Buttermilk Substitute: 3 Pantry Swaps That Actually Work

You’re halfway through pancake batter and there’s no buttermilk in the fridge. Good news: if you need to know how to substitute buttermilk in a recipe, you almost certainly have what you need already. The three most reliable buttermilk substitutes are milk plus an acid (lemon juice or white vinegar), plain yogurt thinned with water, and sour cream thinned with water. Exact ratios below, no grocery run required.

The Fastest Way to Substitute Buttermilk: Milk + Acid

The classic buttermilk substitute with lemon juice: stir 1 tablespoon into 1 cup of milk. Then wait. White vinegar works the same way. That last part is where most people go wrong. Food Network recommends about 5 minutes; King Arthur Baking suggests up to 10 to 15 for the slight curdling and thickening that actually mimics buttermilk’s texture in a batter. Set a timer and walk away. The mixture looks a little wrong when it’s working correctly.

This is the move for pancakes, quick breads, and muffins. It’s fast, it uses things you already have, and it works.

King Arthur also flags cream of tartar as a solid pantry alternative if you’re out of lemon juice and vinegar: 1 3/4 teaspoons stirred into 1 cup of milk. Niche, but genuinely useful if your pantry skews more baking-focused.

If You Have Yogurt or Sour Cream

Both of these substitute buttermilk well in richer batters, things like waffles, cake, or quick-bread loaves where you want a little more body. The key is thinning them down first.

For yogurt: 3/4 cup plain full-fat yogurt plus 1/4 cup water equals 1 cup of buttermilk. Greek yogurt works too, use 1/3 cup plus 2/3 cup water. If sour cream instead of buttermilk is your move, use 1/2 cup sour cream plus 1/2 cup water. These come from Bake from Scratch’s 2024 buttermilk substitution guide, which is worth bookmarking if you bake with any regularity.

If you have yogurt or sour cream already open in the fridge, this is the smartest use of what’s about to expire anyway. You’re not saving a grocery trip, you’re also rescuing a container that was three days from becoming a mystery in the back of the fridge.

Pantidy runs on iOS and Android and tracks exactly this kind of thing, what’s open, what’s expiring, and what you can actually make from it. Free to try for 14 days, then $5 a month.

Frequently Asked Questions

What can I use instead of buttermilk?

There are several ways to substitute buttermilk, but yogurt is the easiest. For yogurt use 3/4 cup plain full-fat yogurt plus 1/4 cup water equals 1 cup of buttermilk.

Can I use regular milk instead of buttermilk?

Plain milk on its own won’t replicate buttermilk’s acidity or tang, that’s what makes the chemical leavening in baked goods work. Add 1 tablespoon of lemon juice or white vinegar per cup of milk and let it sit for 5 to 15 minutes first. Then it works.

Does the type of milk matter?

Whole milk gives you the closest result, but 2% works fine in most recipes. The fat content matters more in rich batters (cakes, waffles) than in something like pancakes or cornbread, where the swap is basically invisible.

Can I substitute buttermilk with Greek yogurt?

Yes. Use 1/3 cup plain whole-milk Greek yogurt plus 2/3 cup water to make 1 cup of buttermilk replacement. Plain regular yogurt works at a slightly different ratio: 3/4 cup yogurt plus 1/4 cup water.

What about kefir?

Kefir is a straight 1:1 swap for buttermilk. Pour in the same amount your recipe calls for and move on. It’s probably the easiest swap on this list, if you happen to have it (and most people don’t, which is why it’s listed last).

Does this work for all baked goods?

For most quick breads, pancakes, muffins, and cakes, yes. Very delicate recipes where exact fat content and viscosity matter a lot, certain custards, soufflés, may behave differently. If you’re making pancakes on a Tuesday morning, don’t overthink it.

Pick whichever swap you can make with what’s already in your kitchen. Milk plus a tablespoon of lemon juice is the fastest. Yogurt or sour cream thinned with water gives you a little more richness. Either way, you’re done in under five minutes and the batter won’t know the difference.