30+ Buttermilk Recipes to Use Up Leftover Buttermilk

By Sam MerrittPublished Apr 10, 2026

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Stuck with a half carton of buttermilk and don’t know what to do with it? My buttermilk recipes use leftover buttermilk to make moist and flavorful cakes, muffins, breads, and more!

Collage of buttermilk recipes including buttermilk cornbread, peanut butter sheet cake, chocolate chip muffins, and buttermilk pancakes.

Leftover Buttermilk Recipes

While it can be a game-changer for cakes, muffins, and more, I know buttermilk isn’t a kitchen staple for everyone. Even with all the baking I do, I still sometimes find myself hard-pressed to finish a full quart. And that’s exactly how I came up with this handy collection of leftover buttermilk recipes! Now you can use up that carton that you bought for red velvet cake and haven’t touched since 😉

I’ve arranged today’s collection from most to least amount of buttermilk, so you can easily find a recipe that can work with your amount of leftover buttermilk. Fortunately recipe #1 is also my personal favorite and top recommendation: buttermilk pancakes! 🥞

buttermilk pancakes on white plate with butter

It’s not just my favorite though; check out these reviews!

“Gone are the days of boxed pancake mix. This recipe makes divine pancakes. I’ve made it 2x now, and each time they’ve been amazing…”

“After 50 years of cooking pancakes your recipe is the best I’ve ever cooked! Fabulous!!”

And one more:

“Literally the best pancakes I’ve ever had.”

I think you get the point! Thick, fluffy, not-too-sweet with a hint of vanilla–it’s impossible to eat just one pancake when they taste this good. My recipe makes restaurant-quality (if not better) buttermilk pancakes that are simple enough to whip up on a weekend morning. I can’t wait for you to try them!

1. Buttermilk Pancakes

Also try my whole wheat pancakes, blueberry pancakes, apple pancakes, and chocolate pancakes–all use buttermilk too! This recipe uses 2¼ cup of buttermilk.

4.91 from 899 votes

Best Buttermilk Pancakes Recipe

Thick, fluffy, and ready in less than 15 minutes! Feel free to add blueberries or chocolate chips if you like.

BUTTERMILK PANCAKES RECIPE

2. Waffles

I love topping mine with homemade whipped cream and macerated strawberries! You will need 2 cups of buttermilk for the batter.

5 from 47 votes

The Best Waffle Recipe

Crisp, yet fluffy golden brown waffles that rival your favorite diner waffles. Great on their own, but even better with syrup, whipped cream, or fruit!

THE BEST WAFFLE RECIPE

3. Butter Pecan Cake

Such a unique, yet crowd-pleasing cake! My recipe uses 1 ½ cups of buttermilk in the cake layers.

4.95 from 58 votes

Butter Pecan Cake

Soft and moist butter pecan cake absolutely melts in your mouth! The brown sugar frosting pairs so well with the pecans.

BUTTER PECAN CAKE RECIPE

4. Soda Bread

One of my favorites for St. Patrick’s Day (though it’s tasty year-round!). You need 1 ½ cups to make this soda bread.

4.94 from 16 votes

No Yeast Bread (Soda Bread)

My take on traditional Irish soda bread! No mixer and only minimal kneading required.

SODA BREAD RECIPE

5. Vanilla Cake

One of my most popular buttermilk recipes! This cake uses 1 ¼ cup.

one bite missing from a slice of vanilla cake with chocolate frosting

4.91 from 1733 votes

Vanilla Cake Recipe

Super soft and moist vanilla cake entirely from-scratch! It has a rich vanilla flavor that pairs well with a variety of frostings.

VANILLA CAKE RECIPE

6. Chocolate Chip Sheet Cake

Who doesn’t love a sheet cake?! I love the simplicity of this one. This recipe uses 1 ¼ cup buttermilk.

5 from 16 votes

Chocolate Chip Sheet Cake

Perfect for snacking! This cake is soft and fluffy and absolutely studded with chocolate chips.

CHOCOLATE CHIP SHEET CAKE RECIPE

7. Buttermilk Pie

This old-fashioned recipe uses a cup of buttermilk in the custard filling.

5 from 20 votes

Buttermilk Pie

Old-fashioned buttermilk pie is a custard-based pie in a buttery crust. It's easy to make with just a handful of ingredients!

BUTTERMILK PIE RECIPE

8. Baked Donuts

My baked chocolate donuts also use buttermilk, if you prefer a chocolate version. This recipe uses 1 cup.

5 from 11 votes

Baked Donuts

Ready in under 30 minutes! These are soft and fluffy, yeast-free donuts. I include a variety of topping options.

BAKED DONUTS RECIPE

9. Drop Biscuits

Also try my garlic cheese drop biscuits (they use buttermilk too!). You’ll need 1 cup of buttermilk for my recipe.

