How to Make Buttermilk Pasta Sauce
It’s no secret… I LOVE pasta! No better time to learn how to make a buttermilk pasta sauce. It’s a creamy and comforting pasta dish without making a heavy sauce loaded with cheese and cream.
It comes together quickly with just a handful of ingredients, and the buttermilk gives the sauce a deliciously tangy flavor that makes it a little different from your usual pasta sauce.
It’s perfect when you want something creamy and satisfying but are trying to keep the meal a little lighter.
I do think I could eat pasta every day. Doesn’t everyone?
There are so many great pasta dishes, but when I’m watching my carb intake, I like to make a smaller portion of pasta and let this flavorful buttermilk sauce do the rest.
You can also serve the sauce over zucchini noodles for a lower-carb option.
The sauce is creamy, tangy, and savory, and I honestly don’t miss the super-heavy, cheesy sauces when I make it this way.
And if I save a few calories on dinner, I can use them for a cookie.
Because let’s be honest, sometimes you NEED a cookie!
Why make pasta sauce with buttermilk?
Buttermilk is a great ingredient for making a creamy pasta sauce because it adds plenty of flavor without requiring a lot of heavy ingredients.
The result is a smooth, tangy sauce with a savory chicken-flavored base that coats the pasta beautifully.
It’s also a great recipe to have on hand when you have leftover buttermilk in the refrigerator and need an easy way to use it.
What can you add to buttermilk pasta sauce?
This sauce is easy to customize, so once you have the basic recipe, you can change the flavor depending on what you have on hand.
Make it an Alfredo-style sauce:
Add about 2 oz. of grated Parmesan or Romano cheese for a richer, cheesy sauce.
Add some heat:
A pinch of crushed red pepper flakes adds just the right amount of heat.
Add garlic:
Fresh minced garlic, garlic paste, or a little dried garlic all work well. Garlic and buttermilk are a delicious combination in this creamy sauce.
Add fresh herbs:
Try minced basil, parsley, oregano, or rosemary. You can also add sautéed onions along with the garlic.
Add tomatoes:
Grape tomatoes cut in half are delicious with garlic and onions. They add a little sweetness and freshness to the sauce.
Give it a Mexican-inspired flavor: Add jalapeño, cilantro, lime juice, and a little crumbled cotija cheese.
Make it lemony:
A squeeze of fresh lemon juice gives the sauce an extra bright, tangy flavor.
Use it as a vegetable dip:
This sauce is also delicious served with roasted vegetables. It makes an easy creamy dip for broccoli, cauliflower, zucchini, and other roasted vegetables.
What kind of pasta can you use?
You can use your favorite pasta with this sauce. Spaghetti, linguine, fettuccine, penne, and rotini all work well.
If you’re looking for a lower-carb option, serve the sauce over zucchini noodles.
You can also use a smaller portion of traditional pasta and add vegetables to make the meal more filling without adding a lot of extra pasta.
What if I don’t have buttermilk?
You can make a simple buttermilk substitute at home using regular milk.
Learn how to make a buttermilk substitute here.
It works with different types of milk, so it’s a handy recipe to keep around whenever you have a recipe that calls for buttermilk.
More recipes using buttermilk
If you have extra buttermilk to use, here are a few more recipes you might enjoy:
Homemade Buttermilk Ranch Dressing
Buttermilk Pancake Cupcakes with Maple Frosting and Bacon
And don’t forget about an old favorite, Irish Soda Bread. It’s such a delicious way to use buttermilk.
More pasta recipes
If you love pasta as much as I do, take a look through my pasta recipes for more easy ideas.
And if you’re looking for more ways to make your own sauces, check out my sauce recipes.
This buttermilk pasta sauce is one of those easy recipes that is worth remembering. It’s quick, creamy, flavorful, and easy to change up depending on what you have in the refrigerator.
And yes… there’s always room for a cookie afterward.
And if you like pasta too, you might find this shirt funny!
Buttermilk Pasta Sauce
Ingredients
- 2 cups buttermilk – You will find a post on how to make buttermilk here if you don’t have or want to purchase buttermilk.
- 2 teaspoons chicken flavor they sell chicken flavor, bouillon in the soup aisle, granulated/powder or in a wet base that you refrigerate
- 2 teaspoons cornstarch if you’d like it thick add 2-3 tablespoons cornstarch
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- In medium saucepan heat buttermilk, chicken flavor and cornstarch mix with whisk and heat until it comes to a boil over medium heat.
- The sauce will thicken as it cools.
- Pour sauce over pasta and serve with salt and pepper to taste.
