Does Buttermilk Taste Good In Coffee?
You really can’t beat the aroma of a freshly brewed cup of coffee!
Coffee fanatics will all have very different opinions on how coffee should be served, but many people agree that a splash of milk or creamer is the perfect addition to a hot coffee.
But if you’re a fan of milky coffee, can you substitute the milk for buttermilk? Buttermilk does not taste good in coffee. You will end up with a hot beverage that tastes sour and unpleasant. If you don’t have any milk, you can try adding half-and-half or heavy cream to your coffee or use a non-dairy milk substitute.
Are you looking for a new way to serve your coffee drinks? Read on to find out what buttermilk tastes like in coffee, and find out if this could be the new way to enjoy your favorite hot drink!
What Is Buttermilk?
We need to clear something up right from the start here—buttermilk does not contain any butter! The reason for the name arises from how buttermilk was originally made.
This milky liquid is a by-product of the traditional butter-making process, although nowadays the process has changed somewhat.
In the past, butter was made by churning heavy cream until it curdled. The thick curds were removed to shape into butter, and the remaining liquid turned into buttermilk.
This watery milky liquid was lower in fat than regular milk and was commonly used for home baking.
To create the volume of buttermilk needed to meet modern-day requirements, a slightly different process is used.
Bacterial cultures are added to low-fat milk, which is left to ferment at low temperatures for up to 24 hours. The sugars are converted into lactic acid, which gives buttermilk its distinctive tangy taste.
The modern-day buttermilk is thicker than that created during traditional butter-making processes, but it has a similar taste and can be used in the same way.
What Does Buttermilk Taste Like?
Now we don’t want to put you off here, but buttermilk does taste slightly like milk that has started to turn sour! This is a naturally-occurring flavor that is a result of the bacterial fermentation process.
The sugar contained within the milk will have been turned into lactic acid, so buttermilk is less sweet and tangier than conventional milk.
Buttermilk made using modern methods has a creamy, milky flavor, with a slight hint of sourness. Traditional buttermilk will be much thinner and more watery, but with a similar flavor.
What Happens When You Put Buttermilk In Coffee?
The reason that we add milky products to our coffee is very simple—the flavor and texture of milk will completely change the way that coffee tastes.
Without milk, black coffee tastes very astringent, and although there are many espresso lovers out there, taking coffee this way is not to everyone’s liking.
But add a bit of milk or creamer to coffee, and it is transformed! The fats in milk give a velvety smoothness to the drink, improving the way it feels in your mouth.
The protein in milk will bind to the tannins in coffee, reducing or removing the astringent taste, and the sugars in the milk add a gentle sweetness.
But does buttermilk behave in the same way as other milk products when added to coffee?
Unfortunately, the very things that make buttermilk useful as a byproduct of butter making are also qualities that make it taste quite odd when added to coffee.
Firstly, the sugars in buttermilk have been turned to acid, so you won’t get the same subtle sweetness when adding buttermilk to coffee as you do with standard milk or creamer.
Buttermilk might be thicker than milk but it is also very low in fat, so you won’t get the same velvety mouth feel that you get with other milk products in coffee.
And finally, the slight sourness of buttermilk will taint the overall flavor of your coffee.
All in all, there are not many good things to say about adding buttermilk to coffee!
Does Buttermilk Taste Good In Coffee?
So far, adding buttermilk to coffee is not looking like a great idea. But what would it actually taste like?
If you add buttermilk to coffee then your hot drink will have a sour, unpleasant taste without any sweetness.
And to make it even more unappetizing, it is likely that the buttermilk will curdle, giving you solid milky lumps floating in your coffee!
You might try to mask the sourness of buttermilk in coffee by adding a sweetener, but it is unlikely that you will be successful. We’d suggest putting the buttermilk to better use, and finding an alternative milk substitute for your coffee instead!
What Can You Use Instead Of Buttermilk In Coffee?
