Easy Buttermilk substitute for cooking and baking! Learn How to Make Buttermilk with just two ingredients! Dairy-free and vegan, too!

Looking for delicious recipes using buttermilk? I think you’ll love my buttermilk pancakes, buttermilk biscuits, and my caramel cake!

How to Make Buttermilk - Making buttermilk substitute is easy and cost effective. With just a few simple ingredients, learn to make buttermilk substitute to use in so many recipes. // addapinch.com

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, which is produced by adding cultures to milk during the fermentation process 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 leavener. This helps batters and doughs to rise and be more tender.

My homemade substitute works the same in cooking and baking. It’s such a time saver to be able to make your own.

Buttermilk Substitute

Buttermilk is one ingredient that I love to have on hand. I never like being without it. But, sometimes, I think I have plenty in the fridge, only to realize that I don’t.

That’s when it is great to know how to make your 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 Can I Use If I Don’t Have Buttermilk?

There are a few homemade substitutions you can use when a recipe calls for buttermilk. Pick the option that works for you based on what you have available.

  • 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 tablespoon lemon juice
  • 1 cup buttermilk = 1 cup milk + 1 tablespoon vinegar (distilled white vinegar or apple cider vinegar)
  • 1 cup buttermilk = 1 cup milk + 1 3/4 teaspoons cream of tartar
  • 1 cup buttermilk = 1 cup water + 1/4 cup buttermilk powder

How to Make Buttermilk Substitute

The simplest way to make your own homemade buttermilk substitute is to add a tablespoon of fresh lemon juice or vinegar to a cup of regular milk or dairy-free milk (see below). Allow the milk to sit for about 5 minutes to thicken. You can expect it will appear to be slightly curdled. Stir the mixture to combine and use as you would buttermilk. The texture and consistency will be very similar to traditional buttermilk once combined.

You can use any of the combinations I’ve provided above to make one cup of homemade buttermilk substitute. If you need more or less buttermilk, you can easily scale the recipe to fit the amount you need.

How to Make Dairy-Free and Vegan

You can also make an easy dairy-free buttermilk substitute to use in your recipes. This is perfect for those who have 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)

How to Store Buttermilk Substitute

To store. Place in an airtight container and store in the refrigerator for up to two weeks.

Can You Freeze Buttermilk?

Yes! Spoon any that has not been used by the tablespoon into an ice cube tray. 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.

Glass measuring cup with milk and glass bowl with vinegar to make buttermilk substitute // addapinch.com

How to Use Buttermilk

Adds Flavor

It adds a rich, tangy flavor to dishes such as 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 leaveners in recipes to produce gas bubbles which then helps cakes, cookies, and other baked goods to rise.

Here’s how to make my easy buttermilk substitute. I hope you find this useful!

How to Make Buttermilk

5 from 23 votes
Easy Buttermilk substitutions for cooking and baking! Learn How to Make Buttermilk with just two ingredients! Dairy-free and vegan, too!
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 10 minutes
Servings: 1 cup

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

The recipe may be increased or decreased proportionately.

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

Serving: 1cup | Calories: 149kcal | Carbohydrates: 11g | Protein: 8g | Fat: 8g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Cholesterol: 29mg | Sodium: 93mg | Potassium: 366mg | Sugar: 12g | Vitamin A: 395IU | Calcium: 301mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Enjoy!
Robyn xo

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About Robyn

Robyn Stone is a cookbook author, wife, mom, and passionate home cook. Her tested and trusted recipes give readers the confidence to cook recipes the whole family will love. Robyn has been featured on Food Network, People, Southern Living, and more.

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Recipe Review




83 Comments

  1. 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!

    1. 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.

    2. 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. 

  2. 5 stars
    Robyn,
    I use this recipe all the time. It works just as well as the store bought variety.
    Annamaria

  3. 5 stars
    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…

  4. I love the recipes you post. Every recipe I have tried if yours is absolutely delicious!
    Thank you so much for posting them.
    Sylvia

  5. 5 stars
    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.

    1. The process of making dry milk causes it to be loaded with MSG. Just a FYI if you have a intolerance to MSG.

  6. 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.

    1. 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.

    2. 5 stars
      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.