Easy Buttermilk Substitute
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Learn How to Make Buttermilk with just two ingredients for a buttermilk substitute for cooking and baking! Helpful guide with more substitutes, along with dairy-free and vegan options.
Buttermilk is one ingredient that I love to have on hand. But, sometimes, I think I have plenty in the fridge, only to realize that I don’t. And if I’ve got the urge to make a Caramel Cake and I’m out of buttermilk, then I’m making my own!
It is easy to do and only takes two ingredients that work perfectly in baking and cooking. It tastes just like store-bought buttermilk!
What is Buttermilk?
Traditionally, it was the leftover liquid from churning cream to make butter. This is now referred to as traditional buttermilk. What you buy in the grocery stores is now cultured, produced by adding cultures to milk during fermentation to simulate the lactic acid that would naturally occur in the traditional kind.
Buttermilk adds a rich, tangy flavor and a thicker consistency than other kinds of milk. It works to tenderize meat and vegetables. The lactic acid also reacts with other ingredients like baking powder and baking soda in recipes and acts as a leavening agent. This helps batters and doughs to rise and be more tender.
Here’s how you’ll make a simple homemade buttermilk substitute for baking or cooking:
Ingredients
- 1 cup milk + 1 tablespoon vinegar (distilled white vinegar or apple cider vinegar)
- 1 cup milk + 1 tablespoon lemon juice
How to Make Buttermilk Substitute
The simplest way to make your homemade buttermilk substitute:
- Add a tablespoon of fresh lemon juice or vinegar to a cup of regular or dairy-free milk.
- Allow the milk to sit for about 5 minutes to thicken. You can expect it to appear to be slightly curdled.
- Stir the mixture to combine and use where buttermilk is needed in your recipe. The texture and consistency will be very similar to traditional buttermilk once it’s mixed as described.
You can use either combination I’ve provided above to make one cup of homemade buttermilk substitute. If you need more or less buttermilk, you can quickly scale the recipe to fit your desired amount.
Also, reference Other Homemade Buttermilk Substitutes to follow.
Other Substitutions for Buttermilk
You can use a few different homemade substitutions when a recipe calls for buttermilk. Pick the option that works for you based on what you have available.
Each of these substitutions equals 1 cup of buttermilk:
- 1 cup plain yogurt or Greek yogurt
- 1 cup plain kefir
- ¾ cup sour cream + ¼ cup water or milk
- 1 cup milk + 1 3/4 teaspoons cream of tartar
- 1 cup water + 1/4 cup buttermilk powder
Make Dairy-Free and Vegan Buttermilk Substitutes
You can also make an easy dairy-free buttermilk substitute in your recipes. This is perfect for those with dairy allergies or who need a vegan buttermilk substitution.
To make a dairy-free and/ or, use your favorite non-dairy milk such as almond milk, soy milk, coconut milk, rice milk, or oat milk in place of the store-bought buttermilk called for in the recipe! It’s that easy!
- 1 cup buttermilk = 1 cup non-dairy milk (coconut, soy, rice, oat, almond) + 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 cup buttermilk = 1 cup non-dairy milk (coconut, soy, rice, oat, almond) = 1 tablespoon vinegar (distilled white vinegar or apple cider vinegar)
Then, follow the same recipe steps as those for regular dairy milk.
Storage Tips
To store. Place in an airtight container and store in the refrigerator for up to two weeks.
To freeze. Spoon any unused buttermilk substitute into an ice cube tray with a tablespoon. Place the tray into the freezer until frozen well, about an hour. Remove from the freezer and dispense the frozen cubes into a freezer-safe container. Freeze for up to 3 months.
Ways to Use Buttermilk
Adds Flavor
It adds a rich, tangy flavor to dishes like salad dressings and dips.
Tenderizes
It’s great for soaking meats and vegetables to make them more tender before cooking, generally frying.
Leavens Baked Goods
It reacts with other chemical leavening agents in recipes to produce gas bubbles, which then help cakes, cookies, and other baked goods to rise.