Homemade drop biscuits stacked in a pile

4.95 from 57 votes

Easy Drop Biscuits

Drop biscuits are the simpler, but still just as tasty version of cut-out biscuits. My recipe takes just 20 minutes to make!

DROP BISCUITS RECIPE

10. Chocolate Cake

Many of my chocolate cake recipes use buttermilk, like my German chocolate cake, Ding Dong cake, and peanut butter chocolate cake. We’ll use 1 cup of buttermilk in the cake layers.

slice of chocolate cake with a bite missing (showing fudgy texture) on white plate.

4.98 from 286 votes

The BEST Chocolate Cake Recipe

My chocolate cake recipe is made completely from-scratch in one bowl! It's moist and fudgy, just like classic chocolate cake should be.

CHOCOLATE CAKE RECIPE

11. Homemade Biscuits

One of my top recipes, while this one works just fine with regular milk (and calls for it) you can (and should) try substituting an equal amount of buttermilk for the milk called for. So many people in the comments make this one using buttermilk (and rave about it) I had to include it in the roundup. You will need ¾ cup buttermilk for this recipe.

4.96 from 5082 votes

Homemade Biscuits

Buttery, flaky homemade biscuits are a lot easier to make than you think! These pair just as well with butter and jam as they do sausage gravy.

HOMEMADE BISCUITS RECIPE

12. Vanilla Cupcakes

Perfect for parties! My recipe uses ¾ cup of buttermilk.

Vanilla cupcake on a pedestal topped with a tall swirl of vanilla bean frosting.

4.90 from 94 votes

Vanilla Cupcake Recipe

Simple and quick vanilla cupcakes with a distinct vanilla flavor. They have a soft, moist texture that beats a box mix any day!

VANILLA CUPCAKE RECIPE

13. Cornbread Biscuits

The *best* side for my award-winning chili, hands-down. You will need ¾ cup buttermilk to make my recipe.

5 from 7 votes

Cornbread Biscuits

Cornbread biscuits are a hybrid between classic biscuits and buttermilk cornbread. My recipe is easy peasy!

CORNBREAD BISCUITS RECIPE

14. Ice Cream Cone Cupcakes

Kids AND adults love these fun cupcakes! You need ⅔ cup of buttermilk for the cupcakes.

4.98 from 36 votes

Ice Cream Cone Cupcakes

Fun and tasty, these ice cream cone cupcakes are always a hit at parties. My version is entirely homemade and includes simple instructions for that classic swirl!

ICE CREAM CONE CUPCAKES RECIPE

15. Buttermilk Cornbread

I can’t talk about buttermilk recipes without mentioning buttermilk cornbread! My recipe uses ⅔ cup buttermilk.

stacked squares of buttermilk cornbread topped with honey and butter

4.96 from 85 votes

Buttermilk Cornbread Recipe

Making cornbread from-scratch is just as easy a box mix, but the results are far better! My version is slightly sweet and perfectly moist.

BUTTERMILK CORNBREAD RECIPE

16. Ranch Dressing

Probably the easiest of all my buttermilk recipes! You will need ½ cup of buttermilk to make this dressing.

mason jar full of ranch dressing centered in photo with honeycomb tile background and fresh veggies surrounding jar

5 from 8 votes

Homemade Ranch Dressing

You can make homemade ranch with just a few pantry staples! My version takes just 5 minutes to make and can be used as a dip or dressing.

RANCH DRESSING RECIPE

17. Whoopie Pies

A Pennsylvania Dutch classic and a recipe handed down to me from my grandmother. This recipe uses ½ cup of buttermilk.

4.88 from 39 votes

Whoopie Pies

Authentic, real-deal whoopie pies made with cakey chocolate cookies and an old-fashioned flour-based filling. No shortening or marshmallow here!

WHOOPIE PIES RECIPE

18. Cinnamon Coffee Cake

I also have recipes for blueberry coffee cake, banana coffee cake, and birthday crumb cake that all use buttermilk as well. You will need ½ cup buttermilk to make my recipe.

4.97 from 315 votes

Cinnamon Coffee Cake

My cinnamon coffee cake has a velvety soft texture and buttery, spiced flavor. It takes just 30 minutes to prep!

CINNAMON COFFEE CAKE RECIPE

19. Chocolate Chip Muffins

One of my top muffin recipes! Also try my peanut butter muffins and chocolate chip banana muffins, as both require buttermilk. I use ½ cup buttermilk in these muffins.

interior of a fluffy chocolate chip muffin

4.92 from 463 votes

Bakery-Style Chocolate Chip Muffins

My bakery-style chocolate chip muffins rise high with perfectly domed, sugared tops. They are light, fluffy, and moist!

CHOCOLATE CHIP MUFFINS RECIPE

20. Peanut Butter Sheet Cake

While I love the cake, the candied frosting is absolutely my favorite part of this recipe. It uses ½ cup of buttermilk.

5 from 46 votes

Peanut Butter Sheet Cake

Classic and simple sheet cake topped with a fudgy peanut butter icing. It takes less than an hour to make!

