Use it up · Eggs and dairy

Buttermilk

Have extra buttermilk? Here’s how to choose, store and prep buttermilk, plus 7 family recipes to use it all up, best matches first.

🍽 See the recipes 🧺 Pick a few things you have

🛒 Choosing it

Look for cultured buttermilk with a date well ahead.

🧊 Storing it

Fridge: 1 to 2 weeks
Freezer: 3 months (thaw in the fridge and shake well; best for baking)

Keep the fridge at 40°F or below and the freezer at 0°F. Freezer times are for best quality; food kept frozen at 0°F stays safe. When in doubt, throw it out. Times from Rutgers Cooperative Extension.

🔪 Prepping it

Use it in pancakes, biscuits, cornbread, chicken marinades and ranch dressing.

🥣 Make it from scratch

Buttermilk stand-in

It also goes into:

Irish soda bread Ranch dressing

📊 Nutrition per 100 g

Buttermilk. 100 g is about 3 1/2 ounces.

Calories	40 kcal	2%
Protein	3.3 g	7%
Total fat	1.1 g	1%
Saturated fat	0.7 g	3%
Total carbohydrate	4.8 g	2%
Dietary fiber	0.0 g	0%
Total sugars	5.4 g
Sodium	148 mg	6%
Calcium	116 mg	9%
Iron	0.1 mg	0%
Potassium	151 mg	3%

% Daily Value for adults (FDA). From USDA FoodData Central 170874 (SR Legacy).

🍽 Recipes that use it up

7 recipes, the ones that use the most buttermilk first.

Plan them into your week in the meal planner, or find recipes for two or three things at once with the “What can I make?” picker.

More eggs and dairy

Eggs Milk Butter Cheddar and other firm cheeses Mozzarella Parmesan Cream cheese Sour cream Yogurt Cottage cheese Ricotta Cream and half-and-half Feta All ingredients →

Storage times and buying tips are general guides from the sources below; follow any date or instructions on the package. Cook meat, poultry, fish and eggs to the USDA safe temperatures in each recipe.