3 Substitutes for Buttermilk: Make Your Own

Hi Friend,

Have you ever noticed that whole wheat recipes call for buttermilk more often than all-purpose recipes? Just me?

When I began my freshly-milled flour adventure, I tried substituting 2% milk for buttermilk. It wasn’t the first time. I did it all the time for my all-purpose flour recipes. But I quickly discovered that buttermilk enhances the texture and flavor of freshly-milled flour.

Confession: buttermilk is one of those things I don’t usually keep on hand.

When I have buttermilk in the fridge, I never use it. If I don’t have buttermilk, then I need it all the time. After a few years of tossing expired buttermilk, I began defaulting to these three substitutions for buttermilk. Now I rarely buy it, unless I’m entertaining guests… then buttermilk is a must on my shopping list.

Three Substitutes for Buttermilk:

Lemon Juice + Milk

Fresh or bottled, they both work.

1 Cup Buttermilk = 1 tablespoon lemon juice + enough milk to equal one cup

Stir, then let sit for about 5 minutes before adding it to your recipe.

Vinegar + Milk

Vinegar and milk are two kitchen essentials that are always on hand.

1 Cup Buttermilk = 1 tablespoon vinegar + enough milk to equal one cup

Stir, then let sit for about 5 minutes before adding it to your recipe.

Plain Yogurt + Milk

My favorite substitute for buttermilk! I learned it from an old King Arthur Flour cookbook.

1 Cup Buttermilk = ½ Cup Plain Yogurt + ½ Cup Milk

Give it a quick stir and add it to your recipe right away.

My fellow “never-have-buttermilk-when-you-need-it” friend, I hope you find these substitutes helpful! I would love to hear what your favorite substitution is below in the comments. Also, if you try one of these for the first time, feel free to tag us at @farmfreshwheatwa on Facebook or Instagram.

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Best,

The Sieverkropps