Go Back
4.58 from 1076 votes
Top-down view of homemade butter milk substitute with half of fresh lemon.
How to Make Buttermilk Substitute
Prep Time
5 mins
Total Time
5 mins
 

Learn how to make Buttermilk at home so you always have it on hand for my Buttermilk Biscuits, Pancake recipes, and even Irish Soda Bread.

Course: Ingredient
Cuisine: American
Servings: 1 cup
Author: Gemma Stafford
Ingredients
  • 1 cup (8 fl oz/240 ml) whole milk
  • 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice or white vinegar
Instructions
  1. Measure the milk into a jug
  2. Stir lemon juice or vinegar into the milk. Let the mixture sit for 30 minutes at room temperature until the milk begins to curdle and becomes acidic.

  3. Use in place of buttermilk in the recipe as it calls for. Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days or in the freezer for up to 1 month.

Watch the Recipe Video!

Recipe Notes
  1. You can freeze buttermilk in 1-tablespoon or 2-tablespoon portions in ice cube trays. It's easy to defrost and use later when needed.
  2. If you freeze buttermilk in an airtight bottle or container, make sure they're freezer safe and leave room about 1 inch to the rim to allow the liquid to expand once frozen.
  3. While substituting sour cream, plain kefir or plain yogurt for buttermilk, use up to 3/4 in one go and adjust it to get the same consistency dough or batter as the recipe you're following.
  4. If you need a small amount of buttermilk, here's how much to use (roughly):

(a little more than )1 cup of buttermilk= 6 tsp/ 2 tablespoons lemon juice/vinegar + 1 cup milk

1/4 cup buttermilk = 1/2 tablespoon lemon juice/vinegar + 1/4 cup milk
1/3 cup buttermilk = 2 teaspoon lemon juice/vinegar + 1/3 cup milk
1/2 cup buttermilk = 1 tablespoon lemon juice/vinegar + 1/2 cup milk
2/3 cup buttermilk = 4 teaspoons lemon juice/vinegar + 2/3 cup milk
3/4 cup buttermilk = 1½ tablespoon lemon juice/vinegar + 3/4 cup milk