What is a substitute for buttermilk?

[jkgourmet]

I don't keep it around the house and rarely have to use it, but every once in a while, I do find a recipe that asks for it. If I buy the entire container, I'm throwing out most of it. What can I substitute? I usually have 1% or skim milk, eggs and lite sour cream on hand. Sometimes plain lowfat yogurt.

Or is there shelf stable buttermilk in small packages avaialble? I've never thought of that before. . .

 

[sarah]

1 tablespoon vinegar plus enough milk to equal 1 cup or 2/3 c plain yogurt plus 1/3 c milk can be substituted for 1 c buttermilk.
i've tried both and they work just fine for me!!!

 

[thelocalcook]

You can also use lemon juice or cider vinegar

 

[Alix]

I find lemon juice better to sour the milk than vinegar just because of the flavor. Lemon juice doesn't have as lingering a flavor IMO.

Sub for buttermilk:

Equal amount of plain yogurt
Equal amount of soured milk (see instructions for "how to" above)

Good luck and tell us how it turned out.

 

[jkgourmet]

Does it have to be full fat milk? Will 1% or even skim work?

 

[jet]

I find lemon juice better to sour the milk than vinegar just because of the flavor. Lemon juice doesn't have as lingering a flavor IMO. ...

I agree.

 

[Alix]

You can use 1%, thats what I always use.

 

[Constance]

You can also buy powdered buttermilk...you'll find it in the baking aisle.

 

[jkgourmet]

I've seen the powdered buttermilk, but alway decided against it. Do those of you who use powerdered Butermilk think that it would be ean inferior product?

 

[mexican mama]

how about half and half cream?

 

[jet]

how about half and half cream?

But that won't have the acidity of buttermilk.

 

[Wyogal]

probably meant half and half for the milk base to which vinegar/lemon juice is added. (that's how I understood it)
yep, that would work, too.

 

[Michael in FtW]

Does it have to be full fat milk? Will 1% or even skim work?

It will work just fine. Buttermilk is actually low fat - the fat has been removed by being churned into butter.

 

[JamesS]

I've seen the powdered buttermilk, but alway decided against it. Do those of you who use powerdered Butermilk think that it would be ean inferior product?

Our local grocery dropped buttermilk entirely a couple of years ago, so I've been using the powdered enzyme since. It's really not bad. It has to be refrigerated once opened, and it's a real pain in the nether regions to mix as it likes to clump, but it does the job. Wherever possible, it's best to combine it with the dry ingredients and add the water to the wet. Sometimes, you have to use it wet though...plan on lots of whisking and scraping. I've used it in biscuits, making cheesecake, marinating chicken to be fried and probably some other ways that aren't coming to mind. It really doesn't change the recipes much at all.

 

[letscook]

i have use the powdered many times without problems good to have on hand but mostly i use the vingaer in the milk . never thought of yogurt goin to try that

 

[DaveSoMD]

I use the 1 Tblsp white vinegar + milk = 1 cup method with my biscuits.

Remember when making the substitution sometimes the recipe called for BM for the twang it adds and sometimes for the acidic value, which is needed with other ingredients. Making a substitution may not always make the recipe come out as intended.

 

[Kayelle]

I bought the powdered buttermilk, and thought it was a total waste of money. Dang, that stuff is expensive. Back to doing the lemon juice with fat free milk, because I never have any other kind of milk on hand.

Now if I was doing my mama's buttermilk pie, that's another thing.
Nothing but the best buttermilk will do, and that would be Knudsen's in this part of my world.

 

[SusieQTX]

I also keep powdered buttermilk on hand. Just a thought, if you have pantry space for it.

 

[Claire]

There is a huge difference between baking and making other kinds of dishes. I make my own "ranch" dressing (my husband calls it "Claire's super secret sauce") and will use buttermilk, yogurt, or milk & vinegar. BUT I would not count on it to react correctly in any baking recipe, because I don't bake. Oh, yes, for blintzes I've actually been known to use cottage cheese with a touch of lemon juice (blended well).