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The Best Buttermilk Substitutions

October 7, 2009 by Joy the Baker 251 Comments

 Buttermilk Substitute

Let’s take a quick minute to talk about buttermilk.

What is buttermilk?  Buttermilk is a slightly sour milk.   The sourness of buttermilk comes acids in the milk, most notably, lactic acids.  Because the proteins in buttermilk are slightly curdled, buttermilk is slightly thicker than regular milk, but not quite as thick as cream.  Buttermilk is also usually much lower in fat than regular milk and cream.

Say you wanted to make some butter and buttermilk waaaaay back in the day.  First you’d take your fresh milk from the cow, let’s say a big old bucket full… and you’d leave it out at room temperature for a few days.  After a few days the rich cream would separated and formed a thick layer on top of the milk.  During these few days, the milk would fermented a bit from the lactic acid forming bacterias in the milk.  Gross?  Not at all!  The bacteria produced would help lower the pH of the milk and protect with milk from icky microorganisms, making the butter easier to churn.  Once the butter is churned the residual liquid that’s produced…. that’s buttermilk!

Nowadays, buttermilk is a whole other production.  Cultured buttermilk, as it is called in the United States these days, is a pasteurized milk product.  Instead of letting the milk ferment naturally, most dairies now add a culture of lactic acid bacteria to produce the same thickening and curdling of the milk.  Many dairies also add tiny yellow colored flecks of butter to simulate the old fashioned product.

Buttermilk is an important part of baking.  The acidic milk combined with baking soda in a recipe is a baker’s dream.  See… when baking soda is combined with the lactic acids of buttermilk, the soda releases carbon dioxide that when heated, released tiny bubbles that expand and lift and lighten whatever you’re baking.

But what if you’re plum out of buttermilk?  There are solutions…. let’s talk.

Buttermilk Substitute

In a pinch and you’ve run out of buttermilk?

Lemon and Milk 

In a 1-cup measuring cup, add 1 Tablespoon of fresh lemon juice.  Top the lemon juice with with skim, low fat or whole milk.  Stir and let sit for two minutes.  After two minutes, your milk is both acidic and curdled.  Perfect!

Yogurt and Milk

Mix 3/4 cup plain yogurt with 1/4 cup of milk.  Stir and make it a quick substitution for buttermilk.

Milk and Cream of Tartar

Mix 1 cup of milk with 1 3/4 teaspoon cream of tartar.  To ensure that the mixture doesn’t get lumpy, mix the cream of tartar with 2 Tablespoons of milk.  Once mixed add the rest of the cup of milk.  Cream of tartar is an acid and will simulate the acidic environment of buttermilk in a pinch.

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Comments

  1. Fiona

    April 29, 2013 at 11:11 am

    The 3/4c yogurt and 1/4c milk did not work for me at all. I used it to make muffins and they turned out really heavy and stodgy. Next time I’ll make sure I keep some lemon juice on hand as it sounds like a better substitute.

    Reply
  2. Laura J

    April 5, 2013 at 10:29 am

    I love, love , love your website. It is the best one on the net. Every recipe I have tried and there are many has come out super great! I used to ask my mother, what to do, but she passed on. Now, I have your website to answer those what to do question. Thank you for being there with quality recipes I can count on.
    P.S. Did I say I love your website? LOL

    Reply
    • joythebaker

      April 5, 2013 at 11:06 am

      thank you for the kindness!

      Reply
  3. Heidi

    April 1, 2013 at 5:09 am

    I was just looking for a recipe for cake today and serendipitously had all of the ingredients for this one, even strawberries! Smells deeeeeeelicious! :-) Perfs. Thanks Joy!

    Reply
  4. Mary Ann

    March 17, 2013 at 10:36 am

    Where has this post been all my life?? You are awesome sauce, Joy! It’s also super helpful because back in Michigan I could buy small cartons of buttermilk, but in the years I’ve been living in California, they only come in large cartons (which I can never seem to finish). Now I have options to make “buttermilk” in whatever quantities I want! Life changing Sunday, yes indeed. Cheers to you!
    ~Mary Ann (https://www.schoolofmoxie.com)

    Reply
  5. wendyb964

    March 17, 2013 at 9:35 am

    The whey from yogurt is an acceptable substitute, too. Store it frozen in a jar: add to it rather than toss it down the drain.

    I dislike drinking buttermilk, but for salad dressing and a few other uses there IS no acceptable substitute. It freezes remarkably well! Same for heavy whipping cream. The powder is decent for most baking, but don’t do as my sis-in-law and try to use it for salad dressing, ewww.

    Reply
  6. Valentina Kobernyk B

    March 17, 2013 at 8:53 am

    Hi! I have a post in mi blog with a other way to get buttermilk. Thanks for your tips =)

    https://valentina-makemycake.blogspot.com.es/search/label/Mantequilla%20casera

    xoxo

    Reply
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Trackbacks

  1. Food | Annotary says:
    May 9, 2013 at 9:23 pm

    […] Salam Sort Share joythebaker.com       2 minutes […]

    Reply
  2. Chocolate Chip Banana Nut Muffins | carpe season says:
    April 29, 2013 at 6:16 pm

    […] cane sugar into dark brown sugar, the yogurt was replaced by buttermilk, and even that was made by substitution. To top it off, I added dark chocolate chips just to send them from Super Normal into Somewhat […]

    Reply
  3. Clearly Delicious » Strawberry Season: 1 Fruit, 6 Ways says:
    April 22, 2013 at 4:38 am

    […] Strawberry Pancakes are nothing new to those of us who live in south Louisiana.  But a healthier variation that opts for multi-grain flour certainly is. For a reliable amount of fluffiness, I use buttermilk, but you can always substitute 1 cup of regular milk with 1 tablespoon lemon juice if buttermilk isn’t on hand.  See Joy the Baker’s full description of this substitute and others. […]

    Reply
  4. Chocolate Vanilla Cupcakes says:
    April 16, 2013 at 9:40 am

    […] or can’t find buttermilk at your local grocery store, you can make a similar product at home. Joy the Baker has some great home […]

    Reply
  5. Apple Rings | The Watercolour Girl says:
    April 3, 2013 at 3:04 pm

    […] 1 cup buttermilk (I used 1% milk and 1+3/4 tsp cream of tartar as a substitute, as suggested by Joy the Baker) […]

    Reply
  6. Irish soda bread with caraway seeds | Northwest Nibbles says:
    March 31, 2013 at 4:31 pm

    […] 1.5 cups (ish) buttermilk […]

    Reply
  7. Onion Strings | Butter Love Affair says:
    March 30, 2013 at 7:42 pm

    […] Recipe from Pioneer Woman Buttermilk substitution from Joy The Baker […]

    Reply
  8. Maple Buttermilk Pie | renovationslaves says:
    March 21, 2013 at 4:22 pm

    […] 2 cups buttermilk (no buttermilk, no problem) […]

    Reply
  9. Love, Marriage and the Ultimate Chocolate Cake! - Zabiha Bites says:
    March 18, 2013 at 7:09 pm

    […] If you can’t get your hands on buttermilk, then click to read Joy the Baker’s Post on Buttermilk Substitutes. […]

    Reply

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