Recipes that Use Buttermilk

Why Buttermilk Is One of My Favorite Baking Ingredients

Buttermilk has a permanent spot in my refrigerator. I almost always have a carton on hand and I’m never at a loss for how to use it. With nearly 80 recipes on this site that use buttermilk, it shows up everywhere: the obvious biscuits, pancakes, and scones, but also pies, cakes, quick breads, crackers, cookies, and even ice cream.

Buttermilk does several things at once, which is why it’s such a valuable baking ingredient.

It activates leaveners

Buttermilk is acidic, and that acidity reacts with baking soda to produce carbon dioxide — giving your baked goods lift and a tender, open crumb. It’s the reason buttermilk pancakes are so fluffy and buttermilk quick breads rise so reliably.

It tenderizes gluten

The acidity also weakens gluten, which means baked goods made with buttermilk tend to be softer than those made with regular milk. This is especially noticeable in cakes and biscuits.

It adds moisture and richness

Despite being relatively low in fat compared to heavy cream or whole milk, buttermilk adds a lovely richness to baked goods. It keeps cakes moist for days and gives quick breads a soft, almost velvety crumb.

It contributes a distinctive tangy flavor

This is the thing I love most about buttermilk. It adds a subtle, specific tanginess that you can’t fully replicate with anything else. It adds a brightness that balances sweetness in cakes, deepens savory flavors in biscuits and rolls, and makes simple baked goods taste more complex and interesting.

Buttermilk Cake Recipes

Vanilla Buttermilk Cake Recipe

The is the perfect old fashioned buttermilk Cake. The cake has a moist, fine crumb and lovely vanilla flavor. It's perfect filled and iced with Old Fashioned American Buttercream. This recipe makes one 3-layer 8" cake or 18 cupcakes.

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Buttermilk Bundt Cake with Buttermilk Glaze

Buttermilk Bundt Cake is a perfect snack cake. The tangy-sweet buttermilk glaze forms an ultra-thin coating over the melt-in-your-mouth cake.

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Chocolate Buttermilk Cake Recipe

The is the perfect, moist, super-dark Old Fashioned Chocolate Cake. Fill it with buttercream, whipped cream or fruit fillings.

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Buttermilk Spice Cake with Whipped Spiced Ganache

A tender buttermilk cake scented with a mix of warm spices. The same spice mix flavors the whipped, white-chocolate ganache.

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Red Velvet Cake

Red Velvet Cake has been around at least since the 1920s but has enjoyed a renewed popularity over the last few years. This cake is wonderful filled and iced with either Cream Cheese Frosting or the more traditional Ermine Frosting. This recipe make a 3 layer 8" or 9" cake.

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Rhubarb Crumb Cake Recipe

Soft buttermilk cake loaded with fresh rhubarb & crowned with brown sugar crumb topping.

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Mango Upside Down Cake

A super tender cake made with buttermilk and almond flour is topped with fresh mango slices and buttery caramel with a hint of lime.

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Rhubarb Upside Down Cake Recipe

Rhubarb Upside Down Cake is made with beautiful red rhubarb, caramel topping and melt-in-your-mouth almond buttermilk cake. It all comes together with a hint of ginger.

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Marble Cake

Marble Cake doesn’t have to have two totally different textures between the vanilla and chocolate swirls. I created a process for making marble cake so that both flavors have the same exact soft and tender crumb. This cake is so tasty and so pretty.

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Plum Cake Recipe

Rustic Plum Cake is a soft, cardamom scented cake embedded with sweet, juicy plums. This rustic cake is meant to be simple and homey. It's a totally unfussy recipe. Makes one 9" cake.

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Blueberry Crumb Cake

I love the combination of a very light and soft cake under a chunky topping of  brown sugar  and cinnamon crumbs. Let’s face it, it’s all about the crumb topping and the blueberries!

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Apple Upside Down Cake Recipe

Soft buttermilk cake baked on rum spiked caramel and fresh apples. Flip it over and enjoy!

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Honey-Kissed Irish Whiskey Cake

You will taste the whiskey in this cake! It’s not just an accent flavor, it’s the star of the show. The glaze on this cake is not shy with the liquor, so you get honey-kissed, whiskey flavor in every bite.

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Chocolate Ganache Cake Recipe

Chocolate Ganache Cake! Super-dark and moist chocolate cake layers are filled and iced with light and luscious whipped chocolate ganache. This is a chocoholic's dream cake.

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Apricot & Almond Cake

Rustic Apricot Cake with a soft almond cake embedded with sweet, juicy apricots. This cake is meant to be simple and homey. It's a totally unfussy recipe. Makes one 9" cake.

