You can smell the buttermilk, observe the texture, have a taste, or check the expiration date. If anything seems off, there is a good chance that the buttermilk has spoiled and should be thrown away. It can be tricky to tell if buttermilk is bad, especially if you are not used to using it at home, as it has a very different texture to milk and has a tangier smell as well, which many of us associate with off milk.
Below is everything you need to know on how to tell if buttermilk is bad, why buttermilk might go bad, and how to extend its shelf life.
There are a few signs to look for to see if buttermilk is off or not, so if you are not completely sure whether it is off or not, you can check for other signs to make a decision. Using the different senses, here are a few signs to look for to tell is the buttermilk has spoiled. Buttermilk does have a slightly tangier smell than normal milk or other dairy products, but the smell does tend to become sourer as the product spoils.
There is a period of the buttermilk storage where it can be difficult to detect a particularly sour smell, but if it has gone properly sour, you will be able to detect it straight away. Remember that a closed carton of buttermilk will have a stronger smell, as the odor has not had a chance to escape, so take that into account when smelling a newly opened buttermilk. You can tell whether or not buttermilk has gone off by simply looking at it.
When it spoils, buttermilk can have slight discoloration. Buttermilk which is well past its expiry date might even have mold growing on the surface and around the lid. This is due to increased bacterial growth, and if there is any mold present in the buttermilk or on the container, you should just discard it straight away, it is not worth any foodborne illnesses that come with drinking bacteria-ridden buttermilk.
When it begins to turn bad, buttermilk develops a thick, clumpy texture. It will be difficult to pour and there will be large clots. There is no way to salvage buttermilk that has turned lumpy, as there is a good chance that it is spoiled. Take note that buttermilk does naturally have a small number of lumps, but this should not interfere with the way the buttermilk has been poured and the little clumps should break up when it is whisked and mixed in with other ingredients.
You might have missed the other signs of buttermilk being off, and taste might be the next option. Buttermilk does have a slightly tangy taste , but if the buttermilk tastes sour or off in anyways, it should be thrown away. Buttermilk should also have a buttery taste, with a certain creaminess, and this also disappears once the buttermilk starts to spoil. A sure way to tell if your buttermilk has spoiled, if you are unsure whether looking at the other signs, is to look at the expiration date.
If you cannot tell if it is off by smelling, tasting and looking at the texture, and it is before the expiration date, it should be fine to use. However, if it is a week past the expiration date, you should discard the buttermilk. Like any other dairy product, buttermilk does eventually spoil. This bacteria growth is what causes the buttermilk to spoil, and makes it risky to drink after its expiry date as there is a higher chance of foodborne illnesses. Buttermilk expands when frozen. If you want to learn more, check out my article on freezing buttermilk.
Like other dairy products, buttermilk usually comes with a sell-by date. That date basically informs the seller how long they can keep the product in their inventory. On the contrary, the buttermilk should retain freshness for about a week or even up to two weeks past that date.
Unfortunately, you have no idea how the buttermilk was stored before it was placed on the shelf, or if it was refrigerated at all times. Every now and then your buttermilk will go bad much sooner than it should , even before the date on the label.
If that happens, assume it was mishandled by the seller. Once you open the container, the degradation process slightly accelerates. Because of that, you should finish it within a week or two of opening. Yes, even if the sell-by date is almost a month from now. When it comes to frozen buttermilk, like with other frozen products, the sooner you use it, the better.
And after like 3 to 6 months of freezing you might notice that the quality is worse than it usually was. Please note the periods above are estimates. Plus buttermilk is a product that requires refrigeration, so if it was mishandled before it got to you, it might go bad much sooner. For example, over time the smell and taste become sourer and less buttery. When we asked this question of the folks at the dairy farm that produces the buttermilk we use in the test kitchen, they told us to consume their product within five to seven days after opening.
However, guidelines from agricultural programs at various universities extend that period to two weeks. That it can last this long is not surprising, since buttermilk is high in lactic acid, which is hostile to the growth of harmful bacteria.
To find out, we held a series of tastings, comparing pancakes made with freshly opened buttermilk with those made with buttermilk that had been refrigerated for one week, two weeks, and three weeks. We found that as time went on, the pancakes tasted increasingly bland.
As time passes, the buttermilk continues to ferment and becomes more acidic. The abundance of acid kills off virtually all of the bacteria that produce the buttery-tasting diacetyl.
So three-week-old buttermilk will retain its tartness from lactic acid but lose much of its signature buttery taste, giving it less dimension. The good news is that there is a way to prolong the shelf life and preserve the flavor of buttermilk: Freeze it. Small curds formed almost instantly, but after a minute rest, most of the milk had not thickened at all.
On the other hand, the Lactobacillus bacteria added to milk to produce commercial buttermilk remove some of the sugar molecules bonded to the proteins, allowing them to form a gel that gradually becomes thicker over time. To find out, we made multiple batches of biscuits and buttermilk pancakes : one set with clabbered milk that had rested for 10 minutes and one set in which we mixed the milk into the batter immediately after adding the lemon juice.
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