Table of Contents[Hide][Show]
The many uses for sour raw milk at home which, unlike pasteurized milk, does not go putrid, but naturally ferments into probiotic clabber.
One of the most frequent questions I get from readers is what to do with naturally soured milk, also called clabber.
Sour raw milk is quite unlike pasteurized milk that has gone past its “use by” date. Pasteurized milk goes putrid and must be thrown out at that point, but raw milk is still a highly useful item in the kitchen.
The difference is that pasteurized milk is quite literally a dead food. In other words, there are no enzymes or probiotics present. So, when store milk goes bad, it becomes a huge foodborne illness risk to consume it and it must be discarded.
Sour Raw Milk is Safe
Raw milk, on the other hand, is loaded with enzymes and probiotics. When raw milk starts to sour, it simply means that beneficial bacteria called probiotics have started to use up the lactose (milk sugar) which causes the milk to no longer taste as sweet.
Raw milk that tastes sour is still very much safe to drink and is even more beneficial to health as the higher level of probiotics initiates the fermentation or clabbering of the milk.
So if you find yourself with some soured raw milk in the refrigerator, check through this list and see what makes the most sense for using it up. It doesn’t have to be raw cow milk either. Any type of unpasteurized milk will do including sheep’s milk, goat milk, camel milk, and even water buffalo milk!
Whatever you do, though, don’t throw it out! There is no need for even a drop of your nutrient-dense, grass-fed dairy to go to waste!
There are so many uses for the clabber itself as well as the raw liquid whey separated from it.
Uses for Sour Milk (Clabber)
1. Make scrambled eggs with it.
2. Whip up a pan of quiche with it.
3. Add it to a breakfast smoothie.
4. Make homemade pudding with it (if slightly soured).
5. Make hot chocolate with it.
6. Use it for garden fertilizer (just pour around the base of your plants or trees). It really gets the worms going crazy.
7. Give it to your pet. Cats love it!
8. Make egg custard pudding with it.
9. Make this traditional British white sauce recipe with it.
10. Ferment homemade kefir with it.
11. Make yogurt with it.
12. Blend with flour to soak pancake batter.
13. Use it to soak cold breakfast cereal batter.
14. Use it to soak waffle batter.
15. Remove the soured cream off the top and add to homemade soups.
16. Remove the sour cream off the top and add to meatloaf.
17. Just drink it. It tastes like buttermilk and is very good for you.
18. Use to make devil’s food cake.
19. Make omelets with it.
20. Use it instead of water to cook up your soaked breakfast oatmeal.
21. Use it to soak crepe batter.
22. Soak banana bread batter with it.
23. Soak pumpkin bread batter with it.
24. Use it to soak buttermilk biscuit batter.
25. Soak muffin batter (any kind) with it.
26. Separate the liquid whey from the clabber.
27. Remove the sour cream off the top and add to a baked potato.
28. Add buttermilk culture and make buttermilk with it.
29. Take a bath in it. It was good enough for Cleopatra, right?
30. Separate out the liquid whey and make ricotta cheese.
31. Make mozzarella cheese with it.
32. Whip up a pan of flan using it instead of milk.
33. Make sweet potato casserole with the sour cream off the top.
34. Make cottage cheese with it.
35. Use as a base for ice milk (if only slightly soured).
36. Use it instead of evaporated milk to make pumpkin pie.
37. Use it to clear up pinkeye.
38. Soak frozen fish in it until thawed for improved texture and flavor.
39. Soak dull-looking silverware in it for at least 30 minutes and then rinse for a beautiful shine.
40. Use it as a conditioner for your hair. Or, take a bath in it. Remember Cleopatra?
41. Repair fine cracks in your china by boiling them in the soured raw milk (the milk reacts with a chemical in the china to seal the crack). I’ve never done this myself but it supposedly works.
