Our buttermilk starter creates a traditional cultured buttermilk which is rich in nutritional value including enzymes, potassium, vitamin B12, riboflavin and calcium; allowing you to make buttermilk without the additives and stabilizers common in commercially available varieties of buttermilk. One packet of starter culture can be used to make unlimited amounts of buttermilk as it can be serial cultured--a small amount of buttermilk from the current batch is then reserved to inoculate the next batch of homemade buttermilk. With care, our buttermilk culture can be used to make homemade buttermilk indefinitely. No more having to continually buy buttermilk! Click here to learn how much money you can save by making your own buttermilk.
Homemade buttermilk can be used for baking, drinking or can be added to cream to make creme fraiche (European-style sour cream) or cultured butter.
Buttermilk culture contains the following lactic acid bacteria: Streptococcus Lactis.
How to Make Buttermilk: Our Buttermilk culture is a Mesophilic culture and cultures at room temperature. To make a batch of homemade buttermilk, the starter is simply added to milk, stirred and then allowed to culture on the counter before being placed in the refrigerator. A small amount of homemade buttermilk from the current batch is then reserved to make the next batch of buttermilk. With care, the starter culture can be used to make buttermilk indefinitely. Making buttermilk doesn’t get any easier than this!
Customers wishing to use raw milk to make homemade buttermilk will need to take additional steps to ensure a pure starter is maintained. Additional instructions concerning the use of raw milk will accompany each order.
Full instructions for making Cultured Buttermilk can be found here and will be included with your order.
Shipping Information: Our Buttermilk culture is shipped in a barrier sealed packet as a dehydrated buttermilk culture in a dairy carrier. Please keep it in a cool dry place until you are ready to make your first batch of homemade buttermilk. We ship enough dried buttermilk culture to make two batches of buttermilk starter. We recommend that you reserve half of the buttermilk starter in a safe place to use as a back-up.
This item is available for international shipping.
Each Packet of Cultured Buttermilk Starter Contains: Live active cultures and Organic Milk; .48 oz. (13.5 g.) dried buttermilk starter to culture one cup (8 oz.; 250 ml.) of buttermilk.
Detailed culturing instructions will be included with your order and can be found here.
General Information
What ingredients are in your buttermilk starter?
Which bacteria strains does your buttermilk culture contain?
Do I need to buy buttermilk culture each time I make buttermilk?
How does the buttermilk starter work?
Using Buttermilk Starter
What supplies do I need to make buttermilk?
Can I use buttermilk starter to make cultured butter or sour cream?
Where can I find recipes for using buttermilk?
Where can I view the instructions for using your buttermilk culture?
How do I store my buttermilk once its made?
What should I do with the extra dried buttermilk starter?
If I'm making other cultured foods (yogurt, sourdough, kombucha, etc.), how far apart do I need to keep the buttermilk culture?
Choosing Milk for Making Buttermilk
Can I use low fat milk to make buttermilk?
Can I use raw milk to make buttermilk?
Can I use non-homogenized milk to make buttermilk?
Can I use goat milk to make buttermilk?
Can I use alternative milks (e.g. soy, nut, lactose-free, etc.) to make buttermilk?
Can I use UHT (ultra-high temperature aka ultra pasteurized) milk to make buttermilk?
Troubleshooting
When does the buttermilk starter expire?
My buttermilk didn't thicken in the allotted time period?
While culturing my butermilk, it separated into curds and whey (solid on top, liquid on the bottom). What does this mean?
How can I get the dried buttermilk culture completely mixed into the milk?
I'm going on vacation, how can I preserve my buttermilk culture?
Q. What ingredients are in your buttermilk starter?
A. We take great care to use only organic ingredients to perpetuate our starter cultures. More specifically, our buttermilk starter contains live active cultures and organic milk.
Q. Which bacteria strains does your buttermilk culture contain?
A. Our buttermilk culture contains the live active bacteria Streptococcus Lactis.
Q. Do I need to buy buttermilk starter each time I make buttermilk?
A. No! With proper care, our buttermilk culture is self perpetuating. You simply reserve a small amount of buttermilk from a previous batch to make a new batch saving you lots of money over buying commercial products! Raw milk users, please see the special instructions included with your order to ensure that you maintain a pure starter culture.
Q. How does the buttermilk culture work?
A. As mesophilic culture, our buttermilk starter cultures at room temperature. To make a batch of homemade buttermilk, the buttermilk culture is simply added to milk, stirred and then allowed to culture on the counter before being placed in the refrigerator. A small amount of the current batch of buttermilk is then used to make the next batch and so on. You can view our buttermilk instructions here.
Customers wishing to use raw milk to make homemade buttermilk will need to take additional steps to ensure a pure starter is maintained. Additional instructions concerning the use of raw milk will accompany each order (or click here).
Q. What supplies do I need to make buttermilk?
A. We recommend culturing buttermilk in a glass container. Canning jars (which come in various sizes) or old condiment jars work well. In addition the container should have a lid (preferably plastic) and we recommend wooden utensils for working with your starter culture (metal spoons can be used for consuming the yogurt but we recommend non-metal utensils when working with the starter).
Q. Can I use buttermilk starter to make cultured butter or sour cream?
A. Yes. We recommend using either Piimä yogurt starter or our Buttermilk culture to make cultured butter or sour cream. Click here for information on making cultured butter. Click here for information making cultured sour cream or Crème Fraiche.
