Food and Recipes Party Food and Drink Our Best Sweet and Savory Buttermilk Recipes (That Go Way Beyond Biscuits) By Southern Living Editors Southern Living Editors Since 1966, the editors of Southern Living have been carrying out the mission of the brand: to bring enjoyment, fulfillment, and inspiration to our readers by celebrating life in the South. We inspire creativity in their homes, their kitchens, their gardens, and their personal style. We are a friend they can trust, a guide to the seasons, a helping hand during the holidays, and a relentless champion of the Southern way of life. Southern Living's editorial guidelines Updated on July 13, 2022 Share Tweet Pin Email Trending Videos Photo: Alison Miksch Have a quart of buttermilk hiding in the back of your fridge? Fear not: there are myriad ways to use this Southern staple ingredient, spanning from sweet to savory. Buttermilk adds moisture to some of our favorite baked goods, like our Glazed Buttermilk Donut Cake and our No-Knead Buttermilk Bread. It brings tang to our favorite salad dressings, like our Herbed Buttermilk Ranch. It adds richness to plenty of savory dishes, like our Buttermilk Alfredo Chicken Spinach Pasta. Is there anything that buttermilk can't do? Just hearing the word buttermilk makes you think rich and delicious, and these recipes show you why that thought is correct. From fluffy waffles to biscuits, these buttermilk recipes highlight how many ways the staple can be used to add depth and flavor to a range of dishes. From the decadent Classic Southern Buttermilk Pie to the zest and spice of Korean Buttermilk Chicken Kabobs, these recipes prove that while buttermilk is a Southern kitchen staple, it can add robust flavor to a variety of meals. So grab a quart and see how these buttermilk recipes can liven up your menu and add delight to your table. As an added bonus, you can even learn how to make buttermilk yourself. 01 of 39 Fluffy Buttermilk Waffles Alison Miksch Recipe: Fluffy Buttermilk Waffles These are too delicious to save for breakfast. One bite and you'll be a believer, too. 02 of 39 Classic Southern Buttermilk Pie Iain Bagwell Recipe: Classic Southern Buttermilk Pie Silky, sweet, and perfectly decadent—this one is going to have you going in for seconds. 03 of 39 Pork Chops with Dijon-Buttermilk Sauce Greg DuPree; Food Styling: Rishon Hanners; Prop Styling: Christina Daley Recipe: Pork Chops with Dijon-Buttermilk Sauce A flavorful pan sauce with buttermilk helps keep bone-in pork chops from drying out while cooking 04 of 39 Oven-Baked Buttermilk French Toast Victor Protasio; Prop Styling: Heather Chadduck Hillegas; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall Recipe: Oven-Baked Buttermilk French Toast Cooking French toast in a casserole dish is the best way to serve a crowd. 05 of 39 Buttermilk Cornbread Photographer: Isaac Nunn, Prop Stylist: Julia Bayless, Food Stylist: Ruth Blackburn Recipe: Buttermilk Cornbread Hear us out: Brown sugar is a great compromise to the much debated sugar or no sugar debate. 06 of 39 Buttermilk Chicken Tenders with Roasted Potatoes and Green Beans Greg DuPree Recipe: Buttermilk Chicken Tenders with Roasted Potatoes and Green Beans Homemade chicken tenders will be extra tender (and better than takeout) if you marinate them in buttermilk. 07 of 39 Mini Triple-Chocolate Buttermilk Pound Cakes Alison Miksch Recipe: Mini Triple-Chocolate Buttermilk Pound Cakes You'll hardly be able to bake these little gems before they're devoured. 08 of 39 No-Knead Buttermilk Bread Greg Dupree; Prop Styling: Cindy Barr; Food Styling: Chelsea Zimmer Recipe: No-Knead Buttermilk Bread Your Dutch oven will allow this bread to come together with no kneading required. 09 of 39 Beef Flautas with Buttermilk-Avocado Crema Stephen DeVries Recipe: Beef Flautas with Buttermilk-Avocado Crema Having a dipping sauce is essential when serving flautas. This creamy sauce is a mix of avocado, sour cream, buttermilk, and lime juice. 