Making your own vegan buttermilk is simple, requires just two staple ingredients, and five minutes of your time. Use it for all of your non-dairy baking needs like pancakes, biscuits, and more!
Table of Contents
📖 What is buttermilk?
The most traditional form of buttermilk is a byproduct of the butter-making process. Once the butter has been churned, a thin fermented liquid is left behind to be used in a wide variety of ways (more below).
Nowadays, store-bought buttermilk is mainly industrially produced. Bacteria cultures are added to pasteurized milk (typically low-fat or skim milk), which ferments it into buttermilk.
Contrary to popular belief, buttermilk is usually not that thick or "buttery." In fact, it's rather thin, acidic, and tangy.
While this may seem like a long and labor-intensive method, we're going to show you how to make dairy-free buttermilk in five minutes with only two ingredients!
🥞 What is buttermilk used for?
Buttermilk is utilized in both baking and cooking for a few different reasons:
Tenderizing — The acidity of buttermilk tenderizes gluten bonds and other proteins to yield a more pleasing texture. No more dense and chewy recipes!
Lifting — Buttermilk helps batters and quick breads rise, especially when this acid is combined with baking soda.
🌱 Is buttermilk vegan?
The short answer is no, buttermilk is traditionally made from dairy milk. This is because milk contains both casein (protein) and lactose (sugar).
Bacteria added to buttermilk ferments the lactose, which then forms lactic acid. Lactic acid lowers the pH of milk, leading the casein protein to precipitate and curdle the milk.
Sciencey jargon aside, we have good news! It is possible to make your own vegan buttermilk that replicates the same use case as regular buttermilk.
🥛 What is the best milk to use?
With the traditional methods of curdling milk in mind, there are a few things to look for in your choice of dairy-free milk:
Protein — As with dairy-based milk, it is best to choose plant milk with a high protein content. Our preferred varieties include:
- Soy milk = ~7-8 grams of protein per cup
- Pea milk = ~7-8 grams of protein per cup
- Sesame milk = ~8 grams of protein per cup
- Oat milk = ~4 grams of protein per cup
Sweetener — Since lactic acid may be formed from cane sugar, we find cane sugar-sweetened soy milk works. Or, add a touch of cane sugar to an unsweetened variety if it isn't curdling.
🍋 What is the best acid to use?
The best acid to use is the most convenient one available to you. The following acids have their own pros and cons, but all will yield similar results.
White vinegar — Cheapest and most widely available acid with a neutral flavor.
Lemon juice — More expensive compared to white vinegar, but it provides consistent results and is the most natural option. You can also use lime juice.
Apple cider — Works effectively but has a more pronounced flavor and color.
Note: Avoid dark-colored or flavored vinegar (like balsamic) as this will greatly impact the overall taste, recipe color, and effectiveness of vegan buttermilk.
🤔 Why is my buttermilk not curdling?
If your milk is not forming curdles, there could be a few things going on:
- Not enough protein. As we mentioned, protein content plays an important role in the curdling and thickening process. Try to use any of the varieties we've listed above for the most consistent results.
- Cold temperature. The reaction won't happen if you've just removed your soy milk from the fridge. Let it warm to room temperature before adding the acid. If you are short on time, you can heat it in a saucepan until it reaches 160 degrees F (make sure you have a thermometer).
If you've implemented all of these troubleshooting tips and your vegan buttermilk is still not curdling, it may still be fine to use depending on the recipe. The vinegar or lemon juice will still activate the baking soda and help with leavening your baked goods.
🛒 Ingredients & substitutions
Soy milk — We find soy milk provides the most reliable results. If you don't eat soy, make sure whichever plant milk you're using is high in protein (see our milk section above for ideas). Make sure your milk is at room temperature.
White vinegar — Our preference for the acid is distilled white vinegar due to its neutral flavor, cost, and availability. If you don't have access to white vinegar, we recommend lemon juice or apple cider vinegar.
