Liquid Whey substitute

Best substitute

Buttermilk

Use the same amount as the liquid whey you are replacing

Best for bread and rolls

Close match

For bread, pancakes or anything baked, buttermilk is the best swap at 1:1, since it is thin, acidic and rich in milk protein just like acid whey; plain milk works too, or water plus a tablespoon of lemon juice per cup. For a brine or a marinade, use buttermilk or lightly salted water. If you are using whey as a starter for lacto-fermenting vegetables, do not improvise the acidity, because that is a food safety matter rather than a flavour one; follow a tested recipe with a proper salt brine instead.

Other liquid whey substitutes

Ranked, with the exact amount to use

2Milk, or milk plus a squeeze of lemon juice
Close match
Use the same amount adding 1 tsp lemon juice per cup if the recipe wanted acid whey
Ordinary milk, with acid added to imitate the sourness of yogurt whey.
What changes
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 perfectly 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.
3Water plus lemon juice or cider vinegar
Taste and texture differ
1 cup water plus 1 tbsp lemon juice or cider vinegar
The pantry version, which supplies liquid and acidity but no protein.
What changes
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.
4Thin plain yogurt (yogurt whisked with water)
Close match
Use 2 tbsp plain yogurt whisked with ¾ cup water for every cup of whey
Diluted yogurt, which reconstructs something very close to acid whey.
What changes
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.
5Real whey, strained from yogurt in two hours
Close match
about ½ cup whey from 2 cups plain yogurt
The actual ingredient, which you can produce from a tub of yogurt with a sieve and a cloth.
What changes
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.
6Plain water
Taste and texture differ
Use the same amount
The least-bad option when nothing dairy or acidic is available.
What changes
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.

What is Liquid Whey?

Liquid Whey is Liquid whey is the thin, pale yellow liquid left behind when milk curdles or yogurt is strained, and it comes in two forms: sour acid whey from straining yogurt or making fresh cheeses like ricotta and paneer, and milder sweet whey from rennet cheesemaking.

Cooking tips

Know which whey you have, because they behave differently. Acid whey, the liquid from straining yogurt or making paneer and ricotta, is distinctly sour and works like a thin buttermilk. Sweet whey, drained from rennet cheeses, is mild and faintly sweet and behaves much more like skimmed milk. Substituting buttermilk for sweet whey can make a delicate recipe unexpectedly tangy.
Never adjust the acidity of a canning, pickling, fermenting or curing recipe by swapping whey in or out. Those recipes depend on a tested acid level to be safe, and homemade whey varies far too much in sourness to be relied on. Follow a tested recipe exactly and check the National Center for Home Food Preservation for current guidance before changing anything.
For lacto-fermenting vegetables, whey is often described as a starter, but a plain salt brine at the strength given in a tested recipe is the more reliable approach and gives a crisper result; whey can speed the ferment and soften the texture. If a recipe you trust calls for whey, use real strained whey rather than substituting an acid, since you are relying on live bacteria, not just sourness.
In bread, whey is contributing three things: water, a little acidity that strengthens the gluten and adds flavour, and milk sugars and proteins that brown the crust. If you swap to plain water, expect a paler crust; a teaspoon of milk powder or a tablespoon of milk per cup restores most of the colour.
Whey freezes well, so if you have made ricotta or strained yogurt and cannot use it up, pour it into ice cube trays and keep it for bread or for cooking grains. Fresh whey keeps only about a week in the fridge and turns increasingly sour and eventually unpleasant as it sits, so smell it before using.

Frequently asked questions

What is the best substitute for liquid whey in bread?

Buttermilk at 1:1, since it is thin, tangy and full of the same milk sugars and proteins that give a whey loaf its soft crumb and well-coloured crust. Plain milk is next best, and water plus a tablespoon of lemon juice per cup works too, though a loaf made with water alone browns less and tastes plainer. A teaspoon of milk powder per cup of water is a cheap way to get most of that crust colour back.

How do I get liquid whey if I do not have any?

Strain plain yogurt. Line a sieve with muslin or a clean tea towel, set it over a bowl, add two cups of plain yogurt and refrigerate for two to four hours; you will collect roughly half a cup of acid whey, and the thick yogurt left behind is labneh. That is real whey, not a substitute, and it is the same liquid you would get from making ricotta or paneer. It keeps about a week in the fridge and freezes well in ice cube trays.

Is whey from yogurt the same as whey from cheesemaking?

Not exactly. Whey strained from yogurt or from acid-set cheeses like paneer and ricotta is called acid whey and tastes distinctly sour, so it behaves like a thin buttermilk in baking. Whey drained from rennet-set cheeses such as cheddar is sweet whey, which is mild and faintly sweet and behaves much more like skimmed milk. If a recipe simply says whey and comes from a yogurt-straining context, assume the sour kind.

Can I use whey to lacto-ferment vegetables, and what can I use instead?

Some recipes do use whey as a starter, but a plain salt brine at the strength specified in a tested recipe is the more dependable method and usually gives crisper vegetables, since whey can accelerate the ferment and soften the texture. What you must not do is improvise the acidity or reduce the salt to suit an ingredient you have on hand. Fermenting, pickling, canning and curing recipes are safety-critical, so follow a tested recipe exactly and consult National Center for Home Food Preservation guidance.

Can I just leave the liquid whey out?

Only if you replace the liquid, since in almost every recipe whey is the liquid rather than a flavouring. Water at the same volume will carry a bread dough or a pot of grains perfectly well, giving you a plainer loaf with a paler crust. Where you cannot simply omit it is anywhere whey was chosen for its acidity or its protein, such as a soda-leavened batter, a tenderising marinade or a soak intended to soften grains.

Is liquid whey the same thing as whey protein powder?

They come from the same place but are not interchangeable. Whey protein powder is the protein from whey, dried and concentrated, and it is used for its protein content in shakes and baking. Liquid whey is the whole thin liquid, mostly water with lactose, a modest amount of protein and some minerals. You cannot substitute a scoop of powder for a cup of liquid whey in a bread recipe; you would need to dissolve it in water, and even then the acidity and lactose will not match.

Related substitutes

More dairy substitutes

Liquid Whey substitute

Other liquid whey substitutes

2Milk, or milk plus a squeeze of lemon juice

3Water plus lemon juice or cider vinegar

4Thin plain yogurt (yogurt whisked with water)

5Real whey, strained from yogurt in two hours

6Plain water