This homemade buttermilk recipe yields a rich, tangy, and slightly thick cultured milk that brings incredible flavor and tenderness to baked goods.
It has that classic, old-fashioned taste you expect from real buttermilk, with a smooth texture and a gentle acidity that pairs beautifully with old-fashioned buttermilk biscuits, pancakes, and homemade buttermilk ranch dressing. Once you try it from scratch, you will notice the difference right away.
Quick Look at This Recipe
- ✅ Recipe Name: Homemade Buttermilk Recipe
- 🕒 Ready In: 5 minutes hands-on time with 24 hours to culture
- 🍞 Method: Culturing
- 👪 Yield: 1 cup
- 🍽 Calories: Approximately 100 per cup
- 🥄 Tools: Measuring cup, spoon, jar
- 📖 Dietary Info: Vegetarian, gluten-free
- ⭐ Why You'll Love It: Simple, frugal, and full of rich old-fashioned flavor
- 👩🍳 Tip: Save a few tablespoons of cultured buttermilk to keep your next batch going
✅ Summarize this recipe, or ask for recipe substitutions and dietary information with AI.
Watch Me Make This Recipe
What Makes This Recipe Unique?
As you know from my full list of ingredient substitutions, you can make a buttermilk substitute by mixing milk with lemon juice or vinegar. So why should you learn to make real cultured buttermilk? Glad you asked.
- Improved Texture - Buttermilk is acidic, which helps activate leavening agents, giving your baked goods a light, fluffy, almost airy texture. If you’re a skeptic, check out my old-fashioned buttermilk biscuits using REAL buttermilk, and you’ll understand why!)
- Better Health - The benefits of fermented milk products include improved gut health and nutrient absorption.
- Extended Shelf Life - Cultured buttermilk helps preserve your milk, extending its shelf life. It even helps extend the shelf-life of your baked goods because it contains natural emulsifiers.
- Versatile and Frugal - Buttermilk can be used in recipes that call for yogurt or sour cream, and you can take your cultured buttermilk and make more homemade items like homemade cheeses (saving you money on cheese starters).
- Easy - Just pour, stir, then let it do its thing!
Key Ingredients:
A full ingredients list, including measurements, can be found in the recipe card below.
- Milk - Whole milk gives the richest flavor, but any milk will work.
- Cultured Starter - Once you have buttermilk going, you can use your existing buttermilk to keep on making it for batches on end. When buying buttermilk from the store, just be sure the container says “live cultures” or else this recipe won’t work. Alternatively, you can use dehydrated buttermilk cultures.
Recipe Instructions
Step 1: Pour 1 cup of milk into a clean jar.
Step 2: Stir in 2 tablespoons of cultured buttermilk.
Step 3: Cover loosely and let sit at room temperature for 12 to 24 hours.
Step 4: Once thickened and tangy, refrigerate and use as needed.
Recipe Tips
- When making cultured or fermented foods, you want to be sure to keep them about 6 feet away from other cultured or fermented foods. This is to avoid cross-contamination between cultures.
- Let the mixture fully rest so the acid can properly sour the milk.
- Use whole milk for the best flavor and texture.
- Do not skip stirring, as it helps distribute the acid evenly.
- For baking, use the buttermilk at room temperature for better results.
- If using the cultured method, keep a little back to start your next batch.
How to Use Buttermilk
This homemade buttermilk recipe works beautifully in:
- This homemade pancake mix recipe for fluffy pancakes and waffles.
- Old-fashioned buttermilk biscuits and scones
- Homemade buttermilk ranch dressing
- Marinade for buttermilk fried chicken strips.
- Classic cakes and quick breads (try these bakery-style peach muffins or these old-fashioned blueberry muffins.
- Starter culture for cheesemaking at home.
Storage Instructions
To store your homemade buttermilk, pour it into an airtight container and refrigerate it, where it will stay fresh for about a week. If you notice any separation, just give it a quick stir before using.
Freezing is not recommended, as it can alter the texture and affect its performance in recipes.
