10 minutes

How To Make Buttermilk Substitute

How To Make Buttermilk Substitute is an incredibly easy and quick way to make a homemade substitution right at home with just 2 ingredients!

Try using this easy buttermilk substitute in some of my favorite recipes such as this moist Buttermilk Chocolate Cake or these super fluffy Best Homemade Buttermilk Pancakes!

A glass milk bottle with buttermilk in it.


 

How To Make Buttermilk Substitute is a must-save and share post that you’ll turn to when your refrigerator is missing a bottle of the real stuff! I’m guilty of scanning recipes, seeing an ingredient I don’t have on hand, and turning away.

Easy, quick substitutes like this one have allowed me to continue making recipes even after I find an ingredient I don’t have within reach!

I prefer using this substitute for buttermilk in baking whereas recipes like fried chicken, such as my Air Fryer Nashville Hot Chicken, or drinks, like Blackberry Buttermilk Panna Cotta, should use the real thing. This is because the real flavor of buttermilk is an important standout taste in those recipes!

What Is Buttermilk?

Buttermilk was the leftover milky liquid after churning cream into butter. Today it’s more of a cultured milk product that has lactic acid making baked goods perfectly fluffy and airy!

This popular ingredient is used in baking recipes, known for creating rich and tender cakes, muffins, and quick bread! The use for buttermilk doesn’t stop in the oven though; it’s also used for drinks, frostings, and in many breakfast foods!

Ingredients to make a buttermilk substitute on a blue surface.

Ingredients For Homemade Buttermilk Substitute

This homemade buttermilk substitute is easily made using just two ingredients that you likely have on hand! For this recipe, I used fat milk such as 2% or whole milk, and an acid like lemon juice or white wine vinegar.

Don’t have either acid but still need a buttermilk substitute? No problem! Swap it out for a 1 3/4 teaspoon of cream of tartar!

Another common way is using plain greek yogurt as an equal part substitute. Since that’s a fairly thick buttermilk substitute, you can also mix 3/4 cup of sour cream with 1/4 cup of milk for a thinner option.

As you can see, you don’t need to instantly give up when you read that a recipe calls for buttermilk when you don’t have it within reach! You’re now well equipped with handy kitchen tricks to quickly and easily replace the real stuff with an alternative that works just as well!

How To Make Buttermilk Substitute

  1. Add either vinegar, lemon juice, or cream of tartar to a glass measuring cup.
Lemon juice being added to a glass measuring cup with a measuring spoon.

2. Add a scant cup of milk, filling to the one cup measurement line.

Milk being poured into a glass measuring cup.

3. Set it aside for 5 minutes before using.

How Much Buttermilk Substitute Does This Recipe Make?

This will make one cup of buttermilk substitute. If you need more simple just double or triple the ingredients!

Measuring cup filled with a buttermilk substitute.

Vegan Buttermilk Substitute

To make Vegan Buttermilk, just swap out the dairy milk for plant-based milk. Popular choices are soy milk or almond milk.

A glass milk bottle with buttermilk in it.

If you’ve tried this recipe, please let leave a review in the comments below. I love hearing from you! Don’t forget to tag me – @sugarandsoulco – on Instagram and Pinterest with your photos, or join our Sugar & Soul Show-offs Community and share them there.

A glass milk bottle with buttermilk in it.
5 from 1 vote

Buttermilk Substitute


Course Basic
Cuisine American
Prep Time 10 minutes
Total Time 10 minutes
Servings 1 cup
How To Make Buttermilk Substitute is an incredibly easy and quick way to make a homemade substitution right at home with just 2 ingredients!

Ingredients
  

  • 1 tablespoon white wine vinegar or lemon juice or 1¾ teaspoons cream of tartar
  • 1 scant cup whole milk

Instructions

  • Add vinegar, lemon juice, or cream of tartar to a 1 cup measuring cup.
    1 tablespoon white wine vinegar or lemon juice
  • Fill the cup to the 1 cup line with milk.
    1 scant cup whole milk
  • Let it rest and curdle for 5 to 10 minutes before using.

Nutrition

Calories: 149kcal | Carbohydrates: 11g | Protein: 8g | Fat: 8g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Cholesterol: 29mg | Sodium: 94mg | Potassium: 372mg | Sugar: 12g | Vitamin A: 395IU | Vitamin C: 0.1mg | Calcium: 301mg | Iron: 0.1mg

Did You Make This Recipe?

Don’t forget to share it with me on Instagram @sugarandsoulco and follow on Tiktok @sugarandsoulco and Pinterest @sugarandsoulco for more!

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