What Can You Use Instead Of Buttermilk?

But first …

What is buttermilk?

Buttermilk is a by-product of butter making. It is a liquid that is leftover after churning full cream milk into butter. It’s low in fat and is high in protein and naturally ferments into a thick, tangy cream.

How is buttermilk different from milk?

Buttermilk is curdled, lower in fat, and slightly thicker than regular milk.

What is buttermilk used for

Buttermilk is used in baking as well as cooking other foods. Buttermilk gives flavor, better rise, and texture to baked goods when combined with baking soda. It can also be used as a marinade to tenderize meats and make salad dressings.

So, What Can You Use Instead Of Buttermilk

You can make buttermilk substitutes using fresh or powdered milk by mixing in an acidic ingredient to make sour milk or use a naturally acidic food.

How to make buttermilk from milk or cream

You can make homemade buttermilk easily using: fresh milk, heavy cream and half and half with something acidic like fresh lemon juice, vinegar, or cream of tartar.

The acids from these will cause the milk to curdle and create a product that will act similar to buttermilk.

Please note the liquid measuring cups are equal to 240- 250 ml (about 8 fluid ounces).

How To Make Buttermilk Using Vinegar

• Measure one cup of cold milk into a measuring jug then, add one tablespoon of white vinegar.
• Stir well and allow to stand at room temperature for 10 – 15 minutes before using.

How To Make Buttermilk With Lemon Juice

• Measure one cup of cold milk into a measuring jug then, add one tablespoon lemon juice (or lime juice).
• Stir well and allow to stand at room temperature for 10 – 15 minutes before using.

How To Make Buttermilk Using Cream Of Tartar

Cream of tartar is acidic in place of vinegar or lemon juice.

• Measure one cup of cold milk into a measuring jug then, add 1 3/4 level teaspoons of cream of tartar.
• Stir well and allow to stand at room temperature for 10 – 15 minutes before using.

Other Buttermilk Substitutes

Plain yogurt, sour cream, or kefir are also good to use as a buttermilk substitute. These dairy products are naturally acidic and will also work in a similar way to buttermilk.

Natural plain yogurt

Use unflavoured plain yogurt or natural Greek yogurt.

Yogurt is naturally thicker in consistency compared to buttermilk and will need to be made thinner.

You will need to add only a scant amount of milk or water to thin the yogurt to a consistency similar to pouring cream.

Sour cream

You can use sour cream instead of buttermilk. There are two types of sour cream, pouring sour cream and thick sour cream.

If using pouring sour cream, use it as is. When using thick sour cream, thin it down slightly with water or milk to make a pouring cream consistency.

Kefir

If you have kefir, you can use plain unsweetened, unflavoured kefir.

Please note: These replacements for buttermilk are perfect for baking where small amounts are needed. However, if you need buttermilk for meat marinades, use real buttermilk or yogurt.

Dry Buttermilk Powder Substitute

In some countries, you can buy buttermilk powder is ideal for use when you are making dry mixes. If buttermilk powder is not available, try our dry buttermilk powder substitute.

Recipes Using Buttermilk

• Soft and fluffy buttermilk scones (recipepocket.com)
• Sweet corn fritters (recipepocket.com)
• Cheese and bacon scones (recipepocket.com)
• Buttermilk banana bread (twopeasandtheirpod.com)
• Easy buttermilk butter crunch cake (thecafesucrefarnine)