FAQ’s
You can make real homemade buttermilk by stirring 2 tablespoons of cultured buttermilk into 2 cups of milk and allowing it to culture for 12-24 hours. A quick buttermilk substitute is mixing one tablespoon of lemon juice or vinegar into 1 cup of milk and letting it sit for a few minutes until slightly thickened.
It's best to make real cultured buttermilk. However, in a pinch, buttermilk substitute with lemon juice or vinegar works fine. Lemon juice gives a slightly fresher flavor, while vinegar is a bit more neutral.
Traditional buttermilk can be part of a balanced diet and may be easier to digest than whole milk, but managing triglycerides really comes down to your overall diet and lifestyle
Cultured buttermilk may support digestion thanks to its beneficial bacteria, which can help keep things moving for some folks.
From Scratch Kitchen Mastery
Making homemade buttermilk is just the beginning of building the skills for cooking from scratch without second-guessing every step. My From-Scratch Kitchen Mastery Class will take you further in this journey.
I’ll walk you through the foundational techniques, time-saving rhythms, and traditional skills that make from-scratch cooking simple and sustainable, even on busy days. This is about more than recipes; it is about equipping you to feed your family well with confidence, so be sure to join us and start building a kitchen you truly love.
Are you ready to feel more in control at dinnertime?
Did you make this homemade buttermilk recipe? If so, please leave a star ⭐ rating in the recipe card below (this really helps me out)… then, snap a photo and tag me on social media @melissaknorris so I can see! I love getting a glimpse of what you all make in your kitchens.
📖 Recipe
Homemade Buttermilk Recipe
Equipment
- Mason jar w/lid
- Measuring Utensils
Ingredients
- 2 cups milk raw, whole, etc.
- 2 tbsp buttermilk previously cultured, dehydrated cultures, or store-bought.
Instructions
- Pour just under 2 cups of milk into a clean pint-size mason jar.
- Add 2 tablespoons cultured buttermilk (be sure it says "live cultures" if it's store-bought) or read the instructions that came with your dehydrated cultures for the amount.
- Place lid lightly on jar, allowing it to breathe, set it a warm area of your home away from other cultures or ferments.
- Let sit for 8-12 hours.
- Once it's as thick as you'd like, move it to the refrigerator and let it sit for 6-8 more hours. Your buttermilk is now ready to drink or use in recipes!
Notes
- When making cultured or fermented foods, you want to be sure to keep them about 6 feet away from other cultured or fermented foods. This is to avoid cross-contamination between cultures.
- Let the mixture fully rest so the acid can properly sour the milk.
- Use whole milk for the best flavor and texture.
- Do not skip stirring, as it helps distribute the acid evenly.
- For baking, use the buttermilk at room temperature for better results.
- If using the cultured method, keep a little back to start your next batch.
- This homemade pancake mix recipe for fluffy pancakes and waffles.
- Old-fashioned buttermilk biscuits and scones
- Homemade buttermilk ranch dressing
- Marinade for buttermilk fried chicken strips.
- Classic cakes and quick breads (try these bakery-style peach muffins or these old-fashioned blueberry muffins.
- Starter culture for cheesemaking at home.
Heather
Hello Miss Melissa!
I just love all of your posts!! I use to follow you all the time, but got busy and dropped off. A friend and I just came across this video of you making the butter milk starter, but we can't find the link for the dehydrated portion. Can you please let me know how to find that - when you have a min - I know you've got to be so busy!!
Thanks a bunch!
Heather in Texas
Anita Collins
i thank you for the information
K Clem
Thanks for this! I got some cultured buttermilk a few months ago and it seems to last forever. You're so right that it does make better results than simply the lemon juice hack. So far I just keep it in the container it came in, but I may switch to glass jars so that I can clean them in between and start fresh.
I also do this with sour milk. I have a jar of sour milk in my fridge for biscuits and I just empty it and add a little more milk in and shake. And I have heavy cream that went funky too and it made the best drop biscuits ever (used it instead of butter)! I always check and make sure these milk products are sour (indicating fermentation) and not moldy (indicating the need to be thrown away).
