You Can Make This Easy Buttermilk Substitute in Just Minutes (2024)

FAQs

How do I substitute buttermilk quickly? ›

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.

You can substitute buttermilk for regular milk in just about any baking recipe, cup for cup - but some experts advise making sure the recipe includes at least ½ teaspoon baking soda per cup of buttermilk. If the recipe calls for only baking powder, replace enough of the powder with baking soda to meet this requirement.

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!

In a bowl, combine lemon juice with almond milk to make “vegan buttermilk.” Set aside for a few minutes — it should curdle slightly. It won't thicken like buttermilk, but it has a similar effect in recipes. Use in vegan ranch, biscuits (or gluten-free biscuits), or anywhere else that calls for buttermilk.

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.

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.

Store-bought buttermilk is thicker, tangier, and more acidic than traditional or homemade buttermilk. If you're preparing a recipe that calls for buttermilk, it's best to stick with store-bought, especially in baked goods that depend on precise leavening.

The cultured buttermilk you buy at the grocery store is just milk with extra bacteria added to help speed up that same fermentation process. For that matter, neither home-soured nor commercially soured milk is “real” buttermilk.

Is buttermilk the same as heavy cream? ›

“One of the primary differences between buttermilk and heavy cream is the fat content,” Laing said. Heavy cream contains 36% fat on average, while the fat content of buttermilk is only 1%. Both are thicker than standard milk, but the substantial fat in heavy cream also gives it “a slightly sweet flavor.”

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.

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.

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.

To achieve the desired result when using buttermilk instead of milk, be sure to substitute baking soda for some or all for of the baking powder. For each cup of buttermilk used in place of sweet milk, reduce the amount of baking powder by 2 teaspoons, and replace with 1/2 teaspoon of baking soda.

Store-bought buttermilk is thicker, tangier, and more acidic than traditional or homemade buttermilk. If you're preparing a recipe that calls for buttermilk, it's best to stick with store-bought, especially in baked goods that depend on precise leavening.