Buttermilk substitute?

Question

I've got a recipe that calls for some buttermilk, but none on-hand. Is there some way I could use some common ingredient(s) as a substitute?

Answer 1

There are a few possibilities:

• 1 cup milk plus 1 Tbsp lemon juice or white vinegar, let stand for 10 minutes
• 1 cup milk plus 2 tsp cream of tartar, let stand for 10 minutes
• 2 parts plain yogurt to 1 part milk
• Plain, low-fat yogurt
• Sour cream
• Molasses (if batter requires baking soda)

I have used the first two with success.

Source: Cook's Thesaurus

Answer 2

You can use the aforementioned substitutions for buttermilk but keep in mind that they will produce a slightly different flavor due to the types of acids and their flavor profiles:

-Buttermilk = lactic acid

-Lemon juice = citric acid

-Vinegar = acetic acid

Chemically they will work the same however.

Sour cream or yogurt thinned with milk to the consistency of buttermilk will probably give you the closest substitution in flavor.

Answer 3

I've seen both milk + white vinegar or milk + lemon juice mentioned as substitutes. I've only tried the former, and that worked great. I've used a ratio of 1 cup milk to 1 tablespoon of vinegar.