• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Recipes
  • Allergies
  • Substitutions
  • About
  • Shop

Living Beyond Allergies logo

menu icon
go to homepage
  • Recipes
  • Allergies
  • Substitutions
  • About
  • Shop
  • Follow Along!

    • Facebook
    • Pinterest
    • Tumblr
  • subscribe
    search icon
    Homepage link
    • Recipes
    • Allergies
    • Substitutions
    • About
    • Shop
  • Follow Along!

    • Facebook
    • Pinterest
    • Tumblr
  • ×

    HOME » Vegan

    Dated: August 27, 2021 Last Modified: April 1, 2022 by Laura This post may contain affiliate links.

    11 Buttermilk Without Milk Recipes

    I love when you share my recipes!

    • Facebook
    • Twitter

    How to make buttermilk without milk. These milk & dairy free substitutions are easy to do and take less than 5 minutes. Perfect for all your baking recipes when you’re out of buttermilk! 

    3 glass containers filled with milk are resting on a table in front of a blue background

    Buttermilk is a great base for many baking recipes. But if you don’t want to purchase a half gallon to use a quarter cup, or you have dairy allergies or a dairy intolerance, don’t worry! Here are some of the best buttermilk without milk recipes. 

    The basic recipe is to combine your dairy (or non-dairy) with an acid and let it rest for 5 minutes. This gives the acid time to curdle the dairy (or non-dairy) which turns it into buttermilk. 

    Top tip! For a more authentic taste, you can also add a spoon of melted butter (or non-dairy butter) to get the full fat that traditional buttermilk would have! 

    What does buttermilk do for baking? 

    Buttermilk is a byproduct of making butter (hence the name!). It actually is not a combination of butter and milk, as I thought when I was a kid. 

    Buttermilk in baking helps to create lift and volume to your baked goods. The lactic acid also helps to neutralize the flavor of baking soda and baking powder. 

    Dairy Free Buttermilk Substitutions 

    Dairy free Milk of Choice and Vinegar

    This is the BEST method for replacing buttermilk without milk! 

    Adding vinegar, especially apple cider vinegar, is one of the best ways to swap buttermilk in any recipe. You can use white vinegar as well, but I like the little extra tang that the apple cider vinegar brings to the party. 

    Any type of milk will work for this. Some of my favorites are: Soy milk, rice milk, oat milk, and almond milk. 

    If you’d like to up the fat in your milk, you can melt 1 tablespoon of plant-based butter to add in addition to the apple cider vinegar. 

    Recipe: To make one cup of buttermilk, add 1 tablespoon of apple cider vinegar to a measuring up. Fill the cup with milk of your choice up to the 1 cup line. Give it a stir and let it rest for 5 minutes before using. 

    Dairy free milk and lemon juice 

    Similar to vinegar, lemon can also be used to make buttermilk. Grapefruit juice, orange juice, and lime juice can also work. 

    Fresh lemon juice is best as bottled lemon juice is filled with preservatives that doesn’t let the milk curdle as much as fresh. However, don’t let this stop you from using bottled lemon juice in a pinch! 

    Recipe: To make one cup of buttermilk, add 1 tablespoon of fresh lemon juice to a measuring up. Fill the cup with plant-based milk up to the 1 cup line. Give it a stir and let it rest for 5 minutes before using. 

    Dairy free sour cream with water 

    Sour cream, even dairy free sour cream, is made with the same lactic acid and bacteria as buttermilk, making this a perfect swap! Use your favorite plant-based sour cream and then whisk with a bit of water or milk of your choice. 

    Some of my favorite dairy-free sour creams are Forager and Tofutti! 

    Recipe: To make 1 cup of buttermilk, whisk ¾ cup of plant-based sour cream with ¼ cup water or milk of choice. Whisk until smooth. 

    Dairy free yogurt and water 

    Just like sour cream, dairy free yogurt is made with thickened plant-based milks and bacteria. The same tang that you get in your yogurt is perfect for replacing buttermilk! 

    Depending on the recipe, I would make sure that you use plain yogurt, or at least vanilla so that the flavors don’t compete. 

    Some of my favorite dairy-free yogurts are Silk, So Delicious, and Nancy’s. 

    Recipe: To make 1 cup of buttermilk, whisk ¾ cup of plant-based yogurt with ¼ cup water or milk of choice. Whisk until smooth. 

    Tofu with lemon juice and water 

    Using silken tofu is a great way to add some extra protein into any recipe that you’re making. You have to make sure that it is silken, soft tofu or else you will end up with something lumpy and nothing like buttermilk! 

    Recipe: To make 1 cup of buttermilk, combine ¼ cup tofu in a blender with 1 tablespoon of lemon juice and ¾ cup water. Blend until smooth and creamy. 

    Coconut cream and lemon juice 

    Unsweetened coconut cream has a texture that is almost identical to buttermilk! The same principles apply here as with other milks. You need an acid to slightly curdle the milk. I recommend lemon juice here as vinegar and coconut cream don’t always mix well. 

    Recipe: Add 1 tablespoon of lemon juice to a measuring cup. Fill to the 1 cup line with coconut cream. Let rest for 5 minutes before using. 