42. Use it ice cold to soothe the discomfort of poison ivy.
43. Dab some on mild sunburn for instant, cooling relief.
44. Rub dry skin patches with it several times a day to make skin soft again.
45. Make cheese sauce for Welsh rarebit with it.
46. Make paneer (easy South Asian cheese that requires no rennet).
47. Make potato cheese soup.
48. Freeze the milk and use it later when you have a dire need for clabbered milk.
49. Make tapioca pudding with it.
50. Make bread pudding (soak the bread in the milk).
Need More Ideas? Let’s Keep Going…
51. Stew pork loin in it.
52. Make no-bake cheesecake with it.
53. Make lassi with it (Indian yogurt-style smoothie).
54. Use it instead of water (or a blend with water) to cook up amaranth porridge.
55. Separate the whey to use as a natural facial toner.
56. Use to cook up teff breakfast porridge.
57. Use blended with water to make cream of buckwheat porridge.
58. Make fermented almond milk.
59. Make homemade orangina soda.
60. Brew some detoxifying beet kvass.
61. Make homemade ginger ale.
62. Add a cup or two of the separated whey to a warm detoxifying bath instead of vinegar.
63. Make fermented lemonade.
64. Use instead of yogurt to make fermented potatoes.
65. Make homemade sauerkraut.
66. Use the separated whey instead of sauerkraut juice to make homemade pickles.
67. Make apricot butter.
68. Make probiotic mango chutney.
69. Use whey instead of raw ACV to make homemade mustard.
70. Use the whey to make fermented corn relish.
71. Blend up some probiotic thousand island dressing using some of the separated whey.
72. Make raw cream cheese.
73. Make fermented cilantro salsa.
74. Use whey to make homemade ketchup.
75. Add the whey to homemade mayo so it lasts three times as long in the fridge.
76. Add separated whey to potassium broth for extra minerals and digestibility.
77. Use to make cultured rice water.
78. Blend some to homemade wild rice milk to add probiotics.
79. Mix a teaspoon into a glass of homemade electrolyte beverage to add more minerals.
80. Use whey separated from clabber instead of kombucha to make a maple dijon salad dressing.
81. Stir a teaspoon of separated whey into homemade barbecue sauce to add probiotics.
82. Use liquid whey instead of raw ACV to make homemade cocktail sauce.
83. Use whey to make fermented salsa.
84. Substitute whey for lemon juice to make homemade steak sauce.
85. Whip up some homemade teriyaki sauce.
86. Add a drizzle of whey to artichoke dip to add probiotics and enhance the flavor.
87. Liquid whey is an important ingredient in hypoallergenic DIY baby formula.
88. Whey from clabber is also a key ingredient in homemade goat milk baby formula.
89. Add a drizzle of whey to sweet potato casserole baby food to add probiotics.
90. Liquid whey separated from clabber (or yogurt) is a key ingredient in homemade baby formula.
91. Use clabber blended with flour to make soaked waffles.
92. Whip up a pan of gluten-free soaked cornbread.
93. Make homemade tomato bisque using the soured milk instead of plain milk.
94. Use it to soak homemade quick oats.
95. Make a pan of Mexican mac & cheese.
96. Use instead of water to cook a pot of whole grain millet.
97. Make a buttermilk-style egg nog with it!
98. If only slightly sour, use it to make a refreshing matcha frappe.
99. Use as a substitute for water in this easy rice cakes recipe.
100. If only slightly sour, use to make a red rooibos latte.
101. Drizzle some into your cup of dandelion coffee if the sourness is very mild.
Do you have more suggestions to add? Please share with us in the comments section!
I’m sure there are literally dozens more uses for soured raw milk and the liquid whey separated from clabber that I’ve missed!
More Information
Organic UHT Milk
A1 vs A2 Milk
Why Skim Milk Makes You Fat
Low Temp (Vat) Pasteurized Milk Compared to Raw
Any time I’ve tried to make yogurt with old raw milk it does not turn out.
Are You Souring Your Milk In The Fridge, Or At Room Temperature?
Sorry About The Caps….. Screwy Phone…. :/
Hi Holly,
I made yogurt from fresh raw milk for the very first time and it turned out great! I made it in a crock pot/slow cooker. I was a bit apprehensive because many of the comments told of how bad their had turned out, but as I continued to read, often their own comments explained why their had failed, usually it was something they changed or didn’t do as instructed.
Here is the recipe I used, sorry I don’t have the site from which this came (maybe google slow cooker yogurt or crock pot yogurt), I copied and pasted it into a word doc so that I could print it out. Anyway, here it is:
Ingredients
1 quart fresh raw milk (for a thicker product substitute 1 pint fresh cream and 1 pint fresh milk)
2 TBSP Bulgarian or Greek starter OR
2 TBSP yogurt from a previous batch OR
2 TBSP plain, unsweetened, ADDITIVE-FREE yogurt with live active cultures found at any grocery store (for a little thicker consistency you may use up to 3 – 4 TBSP of whichever of these starters you choose)
Instructions
Heat milk in a saucepan over a medium-low flame until it reaches about no higher than 105° Fahrenheit.
If you are adding flavoring (such as vanilla or sweetener) add this in while heating.
Remove from heat and gently whisk in 2 tablespoons (or up to 3 – 4 tablespoons) thermophilic starter culture such as Bulgarian or Greek starter (see sources), or use two tablespoons (or up to 3 – 4 tablespoons) yogurt from a previous batch to inoculate the raw milk. Be sure NOT to over stir, just enough to blend it in.
If you’re using a yogurt maker, simply pour the mixture of fresh milk and starter into the yogurt maker and culture it according to the manufacturer’s instructions for about eight to twelve hours.
If you’re using a food dehydrator or slow cooker, first pour the mixture of starter and raw milk into a 1-quart glass mason jar and cover it with a lid.
If you’re using a slow cooker, place the mason jar full of raw milk combined with the starter in the center of your slow cooker and pour warm water (approximately 110° Fahrenheit, 43º Celsius) into the ceramic insert or until it reaches just below the lid of your mason jar. Cover with a warm towel for added insulation, place slow cooker lid on and leave in a warm spot in your kitchen to culture for eight to twelve hours.
Once the culturing period of eight to twelve hours is complete, remove your still warm raw milk yogurt from the yogurt maker or slow cooker and place it in the refrigerator to chill and solidify for an hour or two.