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Peach Upside Down Cake Recipe

Peaches have an affinity with almonds since the middle of the peach pit has that bitter almond flavor. The batter has almond meal for tenderness and almond extract for flavor. This cake is delicious still slightly warm from the oven, but the flavor of the cake gets even better the second day.

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Red Velvet Bundt Cake with Cream Cheese Filling

Red Velvet Bundt Cake is not just a red velvet cake baked in a different pan. This cake is buttery like a pound cake and has the lovely flavor of a true red velvet cake. Oh, and that cream cheese filling!

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Buttermilk Cupcake Recipes

Chocolate Cupcakes

These are the perfect, moist Chocolate Cupcakes. Top them with your favorite frosting.

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Vanilla Buttermilk Cupcakes

Heavenly vanilla buttermilk cupcakes are light as a feather and so easy to make.

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Strawberry Filled Cupcakes

Heavenly vanilla buttermilk cupcakes are filled with vibrant roasted strawberries and topped with a crown of fluffy strawberry frosting.

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Lemon Meringue Cupcake Recipe

Heavenly Lemon Meringue Cupcakes are made with moist buttermilk cake, zesty lemon curd filling and crown of toasted meringue.

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Buttermilk Muffin Recipes

Rhubarb Muffin Recipe

These Rhubarb Muffins are made with buttermilk for an ultra tender crumb. The muffins are lightly spiced and chock full of tangy rhubarb. This recipe makes 12 standard muffin or 6 jumbo muffins.

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Raspberry and White Chocolate Muffin Recipe

These Raspberry and White Chocolate Muffins are made with buttermilk for an ultra tender crumb. The muffins are chock full of tangy berries and creamy white chocolate chips.

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Cranberry Muffin Recipe

These Cranberry Muffins are made with buttermilk for an ultra tender crumb. The muffins are chock full of tangy berries and you have your choice of toppings to finish the muffins.

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Bacon & Egg Corn Muffin

This recipe features the best of breakfast in one package, Bacon & Egg (in a) Muffin with a hint of maple syrup and a surprise inside.

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Lemon Blueberry Muffin Recipe

These Lemon Blueberry Muffins are made with buttermilk for an ultra tender crumb. The muffins are bursting with juicy berries and topped with butter and crunchy lemon sugar.

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Sunflower Crumb Muffins

Ground sunflower seeds are used as a flour in the batter and whole sunflower seeds for a crunchy crumb topping.

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Buttermilk Quick Bread Recipes

Snickerdoodle Bread

This bread has typical snickerdoodle flavor from cream of tartar in the batter. It has a crunchy, crackly cinnamon sugar crust on the outside and TWO cinnamon ripples on the inside.

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Peach Crumb Bread

This Peach Bread is made with buttermilk for an ultra tender crumb. The bread is loaded with hunks of fresh peach and is topped with chunky brown sugar crumbs. This recipe makes one 9"x 5" loaf.

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Banana Nut Bread Recipe

Buttermilk brings out the banana flavor and adds moisture to the bread. Chopped walnuts add flavor, texture and nutrition.

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Irish Soda Bread Recipe

Homemade soda bread is so much better than store-bought. With no yeast or fussy fermentation, no rolling or cutting, soda bread is even easier to make than muffins or biscuits.

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Smoked Cornbread with Bacon and Chipotle Peppers

You can bake on the grill. Chock full of bacon, corn, chipotle peppers and cheddar, Smoked Corn Bread has a super crunchy crust, lightly smoky flavor and is really very easy to make.

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Chili Cornbread Cobbler

Chili Cornbread Cobbler is a savory take on traditional fruit cobbler. Slightly spicy beef chili is baked under lightly sweetened cornbread for a one pot meal that couldn’t be easier to make.

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Irish Brown Bread Recipe

I love Irish Brown Bread even more than the traditional white soda bread with raisins. It’s hearty and savory because it’s made with whole wheat flour. This recipe makes 1 large loaf. The exact number of servings will vary based on how the loaf is sliced.

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Tomato Cobbler Recipe

Savory Tomato Cobbler with a chunky cornbread topping full of fresh corn and basil. Super easy & the perfect summer dinner or sidedish.

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Simple Skillet Cornbread

The super simple batter for Skillet Cornbread comes together in minutes. When it’s baked in a well-seasoned cast iron skillet, this cornbread gets a crunchy-crispy brown crust that is sooo yummy

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Oatmeal Soda Bread with Apricots

Try Oatmeal Soda Bread with Apricots for a change from the typical raisin soda bread. This healthy and hearty soda bread is made with rolled oats and dried apricots. This recipe makes 1 large loaf. The exact number of servings will vary based on how the loaf is sliced.

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Blueberry Cornbread Cobbler Recipe

Fresh blueberries baked under a lightly sweet cornbread topping with just a hint of cinnamon. Blueberry Cornbread Cobbler baked in a cast iron skillet couldn’t be easier to make. It’s the perfect dessert for casual summer dining.

