26 Recipes to Help You Use Up a Container of Buttermilk

March 31, 2021

Don’t let your buttermilk go to waste by using it in these healthy recipes. Buttermilk can be used to add flavor to salad dressings, to keep baked goods moist and more. Try the dairy in recipes like Buttermilk Fried Tofu with Smoky Collard Greens and Buttermilk-Oatmeal Pancakes for a flavorful and delicious meal, side or snack.

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Lemon-Poppy Seed Scones

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No bakery degree required for this recipe: these healthy lemon-poppy seed scones are as easy to make as a batch of muffins. White whole-wheat flour adds a boost of fiber, and just enough butter gives them great flavor and texture without going overboard on calories. For a sweeter scone, drizzle with the optional scone glaze.

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Buttermilk Fried Tofu with Smoky Collard Greens

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Dipping tofu in buttermilk makes the coating stick for a crispy pan-fried tofu, reminiscent of fried chicken. Spicing up the collards with paprika coats them with smoky flavor while keeping this dish vegetarian. And this quick, easy and healthy dinner comes together in just 25 minutes, so it's great for busy weeknights.

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Buttermilk Mashed Potatoes

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Garlic cloves, cooked along with the potatoes, give this puree extra body and lots of flavor.

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Fried Chicken Salad with Buttermilk Dressing

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A blend of whole-wheat panko and fine cornmeal gives this healthy chicken recipe the perfect amount of crunch even though it's not deep fried. Making an easy homemade buttermilk ranch dressing recipe means you can skip bottled, which may have additives and stabilizers.

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Corncakes & Eggs

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These savory cornmeal pancakes are piped into a ring, allowing you to crack an egg in the center and fry up a hot breakfast all at once.

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Chopped Salad with Chicken & Avocado-Buttermilk Dressing

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This herb-loaded green goddess-inspired dressing gets a color boost from creamy avocado. Make a double batch of this healthy salad dressing to keep on hand for salads throughout the week.

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Buttermilk-Oatmeal Pancakes

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Start your day in a hearty, high-grain way with these buttermilk-oatmeal pancakes. Maple syrup is a perennial favorite atop a stack of these pancakes; sliced bananas would also complement their oat flavor.

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Oven-Fried Zucchini Fries with Herbed Buttermilk Dipping Sauce

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These easy oven-baked veggie fries are made from thick slices of zucchini dipped in a seasoned breadcrumb batter. Served with an herbed buttermilk dipping sauce, they're so good, you may just prefer them over regular potato fries!

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Buttermilk Cornbread with Vidalia Onions

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This healthy skillet cornbread recipe looks similar to an upside-down cake. To make it special, artfully arrange the sautéed onions in the pan before pouring the batter in. Serve with soft butter, if desired.

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Whole-Grain Buttermilk Pancakes

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This healthy whole-grain buttermilk pancake recipe uses 100% whole-wheat flour, heart-healthy canola oil and just a tablespoon of sugar. Compared to most store-bought mixes or a classic recipe, this recipe saves about 30 calories, 3 grams saturated fat and 4 grams total sugar per serving, plus you'll dish up 2 extra grams of fiber. If you want to experiment with different types of whole grains, replace up to 1/2 cup of the whole-wheat flour with cornmeal, oats and/or buckwheat flour. Or add extra fiber and omega-3s by adding up to 3 tablespoons of ground flaxseed or chia seeds.

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Quinoa Avocado Salad with Buttermilk Dressing

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Persimmons add sweetness to this tossed green salad that sports a healthy salad dressing. A sprinkling of crispy fried quinoa adds unexpected crunch, putting the salad over the top in the best way.

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Easy Buttermilk Cupcakes

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Light, sweet vanilla cupcakes topped with chocolate cream-cheese frosting will be a hit with your family.

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Southern-Style Oven-Fried Chicken

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A blend of dried spices gives the crispy panko coating on these oven-fried chicken thighs plenty of flavor, and marinating the chicken in buttermilk makes it moist and juicy. If you don't have an oven-safe skillet, you can roast the chicken in a baking dish in Step 5. Serve with your favorite vegetables (bake them alongside the chicken to make it easy) for a healthy comfort food dinner that requires just 20 minutes of active prep time.

