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Vegetarian Recipes

How to Make Buttermilk

buttermilk recipe

Let’s talk about buttermilk for a minute. Buttermilk in baked goods yields wonderfully fluffy, light and tangy results. You’ve seen me use buttermilk in muffin and pancake recipes, and I’m super excited to share a simple cake recipe that calls for buttermilk later this week.

So, what is buttermilk? Traditionally, buttermilk was the fermented liquid leftover after churning cream into butter. These days, store-bought buttermilk is typically made from milk with added lactic bacteria, which produce lactic acid.

Contrary to what its name and thickened texture suggest, buttermilk is not buttery and is relatively low in fat. Store-bought options are usually about on par with whole milk, though reduced-fat options exist.

how to make buttermilk

Why do we use buttermilk instead of plain milk? Tangy flavor aside, the acid present in buttermilk helps counteract baking soda, which is basic. Baking soda on its own is quite bitter—it needs both acidity and liquid to taste and function properly.

Buttermilk acts similarly to sour cream or yogurt, which are thicker cultured dairy products. Since buttermilk is thinner, I typically use about two-thirds cup buttermilk in place of one cup sour cream or yogurt.

Today, we’re talking about acidified buttermilk, or milk with added acid (vinegar or lemon juice) so it acts as buttermilk. This is the perfect substitute for your baking projects when you don’t have buttermilk on hand.

I love use this trick because it saves me from buying buttermilk, since I never seem to use up a full bottle in time! This method is also convenient if you follow a dairy-free or vegan diet, because you can make buttermilk with any type of milk.

Continue to the recipe…

The post How to Make Buttermilk appeared first on Cookie and Kate.

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Cheesy Vegetarian

Creamy Vegan Corn Chowder (with Coconut Milk)

I am well and truly into soup mode, with all this cold weather we’ve been having – and corn chowder has got to be one of the most hearty, most comforting soups there is. This thick and creamy soup is packed with fresh veggies, and the addition of coconut milk makes it extra tasty (and vegan too!).

A piece of buttered toast being dipped into vegan corn chowder.

The flavours in this soup are just delicious – the slight heat from the chilli and the touch of sweetness from the creamy coconut milk are such a wonderful combination. I might even try it with sweet potatoes next!

This vegan corn chowder is already super filling due to the potatoes and corn, but I do love a bit of buttered toast dipped in… it’s autumn in a bowl.

⭐ What is Chowder?

Chowder is a thick kind of soup, usually made with milk or cream – but this vegan corn chowder uses coconut milk instead, which makes it even tastier.

It’s generally left chunky (unlike a smooth blended soup), which makes it feel much more hearty and filling than a thinner soup. I did partially blend my coconut corn chowder, because it helps to break down the potatoes and corn, making the soup extra thick and creamy – though I didn’t make it totally smooth.

(you can if you want to, though! I’m not the chowder police.)

Overhead shot of vegan corn chowder with buttered toast.

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🥗 Ingredients and Substitutions

Here’s what you’ll need to make this recipe. See the printable recipe card below for detailed ingredient quantities.

Ingredients for vegan corn chowder laid out with text overlay.
  • sweetcorn – I used frozen corn, but you could use canned or fresh corn instead, if you prefer.
  • unsweetened coconut milk – use the canned stuff, as it’s thicker and creamier than the kind that’s designed for drinking. I used light coconut milk, but regular would also be great (and would make an even creamier soup).
  • onion
  • celery
  • carrot
  • potatoes – you could even try using sweet potatoes (or a bit of both kinds) instead, if you want an extra hint of sweetness in your soup.
  • vegetable stock – I used a crumbled stock cube plus some water, but liquid stock would also work well.
  • red chilli – just use a small amount to begin with! You can always spice up your soup more later if it needs it, but adding too much chilli is a good way to quickly ruin a tasty soup.
  • smoked paprika
  • cumin
  • garlic

Becca’s Top Tip

If you don’t want to buy a whole pack of red chillies to only use a small amount, a dollop of sweet chilli sauce will also work really well in this recipe.

📹 Recipe Video





🔪 Equipment

To make this vegan corn chowder, I used an immersion blender (hand blender) to partially blend the soup. It helped to break down the potatoes and corn, making the soup extra thick and creamy.

If you don’t have an immersion blender, you can choose to leave the soup unblended – but if you’d like to make soup regularly, a hand blender is definitely something worth buying, as they’re not expensive, and they’re a tool you’ll probably use regularly. I make soup about once a week, so my immersion blender is one of my most-used kitchen tools.

