Buttermilk

Today, a tangy cultured milk thickened by lactic acid bacteria, used to tenderize and add flavor to biscuits, pancakes and cakes.

Buttermilk: A glass pitcher of thick, cultured buttermilk next to a stack of buttermilk biscuits
  • Baking ingredients and additives

Also called: cultured buttermilk

Traditional buttermilk was the liquid left after churning butter. Modern cultured buttermilk is made by adding bacteria to low-fat milk. Its acidity reacts with baking soda to release carbon dioxide, giving lift, and it makes baked goods tender with a slight tang.

A quick substitute is 1 tablespoon of lemon juice or vinegar stirred into 1 cup of milk, left for 5 to 10 minutes.

Bake it at VanillaGoods

Related entries

Sources

Written by VanillaGoods in our own words from these sources. Last reviewed October 15, 2026.

  1. 21 CFR 131.112 Cultured milk, U.S. Government (eCFR), Food and Drug Administration
  2. Cultured Dairy Products and Cheese, University of Guelph (Goff, Hill & Ferrer, Dairy Science and Technology eBook)
  3. Buttermilk Substitutions, Iowa State University Extension and Outreach (AnswerLine)
  4. Buttermilk (Q106612), Wikidata