Whether you want a dairy-free alternative to buttermilk or you don't have buttermilk on hand and need a quick replacement, this vegan buttermilk trick is for you!
I say trick instead of recipe because this is a 2-ingredient method that works best with soy milk.
I recommend sticking to soy milk as the base, as oat milk yields much thinner "buttermilk" and just generally doesn't work as well or as consistently as soy milk due to its lower protein content.
Vegan buttermilk works in place of traditional buttermilk in baked goods like vegan pancakes, vegan waffles, and vegan biscuits. Unlike traditional buttermilk, it's not great on its own with vegan cornbread (yes, this is a thing!).
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Why this recipe works
Before we talk about dairy-free buttermilk, we need to talk about traditional buttermilk. Buttermilk is, in short, fermented milk. Traditionally it was made from the liquid left after making butter, which is then fermented overnight.
Buttermilk is rich, thick, tangy, and creamy. It is made up of water, milk proteins, milk sugars, and a small amount of fat. So how do we imitate that without milk? It's surprisingly easy.
Vegan buttermilk is made using soy milk and an acid like vinegar or lemon juice. The acid coagulates the milk, resulting in a thick and tangy texture similar to buttermilk.
Ingredients
Vegan buttermilk works best with soy milk. After some readers have reported varied success with oat milk, I now recommend just sticking to soy milk because it consistently coagulates and turns into vegan buttermilk.
Milk
This method works best with higher-protein plant milk. That's because the curdled proteins are what contribute to the thick buttermilk consistency.
I recommend using unsweetened, unflavored milk for the most neutral flavor, but flavored milk does work.
- Soy milk: My go-to option which results in the thickest buttermilk. I recommend soy milk over all other plant milks when making vegan buttermilk.
- Oat milk: This will take a little longer to curdle than soy milk, and it is not as thick. Results are also inconsistent.
- Pea protein milk: Another decent option because it is high in protein, however, the flavor is less neutral than soy or oat milk.
Not recommended: Rice milk, coconut milk, almond milk. Almond milk may curdle but results are inconsistent due to the low protein content.
Acid
This curdles the proteins in the plant milk. Different acids also provide different flavors.
- Lemon juice: This makes a bright, lemony flavor that is great in vegan strawberry muffins and other vegan baked goods. However, I find that lemon juice curdles milk less consistently than vinegar.
- Apple cider vinegar: This adds a slightly fruity flavor.
- White vinegar: This makes the tangiest but most neutral flavor.
Technically other vinegars like rice vinegar, red wine vinegar, and even balsamic vinegar work. I don't recommend using them because they have a strong flavor that could alter the overall flavor of recipes.
How to make buttermilk
To make vegan buttermilk:
- Measure out one cup of unsweetened, unflavored soy milk.
- Scoop out one tablespoon of milk. This is optional, but it makes it so that the recipe yields 1 cup of buttermilk.
- Add 1 tablespoon lemon juice or vinegar. Stir to combine.
- Let sit for 10 minutes. The mixture will thicken significantly and appear lumpy when ready to use.
How to use
Use dairy-free buttermilk in place of traditional buttermilk at a 1:1 ratio.
Vegan buttermilk adds a tangy flavor, helps with leavening, and yields more tender baked goods.
It can be used in waffles, pancakes, muffins, cakes, and even sweet potato biscuits.
It also works in place of milk in savory recipes that use batters like cauliflower wings and chicken-fried tofu.
Storage
- Keep leftover vegan buttermilk in the fridge for 3-4 days. Note that it may continue to thicken slightly in the fridge.
- Vegan buttermilk does freeze well. Liquids expand as they freeze, so make sure not to overfill the jar that it is frozen in. When ready to use, transfer to the fridge to defrost overnight. I don't recommend defrosting it by heating it up in the microwave.
More plant-based basics
If you're new to eating plant-based, don't forget to check out more plant-based staples.
Did you try this recipe? You can leave a star rating in the recipe card or a review in the comments below. Or check out my cookbook and keep up to date with my YouTube, Instagram, TikTok, or newsletter!
Recipe
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Vegan Buttermilk
Ingredients
- 1 cup unsweetened unflavored soy milk see note #1
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar see note #2
Instructions
- Pour 1 cup of unsweetened, unflavored soy milk into a bowl or jar. Remove one tablespoon of the milk.
- Add 1 tablespoon cider vinegar. Whisk to combine.
- Let the mixture rest, uncovered, for 10 minutes. It is ready when thickened and lumpy.
- Keep leftover buttermilk refrigerated for 3-4 days or freeze for up to 3 months.
Notes
- Milk: Soy milk works best due to its high protein content. Oat milk and pea protein milk may also work, but I've had inconsistent results so I don't recommend using that as your first option. I don't recommend almond, rice, or coconut milk.
- Vinegar: This recipe works with an equal amount of plain vinegar or lemon juice.
Hana says
I used oat milk and regular vinegar and left it to sit for an hour, it was perfect! thickened up really nicely! Thank you!
Cassidy Reeser says
Awesome! Happy to hear that the long sit time helped thicken it up with oat milk.
Mrs Friederike Stenning says
The taste was achieved without any difficulties, but the oat milk
from oatly did not thicken in any way.even after more than an hour.
I used apple cider vinegar
Mary Jo says
Or intead of pouring a cup of oat milk and then removing a tablespoon of the milk and then adding vinegar, put the tablespoon of vinegar in first, and then add the milk to fill up the cup.
anne says
I used oat milk and apple cider vinegar. its been sitting for over 20 minutes and doesn't look any different than when I first poured it from the carton.
Cassidy Reeser says
Hmm it should thicken up at least a little bit, can I ask what brand oat milk you used?