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Salmon Caesar Salad

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This easy Caesar salad subs creamy Greek yogurt and buttermilk for the traditional egg yolks and olive oil and mixes in mildly bitter radicchio in addition to classic romaine. Using just a small amount of flavorful Parmigiano-Reggiano shaves calories and sodium too.

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Banana-Blueberry Buttermilk Bread

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The slight acidity of buttermilk tenderizes and moistens baked goods while allowing you to cut way back on butter or oils. Here, it also lends a slight tanginess to the winning combination of bananas and blueberries. To make muffins instead, see Muffin Variation.

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Air-Fryer "Fried" Chicken Thighs

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Air fryers need a lot less oil to create a deep-fried crispy crust. Here, chicken thighs are marinated in buttermilk and dredged in a simple breadcrumb coating. With the help of a little cooking spray, they cook up nice and crispy with a lot less fat. Serve them with your favorite dipping sauce or slice them up to top a salad.

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Cranberry-Pecan Cinnamon Rolls

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This cranberry-pecan cinnamon roll recipe is a cinch to put together--there's no kneading and no rolling of any dough. These rolls are baked in a muffin tin and are already perfectly portioned, making them great for a morning treat or as part of a brunch menu.

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Pan-Fried Okra

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These spicy, crunchy pan-fried okra pods may be just the recipe to turn okra haters into lovers. Bonus: Okra's soluble fiber--the unique gel that traditionally thickens gumbo--also helps clear unhealthy cholesterol in your body. Serve this vegetarian side dish along with baked or grilled chicken or fish for a healthy dinner.

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Strawberry Sheet-Pan Pancakes

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Sheet-pan pancakes feed a crowd, without your standing over a hot skillet or griddle for long periods of time. This easy pancake recipe calls for sprinkling strawberries on top of the batter, but you could personalize toppings for guests with a variety of fruits or nuts.

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Chicken-Broccoli Salad with Buttermilk Dressing

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Packaged broccoli slaw shortcuts the prep for this honey-mustard chicken salad. Dried cherries add a pop of color and tart-sweetness.

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Blackberry Buttermilk Scones

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If you've never baked scones at home, you'll be pleasantly surprised by how easy they are to make. And it's hard to beat this version made with fresh blackberries and tangy buttermilk. This healthy scone recipe calls for half all-purpose flour and half white whole-wheat flour--the latter improves the nutritional profile of the scones without affecting their flavor and texture. Serve these for weekend brunch, at teatime or anytime you want a special breakfast treat.

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Homemade Ranch Dressing with Veggies

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Make a big batch of homemade ranch dressing to keep on hand for dipping crisp, raw vegetables anytime for a healthy snack both kids and adults will enjoy.

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BBQ Pulled Chicken Sandwich with Coleslaw

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This eastern North Carolina-style chicken barbecue recipe is vinegar-based, a far cry from the sweet tomato-heavy sauces from the western part of the state. Double the recipe to make a big batch, perfect for game-day parties and potlucks.

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Layered Mashed Potato & Mushroom Casserole

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Fancy up regular mashed potatoes with a layer of mushroom duxelle--a sauté of finely chopped mushrooms and shallots. We omitted the traditional butter in the duxelle and added chard for a nutritional boost. Serve this hearty side in place of mashed potatoes at any holiday feast or enjoy it as a vegetarian main dish.

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Buttermilk Poundcake with Orange Curd

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This satisfyingly moist and dense cake uses a tried-and-true technique for baking. Most cakes go right into a hot oven so all the rising happens fast and the cake firms up before any batter overflows out of the pan. With pound cake the batter is so dense that a speedy rise isn’t necessary. So here we start the cake in a cold oven and then bake at a relatively low temp. Besides the convenience of no preheating, the cake rises slowly as the heat increases, resulting in a wonderful crust and tender, moist crumb. Serve drizzled with orange curd (see Associated Recipe) for a touch of seasonal citrus.

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Blue Cheese-Veggie Slaw

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Crumbled blue cheese in a buttermilk dressing elevates basic coleslaw and is a perfect way to introduce kids to the potent cheese. Top with grilled chicken or pork for a fast and easy meal-in-a-bowl.

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