My easy & quick vegan buttermilk for baking
This quick and easy vegan buttermilk is just two ingredients and ready in less than 5 minutes! Perfect as a vegan buttermilk substitute for non-dairy baking, vegan cakes, vegan buttermilk biscuits, vegan pancakes, and more!
Unfortunately, buttermilk is not vegan. It’s made from fermented milk, which contains dairy and is not vegan. And they don’t sell a vegan version in stores either- so we have to make our own.
Luckily for us, it’s super quick and easy!
Buttermilk is typically used to help give baked goods their flavor, texture, and rise. The acidity reacts with leavening agents, like baking soda, creating gas that helps the cakes to rise and stabilize.
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How long does homemade vegan buttermilk last?
Homemade vegan buttermilk will last 2 to 3 days when sealed in a container or a mason jar in the fridge. But I highly recommend using it immediately for your recipes!
Different acids for your vegan buttermilk recipe:
This vegan buttermilk recipe calls for apple cider vinegar; however you can use a few different other options if that’s unavailable.
At an equal ratio to the ACV, you can use:
- lemon juice
- white vinegar
- white wine vinegar
Can you freeze vegan buttermilk?
Yes, you can absolutely freeze vegan buttermilk! Like regular buttermilk, freezing vegan buttermilk will still preserve the curdles and the acid. Simply pour the vegan buttermilk into ice cube trays and freeze. Then once frozen, place the buttermilk cubes into an airtight container or bag to be store for up to 3 months.
Overview: How To Make Vegan Buttermilk
Much like making homemade buttermilk with dairy milk, vegan buttermilk is just as easy! Here’s how to make this quick vegan buttermilk:
- Whisk together the dairy free milk of choice and vinegar.
- Set aside to curdle.
- Use the homemade vegan buttermilk substitute in your vegan bakingrecipe!
Do I need to use soy milk or almond milk?
So truthfully, soy milk and almond milk are the best dairy free milks to curdle. This is because the proteins found in each of these milks reacts with the acid found in apple cider vinegar or lemon juice.
You will also find that oat milk will curdle, but not as much. These three non-dairy milks (almond, soy, and oat) are the best options.
Coconut milk will not curdle, as there is no protein in coconut milk. However, just because coconut milk won’t curdle doesn’t mean you can’t use it for vegan cakes and vegan cupcakes!
The vinegar will still react with the baking soda and create the reaction we’re going for.
Vegan recipes to use vegan buttermilk in:
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My easy & quick vegan buttermilk for baking
- Prep Time: 3
- Total Time: 3 minutes
- Yield: 1 1x
- Category: Baking
- Method: No Bake
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Vegan
Description
This quick and easy vegan buttermilk is just two ingredients and ready in less than 5 minutes! Perfect as a vegan buttermilk substitute for non-dairy baking, vegan cakes, vegan buttermilk biscuits, vegan pancakes, and more!
Ingredients
- 1 cup (240 mL) soy milk or oat milk or almond milk*
- 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar*
Instructions
- In a bowl or jar, whisk together the soy milk and apple cider vinegar. Set aside to curdle for 5 minutes.
- Use in your recipe or store in the fridge for 2 to 3 days covered. This recipes yields 1 cup of buttermilk. Please adjust the recipe to make as much as you need for your recipe.
Notes
Dairy free milk: Vinegar will curdle with soy milk, almond milk, and sometimes oat milk because of the protein. It will not curdle with coconut milk, as it’s mostly fat. However, you can still use coconut milk with similar results in a recipe.
Vinegar: You can substitute in lemon juice, white wine vinegar, or white vinegar for the apple cider vinegar.
Hola! Perdón que escribo en español.. estoy haciendo la receta de la red velvet vegano y no puedo empezar por qué no me sale la buttermilk! No se por que!!? La estoy haciendo con leche de avena y probé con zumo de limón y también probé con venagre de manzana pero no cuaja! Ayuda!
¡Hola! ¡No es un problema en absoluto! Entonces, con la leche de avena, no cuajará tanto como con la leche de soya o la leche de almendras. ¡Pero eso está bien! El pastel aún resultará:
Hi,
I tried it but nothing happened. I used almond milk. A very good brand. Do you have any suggestions ?
Hi Tom! This can sometimes happen with almond milk- it won’t curdle as much, depending on the brand, BUT because the apple cider vinegar is in there, it still WILL work in a recipe as “buttermilk” – I’ve used oat milk as well for my vegan buttermilk, and it doesn’t curdle much, but the recipe still turns out wonderful when I need a nut-free and soy-free option!
Hi! Would you use unsweetened or regular almond milk?
You can use either! It depends on the recipe!
