This also works great on gum under the tables, the floor and even the big old ones on the sidewalk outside the bakery. Love the blog and keep on BAKING.
Hi Joy! I love love looooooooove red velvet cake, and I didn’t know I could use buttermilk to make it! Thanks for sharing! BTW- check out my recipe https://chefshauniece.com/?p=364
And don’t forget the traditional, cherished standby – PANCAKES! Accompanied by a large fruit smoothie, they really do make a respectable dinner!
I have a similar recipe in my new book (“Cooking from the Farmer’s Market”) for Strawberry Creme Fraiche ice cream-the sweet/tangy combo is oh-so-good!
You knew I had buttermilk languishing in my fridge… that needed to be baked into something lovely. I made the pie – many thanks!
Marauding leftover buttermilk is a common problem a my house! It drives me nuts that the expiration dates on my regular milk are a good month away, but the buttermilk always seems to expire *tomorrow*. Thank you for all the ideas!
I LOVE buttermilk as well. I’m always looking for more recipes to use on a daily basis so I can regularly buy it and not throw away. Perfect for pancakes, cakes and biscuits. Ice cream is even better!
WOW!!!! So funny, I just bought the smallest container of buttermilk for a muffin recipe and still have lots left over. I CANNOT drink buttermilk, but love to bake with it. These recipes definitely help!! Thanks a ton.
By the way, you rock!!!:)
Perfect timing! I have a carton of buttermilk I am looking to finish off.
The buttermilk pie looks amazing. Although, all the recipes look fabulous.
Thanks Joy! You always know how to solve life’s dilemas! I so tend to leave the rest of the carton of buttermilk sitting in the fridge… I usually make some ranch dressing but you can only eat so much salad. Next time I have extra buttermilk, I’m totally making that amazing-looking pie!
the buttermilk pie looks to die for. :P hope you had a swell easter
thanks :) I have buttermilk in my fridge and am having a party saturday night – i will combine the 2 with one of your recipes –
Your stuff is amazing!
This is such perfect timing!! I’m buying buttermilk tonight for a recipe and I’m always at a loss as how to finish up the dang thing!
That buttermilk pie looks seriously awesome, and I don’t yet know how to make my mother’s blackberry dumplings but I bet I’ll be making yours!! I also need those waffles but my Mother has the waffle-maker at her house. Five hours away. *insert sad face here* Maybe I can convice the twin to make the Blackberry Jam cake… ;)
Delicious recipes! I never bough butter milk because i wasn’t sure what i would do with the rest of it! Now I have so many ideas to try!
One thing, the Strawberry Sugar Paper link did not work – I am curious… can you re-post?
Buttermilk is a staple in my kitchen as well and while I’ve never been stumped about what to do with leftovers, I’m sure I’ll be trying out a few of these ideas :)
I used to have the same problem but I read that leftover buttermilk can be frozen. Measure leftover buttermilk into 1 cup portions and place in freezer bags. Thaw in fridge when you are ready to use it. It may separate but if it does just shake it to combine it. I tried it and it works.
There is so much you can use buttermilk for. Cornbread, cakes, biscuits…yep, loads of stuff. Sometimes I use it instead of regular milk, just depending on the mood I’m in. Sometimes I really can’t stand the smell of buttermilk…not sure why, but sometimes I can’t.
Your waffles look so good I might try some waffles for breakfast Saturday…that is if I get syrup. I can’t eat waffles without syrup.
Hey Joy, nice to meet ya!!
Love all these recipes and plan to visit your blog often.
AuroraFedora sent me… :)
ahh, too bad you didn’t write about buttermilk three days earlier. i had a carton of buttermilk expire because i didn’t know what else to do with it after making biscuits!
your blogs me happy.
Oooh wow so many good recipes yummm buttermilk!
I love that you have my grandmother’s buttermilk pie recipe on here today. Made my morning. :)
I just bought a carton of buttermilk yesterday for 1/2 cup! (I made oat flour pancakes). I’m amazed with a name like BUTTERmilk, that the 1% lowfat variety has such nutrition, low fat and high in protein. I want to play around and see if I can lighten up some recipes by exchanging oil/eggs (some of it anyway). Any thoughts about this?
Joy, it’s like you read my mind! I have a gigantic carton of buttermilk but had no ideas before now. Thanks for these great recipes!
