Buttermilk makes biscuits fluffier and cornbread less crumbly. It is essential for a true ranch dressing. Buttermilk also enhances the richness of cakes, and takes rice pudding to a whole new level.

Sometimes you need a single cup of buttermilk for a recipe, and you don’t want to run to town, let alone buy a whole quart. There are some easy to make buttermilk substitutes for many of your cooking needs.    Mind you, these substitutes don’t work so well if you want a glass of buttermilk to drink.

Buttermilk?! 

Buttermilk may not sound very Southwest, but once it was.  As far back as the 1700’s, people drank milk in the Southwest. 

In the early 20th century, it was the days before refrigerators and “ice boxes” were not too common in most of the region.   After all – no ponds to cut the ice off of in winter, nor the barns to store the ice in for the warmer months. This lack of cold meant that whole milk would tend to turn fairly quickly. Turned milk that has just barely turned milk is “buttermilk.” When milk goes further than buttermilk in the fermentation process, it becomes kefir, then laban, then yogurt, and then ultimately cheese – if you get rid of the whey.

In today’s world, don’t waste your time with the “low fat” or “reduced fat” buttermilk. Buttermilk is supposed to be made with whole milk. For the lowfat versions they take the fat out and make a nice tidy profit on that first.  Then they add nice cheap things to bulk it back up, like carrageenan and other crud (algae sometimes) –  just to try and make it back into something like the real thing. Better and most likely more healthy to simply use some of the substitutes below.

One Day in the General Store

Why this topic is a bit of a tale.  I was in a C.P. Dudley’s General Store in East Montpelier, Vermont when a “flatlander” stopped in.    He thought for sure that this quaint old-fashioned general store would have some buttermilk.    He was wrong.

The very young lady behind the register had never even heard of buttermilk. She was trying to be helpful, “Milk with butter in it?” she asked in a somewhat confused tone.    Buttermilk is something people born in this century had ever heard about – let alone used in any way.

Waiting my turn for the two busy ladies behind the deli counter I overheard the flatlanders request. So did several other of the customers waiting for their deli lunches. Some of them grinned to themselves. I was the one that could help the “not from around here” person. He was busy telling the girl that it wasn’t just milk with butter in it and his grandma had sent him out for some so she could make some of her “family famous” biscuits.   

Since he was 50 if he was a day, I pictured his grandmother.    She might be one of those old Vermont farm wives.    She would be in her drafty kitchen with worn linoleum floors, saving her pennies for the propane man and hoping that she could die peacefully at home before the taxes on her land got so high she would be forced to sell up and leave.    And sure as shootin’ the taxes go up every single year because of all the flatlanders fleeing the crime ridden East Coast cities and buying up property in quaint rural Vermont.   

About Flatlanders

The flatlanders, well they demolish those old homes built back before the War. (The War between the States that is.) Then they build their air-tight McMansions, complete with three car garages, and demand that the dirt roads get plowed every single day in the winter because that’s how it is done in the city.    They came here because it was different, but now they want it to be the same as the hellhole they voted for then abandoned.

Real problem is that these newcomers have driven up the property prices. Way up. Taxes are so high now that most born Vermonters can’t afford to buy even an ancient run down old farmhouse.    And taxes are based on square foot no matter how drafty and uninsulated the rambling old farmhouse built to house 8 kids happens to be.   Heaven help you if you have a barn on the property. Taxes are based on what is “under roofing,” no matter if the roof leaks or not. One elderly lady I know cut the corner posts of the barn nearly through just so that old barn would cave in and they would lower her taxes.  Ir was sad to see that 150 year old barn go down.

There is a reason Vermonters use the term “flatlander” as a pejorative. There is often a cuss work involving an F in front of the term flatlander.

But I digress.   

Rural Life

Standing in CP Dudley’s I was able to tell the visitor that buttermilk is easy to make. I make it myself often. I told him the first substitute on my list below because it’s the one I use the most and remember best. 

As the flatlander left, I commented to the old farmer waiting for his deli meal,  “Now I want some of Joyce’s buttermilk donuts” (They used to be available at Dudley’s.)    “Yep, with the cinnamon sugar on them!”    The man next to him chimed in, “Well now I want some of Mom’s buttermilk pancakes, drenched in new run, fresh boiled, hot maple syrup!”   

We got to chatting about the tastes of Vermont of just a few years ago. Conversation veered to wonder if there would be a good sap run in ’26 because of the current drought.    Dudley’s doesn’t have a stove and a cracker barrel to sit around any more, but the spirit of neighborliness is alive and well with rural people.    City folk are too much used to avoiding people, or else they are in too much of a rush.

