Out of Buttermilk, one case

Can you substitute heavy cream for buttermilk?

4 options, ranked, with the exact amount

Use thisBest of 4 options

Use Heavy cream + water + acid

Per cup of buttermilk

½ cup cream + ½ cup water + 1 tbsp acid

Not as it is. Heavy cream is at least 36% fat and not acidic; buttermilk is 1 to 2% fat and sour. To make it work, put 1 tablespoon of lemon juice or white vinegar in a measuring cup, add ½ cup of heavy cream, fill to the 1-cup line with water, and wait 5 to 10 minutes. That gives an acidic liquid thin enough to use like buttermilk, though still richer.

Verdict —: Tweak it
The tweak —: Measure 1 tbsp lemon juice or white vinegar into the cup, add ½ cup heavy cream, top up to 1 cup with water, stir and wait 5 to 10 minutes. For ½ cup of buttermilk, use 1 ½ tsp acid and ¼ cup cream, topped up to ½ cup with water.
Best for —: pancakes and waffles
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	Heavy cream + water + acidpancakes and waffles	½ cup cream + ½ cup water + 1 tbsp acidTweak it	Tweak it
2	Heavy cream + acid, undilutedscones and drop biscuits	1 cup cream + 1 tbsp acidYou'll taste it	You'll taste it
3	Milk + lemon juice or vinegarany recipe leavened with baking soda	1 cup milk + 1 tbsp acidTweak it	Tweak it
4	Sour cream + milk or waterranch dressing and dips	¾ cup sour cream + ¼ cup milkTweak it	Tweak it
Not a swap	Plain heavy cream	not a swapNot for this	Not for this

What changesWhat changes, option by option4 options

Heavy cream + water + acid

richer and creamier, with a sharper, thinner tang

Cream cut with an equal part of water pours like rich milk, and the acid makes it do buttermilk's main job, which is to react with baking soda.

Best for: pancakes and waffles, biscuits, scones and muffins, cakes and quick breads
Prep: Measure 1 tbsp lemon juice or white vinegar into the cup, add ½ cup heavy cream, top up to 1 cup with water, stir and wait 5 to 10 minutes. For ½ cup of buttermilk, use 1 ½ tsp acid and ¼ cup cream, topped up to ½ cup with water.
Contains: dairy
Where it fails: Ranch dressing and other uncooked uses, where the raw acid tastes through. It is still several times richer than buttermilk, so a very light cake bakes a little denser.

Heavy whipping cream and whipping cream work the same way.

Heavy cream + acid, undiluted

very rich, mildly tangy

Soured cream with no water added. It is acidic enough to set off baking soda, and thick and very rich, closer to thin sour cream than to buttermilk.

Best for: scones and drop biscuits, pound cake and other dense cakes, small amounts, ¼ cup or less
Prep: Stir 1 tbsp lemon juice or vinegar into the cup, top up to 1 cup with cream, and wait 5 to 10 minutes. It thickens quickly; whisk in water 1 tbsp at a time if the batter is too stiff.
Contains: dairy
Where it fails: Pancakes, which come out heavy and brown before they cook through. Light cakes, which turn dense and greasy. Fried-chicken soaks, where the thick cream does not drain and the crust goes patchy.

Milk + lemon juice or vinegar

sharper and thinner than buttermilk; the same once baked

If there is any milk in the house, sour that and keep the cream for something else. It is the standard substitute and much nearer to buttermilk in fat.

Best for: any recipe leavened with baking soda, pancakes, biscuits and cakes
Prep: Measure the acid into the cup first, top up to 1 cup with milk, and wait 5 to 10 minutes.
Contains: dairy
Where it fails: Uncooked dressings and dips.

Sour cream + milk or water

rich and tangy, milder than buttermilk

Sour cream is cream that has already been cultured, so it has the acid and the tang that heavy cream lacks. It only needs thinning.

Best for: ranch dressing and dips, cakes and coffee cake, when there is no lemon or vinegar
Prep: Whisk half the milk or water into the sour cream until smooth, then the rest. Thin further if the batter looks stiff.
Contains: dairy
Where it fails: A fried-chicken soak, where it is too thick to drain.

Plain heavy cream

rich and sweet, with no tang

Cream poured straight in replaces the liquid with something much fattier and brings no acid at all.

Best for: recipes written for cream, such as cream biscuits and cream scones
Where it fails: Any recipe with baking soda: there is nothing for the soda to react with, so the bake is flat, heavy and soapy-tasting. Even with baking powder, a cup of cream adds far more fat than the recipe planned for.

Tips for substituting buttermilk

5 tips

The amounts: for 1 cup of buttermilk, 1 tbsp acid + ½ cup cream, then water to the 1-cup line. For ½ cup, 1 ½ tsp acid + ¼ cup cream, then water to the ½-cup line.
Use lemon juice or white vinegar. Both are strong enough at 1 tbsp per cup, and neither can be tasted after baking.
Soured cream thickens more than soured milk. Stir it before it goes in, and loosen it with 1 tbsp of water if it has gone spoonable.
Because the mixture is richer than buttermilk, a recipe with a lot of butter or oil can lose about 1 tbsp of that fat per cup of substitute without harm.
If you have no acid at all, thin the cream with an equal part of water and replace each ½ tsp of baking soda with 2 tsp of baking powder.

Questions

5 questions

Can I use heavy whipping cream in place of buttermilk in pancakes?

Yes, diluted and soured: 1 tablespoon of lemon juice or vinegar, ½ cup of cream, and water to the 1-cup line. Undiluted cream makes pancakes that are heavy and brown on the outside before the middle sets. The diluted version gives tender pancakes that are a little richer than usual.

Why can I not swap heavy cream for buttermilk cup for cup?

Two reasons. Buttermilk is acidic and cream is not, so baking soda has nothing to react with and the bake does not rise. And cream is at least 36% fat against 1 to 2% for buttermilk, so a cup of it adds far more fat and less water than the recipe was built around.

If I shake heavy cream into butter, is the liquid left over buttermilk?

It is traditional buttermilk, but it is not the cultured buttermilk recipes mean. The liquid from churning fresh cream is thin, sweet and not acidic. To bake with it, add 1 tablespoon of lemon juice or vinegar per cup so it can react with baking soda.

Can I use heavy cream in place of buttermilk in biscuits?

Yes. Biscuits take richness well. Use the diluted, soured mix for a recipe with baking soda and add it gradually until the dough holds together. Soured undiluted cream also works and gives a softer, richer biscuit with a little less height.

Does soured heavy cream work for fried chicken?

Use the diluted version: half cream, half water, with 1 tablespoon of lemon juice or vinegar per cup, plus the salt the recipe calls for. Undiluted cream clings in a thick layer and keeps the flour from sticking evenly.