Making your own homemade vegan buttermilk is beyond simple.
It’s literally two ingredients, roughly two minutes, and you’re done!
Now what would you be needing buttermilk for you might ask?
Well….. maybe it was just me who was asking this question!
You’ll use it for vegan baking that’s what!
It wasn’t until I was adapting a recipe to make a fabulous Red Velvet Cake that I realized the wonder of the homemade buttermilk!
You’ll be able to use this in any recipe calling for buttermilk, in an exact cup for cup replacement. Whoopee!
Alternatively you can also use vinegar, the exact same recipe, just using vinegar instead of lemon juice in the same ratio.
This makes a perfect buttermilk that you can use in any recipe – I honestly don’t think you would use it anywhere else other than in a recipe?
But maybe I’m wrong there. Let me know if I am!
If you prefer a different non-dairy milk instead of soy milk, well… it might work and it might not. Not all the non-dairy milks will curdle when lemon juice is added. Certain nut milks like coconut milk will not. So using soy milk for this is the safest bet, though almond milk also works fine.
So let me know how this recipe works out for you, rate it and leave a comment if you’ve made it. We’d love to hear from you!
Cheers!
How To Make Vegan Buttermilk
- Prep Time: 2 mins
- Total Time: 2 mins
- Yield: 1 Cup
Description
Easy step by step instructions to DIY vegan buttermilk. Perfect for use in cakes and baking.
Ingredients
- 1 Tbsp (15ml) Fresh Squeezed Lemon Juice
- Soy Milk
Instructions
- Squeeze a half lemon, which will make roughly 1 Tbsp (15ml) of Lemon Juice (if it makes a little more that’s fine you can use it all)
- Pour the lemon juice into a measuring jug.
- Add soy milk up to the 1 cup line.
- Allow to sit for a minute.
- It will thicken and curdle.
- Voila!
- Your vegan buttermilk is ready to go!
Notes
*Not my original recipe, but a staple in vegan baking, adapted for my own purposes.
*You can also use vinegar in place of the lemon juice. So 1 Tbsp apple cider vinegar or white vinegar in place of lemon juice will also make buttermilk.
- Category: Vegan, How To
- Cuisine: Vegan, Baking
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 Cup
- Calories: 105
- Fat: 4g
- Carbohydrates: 9.5g
- Fiber: 1g
- Protein: 7g
Keywords: vegan buttermilk
Thank you. I really enjoyed and appreciated your down to earth style.
I will try this butter milk recipe. I am sure it will work.
I grew up in Yemen and butter milk is used for hot soups for breakfast and for an appetizer called Shafoot where you blend all your favorite green herbs
And add ginger cumin salt and and hot peppers or Tabasco for a wonderful refreshing drink.
OR, you can pour over crumbed pita bread cool and serve as and an appetizer. Decorate with pomegranate or red grapes. Better yet search it on U U tube. Thanks
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Nah, this can’t work, I thought. Way too simple. But let’s give it a try…
I put +/- 1 tbsp fresh lemon juice into a 1-pint mason jar, added a little over a cup of Westsoy unsweetened soy milk (which I use because it has only two ingredients: soy beans; and water), gave it a good shake, popped it into the fridge.
Half an hour later, I took it out, gave it another shake, opened it up, and gave it a taste.
*MAGIC*
I never would have thought lemon juice would have such an effect on a plant-based milk.
Thank you for posting!
PS: I love Indian food…so now I can go back to having lassis, raita, etc., without all the cholesterol.
★★★★★
Awesome! Thanks for the great review Thomas!
Will oat milk work for vegan buttermilk in this recipe?
You can try it but I’m not sure if it will curdle.
Does it need to be fresh lemon juice or can I use lemon juice from a shop bought refrigerated bottle?
It can be either/or.
Thanks so much for this! I used soy milk as per your recipe and my scones came out perfect ❤️
Awesome, thanks for sharing Racheal!
