12 Ways to Use Up Extra Milk Before It Spoils

Don't let a single drop go to waste.

It happens to the best of us: You overdo it at the grocery store, or find a half-gallon of nearly expired milk toward the back of your fridge during a reorganization. If you have a lot of milk leftover and no big plans for a pancake breakfast or a milk-and-cookies extravaganza, how do you use up all that extra milk before it sours?

Fortunately, you don't have to chug it all or pour it down the drain. You can transform your leftover milk into other ingredients, jazz it up into a special treat—or even turn it into a luxe beauty treatment or two.

With a few add-ins and a little work, you can use up a gallon of milk by transforming it into buttermilk, sweetened condensed milk, sour cream, yogurt, or ricotta cheese.

Freeze the Milk

The simplest way to make use of leftover milk? Save it for later. Milk can very easily be frozen to keep for months, so you can take your time and use it when the need arises. The milk will lose a little bit of its creaminess in the freeze-thaw cycle, but it can still be used for any milk-based recipes.

Related: Can You Freeze Milk—and Should You?

Upgrade Your Bath

Move beyond the bath bombs and use up that gallon of milk by adding it to your bathwater to help soften your skin. Milk has moisturizing properties, and the lactic acid can help exfoliate your skin.

Related: Homemade Bubble Bath Ideas With Simple, Good-for-You Ingredients

Tenderize Your Meat

The same lactic acid that can soften your skin can also help tenderize your meat so it's melt-in-your-mouth delicious. Simply soak the meat in a bowl or resealable bag full of milk for several hours or overnight, then cook as you wish.

Turn the Milk into Yogurt

As long as you have a little plain yogurt at home, you can turn leftover milk into a larger batch of yogurt. Warm a half-gallon of milk until it's warm to the touch, then mix a cup of the warm milk with a half cup of yogurt. Stir the yogurt mixture back into the milk, then leave it in your closed, turned-off oven for at least four hours or overnight. (The pilot light will keep it just warm enough.) You can then strain it to make it a thicker, Greek-style yogurt, or just put it in the fridge in containers.

Turn the Milk into Buttermilk

Buttermilk is the basis of tasty, tender baked goods like biscuits, waffles, and pancakes. To make your own, simply add a tablespoon of acid (either lemon juice or distilled white or cider vinegar) to a cup of milk, and let it sit for 10 minutes.

Related: How to Make Buttermilk at Home—Plus, Easy Buttermilk Substitutions

Whip Up Some Sour Cream

Making leftover milk into sour cream follows the same principles as making buttermilk. Mix in a cup of heavy cream and two teaspoons of lemon juice with a quarter-cup milk, shake it up, and let it sit in the fridge overnight.

Related: How to Make Buttermilk or Sour Cream With Leftover Milk

Whip Up a Milkshake or Smoothie

Who doesn't love a frozen drink? Check your freezer and fridge for fruit or ice cream, and treat yourself.

Related: 20 Healthy Breakfast Smoothies for a Quick Meal on the Go

Try a Milk-Based Cocktail

Milk isn't one of the more common mixers for cocktails, but if you're into White Russians (Kahlua, vodka, and cream), Irish coffee , or a Southern-style milk punch, you can toast to the good fortune of having a little extra milk in your fridge.

Related: This Easy Irish Iced Coffee Is Our Favorite Frosty, Creamy Cocktail

Enjoy a Warm and Cozy Drink

Hot cocoa is only the beginning of the options for flavoring warm milk. Add turmeric and spices for golden milk, craft a milk tea, or make your own chai with warming spices.

Make Ice Cream

Making homemade ice cream uses up a lot of milk—and you don't even need to have special equipment to make it happen. (And you can create a customized batch of ice cream with just the right flavor mix-ins!)

Related: How to Make Homemade Ice Cream—and 5 Recipes to Try

Make Homemade Cheese

You're probably not quite ready to take on a Romano or cheddar, but soft cheeses like ricotta are pretty simple to make at home. All you need are a few additional ingredients you probably have on hand—salt and lemon juice.

Simply warm a half gallon of milk to 194 degrees Fahrenheit, stir in 1/3 cup lemon juice and a teaspoon of salt. Let it sit until curdles form (about 15 minutes), then pour over a cheesecloth-lined strainer to catch the deliciousness.

Soothe a Sunburn

Cold milk compresses (or a cool milk bath) can do more than just cool the heat of a bad sunburn. The lactic acid in milk can help remove the damaged outer layers of skin, and the antioxidants can help reduce inflammation.

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