Create allergy card
← Browse ingredients

Buttermilk

Milk-derived buttermilk.

Buttermilk — illustrative ingredient image

About Buttermilk

Buttermilk is a milk-derived liquid with a thin to moderately viscous texture and a tart, mildly buttery flavour. In contemporary retail use it is usually cultured milk, while the traditional term also refers to liquid remaining after churning cream into butter; these forms are not identical.

It is used in pancakes, biscuits, cakes, breads, marinades, dressings, soups, and drinks. Thickness and acidity vary by product, and in baking its tang and acidity affect dough structure and leavening, so substitutions are not necessarily equivalent.

Buttermilk is sold plain, cultured, fresh, powdered, or blended into prepared foods. Liquid products remain pourable, while powder requires reconstitution; fermentation, churning, drying, dilution, and blending alter its texture, acidity, and culinary performance.

Ingredient type
derived ingredient
Form
milk

Forms & related ingredients

FOLLOW IT TO THE PLATE

Where will you meet it?

Explore the dishes that use this ingredient and their country and cuisine connections.

Explore linked dishes

ON A MENU OR LABEL

Find local names and written forms to help recognise this ingredient.

See local names

Where buttermilk appears

27 linked foods

Find foods to recognise by country and type. Recipes and products vary; these are recorded ingredient connections.

Showing 1–12 of 27

Main dishes

Desserts

Soups

Ingredient connections awaiting review · Coverage is still growing, including packaged snacks.

Name examples awaiting language review. Confirm the specific food or product.

Local names for buttermilk

Names and romanised forms to recognise on menus and labels.

English

Buttermilk

English

Buttermilk, low fat

Search alias · Not a confirmed translation

English

Cultured buttermilk

Search alias · Not a confirmed translation

English

suero de mantequilla rehidratada

Search alias · Not a confirmed translation

Available names only. Languages may be spoken in other countries; a name alone does not identify every ingredient in a dish.

Buttermilk nutrition & diet

Buttermilk nutritional value

Milk, buttermilk, fluid, whole

Per 100 g of the edible portion in the recorded food form.

Calories
62kcal
Protein
3.2g
Carbs
4.9g
Fat
3.3g

Reference values for the specific food form shown. Other varieties, brands and preparations can differ.

Portions & preparation

Use the specific buttermilk form served, distinguishing cultured drinking buttermilk from liquid left after churning butter or from powdered reconstituted products. Preparation may include salt, sweeteners, stabilizers, or flavorings. Baked goods and marinades should be recorded as recipes rather than treated as plain buttermilk.

Compare the right form: Match references to cultured liquid buttermilk, traditional churn buttermilk, or reconstituted powder, with additives and edible serving form identified.

Diet considerations

Buttermilk is an animal-derived dairy product. Compatibility changes with milk ingredients, added sweeteners, flavorings, cereal batters, and baked goods. Plain cultured liquid differs from powder, traditional churn liquid, or a marinade. Any dish containing buttermilk may also include eggs, meat, or other animal-derived additions.

AI-authored reading notes · Awaiting editorial review. Measured values, where available, have a separate source above.

Dietary compatibility

  • Vegan
    Typically incompatible
  • Vegetarian
    Typically compatible
  • Pescatarian
    Typically compatible
  • Keto
    Depends on the version
  • Paleo
    Typically incompatible
  • Low-carb
    Depends on the version
  • Halal
    Not established
  • Kosher
    Not established
What these diet assessments mean
Vegan · Typically incompatible
The ingredient profile identifies an animal-derived food or derivative.
Vegetarian · Typically compatible
Permitted by the lacto-ovo vegetarian pattern used here, in its plain form.
Pescatarian · Typically compatible
Permitted by the pescatarian pattern used here, in its plain form.
Keto · Depends on the version
Compatibility depends on the portion and preparation. A sourced carbohydrate amount for a defined serving is not available.
Paleo · Typically incompatible
This profile falls outside the conventional paleo pattern used here (grains and pseudograins, legumes, dairy or refined sugar).
Low-carb · Depends on the version
Compatibility depends on the portion and preparation. A sourced carbohydrate amount for a defined serving is not available.
Halal · Not established
Sourcing, processing and any applicable certification have not been verified. A food name alone does not establish halal status.
Kosher · Not established
Sourcing, processing and any applicable certification have not been verified. A food name alone does not establish kosher status.

For the plain ingredient · Awaiting review. Diet compatibility is not allergy suitability or halal/kosher certification. Keto and low-carb depend on the portion.

Reviewed ingredient entryIngredient reference · Preparations vary

AI-generated illustration for visual context. It does not identify a particular product or establish allergen content.

Sources & review

Nutrition reference: USDA FoodData Central — Milk, buttermilk, fluid, whole ↗. Values are scaled from 100 g of the recorded edible form. Individual portions have no assumed fixed weight.

Expanded overview, name examples and nutrition notes are database drafts awaiting editorial review. Numeric nutrition values, where shown, have their own source and food-form reference.

The ingredient description and dish connections come from the draft catalogue and may change after review.

Last recorded verification: .