These Buttermilk Substitutes Will Come in Handy for Baking and Cooking (2024)

FAQs

These Buttermilk Substitutes Will Come in Handy for Baking and Cooking? ›

It's important to know that you can't simply use regular milk as a buttermilk substitute. This is especially true in baking since buttermilk's acidity works with the baking soda in the recipe to leaven. Here are some buttermilk replacements when you're in a pinch.

It's important to know that you can't simply use regular milk as a buttermilk substitute. This is especially true in baking since buttermilk's acidity works with the baking soda in the recipe to leaven. Here are some buttermilk replacements when you're in a pinch.

For every 1 cup of milk, stir in 1 tablespoon lemon juice or vinegar. Let the mixture stand for 10 minutes. You can scale the recipe up or down depending on how much you need.

All you need to make a substitute to use in place of buttermilk in your baking recipes is milk and white vinegar, or lemon juice. I typically opt for 2% or whole milk and fresh lemon juice, but bottled will also do the trick.

Yes, you can swap them in a recipe, but it's not as simple as switching buttermilk for heavy cream/heavy cream for buttermilk. For example, if you're replacing buttermilk with heavy cream you'll probably need to switch out your baking soda for baking powder.

Yes, you can substitute sour cream! Thin it with milk or water to get the right consistency. For each cup of buttermilk needed, use 3/4 cup sour cream and 1/4 cup liquid. Editor's Tip: Sour cream has a higher fat content, so this will result in richer-tasting foods.

You can make homemade buttermilk with 1 cup of milk and 1 Tablespoon apple cider vinegar. Simply stir the two ingredients together and let them sit for 5 minutes. The milk will react with the acidity of the vinegar and curdle slightly, creating the same, tangy, creaminess of store bought buttermilk!

This quick and easy buttermilk substitute is incredibly simple, and my hope is that you have what you need at home already. Here's what you need: Lemon juice OR vinegar. Fresh or bottled lemon juice OR distilled white vinegar will work equally well.

While the baking soda in your baked goods will react with both types of acid, the flavor simply won't be the same. So, when buttermilk is called for, especially in baking recipes, you're better off throwing on some sneakers and making the extra trip to the store.

What to do if you don't have buttermilk? ›

The simplest way to substitute buttermilk is to pour 1 Tbs. of vinegar into a 1 cup measurer and then fill the rest of the measuring cup with milk. Then gently stir the mixture and let it sit for about 5 minutes. If you don't have vinegar, lemon juice and cream of tarter also work as great buttermilk substitutions.

Yogurt. Plain yogurt is a great 1:1 substitute for buttermilk. If you're using a thicker Greek-style yogurt, you'll need to thin it out: Whisk 3/4 cup Greek yogurt with 1/4 cup water or milk.

Baking with buttermilk

Quick breads and pancakes get a real lift from buttermilk. Not only does it deepen the flavor of your bake, but the acid in the buttermilk works with leaveners like baking soda to give it a fluffier interior crumb and more rise. However, it does not react the same way with baking powder.

Can you use any type of milk when you make your own buttermilk? Yes! Technically you can use any type, but we recommend skipping the skim milk. For the best results, use anything from 2% to half-and-half.

Simply combine your milk of choice and vinegar or lemon juice. You can easily make this buttermilk vegan/dairy free/nut free depending on your choice of milk. Recipe as written yields 1 cup buttermilk. The basic ratio is 1 tablespoon vinegar to 1 cup milk; see post for alternate yields.

Texture-wise, buttermilk is thinner than heavy cream, resembling whole milk but with a slightly thicker consistency due to fermentation. In contrast, heavy cream boasts a high fat content, ranging from 36% to 40%, lending it a rich flavor and creamy texture.

As mentioned, if you don't have buttermilk, you can use kefir instead. Or, in a pinch, you can make your own homemade buttermilk substitute with regular milk and white vinegar. This is very easy to do: Combine 1 tablespoon of white vinegar (or lemon juice) with enough milk to make 1 cup.

No, but you should pat the chicken dry so that the seasonings adhere to the chicken. Can I use milk instead of buttermilk for fried chicken? Milk lacks the acid to tenderize the chicken. You can use milk to make buttermilk by adding a tablespoon of vinegar or lemon juice per cup of milk.

Plain Yogurt + Water

This substitute for buttermilk is especially good for marinades (like in a buttermilk brine for fried chicken), but it works well for baking too. Whisk a bit of milk or water into plain unsweetened yogurt until you get a buttermilk-like consistency.