As part of my ongoing Baking Basics series, I’m sharing with you How to Make a Buttermilk Substitute. Not just one substitute, but four simple substitutions that you can easily make. Any one of these substitutes can be used in any recipe that calls for Buttermilk.
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Table of Contents
- What? No Buttermilk!
- It’s Easy to Make Substitutes
- More Baking Basics Videos
- The Modern Pioneer Cookbook
- The Modern Pioneer Pantry
- Start Your Traditional Foods Journey
- Download Your Free 36-Page Pantry List
- Join the Traditional Foods Kitchen Academy
- Kitchen Academy Videos
- How to Make a Buttermilk Substitute Recipe
- Shop for items used in this blog post or video
What? No Buttermilk!
Have you ever started to make a recipe, and you come to the ingredient list where it says buttermilk, and you realize that this ingredient is not a staple that you keep in your fridge? I understand completely!
But now, with the substitutions that I show in my video, you can have a mock buttermilk whenever you need it. Chances are you’ll have at least one of these ingredients on hand so that you can continue with your main recipe without interruption!
It’s Easy to Make Substitutes
My video shows you four simple ways to make buttermilk substitutes that include:
- Adding an acidic medium like vinegar or lemon juice to milk and letting it curdle.
- Thinning yogurt with a bit of milk.
- Thinning sour cream with a bit of milk.
- Adding a bit of cream of tartar to milk and letting it curdle.
After you follow one of my simple techniques, you have buttermilk! How easy is that? Be sure to watch the Buttermilk substitutes video, where I show you the right proportions for each formulation and share a few tips and tricks to help you get the perfect results every time.
If you’re missing other recipe items, don’t miss my video on How to Make Ingredient Substitutions.
More Baking Basics Videos
For more Baking Basics, try your hand at making these other recipes, including:
- 10 Flavored Extracts, including a “Perpetual” Vanilla Extract
- Condensed Milk and Evaporated Milk (Yes, they’re two different forms of milk.)
- Natural Food Colorings
- How to Make Homemade Extracts – Flavored Extracts – Baking Basics
And in case you’ve ever wondered how to make REAL Buttermilk, be sure to watch the video where I show you how to make Homemade Cultured Butter, which creates buttermilk as a by-product! It’s a two-for-one recipe!
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Kitchen Academy Videos
Baking with Whole Grains: The Maslin Method, Grain Mills, and America’s Bread Basket
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How to Make a Buttermilk Substitute
Ingredients
Buttermilk Substitute #1: With Vinegar
- 1 cup Full fat milk Lower fat milks can be substituted, but the consistency will be slightly different.
- 1 tablespoon Vinegar or lemon juice Any type of vinegar can be used. More may be needed—up to 2 tablespoons.
Buttermilk Substitute #2: With Yogurt
- 3/4 cup Full fat plain yogurt Lower fat yogurts can be substituted, but the consistency will be slightly different.
- 1/4 cup Full fat milk Lower fat milks can be substituted, but the consistency will be slightly different.
Buttermilk Substitute #3: With Sour Cream
- 1/2 cup Full fat sour cream Lower fat sour creams can be substituted, but the consistency will be slightly different.
- 1/2 cup Full fat milk Lower fat milks can be substituted, but the consistency will be slightly different.
Buttermilk Substitute #4: With Cream of Tartar
- 1 cup Full fat milk Lower fat milks can be substituted, but the consistency will be slightly different.
- 2 teaspoons Cream of tartar More may be needed for up to 3 teaspoons.
Instructions
Buttermilk Substitute #1: With Vinegar
- Pour milk into a jar and add vinegar or lemon juice. Stir well.
- Allow milk to curdle, which can take up to 1 hour.
- After milk has sufficiently curdled, whisk milk mixture vigorously to reincorporate the "curdles" (curds and whey) until it resembles the consistency of buttermilk.
- You can now use your substitute in any recipe that calls for buttermilk.
Buttermilk Substitute #2: With Yogurt
- Place yogurt and milk in a jar, and whisk well to thin yogurt to the consistency of buttermilk.
- You can now use your substitute in any recipe that calls for buttermilk.
Buttermilk Substitute #3: With Sour Cream
- Place sour cream (or Greek yogurt) and milk in a jar and whisk well to thin the sour cream to the consistency of buttermilk.
- You can now use your substitute in any recipe that calls for buttermilk.
Buttermilk Substitute #4: With Cream of Tartar
- Place the cream of tartar into a jar and pour a small amount of milk over it. Whisk mixture into a paste.
- Now add the remainder of the milk to the jar, and whisk well to incorporate the cream of tartar paste with the milk.
- Allow milk to curdle, which can take up to 1 hour.
- After milk has sufficiently curdled, whisk milk mixture vigorously to reincorporate the "curdles" (curds and whey) until it resembles the consistency of buttermilk.
- You can now use your substitute in any recipe that calls for buttermilk.
Video
Notes
Shop for items used in this blog post or video
Favorite Buttermilk Substitute Making Supplies
Favorite Kitchen Supplies
- Favorite Aprons
- Spice Grinder
- Countertop Burner (On my kitchen island in many recipe videos.)
- Handheld Vacuum Sealing System
- Vacuum Lids
- Whisk
- Silica Gel Packets (Helps keep moisture from building up in your mix)
- Cast Iron Dutch Oven
- 8-Quart Slow-Cooker
- Fat Separator (Clever kitchen device to help you decant bone broth)
- Flour Sack Towels
- pH Strips (Helps you check on the acidity of your vinegar)
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