Buttermilk? Who has THAT sitting in the fridge on a regular basis to be used at one’s disposal? Unless you drink or use it daily, you probably don’t. How many times have you bought buttermilk for a recipe? I think many of us have done so more than we want to admit later to find leftover buttermilk spoiled still in the carton in the back of the fridge. Such a waste to have to pour it down the drain. Thus, why not use the ingredients found in your kitchen to make buttermilk substitutions?
Why question whether or not to buy buttermilk?
In my last post, I blogged about a traditional 4-ingredient Irish Soda Quick Bread. While perusing the recipe before making it, I noticed buttermilk was an essential ingredient. Now, don’t get me wrong, with so few ingredients, I don’t think buttermilk should’ve been substituted in this recipe. However, I was reminded of the number of times over the years I have subbed buttermilk in all sorts of recipes. Buttermilk is such a special ingredient, most of us don’t keep it in the fridge. So, there are many ways you can sub store-bought buttermilk for alternatives using commonly found ingredients you likely already have in your kitchen.
While you can buy buttermilk or buttermilk powder, why bother?
Before I knew how to substitute buttermilk in recipes, I used to keep buttermilk powder on hand. It is simple to use since you just mix it in with your recipe’s dry ingredients before adding the liquid. But, overtime and with experience (or because I was in dire straits), I discovered some great alternatives. Call me crazy, but you can also use buttermilk substitutions for regular milk in cooking and baking. In fact, I have used many times my Greek yogurt and water version to make my weekly bread and béchamel sauce! Ridiculous sounding, I know! But it works as long as you don’t mind a little tang in your sauce. When you’re in a pinch though, you do whatever you can!
In my world, there’s always a way!
What is buttermilk?
Buttermilk is basically just soured milk. It is used as a leavening (rising) agent (like yeast) in baking. The acid in buttermilk causes a “rising” reaction when mixed with baking soda. If recipes call for buttermilk AND baking soda, that means a reaction will happen (or should happen) thus buttermilk is needed to produce a light and tender bake. Since a reaction is needed in the bake, you should NOT substitute with just milk because milk (without acid) will not cause that necessary reaction / necessary rise. However, with milk and an acidic ingredient, you can create buttermilk substitutions to achieve the same reaction.
How can you “create” buttermilk for that required reaction?
The simplest answer is to add 1 tbsp of liquid acid (like any acidic fruit juice or any type of vinegar) to enough milk to equal 1 cup. In a recipe, since the acidic portion is so small, you shouldn’t be able to taste anything other than a tang.
Keep in mind that while you can use any milk of any percent milk fat (from skim to heavy cream), you will be limited to the consistency of the milk itself. However, you can add sour cream or yogurt to thicken it or water for thinning. For example, if you use skim milk, your buttermilk substitution will be thinner than a traditional buttermilk, and if you use heavy cream, your sub will be thicker. So, either a cream or water should be added to reach the desired consistency.
Here are 5 simple buttermilk substitutions with acceptable modifications.
Check out my video entitled, “5+ Simple Buttermilk Substitutions Using Pantry Staples” for details and step-by-step, close-up visuals of the following directions. The video also touches on mixing, comparing, and tasting each of these versions with actual buttermilk.
Substitute #1: Milk of ANY kind and Lemon Juice
Since the goal is to sour milk, in an even bigger pinch, if you don’t have lemons, try limes, or oranges (even little mandarins). For this sub, all you need to do is add 1 tbsp of lemon juice to a measuring cup and pour in enough milk (or any milk sub) to equal 1 cup. Whisk and set it aside for 5 minutes to allow for thickening. That’s it! Now, you are ready to add it to your other recipe ingredients.
Substitute #2: Milk of ANY kind and Vinegar
Again, since the goal is to sour milk, in an even bigger pinch, if you don’t have white vinegar, try any vinegar you have like apple cider vinegar. Because there’s so little acid, you should NOT be able to taste the extra flavors in your bake. All you have to do for this one is add 1 tbsp of vinegar to a measuring cup and pour in enough milk (or milk substitute) to equal 1 cup. Whisk and set it aside for 5 minutes to allow for thickening. Now, you are ready to add it to your other recipe ingredients.