For a complete ingredient list and step-by-step guide, scroll down to our recipe card.
📝 Instructions
Step 1 — Add room temperature soy milk and vinegar to a glass measuring cup or container.
Step 2 — Stir to combine, then set it aside for a few minutes to allow the soy milk time to curdle.
Step 3 — Use your vegan buttermilk in any recipe that calls for buttermilk!
If you have questions about making dairy-free buttermilk, check out our FAQs or leave a comment down below!
🌡️ Storage
Vegan buttermilk is quick enough to make on an "as needed" basis." But, if you find yourself with leftovers, it stores well too.
Fridge — Keep homemade vegan buttermilk in the fridge for up to a week. We recommend using airtight glass containers to preserve the flavors best.
Freezer — Dairy-free buttermilk is freezer-friendly. Pour leftovers into ice cube trays and freeze individually. When you need some again, it can be thawed in smaller portions.
Thaw — Thaw the amount you need for a recipe in your fridge overnight.
Note: If you're using vegan buttermilk from frozen, give the container a shake or vigorous stir before adding it to a recipe.
🧑🍳 Top tips
Opt for soy — Since it is the best candidate for vegan buttermilk, opt for soy milk if you have the option.
Unflavored — Don't purchase milk that contains artificial flavors like vanilla as it may interfere with your recipe.
Make it precise — If you're using this vegan buttermilk for a baking recipe that needs to be precise, remove exactly 1 tablespoon of plant milk from the recipe. Use the same amount of vinegar or lemon juice to yield 1 cup of buttermilk total.
Don't skip the resting time — You need to allow the acid time to react with sugar and protein in the milk. Don't skip this or the buttermilk won't curdle.
Follow the recipe — Since this recipe has been tested numerous times, we don't recommend substitutions as the results will vary.
💬 FAQ
If the recipe calls for vegan buttermilk, regular dairy-free milk will most likely not work. Buttermilk is an acid, so it reacts with other leavening agents like baking soda. This may result in a dense baked good.
Almond milk should not be used for dairy-free buttermilk due to the lack of protein. Compared to the 9 grams of protein found in 1 cup of cow's milk, almond milk contains only 1 gram.
This vegan buttermilk recipe is gluten-free as it only requires soy milk and vinegar. If you're celiac, it's always best to confirm the soy milk is not cross-contaminated.
🍴 Recipes to use buttermilk in
Now that you've made the perfect vegan buttermilk, it's time to put it to good use in some recipes like these:
- Pancakes
- Waffles
- Biscuits
- Brownies
📋 Recipe
Easy Vegan Buttermilk
Equipment
- Measuring cup
- Whisk or spoon
Ingredients
- 1 scant cup room temperature soy milk ($0.45)
- 1 tablespoon distilled white vinegar ($0.02)
Instructions
- Add soy milk and vinegar to a glass measuring cup or container.
- Stir to combine, then set aside for 3-5 minutes to let the soy milk curdle.
- Use your vegan buttermilk in any recipe that calls for buttermilk!
Notes
- Opt for soy — Since it is the best candidate for vegan buttermilk, opt for soy milk if you have the option.
- Unflavored — Don't purchase milk that contains artificial flavors like vanilla as it may interfere with your recipe.
- Make it precise — If you're using this vegan buttermilk for a baking recipe that needs to be precise, remove exactly 1 tablespoon of plant milk from the recipe. Use the same amount of vinegar or lemon juice to yield 1 cup of buttermilk total.
- Don't skip the resting time — You need to allow the acid time to react with sugar and protein in the milk. Don't skip this or the buttermilk won't curdle.
- Follow the recipe — Since this recipe has been tested numerous times, we don't recommend substitutions as the results will vary.
- We calculate nutritional information for our recipes with Cronometer.
- Recipe cost calculations are based on ingredients local to us and may vary from recipe to recipe. All prices are in USD.
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