Hi, I tried to make vegan buttermilk using Alpro almond milk and Aspall apple cider vinegar, it didn’t thicken just curdled and split, any thoughts?
Hi Brigette! This is not a problem! With almond milk, it will look more split than thick, but it still works GREAT in recipes!
Hello,
Could I use flax milk or coconut milk? I’m allergic to nuts, soy, and oats so I can’t use those. I’m planning to make your vegan vanilla cake and I wanted to know if it would work for the recipe.
Thank you!
Hi Katelynn! No problem at all! Yes, you can use those- while technically it won’t curdle, the baking soda and acv are still going to react together to give the cake a nice fluffy texture!
For the vanilla cake which coconut milk should I use? Like a can? And sweet or unsweet?
I would use the store bought shelf version if you don’t want too much of a coconut taste! I like to use the canned coconut milk for my vegan coconut cake recipe 🙂 It gives a super coconut flavor!
Do you need to strain the curdled milk at all or just let it sit and then put it into whatever I’m making? I’m trying out the yellow cake recipe you just posted 🥳
Hi Celeste! No need to strain- just pour everything into the cake, and bake! 🙂
I am making the buttermilk with almond milk and apple cider vinegar, and it’s not coming out at all. It doesn’t curdle or thicken at all. Will that still work for the cake? Btw, the cake says 300 ml buttermilk, but this recipe is for 240 ml almond milk and tablespoon of vinegar, which won’t make 300 ml. should I add more?
Hi Ivana! So I’m not sure why it’s not curdling, it won’t curdle as thick as traditional vegan buttermilk, but your recipe will still work. And yes, please make the buttermilk to be 300 mL. This is just a standard recipe, for making it in the cake, you increase the buttermilk to reach what’s required of the recipe! I hope that helps!
Thank you. I followed your advice and the cake turned out fine. I’ve left it now and will be decorating it this evening. Hopefully it turns out nice. Thank you!
Oh I’m so glad, that’s great!! Definitely let me know how the cake tastes 🙂 Glad it all worked out! Enjoy!
Would this work for fried chicken or just for baking?
I’ve tried it with tofu nuggets, which is a similar concept, and it worked there!
Thank you so much for the recipe.. used almond milk and worked well.. pancakes even had a better taste than with regular milk..
Hi , is the 1x mean for one cake or do i need to do 3x and then divide it up ? thanks
Hi David! Great question! So if you’re using it for a cake recipe (say it calls for 1.5 cups of buttermilk), the recipe here is only 1 cup. So you would just add an additional 1/2 of this recipe to bring it to 1.5 cups!
I’m hoping to try this recipe soon. Could I use cashew milk (soaking my cashes in water and then pureeing?)
Sue
Hi Sue! You definitely can use cashew milk, it just won’t curdle. The most essential part is the vinegar, which activates with the leavening agents to create the rise, so your cake will still rise well. The milk just won’t curdle!
It works!!
Any idea if Ripple “milk” will work to make the buttermilk?
Oh yes it will! The pea milk, correct?
Yes, I made it earlier today with Ripple. Looks good. We will eat it tomorrow for son’s birthday.
I saw this pic on this site and googled it…it looked better than anything I could imagine…I cant wait to make it….I havent read the recipe yet but I hope it is not gluten free. I love my gluten and enjoy the added protein it gives me. Most people have no idea what gluten is…but I need something sweet…no junk food in my house and I do crave something sweet once in a while. I have been vegetarian for 35 year…not vegan because I do eat eggs from my own chicken ladies and ducklets but never from the store. Eating processed foods does not fit in my lifestyle.
Hi there! i have an aunt who is deathly allergic to dairy and anything about it so im always trying to make meals that need dairy and make them dairy free, i wanna try making chicken fried steaks. When making the vegan butter milk do i use it in its entirety curds and all or do i separate it?? im new to making dairy free stuff lol
Hi Rebecca! You’ll use it in its entirety 🙂 Don’t separate the curds! Enjoy!!
This is so simple. There is no need to hunt for any hard to find ingredients. I use this now for all my recipes that call for buttermilk.
The ratio is so simple for any amount of plant based buttermilk. 1 cup of plant based Milk to 1 Tbsp of Vinegar or Lemon Juice. I usually put the vinegar in my measuring cup first, then pour the “milk” to the amount needed for my recipe. Works every time. Thanks!
I use this buttermilk recipe all the time for my baking. My new favorite milk for vegan buttermilk is using soymilk (Silk brand) – it turns out so thick and creamy, almost like a whipping cream consistency. Before that, I used the almond milk from Trader Joe’s – I’ve learned that brand curdles, but the Good & Gather brand from Target does not. So interesting!