Great Substitutes for Buttermilk?
Buttermilk is a common ingredient in many recipes. Still, if you have run out of Buttermilk and your recipe requires it, there are several alternatives for this ingredient—the substitutes for Buttermilk listed below work great for baking and cooking. Try them instead of Buttermilk from now on!
If you do not think of which substitute for trying first, then go with heavy cream or whole milk or yogurt or sour cream. Only test one at a time because the flavor profile between each of these might change your end product.
There is no fixed rule that whole milk will always give a similar taste to that of dairy-based Buttermilk (speaking about main ingredients). So be brave and try one substitute at a time.
Coconut milk & almond milk also works great in place of Buttermilk. Just add a little more flour than the recipe if you use coconut milk instead of dairy-based Buttermilk.
Coconut milk is very dense and may not provide that standard batter-like consistency required for baking. So be careful when swapping them with dairy-based Buttermilk in recipes like pancakes, waffles, etc., because they might change the texture and flavor (especially if you try with steel-cut oats).
Ingredients:
Heavy Cream or Whole Milk or Yogurt or Sour Cream/ any other dairy-based ingredients to replace Buttermilk (1 cup = 16 tbs)
1 cup = 16 tbs
Heavy Cream:
Replace Buttermilk with 1 cup of heavy cream or 35%+ milk fat content. Do not use ultra-pasteurized heavy cream for this substitute. You may have to reduce the liquid ingredients by 2-4 tbs if you use it as a Buttermilk sub.
For example, if your recipe asks for 2 cups of Buttermilk, replace it with 1 ½ -2 cups of heavy cream depending on the fat content. I would recommend that they use ¾ cup first and then increase accordingly to get that desired thickness & consistency. Heavy cream will make your end product richer in flavor and texture than dairy-based Buttermilk (speaking about main ingredients).
Whole milk:
Replace Buttermilk with 1 cup of whole milk. If you use ultra-pasteurized heavy cream, reduce the liquid ingredients by 2-4 tbs because it will be thicker than standard heavy cream.
Reduce the time by a minute if you are baking something that requires heating in the oven for longer, like bread, etc. You can use this substitute for any recipe called Buttermilk, pancakes, waffles, and many more! It has the same consistency and tastes similar to dairy-based Buttermilk (speaking about main ingredients). Do not use low-fat milk while replacing dairy-based Buttermilk with whole milk in pancakes, waffles, etc. It will not give the desired result.
Yogurt:
Replace Buttermilk with 1 cup of yogurt or dairy-based Buttermilk. Yogurt is thicker in consistency than dairy-based Buttermilk, so make sure you reduce the liquid ingredients by 2-4 tbs if you use it as a sub for Buttermilk. Again, do not use ultra-pasteurized yogurt or sour cream versions or this substitute because they are pretty thick in texture and may change the end product entirely if used directly without any modifications.
Reduce the time by a minute if you are baking something that requires heating in the oven for longer, like pieces of bread, etc. You can use this substitute for any recipe called Buttermilk, pancakes, waffles, and many more! It has almost the same consistency and tastes similar to dairy-based Buttermilk (speaking about main ingredients).
Sour cream:
Replace Buttermilk with 1 cup of sour cream or dairy-based Buttermilk. Reduce the liquid ingredients by 2-4 tbs if you use it as a Buttermilk sub. This substitute is recommended for those who like to bake because it acts as an emulsifying agent which holds the end product together while baking.
So if you want fluffier textured baked goodies, replace dairy-based Buttermilk with sour cream. You can use this substitute for any recipe called Buttermilk, pancakes, waffles, and many more! It has the same consistency and tastes similar to dairy-based Buttermilk (speaking about main ingredients).
Non-dairy substitute for Buttermilk:
3/4 cup soy milk(soybean milk)
One tablespoon vinegar or lemon juice.
Combine in a small bowl, and let stand for 5 minutes before using.
Or you can use one teaspoon yogurt or 1-2 tablespoons cream combined with 1 cup of water or so may be used instead of Buttermilk to make pastry dough. It gives the same taste also, which is 100% dairy-free
always add vinegar last after adding other ingredients. If you add first, your baking powder will act only on the vinegar only, not on the rest of the elements; that’s why you must add vinegar last after all other ingredients are added; otherwise, the substitute doesn’t work.
Also, it works best for pancakes mix 2 tsp baking powder in 1 cup of soy milk or buttermilk substitute, add 1/2 tsp salt and 2 tbsp oil if required, mix it well, then use in pancake recipes.
Also, you can make Buttermilk by curdling soy milk with lemon juice.
Buttermilk substitute vinegar:
1 cup soy milk (soybean milk)
2-3 tsp vinegar or lemon juice.
Combine in a small bowl, and let stand for 5 minutes before using.
Or you can use one teaspoon yogurt or 1-2 tablespoons cream combined with 1 cup of water instead of Buttermilk to make pastry dough. It gives the same taste also, which is 100% dairy-free. Always add vinegar last after adding other ingredients because if you add first, then your baking powder will act only on the vinegar, not on the rest of the ingredients. That’s why you must add vinegar last after all other elements are added; otherwise, the substitute doesn’t work.
Also,o it works best for pancakes, mix two baking powder in 1 cup of soy milk or buttermilk substitute, add 1/2 tsp salt and 2 tbsp oil if required, mix it well, then use in pancake recipes.
Don’t add baking soda along with vinegar because that causes the dough to rise quickly, and it will make your pancakes too puffy.