- If you’d like the sauce to have a cheesy flavor add in some grated Parmesan or Romano Cheese or top the serving dish with some.
Notes
I always have buttermilk in the refrigerator. This recipe is perfect for a quick weeknight meal. I added garlic and fresh parsley. Will try adding canned clams the next time.
I think this is a very good recipe and I just love how simple it is, I always seem to have extra buttermilk and my husband loves the nice tang this sauce has. I’ve made it many times, it’s great with chicken and pasta with spinach.
Mine did not thicken with 2 tablespoon cornstarch
You can always add more cornstarch if needed. If you drizzle the cornstarch mixed with a little milk/buttermilk into the simmering sauce that will thicken it easily. Sometimes it depends on the heat and the size pan used and how much liquid evaporates and how hot the sauce is getting. I find different pans like a frying pan vs a saucepan will cook the sauce differently. Sometimes I just simmer it longer and that thickens it.
I like to ‘create’ my dishes with what I have available at the time. I always use buttermilk for cornbread and fried fish. My on-hand veggie is fresh spinach. I do not want to make the dishes requiring so many eggs. So, my creation will be Pasta/Spinach/feta/buttermilk sauce with browned cubes of ham on top. Sounds good to me. Thanks for the ‘buttermilk” input.
Just didn’t this over some pan fried eggplant!! Yummy!
How many servings does this make?
It makes 2 cups of sauce. If you prefer 3 cups of sauce over a lb of pasta adjust the proportions simply adjust the amount of ingredients.
This turned out great! This will be my alfredo sauce now as I like the tangy flavor. Be sure to taste before adding salt or parmesan because the bouillon already makes it salty.
I went against my better judgement and followed the instructions, boiled it and as expected, the milk separated. Going back to my old version.
I have not had my sauce separate, I cook it just until it comes to a boil. Sorry you have trouble with it if a sauce separates I’ve found if I add a bit of butter to it and whisk it together it often comes together if it’s not too far gone in the first place. Skim milk with vinegar will separate before a higher fat milk if you made the buttermilk, that is the only problem I could predict.
I agree. Mine did not thicken and I had to adjust the amount of cornstarch significantly.
This sounds brilliant! I had to buy some buttermilk for Thanksgiving but they were out of pints. I had to get a half-gallon. I’m not one to waste food and I so I Googled what to do with buttermilk and bam! I found this page. I am very excited about this. What a great idea! It has a tangy flavor that a cheese and cream sauce might have. I never even put two and two together!
As a side note I come from the deep south. I mean DEEP SOUTH (my family has lived in a small town in Georgia for over 200 years). My grandmother used to love making biscuits and she’d eat them with some buttermilk poured over them. I used to gag at the thought but now I wish I had appreciated her idea more. It is very much like this. Plain and simple! She was a wise sweet Christian woman who was a total saint. I should have known it was for the best. 😉
I hope you enjoy the sauce. It is great when you have leftover buttermilk. I have never eaten buttermilk poured over biscuits, but I sure would try it. I love biscuits. Another recipe for buttermilk besides buttermilk biscuits is Irish Soda Bread, which I made into muffins here https://www.createdby-diane.com/2012/03/corned-beef-and-cabbage-soup.html if you still have some buttermilk 🙂
I had some leftover buttermilk and last minute was trying to make two meals at once ! I am so happy this recipe popped up on google . Before I found It I was sautéing celery , green pepper , garlic , and onion . I added shrimp and thought it would be an awesome pasta ! I found this recipe , added some Italian seasoning , season salt , pepper , and Italian cheese ! Delicious !!
I had been wanting to try something like this for a while ever since I discovered buttermilk powder.
I did not use chicken flavor, is that chicken stock or the powder to make stock?
I added some garlic powder, fresh basil and parsley.
Very nice, thank you.
The chicken flavor is the type for broth/stock. (they offer many flavors in the stores if you prefer beef, pork, seafood) and of course add in any herbs and flavors you like. Cheese too 🙂
Looks delicious!!
Loving this creamy buttermilk pasta recipe! Low on carbs, I’m in!
I’m a huge buttermilk fan, I keep it in the fridge at all times, but I’ve never thought about using like this, thanks Diane!
I’ve gotten where I keep Saco Buttermilk powder on hand for anytime I need buttermilk. I’ll try it (1/2 cup of powder mixed in 2 cups of water) with this recipe and see how it turns out.
I use Saco buttermilk all the time as well. I have made the sauce with it as well and it’s great.
I just bought some buttermilk for another recipe. Now I know how to use the rest of it up! Sounds great!