I guess sometimes I'm afraid that I may actually be growing bad bacteria...but from all I've read, the mesophilic bacteria will die when baked. But does this also mean that you can't get any bacterial benefits from the good bacteria? It seems difficult to find information on this online!
Melissa
I gave this a try and had zero success. It didn’t bubble or thicken and I left it out for 19 hours! What did I do wrong? I used cultured buttermilk with live cultures and minimally pasteurized milk. Both bought from a local farmers market.
Melissa Norris
It sounds like the buttermilk with live cultures might not have had any live cultures left. I would suggest ordering a culture so you know it's live.
Melissa
Gotcha! I was trying to avoid that as the brand you suggested was out of stock and wasn’t sure what else I should go with. Do you have any suggestions on a different brand?
Johnny
"Buttermilk actually helps extend the shelf-life of your baked goods because it contains natural emulsifiers."
I'm fairly certain that increased shelf life of fermented foods is due to the acidity, which prevents certain mirobes from propogating in your food and thus spoiling it. Emulsions are just mixtures of things that wouldn't otherwise mix but for the fact that one of the two items is dispersed in extremely small droplets.
Barbara Delozier
this recipe is so simple and so refreshing ! We've been making a half-gallon every week -- we drink it and use it in recipes. Absolutely the best! Thank you!
Sara
For years, I've bought buttermilk at the grocery and then pour it into quart glass jars when I get home. I found it lasts for months so I always have it on hand to make Southern cornbread. It tends to separate in the jar but a good shaking makes it cohesive before adding to recipe. I think I've kept it for as long as even a year or so and only once had to toss it. It's amazing how much longer all food stays fresh if stored in glass vs plastic or cartons.
Laura Hall
Silly question. But first, THANK YOU! This Green Acres city girl was shocked I can make my own buttermilk
My first batch went I to tue refrigerator, but I kept out 1/4 cup for my next batch. Where do I store this 1/4 cup? In the refrigerator? On my island at room temperature?
Hope I didn't mess up! My 1/4 cup is currently in the refrigerator.
Michelle Walker
Thanks! I have been searching for a recipe for buttermilk, made the way my mom did. She always had buttermilk for baking and just having a glass full with cornbread. She made it this way, I can't wait to make it!
Daisy Bangerter
I have been looking for a good corn bread recipe that cuts nice and doesn't crumble. If you have one or anybody wants to share it with me, I will be very gratetul. Thanks
Nicole
I was able to get started culture not prepackaged. No recipes came with it. How much do I need of the culture to start my buttermilk? I'm hoping to make 4 c. Buttermilk.
Jessica Marie Reed
Thank you for this article, the time you spend to publish it, and the time you also spend to answer so many questions! I love making butter myself now- I never imagined it would be so easy! I used locally sourced heavy cream, and bought a pound of the same brand of butter for price comparison. My favorite part (besides the easy factor!) is that it was approximately 40% cheaper for me to make the butter myself- and the time spent is negligible, I am in the kitchen already, with other dirty dishes already, so what's a few more minutes to whip up some butter! I feel like Ma Ingalls would be smilin'... and also in awe of the ease with which we can do so many modern homesteading tasks- electricity and food processors sure make a big difference! Thank you for sharing, Melissa. I'll never worry about running out of butter again.
Carole
I buy raw milk. I made some butter but did not get all the cream out. The left over milk taste good. Don’t know why they call it buttermilk. I call it skim milk. Can you make buttermilk using the leftover milk with some cream left in? With no cream?
Jennifer
The word "HACK" has become so overused, that I cringe every time I hear it!!
Eliseo
Can I use live and active cultures from organic Greek yogurt to start buttermilk with whole milk? Just mix and not heat?
Melissa Norris
No, they're two different cultures, one is thermophilic and one is mesophilic. Buttermilk requires mesophilic.
