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Buttermilk Substitutes — Easy Swaps When You’re Out of Buttermilk
Buttermilk is a key ingredient in lots of baked goods, but it is not as common in most kitchens as it once was. Buttermilk adds tenderness, flavor, and reacts with baking soda to give lift and texture. But what if your recipe calls for buttermilk and you don’t have any on hand? No worries! There are several easy substitutes you can use that give you the same tang and chemistry without a trip to the store.
Below are simple options using ingredients you likely already have in your pantry. Each swap works especially well in baked goods, pancakes, waffles, biscuits, muffins, and cakes.
What Buttermilk Does in Recipes
Real buttermilk is slightly acidic and helps:
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React with baking soda to give baked goods lift
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Tenderize gluten for a moist texture
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Add a subtle tang to flavor
Each substitute below mimics this acidity and texture, so your recipe still performs well.
Buttermilk Substitutes You Can Use
1. Milk + White Vinegar
To make 1 cup of buttermilk:
– Add 1 tablespoon white vinegar to a liquid measuring cup.
– Pour in enough milk to reach 1 cup.
– Stir and let sit 5-10 minutes until slightly thickened.
This is the closest and most commonly used substitute in baking.
Buttermilk Substitute with Vinegar
Ingredients
- 1 Tbsp white vinegar
- 1 cup milk, minus 1 Tbsp
Instructions
- Pour 1 tablespoon of vinegar into a 1-cup measuring cup.
- Fill the rest of the measuring cup with milk.
- Gently stir and let the mixture sit for 5-10 minutes. This will allow the milk to slightly curdle, giving it a buttermilk-like texture and taste.
Nutrition
2. Milk + Lemon Juice
To make 1 cup of buttermilk:
– Add 1 tablespoon lemon juice to a liquid measuring cup.
– Pour in enough milk to reach 1 cup.
– Stir and let sit 5-10 minutes until slightly thickened.
Either fresh or bottled lemon juice will work in this substitute. Although not as thick as buttermilk, it can be substituted straight across for buttermilk in most recipes. While I typically use 2% or Whole milk, half-and-half would make a richer, thicker buttermilk in both the vinegar and lemon juice recipes.
Buttermilk Substitute with Lemon Juice
Ingredients
- 1 Tbsp lemon juice
- 1 cup milk, minus 1 Tbsp
Instructions
- Pour 1 tablespoon of lemon juice into a 1-cup measuring cup.
- Fill the rest of the measuring cup with milk.
- Gently stir and let the mixture sit for 5-10 minutes. This will allow the milk to slightly curdle, giving it a buttermilk-like texture and taste.
Nutrition
3. Milk + Cream of Tartar
For 1 cup buttermilk:
– Mix 1 cup milk + 1¾ teaspoons cream of tartar.
– Stir until the cream of tartar dissolves.
Cream of tartar is a good substitute for buttermilk due to its acidic nature. This gives a liquid texture and acidity similar to buttermilk without altering flavor much.
Buttermilk Substitute with Cream of Tartar
Ingredients
- 1¾ tsp Cream of Tartar
- 1 cup milk
Instructions
- Pour 1-¾ teaspoon Cream of Tartar into a 1-cup measuring cup. Add 1 cup of milk.
- Whisk together and let the mixture sit for 5-10 minutes. This will allow the milk to slightly curdle, giving it a buttermilk-like texture and taste.
Nutrition
4. Plain Yogurt or Sour Cream + Milk
For 1 cup buttermilk:
– Mix ¾ cup plain yogurt or sour cream + ¼ cup milk.
– Whisk until smooth and pourable.
If your yogurt is thick, this extra milk makes it the right consistency for baking.
5. Plain Yogurt or Sour Cream + Lemon Juice
For 1 cup buttermilk:
– Blend ¾ cup plain yogurt or sour cream + ¼ cup milk + 1 tablespoon lemon juice.
– Whisk together until silky.
This option adds a slight tang that’s more like real buttermilk.
6. Milk + Yogurt or Sour Cream + Vinegar
For 1 cup buttermilk:
– Whisk together ½ cup milk + ½ cup plain yogurt or sour cream + 1 teaspoon vinegar.
– Mix until smooth.
This mixture gives a rich, slightly thicker texture that still behaves like buttermilk when baked.
7. Milk + Vinegar + Cream of Tartar
For 1 cup buttermilk:
– Combine 1 tablespoon vinegar + 1 cup milk + ½ teaspoon cream of tartar.
– Stir until combined.
This gives extra acidity for recipes that rely heavily on the tang of buttermilk.
Tips for Best Results
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Use cold ingredients: Keeping substitutes at fridge temperature helps them react properly with baking soda.
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Mix just before using: Let the substitute sit 5-10 minutes only — longer can make batters too thick.
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Adjust baking soda: If your recipe uses baking powder instead of baking soda, the lift might be slightly less noticeable, but the texture will still be great.
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Which Substitute Should You Use?
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Closest match to buttermilk: Milk + lemon juice or vinegar — this works in most recipes.
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Richest texture: Yogurt + milk mix gives a moist, tender crumb.
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Extra tang: Yogurt + lemon juice brings brightness similar to cultured buttermilk.
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Most acidic: Milk + vinegar + cream of tartar may help recipes that rely heavily on lift.
No matter which substitute you choose, you’ll avoid extra trips to the store and still get great results in your favorite baked goods. With a couple of pantry staples and these easy swaps, you’ll never be stuck without buttermilk again.
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One cup of buttermilk substitute is equal to one cup of buttermilk in a recipe, ½ cup for ½ cup, and so on. Buttermilk substitutes can be used in quick breads, muffins, biscuits, pancakes, waffles, cakes, salad dressings, fried chicken, and many other delicious recipes.
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