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Buttermilk Pie Recipes

Chocolate Buttermilk Pie Recipe

Chocolate Buttermilk Pie! This old-fashioned treat is made with tangy buttermilk, eggs, cocoa and chocolate. The custard is baked in a flakey crust. Simply perfect.

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Sweet Corn Buttermilk Pie

A dessert pie made with fresh sweet corn and buttermilk custard scented with vanilla, lime zest and cinnamon. This is a heavenly summer treat.

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Blackberry Buttermilk Pie

Old fashioned buttermilk pie is updated with the addition of blackberries and a hint of cardamom.

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Buttermilk Scone Recipes

English Scones Recipe

This is the recipe I made thousands of times in a British tea shop — adapted for a US kitchen but faithful to the original. Light, not too sweet, and built to be split and topped. Raisins are optional, but they do add a gentle sweetness that suits the classic perfectly.

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Banana Scones

If you have overripe bananas on the counter, this is exactly what to do with them. These scones come together quickly and taste like they took much longer.

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Rye & Caraway Scones

A hearty take on the classic buttermilk scone made with rye flour, honey and caraway seeds.

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Rhubarb Scones

Light and fluffy Rhubarb Scones are perfect for breakfast, afternoon tea or snack time.

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Sweet Corn Scones Recipe

The classic buttermilk scone with a twist. Fresh (or frozen) sweet corn kernels with a hint of lime and cinnamon make a great tasting scone.

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Cheese Scones Recipe

Cheese Scones are savory and brimming with pockets of melty Irish Cheddar cheese and fragrant fresh scallions. They're cheesey, they're oniony, what more could you want?

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Pumpkin Scones

Lightly spiced Pumpkin Scones are perfect for breakfast, afternoon tea or snack time. The crunchy candied pumpkin seed topping is the perfect indulgent finish.

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Cranberry Orange Scones

Light and fluffy Cranberry Orange Scones are perfect for breakfast, afternoon tea or snack time.

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Scone Mix Recipe

This mix makes it super easy to make fresh scones at home and makes a lovely gift. Use the mixing instructions for 1 batch of mix.

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Gingerbread Scones

Traditional buttermilk scones flavored with ginger and molasses for a special seasonal treat. These scones are great for breakfast, brunch or tea-time.

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Buttermilk Biscuits & Rolls

Buttermilk Dinner Rolls

If you want to make the perfect dinner roll, look no further. Buttermilk dinner rolls are soft, buttery, light and luscious.

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Flaky Buttermilk Biscuits

Buttermilk biscuits that are both fluffy and flaky. It's all about how you handle the dough!

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Strawberry Shortcake Recipe

A true strawberry shortcake is not a layer cake, it’s more of a biscuit topped with fresh berries and lots of whipped cream. It’s the perfect early summer dessert.

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Cornmeal Biscuits

These Cornmeal Biscuits are rich and fluffy. They have a light crunch and great taste from the cornmeal. A honey glaze is the perfect finish.

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Chocolate Shortcake Biscuit Recipe

A true shortcake is more biscuit than cake. This chocolate variation takes the classic dessert to another level. These are the perfect chocolatey base for making Chocolate Strawberry Shortcakes, of course.

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Peach Shortcakes Recipe

Make Peach Shortcakes at the height of peach season! It's the perfect summer dessert.

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Shortcake Biscuit Recipe

A true shortcake is more biscuit than cake. These are the perfect rich biscuits for making Strawberry Shortcakes, of course. But don’t stop there. Use any seasonal fruit to top these delicious true shortcakes.

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Zucchini Biscuits Recipe

Make Zucchini Biscuits to use excess zucchini, and there's always excess zucchini. Basil and parmesan add a wonderful depth of flavor.

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Strawberry Rhubarb Shortcakes Recipe

A true shortcake is not a layer cake, it’s more of a biscuit topped with luscious fruit and lots of whipped cream. This twist on the standard strawberry shortcake includes the popular pairing of strawberry & rhubarb. You can also go pure rhubarb.

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Blueberry & Cherry Shortcake Recipe

A red, white and blue shortcake with a luscious berry compote. The shortcake biscuits are the perfect base for this summer treat.

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Sloppy Joe Stuffed Biscuits

Sloppy Joe Stuffed Biscuits are a real treat and a great way to use leftover Sloppy Joes. Flaky buttermilk biscuits are filled with savory meat & cheese filling and baked until golden brown. Use a smaller cutter to make appetizer-sized biscuits.

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Buttermilk Sourdough Recipes

Sourdough Crumb Cake

Soft buttermilk cake enhanced with sourdough discard & crowned with brown sugar crumb topping.