Substitute #3: Milk of ANY kind and Cream of Tartar
Add 1 ¾ tsp of cream of tartar to a measuring cup and pour in a little milk (or milk substitute) to make a paste. This avoids clumping. Then add enough milk (or milk substitute) to equal 1 cup. Whisk and set it aside for 5 minutes to allow for thickening. Now, you are ready to add it to your other recipe ingredients.
What if you don’t have a liquid or powdered acid?
If you don’t have a liquid or powdered acid, then use sour cream whisked with milk or even water. Did you know that in professional restaurant kitchens, chefs will simply sub true buttermilk for a mixture of 1 part sour cream to 1 part milk?
Substitute #4: Sour Cream and Milk or Water
For this mixture, you’ll need 1 part sour cream to 1 part milk (1/2 cup sour cream whisked with 1/2 cup milk equals 1 cup of buttermilk). In a bigger pinch when I don’t have milk, I simply mix 1 part (or more) sour cream with 1 part water! Yes, that works, too. You still get the dairy and sour combination; you just need to thin it out to the consistency of buttermilk or milk. If dairy is an issue for you, just use vegan sour cream instead. Whisk and set it aside until you need it; there’s no need for waiting. If you use water in place of milk, the mixture will still be sour, just not very heavy or strong flavoring. Consider adding in a little lemon juice to reach your desired sourness.
Substitute #5: Plain Greek Yogurt and Milk or Water
For this mixture, you’ll need 1 part yogurt to 1 part milk (1/2 cup yogurt mixed with 1/2 cup milk equals 1 cup buttermilk). More often than not, I mix 1 part plain (unflavored) Greek yogurt with 1 part water! You still get the dairy and sour combination; you just need to thin it out to the consistency of buttermilk. You can use the same ratios for non-fat yogurt or water in place of milk, but the mixture will not be quite as sour, heavy, or strong. So, consider adding in a little lemon juice to reach your desired sourness. But, if you’re just using it in cooking or baking, it doesn’t matter much since it’s only one of the ingredients. Once it’s whisked, set is aside until you need it; there’s no need for waiting.
Low-fat buttermilk seems to be the norm in grocery stores.
Since I could only find low-fat buttermilk in multiple stores in my town, I think that is likely the norm these days. So, my recipes in this blog post are for the consistency of low-fat buttermilk. If you look elsewhere online, you’ll find recipes that say to use ¾ cup sour cream with ¼ cup of milk which might be an appropriate ratio for full-fat buttermilk. I think the bottom line is to use ratios that yield the consistency of what you’re looking for, start with cream and add liquid until you have your desired thickness. Add more cream if your mixture is too thin.
What if you’re dairy intolerant or vegan?
If you are vegan or unable to consume dairy, you can still make buttermilk substitutions using ANY non-dairy plant-based milk alternative like nut, seed, oat, coconut, or tofu beverage for the milk. In place of sour cream and yogurt, just use vegan sour cream.
Final thoughts on using buttermilk or buttermilk substitutions.
Ultimately, buttermilk is a key ingredient and necessary if called for in a recipe, thus it should never be eliminated since it is a leavening (rising) agent. However, in baking, you really don’t need to buy true buttermilk when there are some great alternatives. I’ve used the sour cream and yogurt versions mixed with either milk, water, or even both many times in making sandwich bread, biscuits, pancakes, and waffles. I’ve even used it as a sub for milk in boxed mac n cheese and homemade dairy sauces; the tang is a little noticeable, but it’s not overpowering. If you’re in a pinch, and you really need that milk ingredient, you won’t even notice that little tang.
Is buttermilk really ever necessary?
In light of having good buttermilk substitutions, if you’re making a recipe where buttermilk is the star or the main ingredient, particularly if the word “buttermilk” is in the title, I would use real buttermilk. Honestly, though, how often are you really going to make something where buttermilk is the star? So, given that, there’s no need to buy it except on special occasions or if you use it routinely in your food prep. And to avoid spoiled buttermilk in your fridge, just bake some bread and use the buttermilk as the dairy component. If you make several bread loaves, just slice, and freeze them to eat whenever you want. No wasting here!
Interested in other simple breads? Check out these recipes.
Irish Soda Bread using buttermilk
Interested in some kitchen tips?
Milk Substitute or Alternative
How to Bring Butter and Eggs to Room Temperature Quickly
Prepping and Storing Fresh Herbs
Thanks for reading! If you enjoyed this post, please share it. Check out my YouTube Channel as well to see videos of kitchen tips, blog bakes, and dishes. Until next time, go bake the world!