Easy step by step instructions to make your own homemade vegan buttermilk substitute. Perfect for use in cakes and baking.
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 a homemade vegan buttermilk substitute.
You’ll be able to use this in any recipe calling for buttermilk, in an exact cup for cup replacement.
This recipe comes in so handy when making vegan buttermilk pancakes, vegan chocolate cake and even savory recipes like vegan ranch dressing.
Ingredients You’ll Need:
Ingredient Notes:
- Lemon juice – or distilled white vinegar or apple cider vinegar all work great. I tend to use lemon juice most often, but those other options work perfectly too.
- Soy milk – is the best option to use for a creamy buttermilk that really works wonderfully in recipes. Almond milk also works but the consistency is much thinner (see this demonstrated in the video). Coconut milk tends not to work at all as it doesn’t curdle. Not all the non-dairy milks will curdle when lemon juice is added. So using soy milk for this is the safest bet and the second choice would be almond milk.
How To Make Dairy Free Buttermilk – Step By Step
You will find full instructions and measurements in the recipe card at the bottom of the post. This is a summary of the process to go along with the process photos.
- Add lemon juice to a measuring jug.
- Add soy milk up to the 1 cup line.
- Leave it for a minute to curdle.
- Give it a stir and it’s ready for use!
Recipe Q&A
It’s not a good idea to use regular non-dairy milk in a recipe that calls for vegan buttermilk. Vegan buttermilk is acidic so it reacts with the leavening agent (usually baking soda) in the recipe. So if you use regular non-dairy milk in a recipe calling for vegan buttermilk then your baked goods might not rise, or they may be dense. It could also make your baked goods not as moist or rich as they were intended to be.
You can store homemade vegan buttermilk in the fridge for up to a week. However, it’s so quick and easy to make it that it’s best to just make it up as you need it.
It is freezer friendly. It’s most ideal to pour it into ice cube trays and let it freeze that way. When you’re ready to use it in baking, you can pop the cubes into a measuring jug and let them thaw in the fridge.
More Easy Vegan Dairy Substitutes
- Vegan Whipped Cream
- Homemade Vegan Butter
- Vegan Heavy Cream Substitute
- Vegan Condensed Milk
- Vegan Mascarpone
Did you make this recipe? Be sure to leave a comment and rating below!
How To Make Vegan Buttermilk
Ingredients
- 1 Tbsp Lemon Juice (15ml)
- 1 scant cup Soy Milk (225ml)
Instructions
- Add 1 tablespoon of lemon juice to a measuring jug.
- Add soy milk up to the 1 cup (240ml) line.
- Allow to sit for a minute. It will thicken and curdle.
- Voila! Your vegan buttermilk is ready to use!
Video
Notes
- Lemon juice – or distilled white vinegar or apple cider vinegar all work great. I tend to use lemon juice most often, but those other options work perfectly too.
- Soy milk – is the best option to use for a creamy buttermilk that really works wonderfully in recipes. Almond milk also works but the consistency is much thinner (see this demonstrated in the video). Coconut milk tends not to work at all as it doesn’t curdle. Not all the non-dairy milks will curdle when lemon juice is added. So using soy milk for this is the safest bet and the second choice would be almond milk.
- Storing: You can store homemade vegan buttermilk in the fridge for up to a week. However, it’s so quick and easy to make it that it’s best to just make it up as you need it.
- Freezing: It is freezer friendly. It’s most ideal to pour it into ice cube trays and let it freeze that way. When you’re ready to use it in baking, you can pop the cubes into a measuring jug and let them thaw in the fridge.
this worked fabulously with unsweetened ripple milk, which is what I prefer. I halved the recipe and used fresh squeezed lemon, I look forward to using it in a cake.
That’s great! Thanks so much for sharing and for your great review!