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Sourdough Blueberry Muffin Recipe

These Sourdough Blueberry Muffins are made with a whole cup of sourdough discard for an ultra tender crumb. The muffins are full of juicy berries and topped with lemon butter and sugar.

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Sourdough Bundt Cake with Buttermilk Glaze

Sourdough Bundt Cake with Buttermilk Glaze is a perfect snack cake. The tangy-sweet buttermilk glaze forms an ultra-thin coating over the melt-in-your-mouth cake.

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Sourdough Biscuit Recipe

Sourdough biscuits that are both fluffy and flaky. A little discard sourdough starter gives these biscuits a wonderful flavor.

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Sourdough Scone Recipe

This classic buttermilk scone is given a little flavor boost with sourdough discard.

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Sourdough Irish Soda Bread

Sourdough Irish Soda bread is an easy and delicious way to use sourdough discard. Homemade soda bread is so much better than what you’ll find in the grocery store. This recipe makes 1 large loaf. The exact number of servings will vary based on how the loaf is sliced.

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Sourdough Irish Brown Bread Recipe

Sourdough Irish Brown Bread is hearty and savory because it’s made with whole wheat flour and a cup of sourdough discard. It's super easy to make and super tasty. This recipe makes 1 large loaf. The exact number of servings will vary based on how the loaf is sliced.

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Sourdough Waffle Recipe

Start making Whole Grain Sourdough Waffles the night before and have hot fresh waffles for breakfast.

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Sourdough Pancakes

Start making Sourdough Pancakes the night before and have hot fresh pancakes for breakfast.

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Sourdough Oatmeal Crispbreads (Knäckebröd)

Sourdough Oatmeal Crispbread (Knäckebröd) is crispy, crunchy and lightly honey-sweetened. Fiber-rich with rolled oats and whole wheat flour, this could be your new favorite bread for a healthy snack or light lunch.

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Sourdough Dinner Rolls

Sourdough dinner rolls are soft, buttery, light and luscious. They have a special flavor and texture thanks to a healthy dose of sourdough starter.

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Buttermilk Donuts, Ice Cream & Other Recipes

Black & White Cookie Recipe

A Black & White Cookie rides the line between a flat cake and a cookie. It's topped with both vanilla and chocolate icing, which means you don’t have to choose. Get both flavors in one delicious treat.

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Oatmeal Crispbreads (Oatmeal Knäckebröd)

Oatmeal Crispbread, or Oatmeal Knäckebröd, is crispy, crunchy and lightly honey-sweetened. Fiber-rich with rolled oats and whole wheat flour, this could be your new favorite bread for a healthy snack or light lunch.

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Buttermilk Ice Cream Recipe

Buttermilk Ice Cream has a tangy and luscious flavor that is unforgettable.

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Rhubarb Fritters Recipe

Chunks of fresh rhubarb are embedded in a sweet, yeasty dough. The fritters are fried until golden brown and iced with a glaze made from the rhubarb juice.

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Apple Fritter Donut Recipe

Chunks of apple are embedded in a sweet, yeasty dough. The fritters are fried until golden brown and dunked in apple-cinnamon glaze.

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A Few Notes on Buying and Using Buttermilk

Buy the real thing. You’ll often see recipes suggest substituting regular milk plus a splash of vinegar or lemon juice as a buttermilk stand-in. In a pinch, it works — but it’s not the same. True cultured buttermilk has a thicker consistency and a more developed, complex tang. My favorite substitution for fresh buttermilk is powdered buttermilk. It’s shelf stable, keeps for months and just needs to be mixed with water before adding to the recipe.

Full-fat vs. low-fat. Most grocery stores carry low-fat buttermilk, which is what I typically use and what most of my recipes are developed with. When I find it in the store I use full-fat buttermilk. It adds even more richness and is worth seeking out for something like buttermilk ice cream or a special occasion cake.

It keeps longer than you’d think. This is one of the great underrated things about buttermilk: the acidity acts as a natural preservative. An opened carton will keep in the refrigerator for two to three weeks, sometimes longer, as long as it smells pleasantly tangy and not off. Don’t toss it prematurely.

Storage

Keep buttermilk in the coldest part of your refrigerator, not in the door. Once opened, it will stay fresh for two to three weeks. If you find yourself with more than you can use before it turns, buttermilk freezes surprisingly well — pour it into a freezer-safe container or ice cube tray, and use it straight from frozen in any recipe where it will be cooked or baked (texture softens after thawing, so it’s not ideal for drinking, but works perfectly in baking). Frozen buttermilk keeps for up to three months.

One More Way to Use Buttermilk (Beyond Baking)

One of my favorite things to do with leftover buttermilk has nothing to do with baking: stir it into mashed potatoes. It adds the same creaminess you’d get from regular milk or cream, but with a gentle tang that elevates a basic side dish into something noticeably more interesting.