PEANUT BUTTER SHEET CAKE RECIPE

21. Fried Pickles

Not interested in sweet buttermilk recipes? Here’s a savory one for you! You’ll need ½ cup of buttermilk for the batter.

4.91 from 50 votes

Fried Pickles

No deep fryer needed! I'll show you how to make perfectly seasoned and crisp fried pickles in just 20 minutes.

FRIED PICKLES RECIPE

22. Cinnamon Muffins

My cranberry muffins and oatmeal muffins also use buttermilk, if you’d like to make those. You will need ½ cup buttermilk for this recipe.

5 from 14 votes

Cinnamon Muffins

Soft and fluffy muffins topped with melted butter and sweet cinnamon sugar. No mixer needed!

CINNAMON MUFFINS RECIPE

23. Pineapple Upside Down Cupcakes

Like pineapple upside down cake, but mini! My recipe uses ½ cup of buttermilk.

5 from 9 votes

Pineapple Upside-Down Cupcakes

Just like the classic cake, but in cupcake form! This recipe is much faster to make and travels easily.

PINEAPPLE UPSIDE-DOWN CUPCAKES

24. Apple Muffins

My apple muffins are made with ½ cup buttermilk. Also try my peach muffins and strawberry muffins!

close-up shot of an apple muffin topped with streusel

4.78 from 61 votes

Apple Muffins

Moist and tender apple muffins piled high with a buttery crumb topping. This recipe is perfect for fall mornings!

APPLE MUFFINS RECIPE

25. Chocolate Cake Pops

My recipe uses ½ cup of buttermilk. I also have classic, non-chocolate cake pops!

5 from 9 votes

Chocolate Cake Pops

100% from-scratch! My recipe makes rich and fudgy cake pops with a smooth chocolate coating.

CHOCOLATE CAKE POPS RECIPE

26. Banana Bread

One of my many banana bread recipes (I also have Nutella banana bread, chocolate banana bread, and chocolate chip banana bread!). We’ll stir ¼ cup buttermilk into the batter for moisture and flavor.

5 from 194 votes

The BEST Banana Bread

Only 15 minutes to prep! My recipe uses extra bananas and brown sugar for a rich, bakery-style flavor.

BANANA BREAD RECIPE

27. Banana Muffins

My banana nut muffins also use buttermilk, if you like nuts in your muffins. You need ¼ cup buttermilk for my recipe.

streusel topped banana muffin missing a bite

4.98 from 1087 votes

The Best Banana Muffin Recipe

Bakery-style banana muffins topped with a crumb topping! My recipe includes tips for tall muffin tops.

BANANA MUFFIN RECIPE

28. Pumpkin Bread

Buttermilk makes this pumpkin bread super moist! Make sure you have ¼ cup buttermilk for the batter.

4.92 from 24 votes

Pumpkin Bread

Spiced and moist homemade pumpkin bread is a fall staple! My version includes a simple vanilla glaze.

PUMPKIN BREAD RECIPE

29. Banana Cupcakes

Buttermilk goes in the batter, and then we’ll add my brown butter frosting on top! You will need just ¼ cup of buttermilk for this recipe.

5 from 28 votes

Banana Cupcake Recipe

Ready in under an hour! I frost my banana cupcakes with brown butter frosting for a unique and indulgent finish.

BANANA CUPCAKE RECIPE

30. Banana Cake

One of my personal favorite buttermilk recipes! It uses ¼ cup buttermilk.

Banana cake with bite taken out on a white plate.

4.93 from 146 votes

The Best Banana Cake Recipe

Moist and flavorful banana cake with a silky cream cheese frosting. My recipe adds extra bananas and spices for the BEST banana cake you'll ever try!

BANANA CAKE RECIPE

31. Black and White Cookies

Buttermilk in cookies? It’s a must here–trust me! My recipe uses just 3 tablespoons of buttermilk.

5 from 3 votes

Black and White Cookies

An iconic NYC treat! I'll show you exactly how to make them in your own kitchen, right down to the two-tone icing.

BLACK AND WHITE COOKIES RECIPE

Frequently Asked Questions

Can you freeze buttermilk for later use?

Yes! Buttermilk can be frozen for several months. You can do this in ice cube trays, freezer bags, or freezer-safe containers.

Note that frozen buttermilk may separate upon thawing; if this happens to you, just give it a good shake/stir to help it come back together. If it stays separated, simply use it baked/cooked buttermilk recipes where you won’t notice the separation (so everything except the ranch dressing above!).

How long will buttermilk last in the refrigerator after opened?

If it stays tightly covered, your buttermilk will last for about 2 weeks in the fridge. The flavor will become more sour as it sits, so try to either use or freeze your buttermilk as soon as you can.

You’ll know your buttermilk has gone bad if you see signs of mold, a very thick, chunky texture, or detect an off smell (which can be hard one, since buttermilk already smells sour!).