Thanks so much for posting these buttermilk recipes. I just made your poppy seed cake – which was amazing! Now I have plenty of options for the left over buttermilk. I’m starting with the pie!
HMMMMM is it bad that I usually end up drinking the rest…. little by little… the taste has grown on me…. I know…. CRAZY!
Love your blog…. keep up it up. I love your voice with your recipes ( my favorite)
hi joy! my blog post is about YOU tonight! please check it out, chica!! joanne
Yummy to all of those recipes. I want to make them all.
I use the powdered kind as well! It seems to work the same for the recipes I’ve used it in and I don’t feel bad letting half a container of the real stuff go to waste. I never thought of freezing it though, good idea!
Oooo… I’ve got that buttermilk pie on my mind. And the blackberry jam cake. And, let’s be honest, just about everything you post on here. When I get to heaven and have all the time in the world, I’m gonna pull up your blog and work my way through, one recipe at a time. :)
Your buttermilk brings all the boys to the yard, and they’re like *what* …. :)
Just saying…
Allie
hahahaaaha! hilarious.
Umm, I just made buttermilk banana bread with mine. Yes, it’s my favorite quick bread, but why didn’t I come here first?! Now I’ll need to go buy more so I can have leftovers. Blerg.
My mom turned me onto the powdered version as well. I have to say I love knowing I have it when I need it without all the pressure to use it quickly. I finished off the last carton of it making Joy’s buttermilk pie.mmmmmmm
That is great! Thanks so much for the tip, I was just thinking that I might try the powdered stuff (finally) with the buttermilk pie and now I definitely will.
OOOOH buttermilk pie, how I love thee…Its a true south recipe.
I just bought the powdered buttermilk. Ok, I bought it two weeks ago. It has been staring at me every time I come home from the market with a carton of the fresh stuff. I feel like a smoker who bought the nicotine patches but stares at them guiltily while smoking cigarettes right in front of them. Think I should take the leap and use what seems so unnatural?
Leftover buttermilk is often a constant problem for me. I love using-it-up recipes!
When I was in Missouri a few weeks ago I bought blackberry jam from an amish store. That blackberry jam cake is definitely happening.
Great post. That happens to me all the time. I bake something and end up with an entire carton of buttermilk. A friend of mine gave me some good adicve. She buys dried buttermilk powder from King Arthur Flour. She then only mixes it as she needs it and that way it doesn’t go to waste. I haven’t tried it yet but I think it’s a great idea.
Those waffles look delicious.
That’s exactly the problem I always have. I usually solve it with a banana-buttermilk-drink for breakfast, but I think I know better now. :) How can you bake when having all those Easter treats? I have so many chocolate bunnies right now, I’m totally not in the mood for baking. Hmph.
Funny, Joy: I just posted this piece on Lemon Meringue Cake made with buttermilk cake layers. The recipe for the cake is included in the post. https://sticksforksfingers.blogspot.com/2010/04/taking-cake.html
I enjoy your blog! Good luck with the red-headed boy. Maybe it will lead to something like this: https://sticksforksfingers.blogspot.com/2010/03/good-news.html
Yum! Buttermilk is also good when you used to make a caramel cake. I do love some buttermilk!
Not only are your recipes sweet, but your voice is, too. I adore both. :)
Brilliant! Now I have a go-to list of what to do with the leftover buttermilk… I have so needed this. Thanks!
It’s like you looked in my fridge (sorry for the mess). I always buy buttermilk to make aebleskivers, and then have a bunch of leftover buttermilk and only so many recipes in my cache that use buttermilk. Thanks!
mmm easter jelly beans! i hope they are the starburst kind. thanks for the buttermilk suggestions! having strawberries in season makes everything so much easier doesn’t it?
When I have extra buttermilk I make fresh ricotta, which is ridiculously easy to make and tastes amazing. Did it the other day and tossed it with some penne, roasted cherry tomatoes, lemon peel, a little olive oil…oh my goodness. Try it, it’s really easy!
I’m already opening the fridge to reach for the buttermilk and try one of these. Yummy!
buttermilk is awesome in banana bread. and in homemade sourdough pancakes, which we make a lot.