Are you able to make this in a bulk amount and save it or is it best to just measure out and do prior to each recipe? I’ve just been doing it as I go but with the amount of baking I do it if it’s able to be refrigerated and saved and stay the same consistency that would be great, has anyone tried it?
Hi Megan, yes you can keep it in the fridge for up to a week. So if you are doing a lot of baking, you can definitely make up a big batch in advance.
Are the measurements American or English cups?
American, so a cup is 240ml.
Has anyone tried using nut milks to make buttermilk?
if you allow the oat milk to warm to room temperature it allows for the oat milk to curdle, if not it could be an ingredient in the brand.
Is it okay to use vanilla soy milk or must you use soymilk made with only water and soybeans?
Vanilla soy milk will work fine.
Perfect for my vegan carrot cake.
★★★★★
Awesome! 🙂
Hey. I tried it with an oat milk (can’t remember the brand just now) and it didn’t work, but it worked just beautifully with almond milk of the same brand. I used apple cider vinegar as I didn’t have any lemons.
Thanks for sharing! 🙂
Hi Alison!
I used your recipe, and just wanted to let you know that Flaxmilk curdles beautifully! I used apple cider vinegar. (I prefer that kind.) No problem at all. It will make some beautiful corn muffins! By the way, the taste of coconut oil in corn muffins tastes amazing! You can also add a little butter extract. Yummy!
Thanks!
★★★★★
So happy to hear that! Thanks for sharing Cindy! 🙂
Dear Alison,
I tried making buttermilk with 1 tbs of cider vinegar and 100ml oat milk. It didn’t curdle at all. I was really surprised. Do you think the temperature of the milk plays a role as well? I guess the denaturing process of proteins works better in a warmer environment? I took the oat milk straight from the fridge.
Best wishes, Lydia
Hi Lydia, yes you’re right the temperature of the milk can play a role! If it’s too cold sometimes it can cause it to not want to curdle. If this happens, you can let it sit on the counter for a bit and then add more lemon juice/vinegar and then that will sometimes solve the issue. 🙂
Thank you Alison, I’ll try that next time and let you know how it goes 🙂
Combining a tip from Lydia above I warmed my oatly (barista) to just warm to the touch and it worked.
I’ve just done this using my own recipe oat milk and lemon juice. Works as well!
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Awesome! Thanks for sharing Jess! 🙂
I have been using coconut milk in the buttermilk recipe and it seemed to wok fine. Is there something I should be looking for to tell me that it curdled right? Or is soy milk just the best way to go?
Hi Kassidy, it actually looks curdled. If you lift it up on a spoon it will look curdled. You can see what I mean from the photos and video we have of the process. That being said, even if all it does is thicken up and doesn’t curdle properly, it usually will still do the job in a recipe that calls for buttermilk.
Hi do you think this would work with oatly milk?
Hi there, I’m really not sure, but it’s worth a try!
Your right! Soy milk is the best. I use it where curdling is called for. Love your recipes they work OK with no fuss.
★★★★★
Thanks so much Joe! 🙂
Hi Alison, do you use sweetened or unsweetened soy milk? Do different brands or sugar content affect the recipe at all? Thanks!
Hi Hana, I’ve used both! I haven’t found a difference in whether it’s sweetened or unsweetened, but I do think sometimes it just doesn’t work exactly like it’s supposed to. I have a brand of soy milk that almost always works great but then randomly one of them won’t curdle, it will thicken, but not curdle. I just go ahead and use it anyway, because as long as it has thickened, it will likely work fine in a recipe. 🙂
Alison, I was fortunate to find your site. I have been trying to learn on cooking vegan. I have tried different recipes from your site and have thoroughly been delighted. My husband prefers the vegan apple cake over the regular one which I have made for years. I keep referring to your site frequently. I enjoy receiving your email with the different recipes. It makes me want to keep trying different recipes.
Thank you Marcie
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Hi Marcie, I am thrilled to hear that! Thanks so much for posting and I’m so happy you are loving the recipes! 🙂