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.
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!
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
Hi Marcie, I am thrilled to hear that! Thanks so much for posting and I’m so happy you are loving the recipes! 🙂
Hi
Can I use coconut milk to make the buttermilk. Would that alter the taste of the red velvet cupcakes?
Coconut milk doesn’t usually curdle into buttermilk but you can use it, I don’t think it would alter the taste too much.
Hi, can I use citric acid instead of lemon juice or vinegar to curdle? I just like the tangy taste is give, better than the other options…
Does using unsweetened vs sweetened plant milk make a difference?
Hi Melissa, I don’t think it does. I usually use regular soy milk which is slightly sweetened, and it works great. So either/or should really be fine.
Hi there! I’m wondering if pea protein milk will curdle? I just bought some Bolthouse Farms plant milk on sale, which is made from pea protein (like Ripple, if you’ve had that brand). Any experience with that? I’m worried now that my recipe will be ruined!
Hi Kelly, I haven’t tried it with pea protein milk, it might and it might not. But don’t worry, if you are using vegan buttermilk in a recipe and it doesn’t curdle, it generally won’t ruin the recipe.
I just tried Ripple (a different pea milk) and it did curdle!
Awesome! Thanks so much for sharing that! 🙂
Hi, Alison
In which recipes can i use vegan buttermilk?
We use it in a lot of our cake recipes. Such as our vegan chocolate fudge cake recipe.