Luckily if you don’t have any milk, there are many other options of ingredients you can add to your morning coffee. A good place to start is with other dairy milk products, such as half-and-half, or heavy cream.
Commercial coffee creamer also tastes amazing in freshly brewed coffee and is a handy store-cupboard staple with a long shelf life.
If you are looking for a non-dairy option to add to coffee, then there is a huge range of dairy-free milk alternatives available.
The best ones to add to hot drinks are oat milk, soy milk, and almond milk, as they all have a natural creaminess and slight hint of sweetness.
And if you have no milk at all in the house, don’t panic! There are some fun ways to enhance your coffee drink without milk.
You might think some of these suggestions sound a bit odd, but give them a go—we promise that they are worth a try!
Firstly, have a rummage in the freezer for some ice cream—just a couple of teaspoons of vanilla ice cream can transform a cup of coffee into a pure indulgent pleasure.
Another option is to switch the sugar to honey. This will add a velvety sweetness to your coffee, giving an incredibly decadent flavor.
Fans of Keto-friendly diets may have already come across “bulletproof coffee”, a high-fat hot drink made with fresh coffee, unsalted butter, and coconut oil.
Blended together, these three ingredients have a foamy consistency, similar to a latte.
You could also try adding flavored syrups to coffee, such as hazelnut and caramel flavors.
Or, if you are feeling really decadent, a splash of alcoholic liqueur such as Irish cream can transform a freshly brewed coffee into a delicious after-dinner treat.
So, as you can see, there are many substitutes you can reach for to add to coffee before you need to resort to using buttermilk. This means you can keep your buttermilk for making perfect pancakes, to enjoy with your freshly brewed coffee!
Related Questions
Now that we’ve gone over what buttermilk tastes like in coffee, let’s take a look at a few related questions on the subject!
Is buttermilk easy to make?
What do you do if you have a recipe that calls for buttermilk, but they’ve run out at your local store? Well, you make your own buttermilk of course! And no, you don’t need to go and find fresh cow’s milk and a butter churn to do this.
Buttermilk is so easy to make that you’ll never have to buy it from the store again, and you only need two ingredients. You will need milk, preferably whole milk, and an acid such as lemon juice or vinegar.
Add one teaspoon of lemon juice or vinegar, stir well and leave to stand for 10 minutes. During this time, the acid will act on the milk and cause it to curdle.
You might see small curdled lumps in the buttermilk, which can be removed if you prefer before you use your buttermilk.
Can you use buttermilk in tea?
Buttermilk is not a good substitute for milk in tea, as it will give a slightly sour flavor to the hot drink.
Unlike normal milk, buttermilk will not mask the tannins in tea, so it will have a bitter taste. The buttermilk many also curdle in hot tea, creating small white milky lumps that float around in the drink.
Can you drink buttermilk?
Although buttermilk does not mix well with the tannins in hot beverages such as coffee and tea, it can be used to make a refreshing drink.
Drinking buttermilk straight is not to everyone’s taste, but it can be a great alternative to a cold milk drink.
In fact, many people find buttermilk easier to digest than standard milk, as it is lower in lactose. It may also contain higher levels of healthy probiotics, helping to aid digestion.
In terms of flavor, buttermilk is not as sweet as whole milk, so it can take a while to get used to the flavor.
Many people find buttermilk is good for keeping hunger at bay, helping to keep them full for longer.
So next time you’ve got a long morning ahead of you at work, try sipping a glass of cool buttermilk alongside your morning toast, and you should avoid those dreaded mid-morning hunger pangs!
Up Next: Sunflower Lecithin Vs Soy Lecithin – What’s The Difference?
Thanks Jaron for all that you are doing to enlighten us out here in the world!! I just started drinking buttermilk, but feel like I need a sip of warm tea between my drinks of the buttermilk, and I am wondering if that is okay for the body and for keeping the good qualities of the buttermilk working?
Thanks so much!!!!