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Baking 101: The Best Buttermilk Substitutes

November 18, 2013 by Joy the Baker 122 Comments

the best buttermilk substitutions

Let’s talk about buttermilk.  More specifically, let’s talk about how I never have buttermilk in the refrigerator when I need it.  Wwhhyy!?

What is buttermilk?  Buttermilk is a slightly sour milk.   The sourness of buttermilk comes from acids in the milk, most notably, lactic acids.  Because the proteins in buttermilk are 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.

Cultured buttermilk, as it is called in the United States these days, is a pasteurized milk product.  A culture of lactic acid bacteria is added to low-fat milk to curdle and sour the milk.  Many dairies also add tiny yellow colored flecks of butter to simulate, well… buttermilk.

Buttermilk is an important part of baking.  The acidic milk combined with baking soda in a recipe is a baker’s dream. It’s helps add a lightness and tenderness to baked treats.  When baking soda is combined with the lactic acids of buttermilk, the acid neutralizes the metallic taste of sodium carbonate.  We talked about this in-depth in Baking 101: The Difference Between Baking Soda and Baking Powder.

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

The Best Buttermilk Substitutes

Milk and Lemon or Vinegar

In a 1-cup measuring cup, add 1 Tablespoon of fresh lemon juice.  Top the lemon juice with skim, low fat or whole milk.  Stir and let sit for two minutes.  After two minutes, your milk is both acidic and curdled.  If you need 2 cups of buttermilk, add 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon of lemon juice or vinegar to the milk.  Two tablespoons aren’t necessary.

Milk and Yogurt

Stir 1/4 cup milk into 3/4 cup plain yogurt to create a nicely thick buttermilk substitute.

Milk and Cream of Tartar

Stir together 1 cup of milk and 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.

Non-Dairy Option: Almond Milk and Yogurt (with a splash of vinegar)

Stir 1/4 cup almond milk into 3/4 cup almond milk yogurt.  Add a splash (about 1/2 teaspoon) vinegar to the mixture and stir well.  Soy milk and yogurt can also be substituted for the almond milk products.

What We’re Making With Buttermilk

Buttermilk Beignets

Buttermilk Beignets

So soft and tender straight from the fryer.  Don’t inhale and eat.  Trust me.

Roasted Strawberry Buttermilk Cake

Roasted Strawberry Buttermilk Cake 

Soft cakes topped with ultra sweet, roasted strawberries.

Brown Butter Banana Bread with Rum and Coconut

Brown Butter Banana Bread with Rum and Coconut

Brown Butter and Buttermilk in their greatest union yet.

Chive and Feta Buttermilk Biscuits

Feta Chive and Sour Cream Scones

Dream biscuits.  On the savory side.

 

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Filed Under: Baking 101, Buttermilk, Featured Buttermilk

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. masternomoo

    July 15, 2015 at 4:34 pm

    Thank you, thank you, thank you for posting a non-dairy option for buttermilk! :D I’ve been searching for a looong time and this idea seems to make the most sense. Yay!

    Reply
  2. Louise

    May 7, 2015 at 8:26 am

    Hi, other articles about buttermilk substitutions state you should use white vinegar, I can find distilled malt vinegar which is clear in colour but apparently it’s not the same as white vinegar and I can also find distilled white vinegar, would either of these work when mixed with milk for a buttermilk substitution?

    Reply
  3. John

    May 4, 2015 at 11:33 am

    One thing that I have not read here is about using the substituted buttermilk when baking breads using yeast – wheat or rye flour recipes. So, my question is, can it be used in yeast bread recipes or does the acidic properties using lemon juice or vinegar need to be reversed. Thanks.

    Reply
  4. SDA

    March 23, 2015 at 7:46 am

    If I have plain yoghurt, I dilute it with water.

    Reply
  5. Amy

    February 6, 2015 at 8:30 am

    Question: I want to make bran muffins and I see so many recipes that call for buttermilk AND THEN so many recipes that call for yogurt instead. What is the main difference? :)

    Reply
  6. Ginny

    January 7, 2015 at 8:33 pm

    What about Sweet Cream Buttermilk Powder (Bob’s Red Mill). It does not taste ‘sour’ but does it work the same as regular liquid buttermilk?

    Reply
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Trackbacks

  1. MasterNoMoo says:
    August 8, 2015 at 8:29 am

    […] the Baker with an interesting idea about using plain non-dairy yogurt (you can check it out here: https://joythebaker.com/2013/11/baking-101-the-best-buttermilk-substitutes/).  Excited, I quickly ran to the store, baby in toe, to purchase the substitute that would change […]

    Reply
  2. Recipe Review: Honey Glazed Blackberry Cornmeal Bundt Cake | CONFESSIONS OF A FROSTING FANATIC says:
    July 30, 2015 at 10:27 am

    […] didn’t buy buttermilk. As a substitute, I used 1 Tbsp vinegar and 1 Tbsp […]

    Reply
  3. 15 Easy Summer Desserts That Have 200 Calories or Less says:
    July 10, 2015 at 12:04 pm

    […] sweet tooth with this light, chocolate treat. Make sure you swap out the buttermilk with one of these healthier […]

    Reply
  4. How To Make Buttermilk Joy The Baker | Top 10 Amazing says:
    May 14, 2015 at 1:32 am

    […] Baking 101: The Best Buttermilk Substitutes | Joy the Baker – Let’s talk about buttermilk. More specifically, let’s talk about how I never have buttermilk in the refrigerator when I need it. Wwhhyy!?… […]

    Reply
  5. Buttermilk Biscuits from Scratch says:
    March 21, 2015 at 9:40 pm

    […] 1 cup buttermilk (alternatives here) […]

    Reply
  6. Best Substitutes For Buttermilk | Herbal Losing Weight says:
    March 19, 2015 at 4:59 am

    […] Baking 101: The Best Buttermilk Substitutes | Joy the … – Let’s talk about buttermilk. More specifically, let’s talk about how I never have buttermilk in the refrigerator when I need it. Wwhhyy!?… […]

    Reply
  7. Gluten-Free & Dairy-Free Irish Soda Bread | Find Me Gluten Free says:
    March 13, 2015 at 8:50 am

    […] Wet Ingredients: -1 large egg -1 cup buttermilk (if dairy-free use buttermilk substitute) […]

    Reply
  8. Simple Buttermilk Substitute says:
    March 8, 2015 at 1:07 am

    […] 3.2.2925 Note: There is also a method to do this using cream of tartar, but I’m not a huge fan of that one. It’s got an aftertaste I’m not seriously fond of. If that’s all you’ve got, you can get the recipe for that hack (and a few more), at Joy the Baker. […]

    Reply
  9. Monumental Change Calls For A Monumentally-Delicious Cake | The Food Wave says:
    February 8, 2015 at 7:01 pm

    […] 1 ½ cups buttermilk (click here for how to prepare a buttermilk substitute) […]

    Reply

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