Q. Where can I find recipes for using buttermilk?
A. Click here for recipes using buttermilk.
Q. Where can I view the instructions for using your buttermilk culture?
A. Click here to view the buttermilk instructions.
Q. How do I store my buttermilk once it’s made?
A. Finished buttermilk should be stored in the refrigerator with a tight lid.
Q. What should I do with the extra dried buttermilk starter?
A. Each packet of buttermilk culture contains twice as much starter culture as you will need to create your initial batch. We encourage you to retain this additional buttermilk culture to use as a back-up culture for use in the event of a buttermilk making emergency or if you need to take an extended break from buttermilk making. We recommend storing this extra starter culture in a sealed bag (such as a zipper-style bag) in the refrigerator.
Q. If I’m making other cultured foods (yogurt, sourdough, kombucha, etc.), how far apart do I need to keep the buttermilk culture?
A. When items are being actively cultured (and don’t have lids), we suggest keeping a distance of at least several feet (and preferably more) between items. When your cultured items are being stored in the refrigerator with tight fitting lids, there is no need to keep distance between them.
Q. Can I use low fat milk to make buttermilk?
A. Yes, but the buttermilk will have a thinner consistency than buttermilk made with whole milk.
Q. Can I use raw milk to make buttermilk?
A. Yes! For customers wishing to make raw milk buttermilk, this is perhaps one of the greatest benefits to our room-temperature (counter-top) buttermilk starter culture. However, for the buttermilk starter to perpetuate beyond the first generation, you will need to take extra steps to ensure a pure starter is maintained. The process is easy and full instructions can be found here and will be shipped with your order (or click here).
Q. Can I use non-homogenized milk to make buttermilk?
A. Yes. Non-homogenized milk makes wonderful buttermilk. The only difference you will see when making buttermilk with non-homogenized milk is that the cream will rise to the top of the buttermilk just like it does with the milk so the top layer of the buttermilk will be more yellow in color.
Q. Can I use goat milk to make buttermilk?
A. Yes, our starter does work with goat milk however given that goat milk is generally much lower in fat than cow milk, goat milk yields a thinner consistency.
Q. Can I use alternative milks (e.g. soy, nut, lactose-free, etc.) to make buttermilk?
A. Yes, our buttermilk culture does work with soy, coconut and lactose-free milk however they do not perpetuate in these alternative milks beyond the first generation or two. Therefore, if you intend to use soy, coconut or lactose-free milk, you will need to maintain a buttermilk culture using cow or goat milk to use to inoculate each batch of the soy, coconut or lactose-free buttermilk.
Q. Can I use UHT (ultra-high temperature aka ultra-pasteurized) milk to make buttermilk?
A. We do not recommend using UHT milk with any of our starter cultures (including yogurt, buttermilk, kefir and cheese starters). The process by which UHT milk is pasteurized leaves the milk essentially dead for purposes of culturing and therefore you are likely to have less than satisfactory results when using it to make cultured foods.
Q. When does the buttermilk starter expire?
A. If kept in a cool dry place, the sealed packet of dried buttermilk culture should be viable for at least 6 months from the date of purchased. Once opened, the dried buttermilk starter, sealed in a plastic zipper-style bag and kept in a cool dry place (such as the refrigerator), should be viable for at least several months. Once the starter has been cultured into buttermilk, it must be recultued every 7 days to maintain long term viability. Theoretically these cultures will last indefinitely if cared for properly but due to inevitable human error, we include the extra dried starter in each packet to be used as a back-up culture.
Q. My buttermilk didn’t thicken in the allotted time period?
A. Occasionally buttermilk may take longer to thicken than specified in the instructions. This can happen for several reasons including possible drafts which might result in a lower temperature where the buttermilk is culturing. It is very important that proper temperature is maintained (70-77 degrees). It is acceptable to let the buttermilk culture for longer than indicated by the instructions and even if the temperature was a bit too cool, this will likely resolve the issue. Simply check the buttermilk every two hours or so and place it in the fridge once the culturing process is complete.
Q. While culturing my buttermilk, it separated into curds and whey (solid on top, liquid on bottom)?
A. If the buttermilk separates into curds and whey, it is generally a sign that the culture has died. The most common reason for this is excessive heat. Please be sure the area in which you are culturing your buttermilk is 70-77 degrees. An alternative reason a culture may have died is cross-contamination. Be sure all containers, utensils, etc. are thoroughly cleaned and rinsed (soap is detrimental to live cultures) prior to making buttermilk.
If this happens during your attempt to make buttermilk from the dehydrated starter culture, the next step is to use a portion of the second half of the dehydrated buttermilk starter in your packet to make a new batch of buttermilk. We recommend just using 3/4 t. of the dehydrated culture with 1/4 cup of milk for this second attempt. If your attempt is successful, you will still have a small amount of dehydrated starter culture to use in the event of a future buttermilk making emergency or if you need to take an extended break from buttermilk making.
If this second attempt is not successful, please contact us as we are happy to help troubleshoot further.
Q. How can I get the dried buttermilk starter completely mixed into the milk?
A. One of the easiest ways to incorporate the buttermilk culture into the milk is to secure a plastic lid on the container and shake until the starter and milk are fully mixed. If shaking isn’t an option, stir the starter into the milk as much as possible. The instructions allow for a bit of excess starter not to incorporate without damaging the final buttermilk.
Q. I’m going on vacation, how can I preserve my buttermilk starter?
A. Ideally you should make a new batch of buttermilk every 7 days. Occasionally you may be able to stretch that period out by another day or two. If you will be gone longer than a week though, we recommend finding a friend to care for your buttermilk starter culture or freezing a small amount of buttermilk. Freezing is not a perfect solution but it does usually work as long as the buttermilk is only frozen for a short period of time (no more than a few weeks).
Click here to view our Buttermilk Resources including recipes for using your homemade buttermilk
