Name: 5-Minute Buttermilk Recipe with Milk and Lemon
Prep time: 5 min
Total time: 5 min
Ingredients: 1 tablespoon lemon juice or white vinegar; 1 cup milk

All out of buttermilk? Don’t worry — you can whip up a homemade version in just 5 minutes! All you need is milk and a little lemon juice (or vinegar). It’s the perfect quick fix for biscuits, scones, pancakes, and any recipe that calls for buttermilk.

A Fast Fix When You Need Buttermilk Right Now

In the South we cook with buttermilk a lot, there’s nothing better in homemade breads and biscuit. But that doesn’t meant that I always have a quart in my fridge, and seriously the last thing I want to do when I get home from work is go to the grocery.

If this sounds familiar, then you’re going to love having a homemade buttermilk recipe on hand.

Buttermilk is generally thicker than cream but thinner than yogurt and has a distinct tangy taste. My father-in-law would just drink it by the glass. I love it in baking, but I won’t be downing a glass anytime soon!

Why use buttermilk?

Buttermilk is one of those magical ingredients that makes baked goods tender by breaking down gluten and protein. Since it’s acidic, it reacts with baking soda which is alkaline and gives the baked goods more rise. That’s why Southern-style buttermilk biscuits are tall and flaky.

Don’t forget savory, it’s a must for creamy salad dressings, and of course for marinating chicken. It’s the secret to my mother-in-laws amazing fried chicken.

When I’m baking, I tend to remember to pick up buttermilk at the grocery, it’s when I use it for marinating that I find myself to be out of it and need this buttermilk with lemon juice.

When can use use a buttermilk substitute

You can use a buttermilk substitute for any recipe that calls for buttermilk, but it works best when buttermilk isn’t the main ingredient.

Works great for: pancakes, muffins, waffles, dressings, marinades
Not ideal for: classic buttermilk biscuits, pound cake, old-fashioned cornbread

Ingredients to make a buttermilk substitute

Powdered buttermilk – I haven’t been successful in finding this at the grocery so have had to order it, but it has a pretty long shelf life.

Your Options for Making a Buttermilk Recipe

Depending on what you have in the kitchen, you can make a buttermilk substitute three different ways. Each one gives you the acidity you need for baking or marinating, even though the texture won’t be quite as thick as real buttermilk.

A cup of milk next to a bottle of vinegar.

A cup of buttermilk next to a bag of powdered buttermilk

Milk + Lemon Juice

For every cup of buttermilk you need, add 1 tablespoon of lemon juice to a measuring cup, then fill it to the 1-cup line with milk. Give it a stir and let it rest for about 5 minutes. It will look slightly curdled—that’s exactly what you want.

Milk + Vinegar

Any vinegar you keep on hand works here: white vinegar, apple cider, or even white wine vinegar. Use 1 tablespoon of vinegar per cup of milk and let it sit the same way you would with lemon juice.

Powdered Buttermilk

If you don’t always have milk on hand, powdered buttermilk is the easiest backup plan. It keeps well in the pantry and mixes with water in seconds. Just follow the instructions on the package.

A teaspoon of buttermilk substitute over a measuring cup.

Once you know this little trick, you’re never stuck mid-recipe again. I’ve leaned on it a hundred times for biscuits, pancakes, and even fried chicken marinades — it never lets me down.

If you loved this recipe, give it a star ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating! Also, snap a picture of your finished dish and share it with me on Instagram using the hashtag #butterandbaggage and tagging me @butterandbaggage.