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Buttermilk In Coffee
About the different uses for buttermilk including adding it to coffee.
Published March 17, 2022
Jennie Backteman
Coffee experts@The Coffee Lab
Adding buttermilk to coffee is a growing trend, despite how unusual it might sound at first. It adds subtly sweet characteristics and makes your coffee drink super creamy. What’s even better is that you can use buttermilk in many other kinds of recipes including desserts, dressings, and smoothies. Some people might be surprised to learn that in some parts of the world, buttermilk is a staple ingredient, and included in lots of delicious recipes. However, it’s not just for biscuits and gravy – you can use this traditional American breakfast item as an ingredient in coffee or as a substitute for regular dairy milk. So, if you are considering trying out some new ways to drink coffee with unique ingredients like buttermilk, then keep reading to find out more.
Buttermilk in Coffee
If you’ve never heard of it before, then the idea of putting buttermilk in coffee might not sound right at first. However, once you try it, you might change your mind. This drink is already known for being sweet and creamy, and it has been used to add flavor to food and drinks for hundreds of years. While coffee and buttermilk might not be the first two things to come to mind when it comes to thinking of a typical combination, they do go together surprisingly well. Despite seeming like an odd pair, there’s no reason why you shouldn’t enjoy them together.
What is Buttermilk?
Buttermilk refers to the thin liquid that is left over from making butter. It is a great ingredient in many recipes and for adding to coffee. Buttermilk consistency is quite thin, but it will make your coffee creamy. To make buttermilk, first butter is made out of the cream, and then the buttermilk is left over. The buttermilk taste itself is slightly sour and has hints of sweetness. It is a common ingredient in baking since it is more effective for helping a cake rise better compared to regular milk, so it’s not completely unheard of to add it to your coffee.
Buttermilk Benefits
There are plenty of benefits to consider before you decide to add buttermilk in coffee. First of all, you will be getting calcium from the dairy product, which has plenty of health benefits including contributing to muscle strength and preventing osteoporosis. Along with this, buttermilk does not contain any added sugar or carbs since it comes directly from milk that has already been sweetened by lactose.
Can I drink buttermilk in coffee? Buttermilk is a great addition to your morning cup of coffee as it does not have any sugars or carbs and is also rich in calcium that is good for you. It also adds further creaminess to your coffee which can make up for not having milk in your brew and contribute to a delicious taste.
Can you use buttermilk instead of heavy cream or milk? Along with this, buttermilk also lasts longer in comparison with fresh whole milk, making it an excellent option for those who don’t drink a lot of milk and tend to have trouble using it all up before it expires. Buttermilk can also be used in salad dressings, baked goods, and casseroles to add extra flavor and a creamy texture.
How to Use Buttermilk
Buttermilk can have many different uses in the kitchen. It’s ideal for using as a drink or for putting on pancakes due to how good it tastes and the fact that it is great in cooking. If you want fluffier baked goods that will stay fluffy for longer, you can use buttermilk instead of water. Buttermilk can help make your biscuits rise better and add moisture, to prevent them drying out quickly during baking or while waiting to be eaten after coming out of the oven.
Some of the top ways to use beverages include:
Use Buttermilk in Drinks
Can you drink buttermilk? You can easily replace regular milk with buttermilk to make a wide range of different drinks. Firstly, you can replace regular milk with buttermilk for a wide range of your favorite coffee drinks from mochas and cappuccinos to iced lattes and cold brew coffee. Buttermilk is a great addition to your coffee, adding sweet flavor notes to it and make it creamy.
Along with coffees, smoothies are another great way to get more buttermilk in your diet. A great smoothie recipe to try involves mixing banana, yoghurt, and buttermilk together – simple yet so good.
You can also use buttermilk as a great ingredient for bubble tea and various other types of milky teas like chai latte. It can also be used to add extra protein and calcium to protein shakes, with endless opportunities to try, so experiment to find which one works best for you.
Buttermilk Uses in Cooking
Along with adding to coffee and other drinks, you can add buttermilk to many different cooking recipes. Buttermilk can be mixed into waffle or pancake batter for more fluffiness and a richer taste.
It’s not just good in sweet foods, either – you can add chopped herbs like chives, thyme, dill and salt and paper with buttermilk instead of mayo to make ranch dressing or mix it with shredded cheese and a selection of your favorite spices and put it on top of potatoes to bake. Buttermilk can be added to potato salad, mashed potatoes, or even mac and cheese to add more flavor and richness without making them heavier with cream.
Baking is another great use for buttermilk – you can use it in cupcakes, cakes, and even donuts instead of milk.
How to Make Buttermilk Cinnamon Latte
One of the best coffee and buttermilk recipes to try is buttermilk cinnamon latte. It’s a great coffee beverage to have at any time of year but is especially warming and comforting during the fall and winter. To make it, you will need:
- Buttermilk
- Cinnamon sticks
- One cup of your favorite coffee
To make:
- Pour a cup of coffee into your mug and stir in half a tablespoon of cinnamon sticks and buttermilk
- Let it sit for around an hour before you drink the coffee to allow the flavors to infuse and mellow out together
- Once an hour has passed, stir the ingredients together and reheat them, before serving immediately
Cinnamon sticks give the coffee an additional kick of sweetness and spice. Buttermilk is a relatively mild drink, so don’t worry about it having an overbearing flavor since it will mellow out a lot more once added to the coffee and combined with cinnamon. You can also always add more sugar on top if you find that your mixture isn’t sweet enough after allowing it to mellow for some time.
Can You Make Buttermilk Coffee Cake?
Since it’s great for using in both coffee and baking, you might be wondering if you can make a coffee cake using buttermilk. Buttermilk is a liquid with less fat and more acid compared to traditional cream, giving it a thick consistency and an unusual flavor. As a result, it is ideal for baking bread or cakes that need to be very moist without containing too much oil. So, the answer is yes, buttermilk can be an ideal alternative ingredient to milk to make a coffee cake.
What Can You Add to Coffee Instead of Milk?
Can you use half and half instead of buttermilk? If you’re curious about other alternatives to add to your coffee instead of milk or buttermilk, there are lots of options available. You may want to first try a different kind of milk such as half and half, coconut milk or almond milk, which are becoming more and more common, but can be expensive. However, if you are not concerned about switching from dairy, then another alternative to try is adding a tablespoon or two of cream to get a creamier texture without all the extra calories or fat that are contained in standard coffee creamers. This can actually be better for your waistline, and it still tastes pretty good. If you want to avoid using any type of milk at all, then consider adding flavored syrups like hazelnut, vanilla, or caramel syrup into your coffee to sweeten it up while drinking it black.
Conclusion
It’s clear to see that adding buttermilk to your coffee might actually be a good idea, even if it’s not something that you have heard of before. Despite not being a very common option for adding to coffee, buttermilk is becoming more and more popular as coffee drinkers discover that it adds a subtle sweet flavor and creamy texture that makes the coffee even more delicious. Buttermilk is a light, refreshing addition to your coffee with just enough flavor to take it to the next level and combines well with other flavorings like cinnamon. Along with this, it’s got lots of other uses in different drinks, cooking and baking and also has plenty of health benefits including being a great source of calcium.
About the author
Jennie Backteman
I´m a ultramarathon runner, landscape designer and a coffee lover.
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