Out of Buttermilk, one case

Buttermilk substitute for biscuits

5 options, ranked, with the exact amount

Use thisBest of 5 options

Use Milk + lemon juice or vinegar

1 cup milk + 1 tbsp acid for every cup of buttermilk

For biscuits, sour some milk: put 1 tablespoon of lemon juice or white vinegar in a measuring cup, fill to the 1-cup line with milk, and wait 5 to 10 minutes. It is thinner than buttermilk, so hold back about 2 tablespoons and add it only if the dough is dry. Plain milk on its own works only when the recipe is leavened with baking powder or self-rising flour and has no baking soda.

Verdict —: Tweak it
The tweak —: Measure the acid into the cup first, top up to 1 cup with cold milk, stir once and leave it 5 to 10 minutes. Add it to the dough a little at a time and stop when the dough holds together.
Best for —: rolled and cut biscuits
Pantry —: Likely in your cupboard

One casethe full buttermilk card

Every option, one card

Ranked

Buttermilk substitutes compared
#	Substitute	Instead of 1 cup buttermilk	Verdict
1	Milk + lemon juice or vinegarrolled and cut biscuits	1 cup milk + 1 tbsp acidTweak it	Tweak it
2	Kefirany buttermilk biscuit recipe, unchanged	1 cupWorks	Works
3	Plain yogurt + milkdrop biscuits	¾ cup yogurt + ¼ cup milkTweak it	Tweak it
4	Buttermilk powder + waterbiscuits made often, since the tin keeps for months	4 tbsp powder + 1 cup waterWorks	Works
5	Sour cream + milkdrop biscuits	¾ cup sour cream + ¼ cup milkTweak it	Tweak it
Not a swap	Plain milk	not a swapNot for this	Not for this

What changesWhat changes, option by option5 options

Milk + lemon juice or vinegar

a cleaner, sharper tang; hard to tell apart once baked

Soured milk supplies the acid that sets off the baking soda, which is where a buttermilk biscuit gets much of its rise. It is thinner than real buttermilk and tastes a little sharper before baking.

Best for: rolled and cut biscuits, drop biscuits, any biscuit recipe with baking soda
Prep: Measure the acid into the cup first, top up to 1 cup with cold milk, stir once and leave it 5 to 10 minutes. Add it to the dough a little at a time and stop when the dough holds together.
Contains: dairy
Where it fails: Poured in all at once, it can leave the dough sticky, because it is thinner than buttermilk. A sticky dough makes flat, tough biscuits.

Whole milk gives the most tender biscuit. Keep the mixture cold: warm liquid softens the butter and costs you layers.

Kefir

the same tang, very slightly yeasty

Cultured, pourable and about as acidic and as thick as buttermilk. If there is a bottle in the fridge, it is the closest match and needs no mixing.

Best for: any buttermilk biscuit recipe, unchanged, biscuits where you want the cultured tang
Prep: Use plain, unsweetened kefir, shaken first and cold from the fridge.
Contains: dairy
Where it fails: Flavored or sweetened kefir, which adds sugar and browns the biscuits too fast.

Plain yogurt + milk

creamier and rounder, a little less sharp

Yogurt is cultured, so the acid and the tang are real. It has to be thinned until it pours, or the dough comes up short of liquid.

Best for: drop biscuits, tender, soft-crumbed biscuits, when there is no lemon or vinegar
Prep: Whisk ¾ cup plain yogurt with ¼ cup milk. With thick Greek yogurt use ½ cup yogurt and ½ cup milk.
Contains: dairy
Where it fails: Whole-milk yogurt makes a richer, slightly denser biscuit that rises a little less. Unthinned yogurt gives a stiff dough and squat biscuits.

Buttermilk powder + water

the same as fresh buttermilk once baked

Dried cultured buttermilk. It is the real ingredient with the water taken out, so the biscuits taste and rise as written.

Best for: biscuits made often, since the tin keeps for months, biscuit mixes you blend ahead
Prep: Whisk the powder into the flour and use ice-cold water as the liquid. Check the tin: some brands call for 3 tbsp per cup.
Contains: dairy
Where it fails: The liquid is as thin as water, so add it gradually, as you would soured milk.

Sour cream + milk

richer and milder

Acidic and cultured, and much richer than buttermilk. Thinned with milk, it makes a soft, tender biscuit.

Best for: drop biscuits, biscuits for shortcake
Prep: Whisk half the milk into the sour cream until smooth, then the rest. Thin with a little more milk if the dough looks dry.
Contains: dairy
Where it fails: Tall, flaky, layered biscuits: the extra fat makes the crumb softer and more cake-like, with less lift.

Plain milk

flat, with no tang

Milk replaces the liquid and none of the acid. In a recipe with baking soda, that acid is what makes the gas.

Best for: biscuits made with self-rising flour or baking powder only
Where it fails: Any biscuit recipe that lists baking soda: the biscuits stay low and taste soapy from the unreacted soda.

If you have no acid at all, keep the milk plain and replace each ½ tsp of baking soda with 2 tsp of baking powder.

How it behaves in this recipe

In this recipeButtermilk

In biscuits, buttermilk does three jobs. Its acid reacts with baking soda to lift the dough, it helps keep the crumb tender, and it is thick enough to bring a soft dough together without making it wet. A substitute has to be acidic first. Thickness is the second thing to manage, because most stand-ins are thinner or thicker than buttermilk.

Tips for substituting buttermilk

5 tips

Check the leavening before you choose. Baking soda in the list means the substitute has to be acidic. Self-rising flour or baking powder alone means plain milk will work.
Add the liquid in stages. Pour in about three-quarters, toss with a fork, and add the rest 1 tbsp at a time until no dry flour is left in the bowl.
Keep everything cold. Sour the milk in the fridge while you cut the butter into the flour; cold liquid keeps the butter in pieces, and those pieces make the layers.
For ¾ cup of buttermilk, use 2 ¼ tsp of lemon juice or vinegar topped up to ¾ cup with milk. For ½ cup, use 1 ½ tsp.
Brush the tops with a little of the soured milk or plain milk before baking. They brown better than bare dough does.

Questions

4 questions

Can you substitute milk for buttermilk in biscuits?

Only with a change. If the recipe has baking soda, add 1 tablespoon of lemon juice or vinegar per cup of milk, or keep the milk plain and replace each ½ teaspoon of baking soda with 2 teaspoons of baking powder. If the recipe uses self-rising flour or baking powder alone, plain milk works as it is. Use a little less than the buttermilk called for, because milk is thinner.

Why are my biscuits flat with a buttermilk substitute?

Usually one of two things. Either there was baking soda and no acid, so little gas formed, or the thinner liquid made the dough wet and it spread instead of rising. Make sure the substitute is acidic, and add it gradually until the dough just holds together.

Can I use heavy cream or half-and-half in place of buttermilk in biscuits?

Not as they are in a recipe with baking soda, because neither is acidic. Stir 1 tablespoon of lemon juice or vinegar into the cup and top it up with half-and-half, or with half cream and half water. The biscuits come out richer and softer than with buttermilk.

What is the best non-dairy buttermilk substitute for biscuits?

Unsweetened soy milk soured with 1 tablespoon of lemon juice or vinegar per cup. Soy protein curdles and thickens the way dairy milk does. Almond and oat milk sour without thickening, so they still set off the baking soda but make a wetter dough; add them gradually.