Out of Buttermilk, one case
Can you substitute almond milk for buttermilk?
3 options, ranked, with the exact amount
Use Almond milk + lemon juice or vinegar
1 cup almond milk + 1 tbsp acid for every cup of buttermilk
Yes, once you add acid: put 1 tablespoon of lemon juice or white vinegar in a measuring cup, fill to the 1-cup line with unsweetened almond milk, and let it stand 5 to 10 minutes. It will not thicken or curdle the way dairy milk does, because almond milk has very little protein, but the acid still sets off the baking soda. Plain almond milk with no acid is not a substitute in a recipe that contains baking soda.
- Verdict —
- Tweak it
- The tweak —
- Measure 1 tbsp lemon juice or white vinegar into the cup first, top up to 1 cup with unsweetened, unflavored almond milk, stir, and wait 5 to 10 minutes. Do not wait for it to curdle; it may only look slightly cloudy.
- Best for —
- pancakes, waffles and muffins
- Pantry —
- Likely in your cupboard
One casethe full buttermilk card
Every option, one card
Ranked| # | Substitute | Instead of 1 cup buttermilk | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Almond milk + lemon juice or vinegarpancakes, waffles and muffins | 1 cup almond milk + 1 tbsp acidTweak it | Tweak it |
| 2 | Soy milk + lemon juice or vinegarvegan biscuits and scones | 1 cup soy milk + 1 tbsp acidTweak it | Tweak it |
| 3 | Dairy-free yogurt + almond milkdairy-free ranch dressing and dips | ¾ cup yogurt + ¼ cup almond milkTweak it | Tweak it |
| Not a swap | Plain almond milk | not a swapNot for this | Not for this |
Almond milk + lemon juice or vinegar
lighter and faintly nutty, with a sharper tang than cultured buttermilk
Soured almond milk does the main job of buttermilk in baking: it is an acidic liquid that reacts with baking soda. It stays as thin as it was poured.
- Best for
- pancakes, waffles and muffins, dairy-free and vegan cakes and quick breads, batters leavened with baking soda
- Prep
- Measure 1 tbsp lemon juice or white vinegar into the cup first, top up to 1 cup with unsweetened, unflavored almond milk, stir, and wait 5 to 10 minutes. Do not wait for it to curdle; it may only look slightly cloudy.
- Suits
- vegan, dairy-free
- Contains
- tree nuts
- Where it fails
- Ranch dressing, dips and other uncooked uses, where it is watery and tastes of raw vinegar. A fried-chicken coating clings less well, because the liquid is thin.
It is thinner than buttermilk. In biscuits and thick batters, hold back 1 to 2 tbsp and add it only if the dough looks dry.
Soy milk + lemon juice or vinegar
mild and slightly beany, with a clean tang
The plant milk that behaves most like dairy here. Soy protein curdles with acid, so the mixture thickens and looks like soured milk.
- Best for
- vegan biscuits and scones, vegan pancakes, a dairy-free fried-chicken or tofu soak
- Prep
- Measure 1 tbsp lemon juice or white vinegar into the cup, top up to 1 cup with unsweetened soy milk, and wait 5 to 10 minutes until it thickens.
- Suits
- vegan, dairy-free
- Contains
- soy
- Where it fails
- Uncooked dressings, where the raw acid tastes through. Not an option for a soy allergy.
Dairy-free yogurt + almond milk
tangy and rounder than soured almond milk
Plain plant-based yogurt is cultured, so it brings real tang and some body. Thinned with almond milk it pours like buttermilk.
- Best for
- dairy-free ranch dressing and dips, cakes and muffins that should be rich, marinades
- Taste
- tangy and rounder than soured almond milk; coconut-based yogurt tastes faintly of coconut
- Prep
- Whisk ¾ cup plain, unsweetened dairy-free yogurt with ¼ cup almond milk until it pours off the spoon in a stream. Add more almond milk if the yogurt is thick.
- Suits
- vegan, dairy-free
- Where it fails
- Sweetened or vanilla yogurt adds sugar the recipe did not plan for.
Plain almond milk
flat, with no tang
Almond milk straight from the carton is close to neutral, not acidic. It replaces the liquid in the recipe and none of the acid.
- Best for
- recipes leavened with baking powder only, where the acid is not needed
- Where it fails
- Any recipe with baking soda: with no acid to react with, the soda makes no gas, the bake stays flat, and it tastes soapy.
If you have no acid at all, keep the almond milk plain and replace each ½ tsp of baking soda with 2 tsp of baking powder.
Tips for substituting buttermilk
5 tips- For smaller amounts, keep the same proportion: 1 ½ tsp acid topped up to ½ cup with almond milk, or ¾ tsp topped up to ¼ cup.
- Use unsweetened, unflavored almond milk. Vanilla or sweetened cartons add sugar and flavor to biscuits, cornbread and anything savory.
- Do not judge it by looks. Almond milk has about 1 g of protein per cup, so there is little to curdle. Once it has stood 5 minutes, it is ready.
- Mix the batter and get it into the pan or oven promptly. The acid starts reacting with the baking soda as soon as wet meets dry.
- For a thicker result closer to buttermilk, use soy milk in place of almond milk, or replace ¼ cup of the almond milk with plain dairy-free yogurt.
Questions
4 questionsWhy does my almond milk not curdle when I add vinegar?
Curdling is milk protein clumping in acid, and almond milk has very little protein, about 1 gram per cup against about 8 in dairy milk. The mixture is still acidic, which is the part that matters for baking soda. Use it after 5 to 10 minutes whether or not it looks different.
Can I use apple cider vinegar with almond milk?
Yes, in the same amount: 1 tablespoon per cup. Cider vinegar is the same strength as white vinegar and adds a faint fruity note that disappears in most baked goods. Lemon juice also works at 1 tablespoon per cup.
Does almond milk buttermilk work in pancakes and biscuits?
It works well in pancakes, waffles, muffins and cakes, where the batter is loose anyway. In biscuits it works, but the dough is wetter than with thick buttermilk, so add the liquid gradually and stop when the dough comes together. Soy milk soured the same way gives a biscuit closer to the original.
Can I use almond milk in place of buttermilk for fried chicken?
As a soak, yes: sour it with 1 tablespoon of lemon juice or vinegar per cup and salt it as the recipe says. It is thin, so less flour sticks to the chicken. Whisking in a few spoonfuls of plain dairy-free yogurt, or using soured soy milk, gives the coating more to hold on to.