10 of 39 Buttermilk Frosting Lee Harrelson; Styling: Jan Gautro Recipe: Buttermilk Frosting Homemade buttermilk frosting is easy to make and requires just four ingredients. 11 of 39 Chocolate-Buttermilk Pudding Photo: Alison Miksch Recipe: Chocolate-Buttermilk Pudding This is the perfect chocolately treat. Top with a dollop of buttermilk cream and a sprig of mint for the ultimate dish. 12 of 39 Buttermilk-Soaked, Bacon-Fried Chicken in Gravy John Lee Recipe: Buttermilk-Soaked, Bacon-Fried Chicken in Gravy It doesn't get much more Southern than fried chicken that's marinated in a hot sauce and buttermilk marinade. Plus, it's covered in gravy and bacon before serving. 13 of 39 Buttermilk Biscuits Jennifer Davick Recipe: Buttermilk Biscuits This versatile biscuit recipe only takes five ingredients to make. 14 of 39 Glazed Buttermilk Donut Cake Caitlin Bensel, Food Styling: Margaret Dickey, Prop Styling: Kay E Clarke Recipe: Glazed Buttermilk Donut Cake Buttermilk balances out the sweetness of this donut cake that can be served for brunch or dessert. 15 of 39 Grilled Wedge Salad with Buttermilk-Blue Cheese Dressing Greg Dupree; Prop Styling: Ginny Branch; Food Styling: Anna Hampton Recipe: Grilled Wedge Salad with Buttermilk-Blue Cheese Dressing Buttermilk-Blue Cheese Dressing is rich, creamy, and the ideal finish for grilled wedge salads. 16 of 39 Buttermilk Alfredo Chicken Spinach Pasta Victor Protasio; Prop Styling: Claire Spollen; Food Styling: Torie Cox Recipe: Buttermilk Alfredo Chicken Spinach Pasta Instead of heavy cream, we use buttermilk to give homemade Alfredo sauce a creamy finish. 17 of 39 Buttermilk Pound Cake Southern Living Recipe: Buttermilk Pound Cake Buttermilk Custard Sauce is just the finishing touch this buttermilk pound cake needs. 18 of 39 Air Fryer Buttermilk Chicken Tenders Caitlin Bensel; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall; Prop Styling: Audrey Davis Recipe: Air Fryer Buttermilk Chicken Tenders Using this recipe for air frying chicken tenders will ensure that they're crispy on the outside and tender on the inside. 19 of 39 Buttermilk Spoon Bread Antonis Achilleos; Prop Styling: Kathleen Varner; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall Recipe: Buttermilk Spoon Bread Think of this dish as a savory pudding and versatile side dish that can complete any holiday meal. 20 of 39 Triple-Chocolate Buttermilk Pound Cake Alison Miksch Recipe: Triple-Chocolate Buttermilk Pound Cake We took the traditional pound cake recipe and raised it a stunning, triple-chocolate twist. This cake means business. A duo of glazes—one creamy chocolate, the other subtle buttermilk—comes together atop this dreamy confection. 21 of 39 Buttermilk Drop Biscuits Victor Protasio; Prop Styling: Cindy Barr; Food Styling: Tina Bell Stamos Recipe: Buttermilk Drop Biscuits Whole grain mustard and chives upgrade drop biscuits to ensure there's flavor in every bite. 22 of 39 Buttermilk-Pecan Pralines Greg DuPree; Prop Styling: Christine Keely; Food Styling: Chelsea Zimmer Recipe: Buttermilk-Pecan Pralines Using paper baking cups will help give every praline the ideal shape. You can remove them from the cups once the candy has set. 23 of 39 Classic Buttermilk Mashed Potatoes Victor Protasio; Prop Styling: Ginny Branch Stelling; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall Recipe: Classic Buttermilk Mashed Potatoes If needed, these creamy mashed potatoes can be made a day ahead of serving. 24 of 39 Buttermilk-Chocolate Cake Victor Protasio; Prop Styling: Heather Chadduck Hillegas: Food Styling: Torie Cox Recipe: Buttermilk-Chocolate Cake This recipe uses cake flour and buttermilk for a light, tender finish. 