Have you been putting off making a recipe with a little bit of buttermilk in it just because you didn’t know what to do with the rest of the carton? No worries, because with these 15 recipes — including a DIY for small-batch buttermilk to kick things off — there’s no reason not to start experimenting. Scroll through to see just how versatile this cultured dairy drink is… it stars in everything from homemade dressing to sweet ice cream!
1. DIY Buttermilk: Make your own buttermilk in fewer than 10 minutes with just milk and your choice of acid — lemon juice or vinegar. (via The Kitchn)
2. Basil Buttermilk Ranch Dressing: Go ahead and retire that store-bought bottle. Once you try this recipe there’s no turning back. (via Food52)
3. Vanilla Cake With Vanilla Bean-Brown Butter Glaze: Buttermilk is the secret to making this vanilla-scented cake extra moist and fluffy. The nutty brown butter glaze, well, that’s just (literally) the icing on the cake. (via Averie Cooks)
4. Crunchy Baked Onion Rings: A six-hour soak in buttermilk prepares onion slices for a seasoned panko breadcrumb coating. Baked, not fried, you can enjoy these rings without any guilt. (via My Fussy Eater)
5. Banana Bread Cookies: Who could resist these soft cookies that combine banana bread and Nutella? (via Life Made Simple)
6. Skillet Buttermilk Biscuits: Nestled together into a single skillet, these fluffy, all-butter biscuits are impossible to turn down. (via So, How’s It Taste)
7. Buttermilk Sage Fried Pork Chop Sandwiches: A dip in buttermilk isn’t just for chicken. Give these herbed pork sandwiches a try when you’re in the mood for something fried sans poultry. (via Perpetually Hungry)
8. Cinnamon Sugar Buttermilk Donuts: Forget about heavy cake doughnuts. These treats manage to be nice and light without using any yeast, which is not an easy feat. (via Sift and Whisk)
9. Blueberry Cobbler Biscuits: We love that all the flavors of a blueberry cobbler are condensed into each of these personal-size biscuits. (via The Candid Appetite)
10. Lemon-Buttermilk Ice Cream: Sour lemons and tangy buttermilk are a bright flavor combo for this egg-free ice cream. (via Lemons For Lulu)
11. Buttermilk Syrup: Move over Frank’s, we’re gonna put this sauce on everything! Well, at least our waffles, pancakes and French toast. (via Neighbor Food)
12. Spicy Fried Chicken (Gluten-Free): A combo of flour and cornmeal ensure that every piece of this zesty fried chicken is covered with an irresistibly crunchy coating. (via Nutmeg Nanny)
13. Oreo Buttermilk Pie: Enjoy the contrast of gooey, custardy, Oreo-studded filling against a crisp crust in this unexpectedly quick to make — we’re talking, like, five minutes — pie. (via Lorie’s Mississippi Kitchen)
14. Raspberry Buttermilk Cake: Be prepared. Make this cake once and it’ll become part of your regular baking rotation. (via Heather Christo)
15. Baked Alaska: Slice into this baked Alaska to reveal the gorgeously swirled blackberry-buttermilk ice cream within. (via Supergolden Bakes)
How do you like to bake, cook or churn up buttermilk? Share some recipes with us in the comments below!