I have been working a lot with my sister and mom to import a very special family cookbook we have from my grandma into Cook’n. This cookbook contains a lot of Southern foods and one of the ingredients I find popping up the most often, which surprised me, is buttermilk. It is used in all kinds of her recipes--anything from the desserts to main dishes and sides. My grandma understands the value of that tangy, beautiful liquid. 

The thing is, I got a big quart to make her famous biscuits, and after using a cup or so, unfortunately the leftover buttermilk got pushed into the back of the fridge, lost, only to be discovered well after it’s best by date. I felt bad to have been wasteful and was bummed thinking of all the ways I could have used it. It happens to the best of us though! Today I wanted to share some of the ways I could have and should have used that beloved buttermilk. Next time you have a quart of buttermilk, try out a couple of these recipes until it is all used up. You’ll be wanting to go out and get another quart with how tasty these recipes will turn out.

1. Buttermilk-Dipped Fried Chicken

Of course this has to be one of the ideas on this list! You can either marinade your chicken in buttermilk for a while before you fry it to really get it tenderized, or simply dip and bread it right before you fry it. Either way, the buttermilk gives fried chicken the best flavor! I like to make “fried chicken” in my air fryer because it has all the crispiness without all the oil.

2. Red Velvet Cake

This is one of those recipes that you have to use real buttermilk without substitutions for it to turn out just right, so you might as well make a red velvet cake, right? :) 

3. Homemade Ranch Dressing

This one is also a given, but absolutely needs to be mentioned. Homemade buttermilk ranch is fast and easy and tastes so much better than the storebought stuff with all the preservatives.

4. Fruit Smoothies

Instead of your typical milk or liquid of choice for your favorite fruit smoothie, add buttermilk for some of all of your liquid to give your smoothie some real zip. It cuts some of the sweetness of the berries and complements them perfectly.

5. Buttermilk Pancakes

This might be the very best and most obvious on the list but buttermilk helps make the very best pancakes!

6. Cream Cheese Spread for Toast

If you mix cream cheese with a bit of buttermilk, you get a lovely, tangy, smooth dip that can be spread on toast or bagels and topped with fresh fruit or even meats like prosciutto for a lovely brunch item. Once again, the tanginess from the buttermilk complements the sweet fruit really nicely.

7. Cornbread

There are plenty of delicious recipes for cornbread that call for buttermilk and I can only imagine it makes for the best cornbread. How great does cornbread and chili sound this time of year, right?

8. Soup Recipes

You can find plenty of creamy soup recipes like potato chowder and broccoli cheddar soups that use buttermilk for the milk. It gives it a little extra tang and works well for tons of soup recipes.

What are your favorite ways to use buttermilk? Please share your thoughts in the comments below. I for one have an inkling to make some “fried chicken” tonight with some cornbread on the side.