How to Substitute Buttermilk



Katie discusses how to substitute buttermilk in a pinch.

ABOUT US: Located in Boston’s Seaport District in the historic Innovation and Design Building, America’s Test Kitchen features 15,000 square feet of kitchen space including multiple photography and video studios. It is the home of Cook’s Illustrated magazine and Cook’s Country magazine and is the workday destination for more than 60 test cooks, editors, and cookware specialists. Our mission is to test recipes over and over again until we understand how and why they work and until we arrive at the best version.

If you like us, follow us:

source

Similar Posts

20 Comments

  1. This tip actually makes clabbered milk. I've used this lemon juice/vinegar and milk substitution instead of buttermilk in a cake recipe many times without trouble but this substitution is NOT recommended for other dishes ironically by Cook's Country which is closely related to America's Test Kitchen. Cook's Country (May/June 2019 issue) suggests thinned yogurt as a better buttermilk substitute for drop biscuits and pancakes. American yogurt would be thinned in a 1:1 ratio but Greek yogurt being thicker requires a 2:1 water to Greek yogurt ratio.

  2. I'm sorry but… everyone needs to watch this video:
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P-kO8zHNiQw

    Milk and lemon juice is not actually as great a substitute as people think it is. It's known as acidulated milk, not buttermilk, and it doesn't have the flavors or tenderizing aspects of buttermilk and other fermented/cultured milks.

    Try mixing sour cream or yogurt with milk instead… or just get some buttermilk. Smaller cartons are not so hard to find, and using up buttermilk is a lot easier than people think. Pancakes, waffles, (southern US) biscuits and so on, of course, but also breading for friend chicken or fish, as a drink, a soak for beans or rice, the liquid for stuffing, etc.

  3. I have tried powdered buttermilk, lemon in milk, white vinegar in milk, and not one of them was a satisfactory substitute for buttermilk. I have also used buttermilk that is months past the sell by date–but only for baking. We experienced no ill-effects from eating the product and it tasted great.

  4. Pretty sure buttermilk is in my refrigerator about 100 times more often than lemon juice. I assume cream of tartar & milk works for cakes etc. Half plain yogurt and half milk might work too.

  5. I'm far more likely to have buttermilk than a fresh lemon ;-). I freeze buttermilk in paper cups of 1 cup each, then put them in a freezer bag. That way I can defrost one when I want to make Ranch dressing, pancakes, waffles, etc.

Leave a Reply