Dress Fruits & Veggies With Buttermilk Powder For Mouthwatering Flavor

Buttermilk powder is shaping up to be one of the new MVPs of the pantry, and there are plenty of good reasons to keep it there. For starters, while liquid buttermilk is lucky to make it a week in time for that spicy fried chicken recipe, the powdered version is an on-demand and shelf-stable alternative. But we've got another reason for stocking up on this tangy ingredient: It's your new secret weapon for adding flavor to your favorite fruits and vegetables. 

Take the humble sliced tomato or cucumber. Sure, they can be good by themselves, but if you add a sprinkle of salt and buttermilk powder, you've taken this delicious produce to the next level with epic tanginess. Once doused in this flavorful powder, you can add these fresh and tart veggies to a sandwich, salad, or creamy dip. This trick can easily swing sweet as well. If you plan to grill some freshly sliced peaches, consider coating them with brown sugar and buttermilk powder before throwing them on the grill. The resulting flavor is a sweet-and-tart dessert with complex caramelization. So how should you go about adding this powerful powder to your produce? 

When adding buttermilk powder to your fruit and veg, it's best to think of it like the closely related ranch dressing seasoning blend. Start with a sprinkling (using a sieve for even seasoning) onto a freshly sliced tomato, and taste before seeing if you want to add more. As buttermilk powder has a very fine texture, you can also lightly coat your sliced vegetables, like cucumber, by dipping it into a shallow bowl filled with it, just be sure to knock off excess powder if necessary. 

Remember those grilled peaches? You'll follow the same procedure there but whisk in a few tablespoons of brown sugar to the buttermilk powder. A bit of salt may need to be added to bring out the flavors, as buttermilk powder doesn't contain any on its own. 

This is just the tip of the iceberg regarding the many flavorful uses of buttermilk powder. It's equally excellent on roasted produce like broccoli and cauliflower as it is on snack food like popcorn and potato chips. But try it first on your fresh summer produce to see how it can make your favorite vegetables and fruit shine.