Learn how to make buttermilk substitutes with ingredients you probably have in your kitchen right now. Five options, ready in minutes!
Buttermilk is an essential ingredient in many recipes, but if you’re anything like me, it is not an ingredient that you have on hand at all times. The good news is, you can make a buttermilk substitute at home with ingredients you probably already have in your kitchen. I’m sharing FIVE options that I have tested with many of my favorite recipes.
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What is buttermilk?
Store bought buttermilk is a slightly sour milk that comes from a combination of milk and lactic acid. It is thicker than plain milk, with a subtle tang. In recipes that call for buttermilk, it is not recommended to replace buttermilk with plain milk, because the absence of acid will not produce the same end result. But using an acidic ingredient combined with plain milk will create a substitute with properties closer to that of buttermilk.
Note: Buttermilk is not plain milk that is going bad. If you have regular milk that smells sour, or is thick and curdled, do not use it.
How to make buttermilk substitute
Milk and Lemon Juice
Measure out a scant cup of whole or 2% milk and add 1 tablespoon of lemon juice. Stir, then allow it to sit at room temperature for 10 minutes. The acid from the lemon juice will curdle the milk slightly.
Milk and White Vinegar
Measure out a scant cup of whole or 2% milk and add 1 tablespoon of white vinegar. Stir, then allow it to sit at room temperature for 10 minutes. The acid from the vinegar will curdle the milk slightly.
Milk and Plain Yogurt OR Sour Cream
Whisk milk into plain yogurt or sour cream until you get the consistency of buttermilk (thickened milk). The measurements are around ¾ cup yogurt plus ¼ cup milk, but will vary slightly based on how thick your yogurt/sour cream is.
Milk and Kefir
Kefir is a fermented milk drink, similar to a drinkable yogurt. Kefir is already fairly similar in consistency to buttermilk, but I recommend thinning it out a bit by whisking in a splash of milk.
FAQs
The extra acid in buttermilk tenderizes gluten, helping to create baked goods that are light and fluffy. Buttermilk also helps with leavening. When combined with baking soda, the acid in buttermilk helps to create a high rise. Buttermilk can also impart a subtle tangy flavor that can take a recipe from good to great.
These “recipes” do not make actual buttermilk rather they serve as an adequate substitute in recipes calling for buttermilk.
I use these substitutes most often in baking recipes. Without a doubt, my favorites (and most used), are the sour cream option or the kefir option. I find that there is no noticeable difference in the baked goods when using these 2 substitutes.
For each cup of buttermilk, use one scant cup of milk combined with one tablespoon of vinegar.
This will vary based on the recipe. Using regular milk alone as a 1:1 substitute will likely change the texture of the final product. Using one of these buttermilk substitutes will get you as close as you’re going to get to the real deal.
My #1 tip for using buttermilk substitutes
If a recipe relies heavily on buttermilk for flavor, texture, and rise (like these Buttermilk Biscuits), it is probably best to buy actual buttermilk. That being said, I have used buttermilk substitutes many times in various recipes with success.
TIP: The less buttermilk there is in a recipe, the easier it is to substitute. If a recipe calls for a small amount of buttermilk, you likely won’t notice any difference in making this substitution. If the buttermilk is a key player in a recipe, I recommend using actual buttermilk.
More ingredient substitutions
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Recipe
Buttermilk Substitutes (5 Options)
Ingredients
Option 1:
- 1 scant cup whole or 2% milk
- 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
Option 2:
- 1 scant cup whole or 2% milk
- 1 tablespoon white vinegar
Option 3:
- approx ¾ cup plain yogurt
- approx ¼ cup whole or 2% milk
Option 4:
- approx ¾ cup sour cream
- approx ¼ cup whole or 2% milk
Option 5:
- 1 scant cup plain kefir
- 1 tablespoon whole or 2% milk, more or less, to thin
Instructions
Option 1 or 2:
- Stir lemon juice or vinegar into milk and set at room temperature for 10 minutes. Milk will begin to curdle slightly.
Option 3 or 4:
- Whisk milk into yogurt or sour cream until you get the consistency of buttermilk (thick milk). Adjust quantity of milk based on how thick your yogurt or sour cream are. Use immediately.
Option 5:
- Whisk milk into kefir to thin it out to the consistency of buttermilk. This typically only takes about 1 tablespoon of milk per cup of kefir. Adjust depending on the consistency of kefir. Use immediately.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional Information is an estimate based on third-party calculations and may vary based on products used and serving sizes.
Tried this recipe?Leave a comment and rating below!
Allie Penaluna says
Hello, my name is Allie and I’d like to make sour dough bread. The recipe calls for buttermilk. But during this covid19 thing it’s impossible to find it here. Now also I am a very sensitive diabetic so cannot have milk, so my question is can I put the sour cream into Silk? My Email is n7raaap@gmail.com, will this work? Please dont say “Well I’ve never tried this so dont know” but rather see if you can find out for me. I have no other idea as to where to look or whom to ask. It may be important to many others to, interesting thought. Thank you so much, Allie.
Celebrating Sweets says
Hi, Allie. I think your best bet is to ask the author of the sourdough bread recipe if this substitution will work. Anytime you’re making a substitution there is a chance it might not turn out. I would start with the author of the bread recipe, if its a forgiving recipe you might not have any problems.
Rebecca says
Used the whole milk and lemon juice made a great vanilla cake. Thank you so much for your substitute it helps a lot. I’m great ful.The cake was great 😃😃
Janet says
Does buttermilk substitute work okay when using it as a dipping for southern fried chicken and its flour counterpart? Thanks..Janet
Celebrating Sweets says
I’ve only used these substitutes in baking, but I would assume that they would work just fine for chicken. Enjoy!
Jerry says
This buttermilk substitue recipe is really an amazing recipe. Thanks for sharing this recipe with all of us.
Leeann says
Can you use 1% milk or half and half?
Allison says
I’d recommend the half and half so that it is a bit thicker.
Yannick Challah-Franke says
Great to replace buttermilk
not the same as real buttermilk but hey, it does the job
Heather Campbellpbell says
Wanted to use up some ripe bananas and got everything ready..then it called for 1/2 C of buttermilk and I had none. So I googled and got your substitutes. No problem…everyone said it was the best banana bread I ever made! It is really good. So now I’m going to try the pancakes. What fun and good eating .
I used the milk and fresh lemon juice. Yummy.
Allison says
Perfect! I’m glad it worked for you. Thanks for stopping by. 🙂
Kathleen says
Can I use Greek yogurt as the plain yogurt?
Allison says
Yes, you might just need a little more milk to thin it out since it is thicker.
Charles Relan says
If you have heavy whipping cream, make butter with a hand mixer or in stand -up mixer, well past the formation of whipped cream. 1 cup heavy cream should give you 3/4 cup butter and 1/4 cup buttermilk
Brandi says
This is such a great post with the perfect tips and explanations. I often need a substitute when making cornbread. These ingredients are always on hand in my home!
Ashley says
I’ve used this many times when I didn’t have buttermilk. Thank you so much for explaining the options. It has saved me a trip to the store!