Out of Buttermilk, one case
Can you substitute kefir for buttermilk?
4 options, ranked, with the exact amount
Use Plain kefir
1 cup for every cup of buttermilk
Yes: use plain, unsweetened kefir cup for cup, with nothing else changed. Kefir is cultured milk like buttermilk, about as acidic and about as thick, so it sets off baking soda, tenderizes and tastes tangy in the same way. It is slightly more sour and faintly yeasty when tasted raw; in anything baked the difference disappears.
- Verdict —
- Works
- The tweak —
- Shake the bottle, because kefir separates as it sits, and measure it exactly as you would buttermilk.
- Best for —
- pancakes, waffles, biscuits and soda bread
One casethe full buttermilk card
Every option, one card
Ranked| # | Substitute | Instead of 1 cup buttermilk | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Plain kefirpancakes, waffles, biscuits and soda bread | 1 cupWorks | Works |
| 2 | Plain yogurt + milkcakes and muffins | ¾ cup yogurt + ¼ cup milkTweak it | Tweak it |
| 3 | Milk + lemon juice or vinegarany recipe leavened with baking soda | 1 cup milk + 1 tbsp acidTweak it | Tweak it |
| 4 | Flavored or sweetened kefirsweet pancakes, waffles and muffins, in a pinch | 1 cupYou'll taste it | You'll taste it |
| Not a swap | Water kefir | not a swapNot for this | Not for this |
Plain kefir
a little more sour, faintly yeasty raw; the same once baked
A pourable fermented milk. It matches buttermilk on the three things that matter: acid for the baking soda, a thin pouring texture, and a cultured tang that a milk-and-vinegar mix does not have.
- Best for
- pancakes, waffles, biscuits and soda bread, cakes, muffins and cornbread, ranch dressing, dips and other uncooked uses, fried-chicken soaks and marinades
- Prep
- Shake the bottle, because kefir separates as it sits, and measure it exactly as you would buttermilk.
- Suits
- vegetarian
- Contains
- dairy
- Where it fails
- Very little. Some kefir is thicker than buttermilk; if it will not pour in a stream, thin it with 1 to 2 tbsp of milk per cup. Kefir can be lightly fizzy, which does no harm in a batter.
Low-fat kefir is closest to buttermilk. Whole-milk kefir is slightly richer and makes a marginally more tender crumb.
Plain yogurt + milk
creamier and rounder, a little less sharp
The next cultured option if there is not enough kefir. The tang is real, but yogurt has to be thinned to pouring.
- Best for
- cakes and muffins, dressings and dips, marinades
- 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
- Unthinned, it stiffens a batter and makes biscuits squat.
Milk + lemon juice or vinegar
sharper and thinner; the same once baked
The standard pantry substitute. It has the acid for baking but none of the cultured flavor that kefir and buttermilk share.
- Best for
- any recipe leavened with baking soda, topping up when you are short of kefir
- 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, where the raw vinegar or lemon tastes through. Use kefir there.
Flavored or sweetened kefir
sweeter, with the flavor on the label
Vanilla, strawberry and other flavored kefirs are just as acidic, so they still raise a batter. They also carry added sugar and a flavor the recipe did not ask for.
- Best for
- sweet pancakes, waffles and muffins, in a pinch
- Prep
- Use it only in sweet batters and cook on slightly lower heat, since the added sugar browns faster.
- Contains
- dairy
- Where it fails
- Biscuits, cornbread, ranch dressing, fried chicken and anything else savory.
Water kefir
sweet, thin and fizzy
A fermented sugar-water drink that shares only the name. It has no milk protein, fat or body.
- Best for
- drinking, not baking
- Where it fails
- Everywhere buttermilk is used. It thins the batter and brings none of the richness or tenderness of cultured milk.
Tips for substituting buttermilk
5 tips- Buy plain and unsweetened. Read the label, not the front of the bottle: plain kefir lists milk and cultures, and no added sugar.
- Shake the bottle before you pour. Kefir separates into curds and whey in the fridge, and the thin part alone measures short on body.
- Measure it cup for cup at any size: ½ cup of kefir for ½ cup of buttermilk, 2 cups for 2 cups. Leave the baking soda and baking powder as written.
- For ranch dressing and other uncooked recipes, kefir is the better choice than milk and vinegar, because its tang comes from fermentation and not from raw vinegar.
- If your kefir is thicker than buttermilk, thin it with 1 to 2 tbsp of milk per cup until it pours in a stream. In biscuits, add it gradually and stop when the dough holds together.
Questions
5 questionsWhy is kefir a better buttermilk substitute than milk and vinegar?
Because it is the same kind of thing. Kefir and cultured buttermilk are both milk soured by fermentation, so kefir has the acid, the body and the cultured flavor together. Milk with vinegar has only the acid. In baking the two give the same rise; in a dressing or dip, only kefir tastes right.
Do I need to change the baking soda when I use kefir?
No. Plain kefir is about as acidic as buttermilk, so the baking soda and baking powder stay as the recipe lists them. Use the same volume of kefir as buttermilk.
Can I use kefir in place of buttermilk for fried chicken?
Yes, cup for cup, with the salt and seasoning the recipe calls for. It is acidic and pourable like buttermilk and clings to the chicken the same way. Use plain kefir only.
Can I use buttermilk in place of kefir?
In cooking and baking, yes, cup for cup. As a drink they differ: kefir is fermented with a wider mix of bacteria and yeasts, which is where its slight fizz and yeasty note come from, and buttermilk is milder.
Does heating kefir destroy the live cultures?
Yes. Baking and frying kill the live cultures in kefir, as they do in buttermilk and yogurt. In a recipe, kefir is there for its acid, body and flavor, and those all survive the heat.