Eight Easy Buttermilk Substitutes

Buttermilk creamy and rich, and it will take your baking to blue ribbon level.  It is more acidic than standard milk so when the acid interacts with baking powder or baking soda, it produces extra carbon dioxide bubbles that help dough rise. The result: tender biscuits, light cakes, fluffy pancakes, and the crispiest fried onion rings you’ve ever tried. Buttermilk also adds a tangy flavor to mashed potatoes, dips, and salad dressing. I will have to share my buttermilk ranch salad dressing soon.

There’s nothing quite like the taste of true buttermilk, but in times of need, it’s good to have a few buttermilk substitutes up your sleeve.

1. Lemon Juice and Milk

Since I have several lemon trees and can the juice in half pint jars, I always have lemon juice on hand.

1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 cup milk

Place 1 tablespoon of lemon juice in a liquid measuring cup, then add enough milk to reach the 1 cup line. Stir and walk away. Let the mixture sit for at least 5 minutes. Now it is ready to use.

2 . Vinegar and Milk

I find it is best to use distilled white vinegar – because it has a neutral flavor. Mind you, I have used apple cider vinegar – the flavor is not ideal. I had some coconut vinegar from an Asian market once, and the subtle flavor was great.

1 tablespoon white vinegar
1 cup milk

Place 1 tablespoon of vinegar in a liquid measuring cup, then add enough milk to reach the 1 cup line. Stir and walk away. Let the mixture sit for at least 5 minutes. Now it is ready to use.

3. Cream of Tartar and Milk

2 very level teaspoons fresh cream of tartar (loses efficacy after about a year)
1 cup milk

To avoid a clumpy mixture, stir the cream of tartar with a few tablespoons milk in a liquid measuring cup until dissolved. Add milk to the 1 cup line. Stir, etc. Do let it sit for 5 minutes before use.

4. Sour Cream plus Liquid

Sour cream has a similar tangy flavor to buttermilk, but it’s much thicker, so it needs to be thinned. I have used home-canned milk for this in a pinch, but it is better with fresh milk.

3 /4 cup sour cream
1 /4 cup liquid – this can be water, milk, or even a plant-based non-dairy product

Stir the ingredients together and they are ready to use.

5. Yogurt

This is perhaps the easiest. Plain yogurt is a great one to one substitute for buttermilk in cooking. If it is too thick, add extra liquid (milk, water) a tablespoon at a time.

If you’re using a thicker Greek-style yogurt, you’ll need to thin it out, just like you did for sour cream.

6. Kefir

Kefir is a fermented milk drink that can be used cup for cup to replace buttermilk. It is thinner than yogurt in general. If needed, thin it out with a splash of milk or water.

A number of years ago, I gave a small glass of kefir to my grandfather to try. He had grown up on a farm and missed some of the tastes of his youth. He tasted it with great dubiousness. Then he gulped it down. “This tastes like real buttermilk!” he told me. My aunt had been giving him the lowfat version of buttermilk that they sell in the stores today.

7. Powdered Buttermilk

I love my powdered buttermilk, but warning, so do the flour beetle larvae. Before you buy any at the supermarket (on the baking aisle) look over the cardboard container well. If it has any tiny holes in it – walk away. When I do buy some, I keep it in the freezer. Or you can transfer it to a mason jar and seal it with a vacuum sealer.

The directions say that you can mix it in with your dry ingredients, then use water in place of the buttermilk in batter. You will use 1 /4 cup powder to replace 1 cup of buttermilk. I usually reconstitute it for buttermilk dressing. Same 1 /4 cup powder to 1 cup liquid.

8. Frozen Buttermilk

Buy buttermilk for use and freeze any leftover. I measured it. 8 cubes from my ice cube tray is 1 cup. I do this with heavy cream as well. In fact I vacuum seal both heavy cream and buttermilk cubes into sealer bags in 1 cup portions. I am out right now or I would show you an image.

We do have a video about freezing heavy cream on our YouTube channel. 

Enjoy!

And Enjoy More Honey Recipes

May we suggest our dandy little cookbook?   Using Honey in New and Savory Ways offers 36 pages of tips for using honey in your cooking, as well as in all manner of dishes. A steal at only $7!

We hope you will help support some local Southwest folks!
From the review:
“Honey is for more than desserts and this book can help! Using honey in cooking savory dishes helps engage all your taste buds and adds a layer of added flavor to everyday dishes – plus holiday fare.”

Beekeeper?  We offer volume discounts – because if you sell honey in local markets you might want to offer some of these books as well.

Legal Notes

© Article copyright Savor the Southwest // Jacqueline A. Soule. All rights reserved. You must ask permission to republish an entire blog post or article. Okay to use a short excerpt but you must give proper credit. You must include a link back to the original post on our site. No stealing photos.

Disclaimer

The authors of this website have researched the edibility of the materials we discuss, however, humans vary in their ability to tolerate different foods, drinks, and herbs. Individuals consuming flowers, plants, animals or derivatives mentioned in this blog do so entirely at their own risk. The authors on this site cannot be held responsible for any adverse reaction. In case of doubt please consult your medical practitioner.