Penny
I have looked all around our area for buttermilk with live cultures. I have yet to find any. I even tried Azure & found none there that was labeled as such. I may have to break down & buy some dehydrated cultures to get started. Thanks for these instructions.
Susan
I made this with raw milk and cultured buttermilk I bought at the store. The first time it turned out great. I saved some for the starter. Started a second batch, just as before and it turned out great, but after a couple of days it has separated into 80 /20 whey/ buttermilk. The buttermilk part is very thick. Should I separate the whey out, stir it all back in...can I use the buttermilk as a starter?
Anurag
Maybe this goes for buttermilk in the US but really this recipe is just homemade yogurt. Buttermilk is the leftover liquid you get when yogurt is churned to make butter. The concept being it still has all the good live culture without the fats- that mostly go into the butter.
Ruth
Can you use powder buttermilk for a starter in the milk?
Melissa Norris
If it has live cultures yes but the package needs to indicate it has live cultures, if not, then no.
Joyce
I was just wondering today if I could use my Grace Harbor Farms buttermilk to start some with raw milk that was still drinkable but past the pull date (so might get to off for drinking soon). And your instructions fit the bill?. FYI, I had buttermilk opened in May 2020 and used it up end of Dec. 2020. If it still smells okay and no mold it’s fine! Also I’ve had an unopened plain Greek yogurt (Greek Gods brand) a year past the pull date and it was still good. The good cultures in the plain yogurt and cultured buttermilk really keep the bad cultures away! I also found an unopened mascarpone in the back of the fridge that was still good as well and I’m actually a stickler for pull dates as I worked in grocery for 21 years!
Joyce
Sorry, I forgot to add that the mascarpone was 5 yrs past the date and the plain yogurt was a qt. size, although I don’t know if the size mattered. Truly aged cheese ?.
robin
Hi! can ultra-pasteurized milk be used? Thanks!
Melissa Norris
For cultured products, you should ultra-pasteurized.
Olivia Rose
Can you tell me to get started making the buttermilk for the first time..... which brand of cultures to buy ?
Melissa Norris
It's all listed above in the article.
Susan
What makes it buttermilk....cultured milk on counter to what point. Taste the determining factor, consistency? I purchase raw milk and have cultured milk, but just to see how long it can be on counter and how tart. Ive seen some cultured milk videos, but i never found one where they answer at what point it is yogurt, what point buttermilk.....
Melissa Norris
Yogurt and buttermilk are two different cultures so it doesn't go from one to the other. Yogurt is a different process as it requires heat (most yogurt cultures are thermophilic and require heat to ferment) whereas buttermilk is a mesophilic culture and doesn't require heat. As for the buttermilk knowing it's done it's both consistency and flavor profile, time varies based on that as well as the temperature of your home because a warmer home will make it ferment faster than a colder home.
Susan
So if i put milk out on the counter and let it sit, at some point is it buttermilk? ..I mean how was the first buttermilk made? Just by being out? If this is how it was originally made, my question is, can i make the buttermilk culture myself. When do i know it is buttermilk? Slightly tart with yogurt-like consistency, but runnier. I guess that is what im asking....can i make the buttermilk culture myself?
Melissa Norris
If you have raw milk yes, if you're using store-bought milk you have to add a culture otherwise it will just go bad. No, you can't make it yourself unless you have raw fresh milk straight from the cow.
Alicia
When you let fresh, raw milk* sit out at room temperature, UNcultured, you get "clabber," which is also good. My mother loved clabber & we still make it, sometimes. So easy to make.
*It has its own natural good bacteria.
Anita Duggan
The buttermilk in our area says it contains "bacterial culture". Do you know if that would work?
Melissa Norris
Yes that is what you're after!
Laurel
I'm so excited! I buy buttermilk all the time. Correct me if I'm wrong, I can use store-bought buttermilk (must say live cultures) and store-bought milk? It doesn't need to be raw? Thank you!
Melissa Norris
You got it, it doesn't have to be raw milk (my milk isn't raw) and live cultures is the ticket!
