How to Make Sour Milk at Home
There is nothing worse than opening the fridge on pancake day and realizing you are all out of sour milk. Stress no more, thanks to this super simple recipe for homemade sour milk!
I love making everything from scratch. It is a fun way to connect with your food and unwind. That’s why whenever I make sour milk biscuits or buttermilk pancakes, I whip up my own sour milk and you can too!
This super easy method will give you perfect sour milk in minutes so you can make your kitchen dreams come true!
What Is Sour Milk?
Home bakers have relied on sour milk for ages! It’s a super easy way to add flavor and texture to your baking and it only takes two ingredients.
Sour milk is a combination of dairy and acid, often citrus juice. It is used in baking to bring creaminess and tangy flavor to cakes, muffins, and more. Sour milk can also take the place of buttermilk in a pinch!
🥘 Ingredients
- Milk: I like to use whole milk to make sour milk. It has a higher fat content than reduced-fat milk which results in rich baked goods.
- Lemon Juice: You cannot beat freshly squeezed lemon! It makes everything taste better and the smell will linger in your kitchen for hours! Pick out a bright, firm, fresh lemon for this recipe, and be sure to wash it before use.
See the recipe card for quantities.
🔪 Instructions
Step One: Squeeze the lemon and strain it through a fine-meshed sieve. Combine and stir the freshly squeezed lemon juice and milk.
Step Two: Let it sit for ten minutes.
Step Three: Use immediately in recipes calling for sour milk or buttermilk.
🍋 Substitutions
This recipe is designed to help you out in a hurry when you need buttermilk or sour milk but are all out! With that in mind, if you need to trade the lemon for white vinegar or the milk for heavy cream, both swaps will result in tart, tangy, creamy sour milk.
🍽 Equipment
- Lemon Squeezer: A lemon squeezer makes juicing lemons so much easier and less messy. If you do not have a lemon squeezer, try a citrus reamer, or juice the lemon over a strainer.
- Fine-meshed sieve: To get rid of the lemon pips.
- Spoon and Glass: You can use a glass, bowl, or even your measuring cup to combine these two easy ingredients.
💭 Top tips
Using fresh lemon has an authentic flavor and acidity. I find that some bottled lemon juices lack the vibrant citrus tang you want; however, if you’re in a baking crisis, use whatever is on hand!
👩🏻🍳 Uses
The delectable culinary options for this sour milk are practically endless. Here are a few great ways to put this recipe to good use:
- Chocolate Bundt Cake
- Waffles
- Sour Milk Scones
- Buttermilk Battered Green Beans
🙋🏻 FAQ
This recipe is made for immediate use. It makes about one cup of sour milk that is ready to be added to your favorite muffin, cake, or pancake recipe.
No! Sour milk has a bad reputation due to its name. It is not milk that has ‘gone sour’. Sour milk is a processed dairy that uses fresh milk and fresh citrus. It is safe to consume, although its flavor is best enjoyed in delicious homemade treats!
Other Recipes for You to Try
- Three Ingredient Yogurt Cake
- Coconut Pound Cake
- No-bake Lemon Cheesecake with Blueberry Topping
- Lemon Cookies
- Lavender Lemon Muffins
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Easy homemade sour milk
Equipment
- Spoon
Instructions
- Squeeze one lemon and combine 1 cup Milk with 1 tbsp Lemon juice .1 cup Milk, 1 tbsp Lemon juice
- Stir well.
- Let it sit for 10 minutes.
Nutrition
⛑️ Food Safety
- Cook to a minimum temperature of 165 °F (74 °C)
- Do not use the same utensils on cooked food, that previously touched raw meat
- Wash hands after touching raw meat
- Don’t leave food sitting out at room temperature for extended periods
- Never leave cooking food unattended
- Use oils with high smoking point to avoid harmful compounds
- Always have good ventilation when using a gas stove
For further information, check Safe Food Handling – FDA.
I agree with you that homemade sour milk is better stored and bought anytime. I tried yesterday. so good.
Thank you, Swathi!