From scratch · Seasonings and stand-ins · A stand-in

Buttermilk stand-in

Milk soured with lemon juice or vinegar, for baking when you’re out of buttermilk.

✋ 2 min hands-on ⏱ 12 min start to finish 🍽 1 cup.

ContainsMilk.

Ingredients

  • 1 tbsp lemon juice (bottled), or white vinegar
  • 1.0638297872340425 cup whole milk, enough to make 1 cup with the lemon

Time

Hands-on time is when you’re busy; the rest is rising, simmering, chilling or cooling, when you can do something else.

StepHands-onWaiting
Stir and wait2 min10 min
In all2 min10 min

How long it keeps

  • Use it right away, in the recipe.

Nutrition

Estimated from the ingredients’ USDA FoodData Central numbers.

Steps

You’ll need: measuring cup.

  1. Put the lemon juice in a measuring cup and add milk to the 1-cup line.
  2. Stir and let it stand 5 to 10 minutes, until slightly thickened.
⚖️ Scaling1 tablespoon lemon juice or vinegar per cup (NDSU, Missouri, Colorado State, USU). Plain yogurt also stands in cup for cup (Missouri).
Good to knowIt works in pancakes, biscuits and cakes, where the acid reacts with baking soda. It’s thinner than cultured buttermilk.

Use it in

🥞 Fluffy Buttermilk Pancakes

Sources

  1. Ingredient Substitutions (NDSU Extension FN198, 2013; reprinted by Purdue Extension as HHS-784-W), NDSU Extension. Accessed 2026-10-25.
  2. In a Pinch: Ingredient Substitution (MP564), University of Missouri Extension. Accessed 2026-10-25.
  3. Ingredient Substitutions (Fact Sheet 9.329), Colorado State University Extension, 2013. Accessed 2026-10-25.
  4. List of Ingredient Substitutions for Cooking and Baking, Utah State University Extension. Accessed 2026-10-25.

In the meal planner, tap Make it next to buttermilk on the shopping list: the list swaps it for these ingredients, scaled to your meals, and the Prep day tab fits the work into your week. More from-scratch recipes.

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