Gordon
very good
Lucy
Hi Melissa!
I make my own butter from store bought organic heavy cream. I store this “buttermilk” for 10 days in the fridge and toss the unused portion. Can I make the cultured buttermilk from this buttermilk? Or would it be best to use whole milk? Thank you!
Melissa Norris
No, the culture for fermented buttermilk needs the fat/sugars found in the full milk, not the washed part.
Angie
I had the same question about using the buttermilk leftover from making butter. If you use Cultured Buttermilk for many of those recipes, what do you do with the buttermilk left over from making butter?
Melissa Norris
Buttermilk leftover from making butter can be used in baking recipes that call for water or as some of the milk, but if it calls for cultured buttermilk (because you have the fat content) then it's best to use the cultured buttermilk for the best texture. I have bread recipes that use water so I would use the buttermilk from butter making in those.
Cyndi
I'm the only one in my home, so I've kept powdered buttermilk and powdered milk on hand. Are these ok?
Melissa Norris
The powdered buttermilk will only work if it says from live cultures and has been stored in a cool environment, otherwise, the cultures are probably dead. I haven't tested it with powdered milk, it's important that the milk source hasn't been UHT pasteurized.
Cherie
I ordered my stuff and can't wait to make the biscuits
Melissa Norris
Yay, I'm so excited for you!
Barb
This is NOT real buttermilk, real buttermilk is a by product of making butter, it is what is leftover after the butter forms clumps. Cultured butter milk is a misnomer, because it is just skim milk that is cultured, making fermented sour skim milk.
Melissa Norris
You're incorrect in saying it's a misnomer (which I covered in the article), buttermilk is a by-product of making butter and cultured buttermilk is fermented milk (and it's only skim milk if you use skim milk). Neither are a misnomer, hence the word CULTURED. They're two different things.
D.D.
Would it be possible to just use my kefir in the recipes you shared & get the same result? Is kefir as acidic as buttermilk?
Natalie
hi! Can you make buttermilk with raw goat milk as well? Thank you, ?
sherry l nawrocki
so happy to see this - I currently always keep buttermilk on hand, but would like to be able to make smaller amounts - where can I buy buttermilk culture online? Thanks for all your helpful information.
Beth Jansen
After 2 weeks can I use 2Tbsp of my buttermilk to start another batch?
Melissa Norris
Yes, that's what I did.
Karen
Once you put your buttermilk in the refrigerator, will that be problematic for sourdough starter also in the refrigerator? Will keeping them on different shelves be enough? We only have one fridge, and I'm super careful with my starter. Thanks for your advice!
Melissa Norris
Once in the fridge I haven't had any crossing of cultures. Different shelves are adequate 🙂
Kelley
I have all the same questions!
Madeline
After the buttermilk has fermented is it safe to keep it in the fridge if you have sauerkraut in there?
Melissa Norris
Yes, it's a cultured ferment so it will last in the fridge, the longer it's in there the tangier it will get (and if left really long the possibility of mold, which you'll see and then toss, I had that happen to one batch that I forgot about way in the back of the fridge). For more mild buttermilk do a new batch every 2 weeks.
Kari Brane
I have a half gallon jug of buttermilk that I just keep fermenting in my refrigerator. When I use almost all of it in pancakes, I fill up the jug with fresh milk, let it sit on the counter for a day, and put it back in the fridge. If I only use a cup, I add another cup, shake it up and back in the fridge it goes. I have buttermilk all the time because I never let it run out. I probably bought the culture to start it originally over 10 years ago.
Lori Crouch
Thank you Melissa. I cant wait to give this a try! I have done the lemon juice adding for years. I did not know you could do this! Thanks for the info.
Linda
Can you freeze buttermilk?
Melissa Norris
Yes you can!
Lyn
How long does this buttermilk keep?
Kim
I’m curious too!
Melissa Norris
It's a cultured ferment so weeks, the longer it goes the tangier it gets. Most people prefer to do a new batch every 2 to 3 weeks due to this.