I freeze leftover buttermilk then defrost it when I need it. It works wonderfully after defrosting. I wouldn’t want to drink it but then I don’t drink it anyway, so it’s all good. Love these photos. They make me want to bake.
what a useful post!! i hate wasting ingredients so it’s always cool to have multiple recipes in mind when buying a whole carton!
I freeze my leftover buttermilk, either in 1-oz portions (freeze in ice-cube trays and once frozen, transfer to a bag or other container) or in 8-oz portions. If you’re using it in baked goods, frozen works just as well as fresh.
Of course, I love buttermilk also, so I don’t always have leftovers, but freezing it ensures that I always have some on hand!
I think that the brown sugar bacon waffles are my favorite buttermilk recipe on the list!! Anything with bacon is a must have.
I think I have a half gallon of unused, expired buttermilk in my frig. I am sad it went to waste. Now I know it doesn’t ever have to go to waste again. :)
Thanks, Joy! Ever since you posted the buttermilk ranch dressing recipe I’ve been trying to use up my buttermilk creatively. I’ve made all sorts of pancakes and such, but I can’t wait to try that ice cream!
YUM! this looks sooo great. Always love to have things to do with extra buttermilk!
WHERE DID YOU GET THAT MUG?! I have one in red that a friend snagged from the restaurant where she works, but I have been on the hunt for some more ever since. If you could tell your retail secrets, it would be much appreciated!
xo
Amy
Great ideas! I’m getting a post ready for sturday that features some of my favorite sites and YOU are included, love your blog! anne
Hi Joy:
I just found your blog and LOVE it – this is a great article – you are right on about the buttermilk quagmire – can’t wait to try the pie and reading more of your posts!
That buttermilk pie is calling my name. Must. Make. Now.
i do the same thing – hate to waste that precious buttermilk!
Make buttermilk pancake syrup. It takes about 5 minutes and you will never use purchased syrup again. I swear.
This is the perfect post! I bought buttermilk to make red velvet cake earlier this year, and ended up just making 3 cakes to use all the milk! Clearly it is better to feed co-workers loads of red cake than let buttermilk go to waste!
Also, wanted to let you know that I made your “Whole Orange Bundt Cake with Poppy Seed Madness” for Easter, and it was a HUGE hit! I followed all your tips, and I had a beautiful, zesty cake! Thanks as always for the great inspiration!
I have frozen buttermilk in my freezer all the time. I freeze my leftovers in one cup
containers and it works out great! I never waste buttermilk this way. Try it, I think you will be happy with the results.
Hey, get out of my head! How did you know I was searching for a way to use the leftover buttermilk before it went bad? Seriously, woman… creepy…
I always seem to have extra buttermilk! Another excuse to buy more now though ;)
That buttermilk pie seems to be waiting for me… delicious!
I wish I could make every single thing you’ve listed!! They all look so good! I have 2 bottles of buttermilk in my fridge right now. I read that buttermilk can be frozen up to 3 mths after it has expired and still unfinished. Still good for baking apparently.
Hay joy, I just got through reading (all of) your blog in like two weeks or so! You have me addicted! I love it and I look forward to reading it every day! You are so wonderful, so so wonderful! I am from Germany, so you know you have readers from this country as well!
Have a great day!
I can’t wait to get crackin on that red velvet cake! She is a beauty! I think this time I’ll make it and let Chris Ann and the sifter take a night off!
~kristin
Great post! I just gave my neighbor my leftover buttermilk, before it went bad sitting in the fridge!
That blackberry jam cake is on my list! While I love baking with buttermilk, I also marinate chicken tenders in it and over-fry, Very good!
interesting. i never thought about using buttermilk to make ice cream!
How did you know I have a carton which I really need to use soon, before the BB date. That Buttermilk Pie is on the menu tonight!
Buttermilk is used for all sorts of bread and stuff here in Ireland, its great stuff!
You must be psychic. When I opened the fridge just today to look hopefully for snack food, I ignored the half carton of buttermilk staring forlornly back at me. Next time I’ll use it to make the warm berries with stove top dumplings. That looks so good!
My buttermilk gets used up feeding my sourdough starter. It’s amazing the yummy bread it makes for me after that :) But now you have me craving pancakes (again) so…
Great post. My buttermilk just sits in the fridge until it’s too late. I have started to use unsweetened yogurt instead because then it won’t go to waste – it seems to work the same but then I’m not a baking expert. Do you think buttermilk substitutions work as well as the real thing?