Buttermilk is a cultured product made from pasteurized or ultrapasteurized lowfat or skim milk with nonfat dry milk solids added. Buttermilk powder is obtained by removing water from liquid buttermilk that was derived by churning butter and pasteurized prior to condensing.

Buttermilk powders are obtained by spray-drying buttermilk, which comes from the churning of cream into butter. Buttermilk composition is close to that of skimmed milk but with a higher fat content. It is rich in milk fat globule membrane and phospholipids.