Homemade Buttermilk Substitute – easy way to get buttermilk substitute in 10 minutes using 2 ingredients that you certainly have in your fridge.
When you want to make your pancakes tender and light, you use buttermilk because acid in it reacts with baking soda or baking powder and produces small air bubbles in your batter.
Traditional buttermilk is a liquid left behind after churning butter out of cream. Here you will learn how to make fermented soured milk which can successfully replace traditional buttermilk in many recipes. You will get thinner, slightly acidic liquid with very small curds.
What is the best buttermilk substitute?
In my opinion it is a sort of sour milk which I get when I stir lemon juice into a cup of milk (recipe below).
Other good buttermilk substitutions are sour cream, plain yogurt, kefir, mixture of buttermilk powder + water.
Can I just use regular milk instead of buttermilk?
Regular milk tastes sweet, unlike buttermilk which is more on a sour side. If you don’t have any lemon juice or a tablespoon of vinegar at hand, you can use regular milk, but keep in mind that it will not have tangy flavor of buttermilk.
Can I use Greek yoghurt instead of buttermilk?
Yes, you can use a cup Greek yogurt instead of every buttermilk cup.
Vegans can use non-dairy milk to make buttermilk substitute following this same recipe.
Can I substitute almond milk and vinegar for buttermilk?
Yes, whenever recipe calls for 1 cup buttermilk, whisk a tablespoon of vinegar into a cup of unsweetened almond milk and let sit for about 10 minutes.
Can soy milk be used (with the addition of vinegar or lemon juice) to make a buttermilk substitute for baking and cooking?
Yes, it can.
Is buttermilk better for you than regular milk?
Yes, buttermilk has about one quarter less fat than whole milk. The thickness comes from lactic acid instead of butter.
Use my buttermilk substitute in recipes like Pancakes, Waffles, Scones, Muffins, Cakes, Soda Bread, quick breads, fried chicken, marinades for chicken and pork.




- 1 cup milk dairy or non-dairy (I used 2% dairy milk)
- 1 Tablespoon lemon juice or white vinegar
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In a cup, combine milk with lemon juice. Let stand about 10 minutes.
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Use instead of buttermilk in your recipes.
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What about those of us who are allergic to dairy?
You can use non-dairy milk.
Great tip. Thank you.
You’re welcome!