Serve plain as a sauce, combined with fresh fruit or nuts or sweeten it, if desired, with a touch of honey or maple syrup.
NOW, that is the recipe, let me add the information that I think made my VERY first ever yogurt turn out wonderful!
1.) The raw milk you use needs to be fresh, the fresher the better. Even if the raw milk is just a few days old it MAY not “make up” as nicely as when done with fresh raw milk.
2.) If you use starter from another batch of yogurt made from raw milk, use the freshest you can get, if you are using Greek yogurt from the store make sure it is fresh AND that there are no additives and that it is live culture (read the label) also, the recipe calls for 2 TBSP of starter, I used 4 TBSP because I read in one of the sites that this would help get the raw milk culture an extra boost and might help it be a bit thicker. The second batch I made two days later I also used the 4 TBSP of starter and also used 1/2 qt of cream and 1/2 qt of whole raw milk (from a different gallon than where I skimmed the cream) as suggested in this recipe.
3.) When you are heating your raw milk, do it slowly, over lower than medium heat, and keep checking it with a thermometer, do not heat it over about 105°, higher than this and it will begin to harm the good bacteria, enzymes, probiotics, vitamins etc (which is why we use raw in the first place) I try not to go much over about 103° because this is the normal body temp for cows. Use a thermometer because 105° is NOT very hot at all.
4.) Do NOT use a microwave! Microwave heating, by it’s very nature and method, destroys the sensitive components of raw milk.
5.) If you want to add any flavor (I prefer Vanilla yogurt instead of plain) and/or sweetener ( I used Stevia, not sugar) add this in as soon as you take it off the heat but BEFORE you add in the starter. If you add the starter in first and then your flavoring/sweetener you will stir it too much and that is not good for the starter, it breaks it down.
6.) I used a tall crock pot and filled it to just at the “shoulder” of the jar or below the ridges where a lid would screw on with the 110° water. I used a thermometer to test and discovered my hot tap water was 112° and by the time I ran a pitcher full and poured into the crock pot it had cooled a degree or two making it just right for the crock pot.
7.) I covered the top of the crock pot with yogurt mix in the 1 qt. mason jar and hot water bath, with a kitchen towel then placed the crock pot lid snuggly into it’s fitted rim. I then took a bath towel and swaddled it around the outside of the crock pot to hold in the warmth for as long as possible.
8.) I preheated the crock pot empty on high then turned it off to put in the hot tap water and my prepared mixture for yogurt mason jar. Covering with the towel, then placing the lid on and then swaddling the cooker in another towel kept it warm for about half the time.
9.) After about 5 hours I checked the temp of the hot water bath around the jar of yogurt mixture in it. It was below 102° so I turned on the crock pot and gently stirred the water around the jar (actually stirred it with my thermometer) until the temp was back up to 110°, then I replaced the towel, replaced the crockpot lid and replaced the outside towel wrapping the crockpot. I checked again in about another 5 hours and repeated if necessary.
10.) I let mine “bathe” for the full 12 hours, then lifted the quart jar out, dried off the outside gently and placed immediately into the fridge. I left it still in the fridge for about 4 hours or until completely cooled and giving it plenty of time to “set up”. When I took it out, it was all about the same soft white creamy looking color, although I could distinguish a line of “separation” so I very gently stirred this together, I believe if I had strained it through a cheese cloth it would have been thicker, but then I would not have had as much and as I said, I don’t mind it being a bit thinner.
My very first results were wonderful! I just barely got to sample it because my husband absolutely adored it! I had to make more two days later! My only caveat is that I’m not an experienced cook so I tend to follow directions exactly – I think this served me well in this instance. The only “changes” I made were actually made because I read 3 different articles and ALL the comments and read some that seemed to fit well into what I was hoping to get so I used them.
Even so, as much as my first (and second) batch tasted wonderful – it was still thinner than the store bought stuff – to which I say FINE – every place I read about fresh raw milk yogurt, it SAYS it will be a bit thinner, so if you don’t like it a little thinner then don’t waste your time or your raw milk and just buy from the store, if you are worried about getting the “good stuff” then buy the greek yogurt with live cultures and no additives.
SOURDOUGH PANCAKES!!! My childhood favorite.
SOURDOUGH PANCAKES!!! My childhood favorite.
My midwife suggested we start using farm fresh milk Ryan’s lies his milk but whole milk makes him sick so we wanted to try some natural cows milk where can I get some around here
Check Out http://Www.Realmilk.Com/Where.html
The correct link is now http://www.realmilk.com/real-milk-finder/
This NEVER happens in our house! It doesn’t last long enough to sour!
I’ve never thrown away sour milk ! Think pancakes and biscuits, if nothing else !
Can you use the whey to ferment veggies?
Yes 🙂
This is so helpful!!
Is there any such thing as too long for sour milk? I have some that I used the cream off the top a long time ago but has been sour for 6 months or so in a very cold fridge….can I still use it?
Lucinda Milligan Milligan Dairy Farm