25 of 39 Gingery Carrots with Pistachios and Coconut-Buttermilk Sauce Antonis Achilleos; Food Styling: Torie Cox; Prop Styling: Missie Neville Crawford Recipe: Gingery Carrots with Pistachios and Coconut-Buttermilk Sauce Chef Cheetie Kumar serves her tangy Coconut-Buttermilk Sauce over ginger carrots, but it would be delicious over any roasted vegetables. 26 of 39 Parsnip-Buttermilk Tart Peter Frank Edwards; Prop Styling: Kendra Surface; Food Styling: Anna Hampton Recipe: Parsnip-Buttermilk Tart Parsnips are given a sweet finish in this three-layer tart that starts with a homemade graham cracker crust and is finished with Pan-Roasted Apples. 27 of 39 Black Walnut-Buttermilk Pie with Hibiscus-Cranberry Relish Johnny Autry; Food Styling: Keia Mastrianni; Prop Styling: Charlotte L. Autry Recipe: Black Walnut-Buttermilk Pie with Hibiscus-Cranberry Relish Give traditional buttermilk pie an extra punch of flavor with a seasonal Hibiscus-Cranberry Relish. 28 of 39 Buttermilk-Fried Nashville Hot Fish Sandwich Stephen DeVries; Prop Styling: Thom Driver; Food Styling: Mary Claire Britton Recipe: Buttermilk-Fried Nashville Hot Fish Sandwich This halibut sandwich was given Nashville's spiciest finish. 29 of 39 Buttermilk-Peach Popsicles Antonis Achilleos; Prop Styling: Ginny Branch; Food Styling: Torie Cox Recipe: Buttermilk-Peach Popsicles Make the most of fresh peaches with this five-ingredient popsicle recipe. 30 of 39 BBQ in a Blanket with Buttermilk-Ranch Sauce Hector Sanchez; Styling: Buffy Hargett Miller Recipe: BBQ in a Blanket with Buttermilk-Ranch Sauce Assemble an easy and delicious lunch with pulled pork, refrigerated biscuits, and your favorite barbecue sauce. 31 of 39 Buttermilk Chicken and Waffles Jennifer Davick Recipe: Buttermilk Chicken and Waffles Keep waffles warm in a 200° oven up to 30 minutes before assembling. 32 of 39 Cucumber-Buttermilk Soup Johnny Autry; Prop and Food Styling: Charlotte L. Autry Recipe: Cucumber-Buttermilk Soup Chilled soups are so refreshing during spring and summer months, especially when made with fresh cucumbers. 33 of 39 Carrot-Pineapple Mini Bundt Cakes with Buttermilk-Vanilla Glaze Cedric Angeles; Prop Styling: Claire Spollen; Food Styling: Torie Cox Recipe: Carrot-Pineapple Mini Bundt Cakes with Buttermilk-Vanilla Glaze You'll find buttermilk in both the cake and the glaze of this carrot cake recipe. 34 of 39 Slow-Cooker Buttermilk Grits Antonis Achilleos; Prop Styling; Heather Chadduck Hillegas; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall Recipe: Slow-Cooker Buttermilk Grits Grits made in the slow cooker are great to keep on hand for busy weekday mornings, or make a simple base for a fun weekend grits bar. 35 of 39 Buttermilk-Ricotta Cheese Dip Photo: Hector Sanchez Recipe: Buttermilk-Ricotta Cheese Dip If you've never tried homemade ricotta, then you're in for a tasty surprise. This will change the way you think about the store-bought kind. 36 of 39 Buttermilk-Glazed Mini Fig Cakes with Vanilla Hard Sauce Photo: Hector Sanchez Recipe: Buttermilk-Glazed Mini Fig Cakes with Vanilla Hard Sauce Muffin pans make the perfect baking vessels for these little fig cakes. 37 of 39 Buttermilk-and-Honey Chicken Kabobs Photo: Jim Franco Recipe: Buttermilk-and-Honey Chicken Kabobs A buttermilk marinade ensures tender meat and juicy flavor. The kabobs are delicious on their own, but even better with Toasted Pecan Pesto or Romesco Sauce. 38 of 39 Orzo Salad with Spicy Buttermilk Dressing Johnny Autry Recipe: Orzo Salad with Spicy Buttermilk Dressing The recipe is easy to double, and you'll have most of the ingredients in your pantry, so it's the perfect solution for a last-minute party or potluck. 39 of 39 Herbed Buttermilk Ranch Dressing Alison Miksch Recipe: Herbed Buttermilk RanchRecipe: Lemony RanchRecipe: Blue Cheese RanchRecipe: Avocado Ranch Master the main recipe for Herbed Buttermilk Ranch Dressing, then try one (or all) of the riffs for delicious flavors that will dazzle your greens. Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Tell us why! Other Submit