Here’s a great one on Amazon, with really positive reviews:

Sale

OVENTE Electric Immersion Hand Blender 300 Watt 2 Mixing Speed with Stainless Steel Blades, Powerful Portable Easy Control Grip Stick Mixer Perfect for Smoothies, Puree Baby Food & Soup, Black HS560B

OVENTE Electric Immersion Hand Blender 300 Watt 2 Mixing Speed with Stainless Steel Blades, Powerful Portable Easy Control Grip Stick Mixer Perfect for Smoothies, Puree Baby Food & Soup, Black HS560B

I use this kind of hand blender at least once a week to make homemade soup.

If you’re in the UK or Australia, click ‘Buy on Amazon’ to view a local product.

$17.08

Buy on Amazon

A bowl of vegan corn chowder topped with cilantro.

🖨 Printable Instructions

Buttered toast being dipped into a bowl of coconut corn chowder.

Print

Vegan Corn Chowder (with Coconut Milk)

This creamy vegan corn chowder recipe is made with coconut milk, which makes it extra luxurious and extra delicious!
Course Appetiser, Light lunch, Soup
Cuisine American
Diet Gluten Free, Vegan, Vegetarian
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 45 minutes
Servings 3 people
Calories 360kcal
Author Becca Heyes

Ingredients

  • 1 Tbsp oil
  • 450 g (~ 1 lb) potato (~ 3 medium)
  • 1/2 large onion (or 1 small)
  • 1 medium carrot
  • 1 large celery stick (~ 80g / ~ 3 oz)
  • 250 g (~ 9 oz) frozen sweetcorn
  • 1/2 small mild red chilli, finely chopped
  • 1 tsp minced garlic
  • 1 tsp smoked paprika
  • 1/2 tsp ground cumin
  • 400 ml tin coconut milk (~ 1 1/2 cups) – I used light
  • 1 vegetable stock cube, crumbled
  • 500 ml (~ 2 cups) water
  • Salt and black pepper to taste

Instructions

  • Dice the potato, onion, carrot and celery stick fairly small (1cm or less). Heat a dash of oil in a large saucepan over a medium-low heat, and add the chopped vegetables. Cook for 5 minutes or so, until fragrant.
    Diced potatoes and other vegetables in a saucepan.
  • Add the frozen sweetcorn, chilli, garlic, smoked paprika and cumin. Mix well, and cook for a couple more minutes.
    Sautéed vegetables and spices in a saucepan.
  • Next, add the can of coconut milk and the vegetable stock – I used a stock cube and water, but you can use liquid stock if you prefer.
    Vegetables and coconut milk in a saucepan.
  • Bring to a simmer, and cook for 25 minutes or so, until all the vegetables are very soft.
    Chunky corn chowder in a saucepan.
  • Use an immersion blender to partially blend the soup, breaking down some of the potatoes and corn, and leaving some whole.
    Vegan coconut corn chowder in a saucepan.
  • Season to taste, and serve warm.
    Coconut corn chowder in a bowl with buttered toast.

Video





Nutrition

Serving: 1bowl | Calories: 360kcal | Carbohydrates: 49.2g | Protein: 8.4g | Fat: 15.4g | Saturated Fat: 8.5g | Cholesterol: 0mg | Sodium: 552mg | Potassium: 1083mg | Fiber: 7.6g | Sugar: 5.7g | Calcium: 554mg | Iron: 3mg

💭 Recipe FAQs

Does this corn chowder reheat well?

Yes! The leftovers are great reheated – just microwave until piping hot. This means you can also prepare the soup in advance if you need to, and reheat when you’re ready to serve.

Can I freeze corn chowder?

Soup generally freezes very well – just allow it to cool and store it in an airtight tub in the freezer.

How should I serve corn chowder?

Because of the potatoes and corn, this is a hearty soup that doesn’t really need anything else alongside. However, I do love it with a slice of crusty, buttery toast for dipping.

🥣 Other Soup Recipes

Vegetarian Soup Recipes
Buttered toast being dipped into a bowl of coconut corn chowder.

Creamy Vegan Corn Chowder (with Coconut Milk)

Easy red lentil soup topped with Greek yogurt and red pesto.

Seriously Easy Red Lentil Soup

A bowlful of creamy potato and spring onion soup.

Creamy Potato and Spring Onion Soup

Vegetable gyoza soup in a bowl.

Vegetarian Gyoza Soup

The post Creamy Vegan Corn Chowder (with Coconut Milk) appeared first on Easy Cheesy Vegetarian.

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