Buttermilk substitute
Buttermilk is so expensive , I need a TNT true home substitute. There are so many different recipes. Whole milk, skim milk, apple cider vinegar, white vinegar ... HELP!
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17 Comments:
Add one tbsp. of vinegar or lemon juice to one cup of 1% milk will give you a pretty good substitute, just let it stand for 5 minutes to allow it to sour/curdle.
dhorst at 9:11PM on 03/14/09
How expensive is your buttermilk, I buy it for $1.29 a quart, a bargain for the taste it adds to anything its used in.
dmcavanagh at 9:12PM on 03/14/09
1+3/4 tablespoons cream of tartar per cup of milk.
dmcavanagh at 9:19PM on 03/14/09
If you're mostly using it for baking and pancakes, it does come in dried powdered form. Just add water!
thepictsie at 10:14PM on 03/14/09
I hate buying buttermilk. I can only get it in quarts, but I usually only need a cup or so.
I use lemon juice in milk and let it sit until it gets all thick and weird looking.
gingercookiewithlime at 10:16PM on 03/14/09
I personally haven't had great luck using substitutions for buttermilk. I've tried both lemon juice in milk, and vinegar in milk, and in my opinion, neither comes close to the real thing. Buttermilk has such a distinctive tangy flavor...I just don't know that it can be replicated. Don't get me wrong, either of those substitutions work in a pinch, as far as it won't completely mess up your recipe, but I don't think they add quite the same quality as the real thing. I don't know about the powdered kind - never used it - but the idea of it intrigues me. Sorry, I know that doesn't help much with cost....maybe you could buy the real thing and stretch it by using half buttermilk, half regular milk (with a drop of vinegar or lemon juice) in your recipes? You'd probably still get most of the flavor, but you'd get more uses out of each container.
kimberlymac at 9:12AM on 03/15/09
I use the powdered stuff just mix up what you need when you need it. It's got all the flavor and if you mix it throughly the texture is right as well. I use buttermilk infrequently and I hate to give up the fridge space. You can usually find it in the baking isle, it may take some hunting but unless you use it constantly a container can last a long time.
huneybumper at 9:55AM on 03/15/09
I always do the milk and vinegar - I've recently heard that plain yogurt is another subsitute, but would probably be better in dressings and other dippy type things; I used it soda bread recently and it did not work at all.
mmclau28 at 2:10PM on 03/15/09
Yogurt and sourcream do not make good substitutes for buttermilk in baked goods, because they change the consistency of the batter or dough.
dmcavanagh at 3:08PM on 03/15/09
I too buy powdrerd buttermilk and use it frequently when baking as well as making my own "ranch" style dressing mix.
It's round 8 bucks and will go a long long way. Keep it well seald in the fridge, it usually has about 8 months to a year on the "use by" date when I buy it.
I hope this helps. Good luck.
rlwycoff at 5:38PM on 03/15/09
Thank you all for your help. I guess there are pros and cons to both. I do not use it that often, so I guess I will splurge and get "the good stuff". Thanks again.
Miss Patty at 8:07PM on 03/15/09
Buttermilk can be frozen. I measure and pour one cup in a baggie and freeze it. Freezing will make it a little bit grainy but it doesnt matter for what I cook with it.
You could explore other recipes that use buttermilk to use it all; buttermilk biscuits and buttermilk pancakes, or a pound cake.
onewally at 4:19AM on 03/16/09
For 1 cup buttermilk, you can substitute: 1 tbsp vinegar or lemon juice plus enough milk to make 1 cup total, or 1 cup plain yogurt.
Hillary
Chew on That
Chew on That at 6:21PM on 03/16/09
Another vote here for the powdered stuff. It stores really well in the fridge and lasts for a really long time.
Amandarama at 7:35AM on 03/17/09
I second onewally above - I freeze buttermilk too, though in 1/2 cup amounts (in sandwich baggies in a muffin tin until frozen, then in a ziplock bag - that way you have neat little packets ready to go). I bake with the frozen-then-defrosted buttermilk all the time and have never had a problem with it.
CEBakes at 12:17PM on 03/17/09
Make your own!!!
There are recipes online, but here's what I do to save money. Buy some buttermilk--the smallest amt you need with a tiny bit leftover. Then take a clean jar and put a few oz of the buttermilk in it and top it off with regular milk. Put on lid. Let sit on counter overnight or until it thickens. Refrigerate. Use as needed.
Couldn't be easier.
Garvey at 4:22PM on 03/17/09
I have never had buttermilk before because I cook vegan. I do the applecider vinegar in soymilk thing, and it makes my baked goods taste amazing.
jo_wang at 9:28PM on 03/17/09