Liquid whey substitutes

Cultured thin milk, acidic and protein-rich, the closest everyday match to acid whey.

Best for

bread and rolls, pancakes, waffles and quick breads, marinades, soaking grains, smoothies

The best all-round swap and close enough that most bakers use them interchangeably. Both are thin, tangy and full of the milk proteins and sugars that feed yeast and brown a crust, so a loaf made with buttermilk rises and colours the same way. The difference is richness: buttermilk carries a little fat and more milk solids, so the crumb is slightly softer and the flavour rounder, while whey gives a leaner, sharper loaf. In a chicken marinade buttermilk is the better tenderiser of the two.

Ordinary milk, with acid added to imitate the sourness of yogurt whey.

Best for

bread and enriched doughs, scones and biscuits, soaking oats or grains, soups

Straightforward and effective, because whey is essentially milk with the fat and casein removed. Plain milk stands in well for sweet cheesemaking whey, which is mild anyway. For sour acid whey from strained yogurt, add a teaspoon of lemon juice per cup or the dough will lack the tang and, in a soda-leavened recipe, the acid it needs to rise. Milk's extra fat makes bread a touch softer and slightly slower to rise, which is rarely a problem.

The pantry version, which supplies liquid and acidity but no protein.

Best for

bread dough, pancakes and muffins, soaking grains, beans and flour, quick brines

Works better than you would expect in bread and is genuinely fine for soaking grains overnight, where the acid is the active ingredient. What it lacks is protein and lactose, so a loaf browns less, tastes plainer and has a slightly firmer, drier crumb, since those milk solids were doing real work in the crust and the flavour. Add a teaspoon of milk powder per cup if you have it and the gap almost closes. In a marinade it will not tenderise the way whey or buttermilk does.

Diluted yogurt, which reconstructs something very close to acid whey.

Best for

bread and pancakes, marinades, soaking grains, smoothies and drinks

A sensible route, particularly because if you have yogurt you can simply strain it and get real whey in a couple of hours anyway. Diluted yogurt matches the sourness and brings back some protein and live cultures, and it is thin enough not to change a dough's hydration much. Whisk thoroughly, since undissolved yogurt shows up as pale specks. Slightly thicker and cloudier than whey, so hold back a tablespoon of the recipe's other liquid if the dough feels wet.

The actual ingredient, which you can produce from a tub of yogurt with a sieve and a cloth.

Best for

bread, ricotta-style recipes, brines and marinades, any recipe that specifically names whey

Worth mentioning before any substitute, because it takes almost no effort. Line a sieve with muslin or a clean tea towel, set it over a bowl, tip in plain yogurt and refrigerate for two to four hours; the liquid that drips through is acid whey, and the thick yogurt left in the cloth is labneh or Greek-style yogurt, so nothing is wasted. It keeps about a week in the fridge, or freeze it in ice cube trays. Note this is sour whey, not the mild sweet whey from rennet cheesemaking.

The least-bad option when nothing dairy or acidic is available.

Best for

bread and pizza dough, cooking grains, soups and stocks

Honest answer: in bread, water alone works, and the loaf will simply be plainer. You lose the tang, the softer crumb and the deeper crust colour that whey's lactose and protein provide, and a sourdough or long-fermented dough loses a little of its complexity. Where water is not a substitute is anywhere whey was chosen for its acidity or protein, such as a tenderising marinade, a soda-leavened batter or a recipe relying on it to soften grains overnight.