    Here are some recipes that use buttermilk! 

    • Easy Vegan Ranch Dressing
    • Extra Fluffy Gluten Free Biscuits

    Dairy Based Buttermilk Substitutions 

    Milk with Apple Cider Vinegar

    Any type of milk fat will work. I find a fuller fat milk will resemble buttermilk more closely, however, you don’t need to worry about it if you only have 2% or fat free. 

    If you’d like to up the fat in your milk, you can melt 1 tablespoon of butter to add in addition to the apple cider vinegar. 

    Recipe: To make one cup of buttermilk, add 1 tablespoon of apple cider vinegar to a measuring up. Fill the cup with milk up to the 1 cup line. Give it a stir and let it rest for 5 minutes before using. 

    Milk with Lemon 

    Similar to vinegar, lemon can also be used to make buttermilk. Grapefruit juice, orange juice, and lime juice can also work. 

    Fresh lemon juice is best as bottled lemon juice is filled with preservatives that doesn’t let the milk curdle as much as fresh. However, don’t let this stop you from using bottled lemon juice in a pinch! 

    Recipe: To make one cup of buttermilk, add 1 tablespoon of fresh lemon juice to a measuring up. Fill the cup with milk up to the 1 cup line. Give it a stir and let it rest for 5 minutes before using. 

    Sour Cream and Milk 

    Sour cream is made with the same lactic acid and bacteria as buttermilk, making this a perfect swap! Use your favorite sour cream and then whisk with a bit of water or milk of your choice. 

    Recipe: To make 1 cup of buttermilk, whisk ¾ cup of sour cream with ¼ cup water or milk of choice. Whisk until smooth. 

    Greek Yogurt and Milk 

    Just like sour cream, yogurt is made with thickened milks and bacteria. The same tang that you get in your yogurt is perfect for replacing buttermilk! 

    Depending on the recipe, I would make sure that you use plain yogurt, or at least vanilla so that the flavors don’t compete. 

    Recipe: To make 1 cup of buttermilk, whisk ¾ cup of yogurt with ¼ cup water or milk of choice. Whisk until smooth. 

    Milk with Cream of Tartar 

    Finally, this is the buttermilk swap that you should only do in a total pinch and you don’t have much of anything else on hand. 

    Cream of tartar is an acidic byproduct of winemaking and helps to keep baked goods soft and prevents the sugar from browning too quickly. 

    When used as a buttermilk substitute, it provides the same acidic effect in the milk. 

    Recipe: Mix 1 ½ teaspoons of cream of tartar into 2 tablespoons of milk. Mix this really well so that it doesn’t clump up! Now add those 2 tablespoons into a measuring cup and fill the remaining way with milk up to the one cup line.

    Want more baking articles? Check these out!

    • Baking without Gluten Guide
    • Dairy Allergy: What to Eat and What to Avoid
    • Easy Vegan Ranch Dressing
    • Vegan Vanilla Pudding - Egg free recipe

    Did you enjoy this article?

    Pop over to the Facebook Page to share your story or tag me over on Instagram with the hashtag #livingbeyondallergies I can't wait to hear your thoughts on this!

    More A collection of vegan recipes.

    • Vegan Chocolate Chip Bar Cookies
    • Garlic Noodles without Oyster Sauce
    • Easy Gluten Free Rice Krispies Treat
    • Vegan Chocolate Pudding

    I love when you share my recipes!

    • Facebook
    • Twitter

    Reader Interactions

    Leave a Reply Cancel reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    Recipe Rating




    Primary Sidebar

    Connect with me!

    • Facebook
    • Pinterest
    • Tumblr

    Never miss a recipe! Delivered weekly right to your inbox.

    Thanks!

    Laura, a white woman with red hair, is standing in front of a gray mural with floral details. She is wearing a black top, long Burgundy skirt, and black leather jacket.

    Hi, I’m Laura! Welcome to Living Beyond Allergies, a mix of healthy + indulgent allergy free recipes, plus a sprinkle of health resources. All eaters welcome! To learn more about me, click here!

    Valentine's Recipes

    • Delicious Ginger Sugar Cookies (gluten + dairy free)
    • BEST Vegan Chocolate Cake (No Weird Ingredients)
    • No Bake Vegan Chocolate Pie (no tofu!)
    • Easy Gluten Free Chocolate Sugar Cookies

    Most Popular Recipes

    • Easy Gluten Free and Nut Free Granola
    • Tomato Free Pizza Sauce
    • Brown Sugar Cinnamon Oatmeal
    • Tomato Free BBQ Sauce
    Subscribe for Recipes and More!

    Footer

    ↑ back to top

    About

    • About Living Beyond Allergies
    • Privacy Policy
    • Disclaimer
    • Terms & Conditions
    • Accessibility Policy
    • Nutrition & Allergen Policy

    Recipes by Diet

    • Gluten Free
    • Vegan
    • Dairy Free
    • Egg Free
    • Nut Free
    • Top 8 Free

    Contact

    • Contact
    • Work With Me

    Affiliate links to products I love are sometimes used in articles. I will earn a small commission from qualifying purchases. Thank you for your support.

    Copyright © 2022 Living Beyond Allergies