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Home » How To (Cooking & Baking Resources) » How To Make Buttermilk Substitute (5 options)

How To Make Buttermilk Substitute (5 options)

Published: Apr 23, 2019 · Modified: Sep 21, 2021 by Allison · 28 Comments

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Need buttermilk but forgot to buy it? Or maybe you just need a little and don’t want to purchase a whole container? Learn how to make Buttermilk Substitute with ingredients you probably have in your kitchen right now. Five options, ready in minutes!

Three glass jars filled with buttermilk sitting on a wood board.

Buttermilk! It is an essential ingredient in many baked goods, 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 DIFFERENT OPTIONS for How to Make Buttermilk Substitute.

You might also like: Sour Cream Substitute, Brown Sugar Substitutes, Vanilla Extract Substitutes

Jump to:
  • What is buttermilk?
  • Why is buttermilk used in baking?
  • How to make buttermilk substitute:
  • Recipes using buttermilk substitute
  • Recipe

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.

Why is buttermilk used in baking?

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.

How to make buttermilk substitute:

I have five different ways you can create a Buttermilk Substitute. These work in a pinch if you need buttermilk for a recipe and don’t have any on hand, or if you have a recipe that calls for a small amount of buttermilk and you don’t want to buy a whole container.

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 in a glass jar and a halved lemon (how to make buttermilk)

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.

White vinegar and a glass jug of milk (how to make vinegar)

Milk and Plain Yogurt: Whisk milk into plain yogurt 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 is.

Milk and Sour Cream: Whisk milk into sour cream until you get the consistency of buttermilk (thickened milk). The measurements are around ¾ cup sour cream plus ¼ cup milk, but will vary slightly based on how thick your sour cream is.

Bowl of yogurt and jar of milk on a wood board (how to make buttermilk)

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 thin it out just a bit by whisking in a splash of milk.

Kefir and milk on a wood board (how to make buttermilk)

Recipes using buttermilk substitute

If a recipe relies heavily on buttermilk for flavor, texture, and rise (like these Buttermilk Biscuits), it is probably best to buy actual buttermilk, but I have used buttermilk substitutes many times in various recipe with success. The end result might be a bit different than if using actual buttermilk, but this is as close as you’re going to get as far as substitutions go.

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, it is likely that you won’t notice any difference in making this substitution. If the buttermilk is a key player in a recipe, I usually try to use the real deal.

A slice of carrot cake on a white plate with a gold fork.

Here are some of my favorite recipes using buttermilk:

  • Pumpkin Carrot Cake (pictured above): – A moist and flavorful layer cake filled with carrots, pumpkin, and warm spices
  • Chocolate Chip Pancakes: Tender and fluffy chocolate chip pancakes topped with a homemade strawberry syrup.
  • Blueberry Pancake Casserole: Thick and fluffy pancake casserole filled with fresh blueberries and topped with a brown sugar crumble.
  • Warm Strawberry Crumb Cake (pictured below): A layer of juicy strawberries topped with vanilla cake and a brown sugar crumb topping.
  • Lemon Blueberry Bundt Cake: Tender lemon bundt cake filled with fresh blueberries and topped with cream cheese frosting.
  • Oatmeal Pancakes: Light, tender, fluffy whole grain pancakes.
Strawberry Crumb Cake on a white plate with a dollop of whipped cream.

You might also like: HOW TO MAKE WHIPPED CREAM

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Recipe

Three glass jars filled with buttermilk sitting on a wood board.

How To Make Buttermilk Substitute

Make buttermilk in minutes with ingredients you already have. Five different options! 
4.88 from 8 votes
Print Pin SaveSaved!
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Total Time: 5 minutes
Servings: 1 cup (approx)
Calories: 13kcal
Author: Allison – Celebrating Sweets

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.  

Notes

If a recipe relies heavily on buttermilk for flavor, texture, and rise, it is probably best to buy actual buttermilk. That being said, these buttermilk substitutes can be used in many recipes with success. 
 

Nutrition

Calories: 13kcal | Carbohydrates: 1g | Cholesterol: 1mg | Sodium: 7mg | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin C: 5.8mg | Calcium: 17mg

Nutritional Information is an estimate based on third-party calculations and may vary based on products used and serving sizes.

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Comments

  1. Allie Penaluna

    June 03, 2020 at 4:21 pm

    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.

    Reply
    • Celebrating Sweets

      June 06, 2020 at 10:57 am

      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.

      Reply
    • Rebecca

      September 30, 2022 at 8:59 am

      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 😃😃

      Reply
  2. Janet

    June 09, 2020 at 4:33 pm

    Does buttermilk substitute work okay when using it as a dipping for southern fried chicken and its flour counterpart? Thanks..Janet

    Reply
    • Celebrating Sweets

      June 12, 2020 at 10:18 am

      I’ve only used these substitutes in baking, but I would assume that they would work just fine for chicken. Enjoy!

      Reply
  3. Jerry

    September 10, 2020 at 3:06 am

    5 stars
    This buttermilk substitue recipe is really an amazing recipe. Thanks for sharing this recipe with all of us.

    Reply
  4. Leeann

    November 17, 2020 at 5:13 am

    Can you use 1% milk or half and half?

    Reply
    • Allison

      November 18, 2020 at 10:27 am

      I’d recommend the half and half so that it is a bit thicker.

      Reply
  5. Yannick Challah-Franke

    November 17, 2020 at 5:31 pm

    4 stars
    Great to replace buttermilk
    not the same as real buttermilk but hey, it does the job

    Reply
  6. Heather Campbellpbell

    March 16, 2021 at 5:43 pm

    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.

    Reply
    • Allison

      March 17, 2021 at 12:49 pm

      Perfect! I’m glad it worked for you. Thanks for stopping by. 🙂

      Reply
  7. Kathleen

    August 03, 2021 at 8:49 am

    Can I use Greek yogurt as the plain yogurt?

    Reply
    • Allison

      August 05, 2021 at 1:13 pm

      Yes, you might just need a little more milk to thin it out since it is thicker.

      Reply
  8. Charles Relan

    December 08, 2021 at 11:58 pm

    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

    Reply
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aboutHi, I'm Allison! I'm a busy wife and mom with a passion for cooking and baking. This is where you'll find my favorite homemade recipes, designed to help you make every day delicious! Read more....

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