I’ll show you how to make buttermilk, with 2 simple ingredients, that’s ready in just 5 minutes!
Save the Recipe!
I can’t tell you how many times I use this buttermilk substitute hack! For some reason, I never think to buy buttermilk, but when the craving strikes for Chocolate Chip Pancakes, I don’t panic, because there’s this nifty little secret to making buttermilk at home with just milk, and lemon juice or white vinegar. Follow my recipe for the perfect ratio of the two, and you’ll be baking up in no Buttermilk Drop Biscuits time. Enjoy!
Why You’ll Love This Buttermilk Substitute
The worst feeling is when you want a big stack of fluffy Blueberry Pancakes on a Sunday morning in your PJs, and you don’t have buttermilk. You’re left throwing on clothes and hustling to the grocery store or letting your pancake dreams fade away. BUT this buttermilk substitute changes the game! You can make your own buttermilk in just 5 minutes with 2 kitchen-staple ingredients! Pancake breakfast: here we come!
Ingredients
You only need 2 simple ingredients to make buttermilk at home! Here they are:
- Whole or 2% milk – fat equals moisture and tenderness, mimicking cultured buttermilk’s richness!
- Lemon juice OR white vinegar – lemon juice and white vinegar create consistent acidity similar to the acidity of buttermilk, which reacts with baking soda to create lift just like using store-bought cultured buttermilk. While white vinegar has a more neutral taste than lemon juice, both work!
How to Make Buttermilk
Forgot to buy buttermilk or just want to make it yourself? It will take you just 5 minutes! Here are the steps; the full recipe instructions are in the recipe card below.
Step 1: Add white vinegar or lemon juice to a liquid measuring cup.
Step 2: Pour in milk until it reaches the 1-cup line. Stir and let stand for 5 minutes, until slightly curdled.
Step 3: Stir again and use as usual.
Dairy-Free Substitute
If you want the closest thing to real buttermilk without using dairy, unsweetened soy milk plus 1 tablespoon of vinegar or lemon juice is the way to go. It’s the perfect balance of acidity and protein, so your baked goods rise properly and stay tender and moist. While you can use oat milk as another dairy-free alternative, it lacks protein so your baked goods might not rise as well and may turn out softer than expected.
Buttermilk Uses
- Mini Pancakes, Blueberries Pancakes, and Chocolate Chip Pancakes
- Waffles
- Buttermilk Drop Biscuits and Drop Biscuits with cheddar and bacon
- Olive Oil Cake
- Strawberry Shortcake
- Fried chicken
- Creamy salad dressings
- Garlic Mashed Potatoes in place of cream
FAQs
White vinegar has a more neutral flavor and slightly stronger acidity, making it the best option for homemade buttermilk, but lemon juice works really well too!
Not exactly. The milk-plus-vinegar-or-lemon hack nails the acidity, so it works great for most baking, but it won’t have the same thickness or flavor depth as store-bought cultured buttermilk. For things like biscuits when buttermilk is the star of the show, real buttermilk is an even better option!
Yes! Take ¾ cup plain yogurt (dairy or soy) and thin it with ¼ cup milk(dairy or soy) to get the right consistency.
It’s best to use homemade buttermilk with 1-2 days, storing in the fridge.
Yes, you can freeze it for up to 2 months. Pour it into a freezer-safe container, give it a good shake or stir after thawing, and it’s ready to go.
If you’ve tried this How to Make Buttermilk recipe or any other recipe on my website, please let me know in the comments below. I love hearing from you. Please consider leaving a 🌟 star rating while you are here!
How to Make Buttermilk
Ingredients
- 1 scant cup milk, whole or 2%
- 1 tablespoon white vinegar OR lemon juice
Instructions
- Add white vinegar or lemon juice to a liquid measuring cup.
- Pour in milk until it reaches the 1-cup line. Stir and let stand for 5 minutes, until slightly curdled.
- Stir again and use as usual.
Video
Notes
- White vinegar is slightly more acidic and has a neutral taste, yielding the best results. But both white vinegar and lemon juice work well!
- You can also use 1 ¾ teaspoon cream of tartar in place of the lemon juice or white vinegar!
- Dairy-free (vegan) substitute: you can use soy milk instead, which has the closest protein content to dairy milk and will provide similar rise and structure! Stay away from almond milk which doesn’t work well for homemade buttermilk.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Whenever I buy buttermilk, I end up throwing away most of the contents. No more. From now on Iโll be using this recipe exclusively!!!
So true; I do the same!! Happy it helps!
Grace
I was making a birthday cake for my daughter that required buttermilk and realized I forgot to buy it. You saved the day with this easy recipe! Thank you!
AMAZING! Glad the recipe saved the day!!
Happy baking,
Grace
I actually was in the exact scenario you talked about above…I wanted pancakes but didn’t have buttermilk! This saved me…thanks a bunch!!
HA it seems to happen way too often right? Glad it was helpful ๐
Grace