Here’s how to make my easy buttermilk substitute. I hope you find this helpful!
How to Make Buttermilk
Ingredients
- 1 cup whole milk, or 2% or 1%
- 1 tablespoon vinegar , or lemon juice
Instructions
- Pour milk into a glass measuring cup. Add vinegar OR lemon juice and allow to sit for about 5 minutes before use. You can expect it to appear curdled. Stir it and then use as you would store-bought buttermilk.
Notes
Additional Buttermilk Substitution options:
- 1 cup buttermilk = 1 cup plain yogurt or Greek yogurt
- 1 cup buttermilk = 1 cup plain kefir
- 1 cup buttermilk = ¾ cup sour cream + ¼ cup water or milk
- 1 cup buttermilk = 1 cup milk + 1 3/4 teaspoons cream of tartar
- 1 cup buttermilk = 1 cup water + 1/4 cup buttermilk powder
Dairy-Free Buttermilk:
For dairy-free buttermilk, substitute your preferred non-dairy milk (coconut milk, soy milk, almond milk, rice milk, oat milk, etc.) with the whole milk called for in the recipe.Video
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Enjoy!
Robyn xo
This substitution worked great for biscuits for dinner. 7 loaves might warrant a trip to the store
You really should warn everyone that this isn’t good for making Irish Soda bread. I followed your recipe and made 7 large loaves. They were heavy and flat tasting. Had to st art again with real buttermilk and made 20 more loves in my son’s restaurant for St Patrick’s Day. Sometimes there is no substitute!
Thank you for letting me know it isnt good for Irish soda bread .I am making it for first time and dont know the first thing about it.I just recently tasted it for first time and thought I would try to make some.Thanks again.
Obviously she hasn’t tried this substitution with every single recipe that’s out there so it’s not her fault. Maybe don’t make 7 loaves of bread from a recipe/variation you’ve never tried before. Just saying.
I used two tbs of vinegar per cup of milk for Irish soda bread and it turned out perfect.
Can u use evaporated milk
Robyn,
I use this recipe all the time. It works just as well as the store bought variety.
Annamaria
Thanks for the skim milk version of buttermilk substitute…I never use buttermilk and I never use whole milk…this is just what I needed…Thanks a lot…keep up the good work and great recipes…
I love the recipes you post. Every recipe I have tried if yours is absolutely delicious!
Thank you so much for posting them.
Sylvia
Good to know! Pinned it!!
Since I use very little milk except for baking and cooking I only keep dry milk on hand. To make it into full fat milk use one cup of skim milk and add 2 tablespoons of melted butter. Then add your other ingredients to make your buttermilk recipe. Thank you for this recipe; I really don’t like using the buttermilk powder because of sodium issues. This will work perfectly for me. I love buttermilk in so many recipes.
The process of making dry milk causes it to be loaded with MSG. Just a FYI if you have a intolerance to MSG.
Thank you Robyn. Good information to keep on hand. Have a Fun and Wonderful Weekend.
Good morning. Question for you. My grandmother always told me to decrease the milk by one tablespoon before adding the vinegar so that you were not increasing your liquid in your recipe….do you not find this necessary? Also, I have used whatever milk I have on hand (1%, 2% or whole). since the only buttermilk I can find in stores locally is lowfat (2.2%) Is whole milk really necessary? Thanks so much.
Hi Donna,
You can decrease the amount of milk, but I’ve found that allowing the milk and vinegar or lemon juice to sit for a bit to thicken makes the measure the same as if using buttermilk. Now, I do use whole milk so that could make the difference. You can use 1% or 2%, if you prefer.
I used this recipe today with another suggestion in the comments as well and my biscuits turned out wonderful. I had 2% milk so I measured a cup of milk, added two tbs melted butter(not margarine) then one tab of white vinegar and mixed and let sit while I was getting everything together and mixing my flour and Cristi stick with a pastry cutter. Thanks everyone I will never buy buttermilk again as I only use it when I make biscuits.